[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi governor in spat over proposal for fines proportional to property

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and opposition lawmaker Rep. Yoon Hee-sook argued on Monday over Lee’s proposal of a system where the amount of fines is based on how rich the offender is. Lee, who has long been among the ruling party’s strongest presidential hopefuls in public polls, wrote via Facebook on Sunday that the amount of fines should be proportionate to the offender’s property. “Finland adopted the system 100 years ago in 1921, and Germany in 1975,”

Social AffairsApril 26, 2021

Moon to meet Novavax CEO on vaccine production

President Moon Jae-in is expected to hold a face-to-face meeting with Novavax CEO Stanley Erck on Tuesday amid the pending production of the US drugmaker's new COVID-19 vaccine here, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. “The president will exchange opinions on the expansion of the vaccine production partnership with Novavax and discuss ways to advance the adoption, including an earlier regulatory approval,” presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said. Moon and Erck held

PoliticsApril 26, 2021

S. Korea may develop 2 homegrown COVID-19 vaccines this year: minister

South Korea may develop two homegrown vaccines against COVID-19 as early as this year or early next year, the country's health minister said Monday. Currently, five local pharmaceutical firms are developing the new coronavirus vaccines, with two of them expected to conduct phase two or three clinical trials by the end of the year, Kwon Deok-cheol said during a radio talk show. "We expect the approval as early as the end of this year or early next year," Kwon said, adding that members

Social AffairsApril 26, 2021

Three years after historic Panmunjom Declaration, two Koreas remain deadlocked

Tuesday is the third anniversary of the historic inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, where the two leaders vowed for peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula. Despite the flurry of efforts toward reconciliation since, hopes for peace on the long-divided peninsula remain tempered by a deadlock in nuclear diplomacy and Pyongyang’s recent escalation of tension. 　 Unlike in the past two years, the Korean government is not

North KoreaApril 26, 2021

Korea, China not in talks over Quad alliance: Defense Ministry

South Korea and China have not discussed the Quad alliance, a US-led democratic coalition comprising the US, Australia, India and Japan to contain an increasingly assertive China, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday. “It’s an unequivocal no. We have not been in talks on the matter and on whether we will join the group,” ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said, referring to a report that Beijing had repeatedly asked Seoul whether it planned to join the group amid gro

DefenseApril 26, 2021

Vaccinations will proceed on schedule: acting prime minister

South Korea will accelerate its COVID-19 vaccination campaign with the additional vaccine doses it recently secured, the acting prime minister said Monday, dispelling concerns that a shortage could threaten the goal of achieving herd immunity by November. Acting Prime Minister Hong Nam-ki said in a public message Monday morning that the country could expect to achieve herd immunity earlier than expected and was prepared to meet any additional demand in the future. The government has now secur

Social AffairsApril 26, 2021

[Animals in Korea (4)] Why we should care about animal cruelty in farms

On a sunny day in April, a truck carrying pigs approached a slaughterhouse in Gyeonggi Province. When the truck arrived, workers prodded the pigs to come out, but they would not move down the steep ramp. Workers responded by beating them with clubs, and the pigs hurried out squealing. The squealing continued until they moved to where they were slaughtered. This is only a glimpse of the animal abuse and cruelty involved in transporting animals from farms to holding pens and slaughterhouses,

Social AffairsApril 26, 2021

Unification minister calls for inter-Korean cooperation in forestry sector

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Monday stressed the importance of inter-Korean cooperation in the forest sector, saying it will eventually benefit the people of the two Koreas by reducing carbon emissions on the Korean Peninsula. Lee made the remarks in a speech during a tree-planting event at the Inter-Korean Cooperation Center on Forestry that opened in the border town of Paju last June, saying that such cooperation will also accelerate Seoul's objective to become "carbon neutral&q

North KoreaApril 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Local official indicted for land speculation in 1st for govt. task force

A senior official of the Pocheon municipal government has been indicted on charges of land speculation, in a first for a government task force investigating speculative behavior by public officials, prosecutors said Monday. The Uijeongbu District Prosecutors Office indicted the 52-year-old official, surnamed Park, on Friday for allegedly using information he gained at work to purchase land near the site of a planned train station in September. Park, who was in charge of railway planning for th

Social AffairsApril 26, 2021

Military reports 5 more coronavirus cases

Four airmen and a military civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. An Air Force officer in the southern city of Sacheon was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a series of infections were reported at the base, according to the ministry. Virus tests are under way for some 1,600 members at the unit, of which nine have tested positive so far. Another 1,089 have tested negative. Two airmen based in the eastern city of Wonju have al

DefenseApril 26, 2021

S. Korea to partially lift ban on UK flights from May

South Korea will lift a ban on direct flights from Britain on a limited basis from next month for the convenience of Korean residents living in the European nation, the transport ministry said Monday. South Korea has banned passenger flights arriving from Britain since Dec. 23 to block a more transmissible virus variant that was first identified there. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will allow one direct flight a week by South Korea's two full-service carriers from

Foreign AffairsApril 26, 2021

N. Korea tightens antivirus efforts amid increasing activities in spring season

North Korea is stepping up efforts to stay alert against the protracted coronavirus pandemic amid increasing economic activities in the spring season, according to state media Monday. The state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) urged people not to let their guard down especially in educational institutions, construction sites and agricultural fields during the spring season amid reports of new variants around the world. "We are putting foremost priority in tightening antiviru

North KoreaApril 26, 2021

New cases at 500 on less testing; Seoul to ramp up vaccine rollout

South Korea's daily new virus cases fell below 600 on Monday for the first time in six days due to fewer tests over the weekend as health authorities accelerated the country's inoculation drive. The country reported 500 more COVID-19 cases, including 469 local infections, raising the total caseload to 119,387, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added four more deaths, raising the total to 1,817. Monday's figure was sharply down from 644 the previous day an

Social AffairsApril 26, 2021

Pope expresses willingness to visit N. Korea

VATICAN -- Pope Francis has expressed his willingness again to visit North Korea as he sympathized with the Korean people long separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, a senior South Korean bishop said Monday. The pope made the remarks during a meeting in the Vatican with Lazarus You Heung-sik, who heads the Daejeon diocese, saying the Korean people have been suffering the pain of living separated for 70 years, the bishop told Yonhap News Agency. The pope said he will visit North Korea if relevant

Foreign AffairsApril 26, 2021

What does Korea’s new deal with Pfizer mean for future of AstraZeneca vaccine here?

The latest expansion in South Korea’s COVID-19 vaccine portfolio, with more of the Pfizer product, is one less reason to put young people at potential clotting risk from AstraZeneca inoculations, some experts argue. In an emergency news briefing Saturday, the Korean government announced it had sealed a deal to receive an additional 40 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. This brings the amount of Pfizer vaccine to 66 million doses. The boost in the country’s Pfizer r

Social AffairsApril 25, 2021

Daejeon to host 2022 United Cities and Local Governments World Congress

Daejeon City is fully committed to hosting the 2022 United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Congress in October next year, the city’s mayor said in an interview with The Korea Herald. The UCLG World Congress is a large-scale international event in which approximately 1,000 city leaders from about 140 countries gather together to boost mutual cooperation and common prosperity among local governments. The forum, which will be in its seventh year, is expected to welcome around 5,0

Social AffairsApril 25, 2021

[Herald Interview] Daejeon Mayor maps out new vision for Korea’s Silicon Valley

Daejeon Mayor Her Tae-jeong emphasized the city’s accomplishments in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. “We are seeing the seeds that we sowed in the difficult times coming to fruition one after another,” Her said. Under the grave circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the city succeeded in being designated an Innovation City. As a result, the city’s public institutions are now required to hire local talent. With its own local currency, cal

Social AffairsApril 25, 2021

[Photo News] Spring weather with a ray of sunshine

Warm weather has finally arrived in South Korea, putting an official end to a spring cold spell. Tired from being inside amid the pandemic, Seoulites went out in the sun on the weekend to brighten their lives. People enjoy the view under a clear blue sky at the top of Inwangsan in Seoul.  People take advantage of the warm, sunny weather to gather for a picnic in Han River Park on their day off. By Gha Hee-sun (lizka98@heraldcorp.com) (Photos: Yonhap)

Social AffairsApril 25, 2021

Air Force unit in southern city reports more COVID-19 cases

Eight people, including Air Force officers and public servants, based at an Air Force unit in the southern city of Sacheon have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Sunday. Following three cases confirmed Saturday, five more at the same unit tested positive earlier in the day, according to the defense ministry and the Air Force. One of the soldiers who tested positive Saturday was found to have visited a local restaurant where infections broke out. The Air Force,

DefenseApril 25, 2021

[News Focus] Population per household headed for under-2.0

SEJONG -- South Korea is heading toward a society in which the average household size is less than two, amid continuously falling marriage rates and an all-time low fertility rates. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the average population per household reached a record low of 2.23 -- 51.705 million people to 23.157 million households -- last month. This is fewer by 0.06 people than 2.29, posted a year earlier in March 2020. The pace toward smaller families across the nation has

Social AffairsApril 25, 2021