[Newsmaker] Moon gets another AstraZeneca vaccine shot for summit with Biden, G-7 session

President Moon Jae-in received his second dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Friday, a few weeks earlier than initially scheduled, as he plans to visit Washington for talks with President Joe Biden in late May. He got the first shot at the Jongno Ward public health center in Seoul on March 23 in order to attend a Group of Seven (G-7) summit to be held in Britain from June 11-13. At that time, he was scheduled to get the second dose in May.     Later, South Korea and th

PoliticsApril 30, 2021

New cases in 600s for 2nd day, virus curbs extended for 3 weeks

South Korea's daily new virus cases remained in the 600s for the second day Friday as the country extended its social distancing measures against the coronavirus amid concerns of another wave of the pandemic. The country reported 661 more COVID-19 cases, including 642 local infections, raising the total caseload to 122,007, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally was slightly down from 679 new cases the previous day, after reaching 769 cases on Wednesday o

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021

S. Korea to resume discount coupon program on dining, arts next month

South Korea said Friday it plans to resume a discount coupon program aimed at boosting spending on dining and cultural performances next month as it seeks to prop up domestic demand hit hard by the pandemic. The government plans to hand out coupons to enable people to use food delivery services via apps and enjoy cultural performances on online platforms, according to First Vice Finance Minister Lee Eog-weon. "The government will push for the discount coupon program to buttress improving

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021

Moon to hold first summit with Biden on May 21: Cheong Wa Dae

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden will hold their first summit talks in Washington on May 21, the allies announced Friday. Moon is scheduled to visit the US capital for the one-on-one summit to be held at the White House at Biden's invitation, according to Chung Man-ho, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication. He said the leaders' decision to hold an in-person summit despite the "difficult" situations attributable to the

Foreign AffairsApril 30, 2021

South Korea to extend social distancing rules for another three weeks

South Korea has decided to extend the current social distancing measures and the ban on gatherings of more than five people for another three weeks. Currently, Level 2 is in place in Seoul and surrounding regions, and Level 1.5 in other parts of the country. Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki said Friday at a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, “We cannot relax, with 661 confirmed cases of COVID-19 coming out the previous day.” “In May,

Social AffairsApril 30, 2021

National Assembly passes bill meant to prevent conflicts of interest among public officials

The National Assembly on Thursday passed a long-stalled bill that prohibits public officials, including lawmakers, from seeking personal gains using information related to their job responsibilities. The so-called conflict of interest prevention law was approved during a parliamentary plenary session following its passage through the Legislation and Judiciary Committee earlier in the day. Similar anti-graft bills were proposed over the past eight years in vain before a massive land speculation

PoliticsApril 29, 2021

S. Korea calls for speedy shipment of Pfizer vaccine from EU

South Korea's trade ministry said Thursday it has requested the European Union to continue to lend a hand for the stable shipment of COVID-19 vaccines made in the region without delay, as Seoul moves to speed up its inoculation program. Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee made the request to Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis of the European Commission, along with Belgium Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, during her two-day trip to Brussels from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the Ministry

Foreign AffairsApril 29, 2021

S. Korea heading fast toward herd immunity after vaccinating 3m in 2 months

South Korea has inoculated more than 3 million people in two months since its vaccine rollout, health authorities said Thursday, as the country ramps up its COVID-19 immunization drive by providing more shots to create herd immunity by November. An accumulated 3,012,654 people were administered with their first shots as of 3:30 p.m. since the nationwide campaign kicked off on Feb. 26, accounting for roughly 5.6 percent of the country's 52 million population, the Korea Disease Control and Preven

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Independent panel to review power abuse probe of Seoul prosecution chief on May 10

An independent panel created to review the validity of an ongoing investigation into the Seoul prosecution chief on charges of abuse of power will convene on May 10, judiciary sources said Thursday. Lee Sung-yoon, chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, is being probed over allegations he exercised undue influence in 2019 to stop an inquiry into the alleged illegal exit ban imposed on a former senior official. The Supreme Prosecutors Office last week accepted Lee's request for

PoliticsApril 29, 2021

[Video] Seoul’s district office provides free food for residents facing financial difficulties

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has made life harder for most people. But some have borne the brunt of it. In order to help them, the local government of Yeongdeungpo-gu in western Seoul set up three special stores where district residents can get daily necessities without having to pay for them. The special stores are named “zero-cost stores,” according to the Seoul Yeongdeungpo-gu Council of Social Welfare. The stores opened on Jan. 18 to help local residents facing financial dif

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

With open borders and lax social distancing, Korea ‘playing with fire’

COVID-19 cases are surging and hospital beds are filling once again in South Korea, but health officials say they have no plans to reinstate harsher mitigation measures or pause reopenings. This reluctance to adopt stronger restrictions may leave the country another spike in infections, experts warn. Jeong Eun-kyeong, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Commissioner, said in response to a press question during a briefing Thursday that the country “could afford to w

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Watchdog to probe military for abuse allegations in COVID response

South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission said Thursday that it will launch an investigation into allegations that the military violated rights of conscripts who said they had been fed poorly and denied access to bathrooms because of the COVID-19 response. The previous week, an Army conscript prompted public outcry when he revealed on Facebook that he had been given insufficient meals while in quarantine, showing a picture of what appeared to be a nearly empty tray. The militar

DefenseApril 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Youn Yuh-jung says she doesn't 'admire' Hollywood

Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung, 73, is loved not just for her acting, but also for her candid and humorous remarks. The veteran actor of over 50 years said on a US television show on Tuesday that she doesn’t “admire” Hollywood. “When some project comes from America, people in Korea think I admire Hollywood,” Youn told NBC Asian America. “No, I don’t admire Hollywood. The reason I keep coming is because if I come to the States and work, maybe I’m ab

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Unification minister pins hopes on Moon-Biden summit to revive diplomacy with North Korea

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Thursday stressed the importance of the upcoming South Korea-US summit, pinning hopes on the meeting as a chance to revive the stalled Korean Peninsula peace process.   　 “I believe the first half of this year, with the US’ policy review on North Korea expected to be completed and uncertainty being cleared up, will be a golden opportunity and the most optimal time for the South, the North and the US to move together toward the Korean Penins

North KoreaApril 29, 2021

Coronavirus self-test kits go on sale in S. Korea

South Korean drugmaker Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. said Thursday it has started sales of coronavirus self-test kits at local pharmacies and its online channels. SD Biosensor's at home test kits received approval from the nation's drug safety agency last week, and they are now available via Hanmi Pharmaceutical's distribution channels across the nation. Users can collect samples from their noses on their own for testing, and the results come out within 15-30 minutes. If users receive a positive r

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Crested ibis chicks born in the wild 42 years after extinction in Korea

CHANGNYEONG -- Crested ibises, an endangered bird, have been born in the wild in South Korea for the first time after the species went extinct on the Korean Peninsula 42 years ago, officials here said Thursday. Two crested ibis chicks were born safely from two eggs laid by a pair of crested ibises, which were released two years ago in Upo Wetland in Changnyeong of South Gyeongsang Province, 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the county officials said. The two chicks were born from one egg hatc

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

Moon’s retirement residence faces resistance from neighbors

Construction of President Moon Jae-in’s post-presidency residence has been halted recently faced with resistance from residents of the area, according to Cheong Wa Dae sources Thursday. Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook plan to relocate to Habuk, a small town in the rural city of Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, after retiring in May 2022. They purchased a 2,630-square-meter property in the area for 1.06 billion won ($870,000) last year. Following the purchase, the Presidential Sec

PoliticsApril 29, 2021

Seoul education office to test-run self-test kits at schools from May

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will offer preemptive virus testing for teachers and students starting next month, as part of efforts to detect transmissions early and contain the spread of the virus, its chief said Thursday. The office also plans to introduce self-test kits at schools, whose use was proposed earlier this month by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, in a "limited" fashion for "more aggressive, proactive measures against the virus," he said. Cho Hee-yeon, su

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021

UN committee requests N. Korea provide explanation on human rights violations

A UN committee called on North Korea to provide an explanation on reported cases of human rights violations and to report any progress, its website showed Thursday. The UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) last week urged the North to provide information on whether it has made progress on several human rights issues, including torture and violence against women. The committee asked the North to specify the measures it has taken to ensure that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

North KoreaApril 29, 2021

Single-person households in Seoul outnumber other kinds

Single-person households accounted for 33.3 percent of all households in Seoul, making them the most common type of household in the city. The hardest part of living alone was difficulty coping with sickness or emergencies, a survey showed Thursday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the results of its 2020 Seoul Welfare Survey, which involved 4,000 households and took place over two months beginning in November. After single-person households, the next most common were two-person h

Social AffairsApril 29, 2021