Satellite imagery indicates activity at NK's nuclear reprocessing facility: think tank

North Korea may have resumed the operation of its reprocessing facilities at Yongbyon to produce nuclear materials, a US think tank suggested Thursday, citing recent satellite imagery. The thermal infrared imagery of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center, taken April 14, provides "strong indications" of activities involving the heating of buildings, said Beyond Parallel, a project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. "These indications reveal clear pa

North KoreaApril 16, 2021

New bill seeks US care for Korean veterans of Vietnam War living in US

A bill recently submitted to Congress seeks to provide US benefits for Korean veterans who fought alongside their US allies in Vietnam, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) said Thursday. The bill, named the Korean American Vietnam Allies Long Overdue for Relief (VALOR) Act, seeks to entitle "certain veterans who served in the armed forces of the Republic of Korea to hospital and domiciliary care and medical services through the Department of Veterans Affairs," according to Takano, chairman of the

Foreign AffairsApril 16, 2021

US lawmakers express concerns over S. Korea's anti-Pyongyang leafleting ban

A group of US lawmakers on Thursday expressed concerns over a recent South Korean law that prohibits the dispersal of propaganda leaflets to North Korea, noting the law may limit the freedom of speech of South Koreans and others working to promote human rights. Their shared concerns were expressed at the start of a hearing hosted by a bipartisan caucus of the House of Representatives, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. The leaflets were typically flown over the border by balloon. "S

Foreign AffairsApril 16, 2021

Moon, Biden to hold summit talks in late May

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold summit talks with US President Joe Biden in late May in Washington, according to Seoul’s presidential office on Friday. 　 “The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen the bilateral alliance between the two countries and to achieve complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon’s spokesperson Kang Min-seok said in a statement.  Consultations are still underway on more de

Foreign AffairsApril 16, 2021

Natl. Assembly reports 1st COVID-19 case among lawmakers

Rep. Lee Gae-ho of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) tested positive for the new coronavirus, the first virus case among the incumbent lawmakers, the National Assembly said Thursday.    Lee underwent COVID-19 testing earlier in the day after one of his secretaries was confirmed to have been infected, it said.    Rep. Wi Seong-gon, who came into close contact with Lee, tested negative, and Rep. Lee Won-taeg is set to undergo a test, according to officials. Both are members o

PoliticsApril 15, 2021

N. Korea slams Japan over decision to released contaminated Fukushima water

North Korea on Thursday denounced Japan's decision to release contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, demanding immediate withdrawal of the decision to prevent a "new catastrophe for the humanity."    On Wednesday, Tokyo approved the plan to dump more than 1 million tons of radioactive water from the wrecked nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, sparking strong criticism from its local fishing industry and neighboring countries such

North KoreaApril 15, 2021

Korea must lead global chip supply chain: Moon

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday stressed that South Korea must continue to lead the global chip supply chain and pledged support for the local semiconductor industry, amid the prolonged chip shortage and intensifying US-China trade tensions. 　 Moon called the semiconductor sector a “core national strategic industry” that will decide the country’s economy going forward, as he convened an “expanded meeting” of economy-related ministers at Cheong Wa Dae to tackle wa

PoliticsApril 15, 2021

Korea lags behind vaccination timetable

  South Korea’s sluggish immunization drive, coupled with blood clot investigations into two of its purchased vaccines, is clouding the country’s prospects of achieving herd immunity before the year’s end. So far Korea has administered about 1.34 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since the mass vaccination campaign launched in end-February. This translates to about 27,000 shots administered a day, falling far below the government’s previously touted capacity of o

Social AffairsApril 15, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae to soon announce PM's resignation, replacement nomination: sources

Cheong Wa Dae was widely expected to announce the resignation of Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and the nomination of his replacement this week, according to ruling party and presidential office insiders Thursday. "Prime Minister Chung has already offered his resignation to President Moon Jae-in. My understanding is that there will be an official announcement Friday," a source familiar with the matter told Yonhap News Agency. According to the source and others, a new prime minister no

PoliticsApril 15, 2021

Seoul city looking at schools as 1st venue for COVID-19 self-test kits

The Seoul metropolitan government said Thursday it is looking at schools as the first venue to introduce COVID-19 self-test kits following consultations with the central government. Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official at the city government, told a press briefing that there were many opinions in favor of introducing the kits in schools for a trial run during an advisory meeting with experts on Wednesday. "(The experts) spoke of the need to be careful in introducing self-test kits in a

Social AffairsApril 15, 2021

Chief policymaker wary of rising home prices sparked by redevelopment hopes

South Korea's finance minister on Thursday expressed concerns that home prices in Seoul have picked up on expectations for eased rules on redevelopment housing projects, a key policy plan by the new Seoul mayor. Mayor Oh Se-hoon took office last week with a pledge to ease regulations on redeveloping old apartments in the capital in a bid to help increase the home supply in the densely populated area. Sale prices of apartments in Seoul rose 0.07 percent this week, accelerating from a 0.05 perce

PoliticsApril 15, 2021

S. Korea-US alliance to remain unaffected by congressional hearing on leaflet ban: official

The upcoming US congressional hearing on South Korea's ban on the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea will not have any impact on the alliance between Seoul and Washington, an official said Thursday. The unification ministry official told reporters that the congressional hearing is "not directly related to the South Korea-US alliance" as a bipartisan caucus of the US House of Representatives is set to hold the hearing on Thursday (US Eastern time). "We do not thi

Foreign AffairsApril 15, 2021

Drug crimes by foreign nationals rise

The number of foreign nationals booked for drug offenses in South Korea has risen 140 percent in two years, despite an overall decrease on the foreign crime rate here, police data showed. According to Rep. Kang Ki-yoon of the People Power Party, National Police Agency data, based on the number of bookings, shows a gradual increase in crimes committed by foreign nationals, coming to 36,069 in 2017, 34,832 in 2018, 39,249 in 2019 and 39,140 in 2020. The increase has been slower than the overal

Social AffairsApril 15, 2021

N. Korea slams Japan over renewed claims to Dokdo

North Korea's state media on Thursday slammed Japan over its recent approval of school textbooks renewing its claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, calling the move a "shameless" distortion of history that can never be tolerated. Last month, a textbook screening committee under Japan's education ministry approved textbooks for high school students, some of which contain Tokyo's territorial claims to Dokdo. "Japan's scheme to rob us of Dokdo and distort history has

North KoreaApril 15, 2021

Police tighten security measures in Muslim communities for safety during Ramadan

The police have stepped up security measures around Muslim communities across the country as safety precautions during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, according to police sources Thursday. The National Police Agency recently ordered provincial and local police authorities in 18 regions to increase security in Muslim communities during the Ramadan period, sources said. It also recommended authorities to look out for online activities that could portend dangerous activities or public disrupti

Social AffairsApril 15, 2021

[Seoul Struggles 5] Electric scooters, the urban ‘beasts’ of Seoul

Choi Keun-ho, a 34-year-old elementary school teacher in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, used to ride an electric scooter to and from work every day. He was one of a growing number of consumers in South Korea opting to use this rather novel personal mobility option. But in January, after crashing into a woman and seriously bruising her, he stopped riding his scooter and instead opted to walk and take the bus. Choi said he paid the woman’s hospital bills and apologized multiple times, which the

Social AffairsApril 15, 2021

Pro-unification group denounces planned US hearing on leaflet ban as 'interference in inter-Korean affairs'

A pro-unification organization in South Korea on Thursday denounced a planned US congressional hearing on the country's ban on the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea as an "interference in inter-Korean affairs." The North Korean Committee for the June 15 Joint Declaration said the leafleting ban was legislated on the back of "public consensus" in the South, as a bipartisan caucus of the US House of Representatives is set to hold the hearing on Thursday (US E

North KoreaApril 15, 2021

Military to set up AI security system near border following NK

An artificial intelligence (AI)-based security system will be set up at a military unit guarding the eastern coastal border, the defense ministry said Thursday, after a North Korean man crossed the border undetected earlier this year. The North Korean man swam ashore in the South in the eastern border town of Goseong on Feb. 16. He was caught on the military surveillance cameras 10 times but soldiers failed to notice eight of them even after alarm bells rang. Under the plan reported to Defens

DefenseApril 15, 2021

N. Korea marks late founder's birthday with celebrations, no signs of provocations yet

North Korea marked the birthday of late founder Kim Il-sung with performances and other celebratory events, according to state media Thursday, but no signs of provocations have been detected. Thursday marks the 109th birth anniversary of Kim Il-sung, the late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un. The anniversary, referred to in the North as the Day of the Sun, is the country's biggest national holiday and has often been marked with massive military parades and other provocative acts. This

North KoreaApril 15, 2021

Drunk driver gets 8-yr prison term for hitting and killing Taiwanese student

A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for causing a car accident under the influence that resulted in the death of a Taiwanese student studying here last year, a Seoul court said Thursday. The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday handed down the prison term to the 52-year-old man, surnamed Kim, on charges of violating the anti-DUI law. The man was indicted for hitting and killing Tseng Yi-lin, a 28-year-old Taiwanese woman, while drunk driving in the southern Seoul ward of Ga

Social AffairsApril 15, 2021