[Photo News] Korea to roll out coronavirus self-test kits at pharmacies

At SD Biosensor’s factory in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, the South Korean drugmaker producing COVID-19 self-test kits and its staff conduct a final inspection before the products go on sale at local pharmacies and online channels.  The test kits of SD Biosensor use a sterile nasal swab by which people can detect specific antigens of COVID-19 present in specimens collected from the nasal cavity.  Those who use the home test kits are able to see the test results in 15 to

Social AffairsMay 1, 2021

[Photo News] South Korean civic groups’ strong petition against Japan’s Fukushima water release

Following Japan’s announcement that it will release contaminated wastewater in the Pacific Ocean, civic groups all around the nation expressed strong concern on the decision, denouncing the action as a threat. Weeks after the initial announcement, civic groups are still acting strongly to portray their rage in petitions.  Concerns are especially high on Jeju Island, as it is the first province to be affected by the released water. In front of the Consulate General of Japan on Jeju, r

Social AffairsMay 1, 2021

S. Korea mulls raising travel alert for India amid virus surges

South Korea could raise the travel alert for India amid a massive spike in COVID-19 cases in the country, the foreign ministry said Friday. The ministry is considering raising the alert by one notch to "red," recommending South Koreans leave India unless there are essential reasons, officials said. "We are closely watching the situation in India and reviewing measures and what we can do," an official said when asked about the possibility of raising the travel advisory. T

Foreign AffairsApril 30, 2021

Prosecutors again drop charges against McDonald's Korea in burger patty scandal

South Korean prosecutors said Friday they have decided not to file charges against the local unit of McDonald's after wrapping up their reinvestigation into the so-called hamburger disease case involving some local consumers of the American fast food giant. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it has decided not to indict McDonald's Korea after concluding that it is difficult to acknowledge a causal relationship between hamburgers from McDonald's Korea and the hamburger disease

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021

FM Chung to hold talks with US, British, Indian and EU counterparts at G7 gathering

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will hold bilateral talks with his US, British, Indian and European Union counterparts on the margins of a Group of Seven (G7) session in London next week, his ministry said Friday. The first in-person gathering of G7 foreign and development ministers in over two years is set to take place from Monday to Wednesday. South Korea, Australia, India, South Africa and Brunei, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have been invited as guests to the me

Foreign AffairsApril 30, 2021

Govt. remains unperturbed by mounting calls for pardoning jailed Samsung heir

Calls for pardoning Lee Jae-yong, the incarcerated de facto chief of Samsung Group, have resurfaced after his family unveiled plans to donate a chunk of the immense assets inherited from Lee's late father and company Chairman Lee Kun-hee. But the government and the ruling party remain adamant that it is too early to deliberate on the issue. Prime Minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum on Thursday highly assessed Samsung heirs' donation pledges but stressed it would hardly influence the government's sta

PoliticsApril 30, 2021

S. Korea, US and Japan discuss expanding security ties

The South Korean, US and Japanese military chiefs on Thursday discussed deepening security cooperation amid a growing threat from North Korea to promote peace and stability in the region, at their first in-person three-way talks in Hawaii since the COVID-19 outbreak in January a year earlier. The talks, held on the sidelines of a change-of-command ceremony at the US Indo-Pacific Command, opened as the US seeks to establish what it calls a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific regi

DefenseApril 30, 2021

Four-term lawmaker, ex-Ulsan mayor elected as new floor leader of main opposition party

Four-term legislator and ex-Mayor of Ulsan Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon was elected the new floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party on Friday. Kim, based in the southeastern city of Ulsan, secured 66 of the 100 ballots cast in the party's runoff voting to become the new floor leader, defeating rival Rep. Kim Tae-heum. He will replace Rep. Joo Ho-young, who is retiring as floor leader and acting party chairman. One of the most urgent issues facing Kim in the new post is the party's ongoing

PoliticsApril 30, 2021

US conducts 2 tests for THAAD-Patriot system integration last year: government report

The US missile defense agency conducted two missile flight tests last year to integrate its Patriot and THAAD missile systems, but they were unsuccessful due to software problems, a US government report has showed. The US is working to upgrade its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries around the world, including one in South Korea, to add advanced radar and to integrate the system with Patriot missiles. According to the report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), t

DefenseApril 30, 2021

Foreign ministry considering raising travel alert for India amid virus surges

The foreign ministry said Friday it is considering raising the travel alert for India amid a massive spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. The ministry is considering raising the alert by one notch to "red," recommending South Koreans leave India unless there are essential reasons, officials said. "We are closely watching the situation in India and reviewing measures and what we can do," an official said when asked about the possibility of raising the travel advisory. Th

Foreign AffairsApril 30, 2021

Police raid dairy firm over alleged exaggeration of yogurt's effects against COVID-19

Police raided the headquarters of a major dairy firm on Friday as part of a probe into allegations that it exaggerated anti-coronavirus effects of its yogurt products. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it had been conducting searches at the headquarters and five other facilities of Namyang Dairy Products Co., including a laboratory in the central city of Sejong, since 9:30 a.m. The operation came after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety filed a complaint on April 15 against Namyang

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021

S. Korea to adopt new social distancing scheme in July as vaccinations gather pace

South Korea will introduce new COVID-19 social distancing rules in July if the nation's daily caseload remains below 1,000, health authorities said Friday. The new rules are aimed at imposing fairer restrictions and giving the public a simpler message on containment, officials said. The revamped distancing rules will also come as the country's vaccination campaign is gathering pace. As of Thursday, the country has vaccinated more than 3 million people, or 6 percent of the country's 52-million

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021

Number of foreign visitors dips 10.7% in March

The number of foreign visitors to South Korea dropped nearly 11 percent in March from a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Friday. A total of 74,604 foreigners visited the country last month, down 10.7 percent from the same month a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO). Chinese arrivals were the largest number at 18,980, followed by Americans with 12,321 and citizens from the Philippines with 9,268. Visitors from China ros

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021

[Video] New committee makes moves to put ‘hanji’ on UNESCO heritage list

A committee to promote Korean traditional paper “hanji,” which are handmade from mulberry trees, was launched on Thursday in hopes it will win recognition as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. Politicians, public administrators and experts in the field of traditional craft making gathered at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul to discuss initiatives that need to be taken for hanji to be included on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hu

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021

Defector group sends propaganda leaflets into N. Korea in defiance of ban

A North Korean defector group claimed Friday it has sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border in defiance of a ban enacted recently over concern such a leafleting campaign could provoke the North and endanger the safety of people in border regions. Fighters for a Free North Korea led by Park Sang-hak, a vocal North Korean defector, said that the group flew 10 large balloons carrying around 500,000 leaflets, 500 booklets and 5,000 $1 bills from unidentified border areas in Gyeonggi and Gang

North KoreaApril 30, 2021

Moon's approval rating hits record low of 29%: Gallup

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped below 30 percent for the first time since his inauguration in May 2017, a Gallup Korea poll showed Friday. In its three-day survey from Tuesday of 1,000 adults nationwide, 29 percent of respondents supported Moon's leadership, down 2 percentage points from a week earlier. His approval rating has been on the decline since recording 40 percent in the first week of March. The proportion of those disapproving of his presidency stayed at 60 percent.

PoliticsApril 30, 2021

Unseasonal snowfall covers mountains in Gangwon Province

Unseasonal snowfall blanketed mountainous areas of Gangwon Province, east of Seoul, on Friday, the last day of April usually known in South Korea as a season of early summer-like warm weather. Late-night rain turned into snow in the Gangwon mountains 1,300 meters above sea level early Friday morning, with 15 centimeters of snow recorded on and around the peak of Mount Seorak, about 200 kilometers east of Seoul, as of 9 a.m., according to national park officials there. Similar amounts of snow a

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021

Military reports 4 new COVID-19 cases

Three soldiers and an airman tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday, the latest in a series of infections at barracks across the nation. The four service members, all from different units, were confirmed to have been infected following their recent vacation, bringing the total number of infections among the military population to 784, according to the ministry. Nationwide, South Korea reported 661 more COVID-19 cases, including 642 local infections, raising t

DefenseApril 30, 2021

NK's largest youth group drops late founder's name from title after 25 years

North Korea dropped the name of late national founder Kim Il-sung from the title of its largest youth organization and put the word "socialist" back into the title, according to state media Friday, a move aimed at tightening ideological discipline of younger generations. The Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League, governed by the ruling Workers' Party, was renamed as the Socialist Patriotic Youth League (SPYL) at the 10th congress in Pyongyang, according to the Korean Central News Age

North KoreaApril 30, 2021

COVID-19 self-test kits hit pharmacy shelves

Sales of coronavirus self-test kits that offer results in 30 minutes began on Friday at pharmacies nationwide. Hanmi Pharmaceutical started distributing bio-diagnostic firm SD Biosensor’s at-home test kits nationwide through its affiliate, Online Pharm, which specializes in pharmacy sales and distribution. It will also be available on its website (www.hanmiprocalm.com) for ordinary customers. With the kit, a user can check whether they test positive or not within 15 to 30 minutes afte

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021