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

S. Korean, Portuguese leaders exchange letters on 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties

The leaders of South Korea and Portugal have exchanged congratulatory letters on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of forging diplomatic relations, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. In a letter to Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea noted that the two sides have developed close cooperation in various sectors since 1961. He expressed hope that the two will continue to work together for the strengthening of not just bilateral ties but also South Kore

Foreign AffairsApril 15, 2021

2 Army soldiers, Marine test positive for COVID-19

Two Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. A soldier in Namyangju, northeast of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a virus case was reported at his unit. Of 64 troops tested following the initial case, 62 have tested negative while the other soldier is waiting for results, according to the ministry. Another soldier based in Paju, just north of the capital, was found to have been infected while away from h

DefenseApril 15, 2021

New virus cases around 700 for 2nd day; further spike in offing

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed around 700 on Thursday, as sporadic infections across the country complicate antivirus efforts, prompting authorities to mull tougher virus curbs to contain the pandemic. The country reported 698 more COVID-19 cases, including 670 local infections, raising the total caseload to 112,117, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's daily caseload was down from 731 the previous day, which marked the highest since Jan. 7.

Social AffairsApril 15, 2021

S. Korea to deliver new book on Germany's medical aid during Korean War to envoy

The government has updated a book on foreign medical help received during the 1950-53 Korean War to add Germany to the list of helping countries and a copy will be delivered to Germany's ambassador on Thursday, an official said. UN "Sending States" had long been defined as 21 countries -- 16 nations that provided combat troops and five nations that sent medical teams. In June 2018, however, South Korea officially added Germany to the list for its medical aid in the post-war era. Betw

Social AffairsApril 15, 2021

N. Korea's new ambassador to China presents credentials to Xi

North Korea's new ambassador to China has presented his credentials to Chinese President Xi Jinping, the North's main newspaper reported Thursday. While presenting his credentials Wednesday, Ambassador Ri Ryong-nam conveyed leader Kim Jong-un's warm greetings to Xi and the Chinese leader also asked the envoy to send his greetings to Kim, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party. Presenting credentials is a customary procedure before foreign ambassado

North KoreaApril 15, 2021

N. Korea may resume nuclear, ICBM testing: intelligence chief

WASHINGTON -- The top US intelligence official on Wednesday maintained that North Korea may resume its nuclear and long-range missile testing as part of efforts to drive wedges between the United States and its allies. Avril Haines, director of national intelligence (DNI), testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. "For its part, North Korea may take aggressive and potentially destabilizing actions to reshape its security environment and will seek to drive wedges between the Unit

North KoreaApril 15, 2021

Prosecutors demand death penalty for adoptive mother in death of toddler

Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for the adoptive mother in a highly publicized child abuse case that led to the death of a 16-month-old baby girl. Prosecutors also requested during the trial at the Seoul Southern District Court that the defendant, surnamed Jang, be ordered to wear a tracking device for 30 years and be put under a five-year probation. For Jang's husband, who was also indicted along with her, the prosecution demanded a 7 1/2-year prison term. Jang was ind

Social AffairsApril 14, 2021

S. Korea, China reaffirm opposition to Japan's Fukushima water release plan

South Korea and China on Wednesday reaffirmed their opposition to Japan's plan to release radioactive water without fully consulting with neighboring countries and agreed to consider measures depending on Tokyo's future responses, the foreign ministry said. The two countries shared "strong regrets and serious concerns" over the decision in their inaugural working-level dialogue of related government agencies on maritime cooperation, the ministry said. "The two sides agreed to i

Foreign AffairsApril 14, 2021

S. Korea to provide $100,000 worth of humanitarian aid to volcano-hit St. Vincent

South Korea will provide $100,000 worth of humanitarian assistance to the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines hit by multiple volcano explosions, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Big explosions from the volcano on the eastern island of St. Vincent since last Friday have destroyed communities, forcing nearly 20,000 people to evacuate from their homes, while water and other food supplies are becoming short, according to news reports. The government hopes the assistance will

Foreign AffairsApril 14, 2021

Clot questions may force Korea to pivot vaccine rollout

Further challenges are presaged for South Korea’s already lagging immunization program as another COVID-19 vaccine comes under scrutiny by an overseas regulator over rare, potentially fatal blood clots. The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday recommended an immediate pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six recipients came down with a rare and severe type of blood clot in the brain. All six were women between the ages of 18 and 48. One has died and another is in criti

Social AffairsApril 14, 2021

Moon hints at legal fight against Fukushima wastewater disposal

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday ordered his aides to review possible legal actions that can be taken against Japan’s decision to release wastewater from its Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, including bringing the issue to an international court. “The president ordered to proactively consider taking the issue to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, including provisional measures,” presidential spokesperson Kang Min-seok told a press briefing. T

Foreign AffairsApril 14, 2021

S. Korea voices concerns to US over Japan's decision to release tainted Fukushima plant water

South Korea has expressed concerns to the United States over Japan's decision to discharge contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. The move came as the US State Department said Japan "appears to have adopted an approach in accordance with globally accepted nuclear safety standards" in apparent support of its decision to release the radioactive water despite opposition from South Korea and other neighboring

Foreign AffairsApril 14, 2021

Ruling party slams Seoul mayor's push to introduce new COVID-19 rules

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday slammed Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's plan to introduce new COVID-19 rules in the city, calling the idea an act of "holding people's lives hostage." Oh, a member of the main opposition People Power Party, took office on Thursday after winning the mayoral by-election over Park Young-sun of the DP by a landslide. One of his early focuses has been helping small businesses survive the pandemic by looking at ways to keep them open for longer hours,

PoliticsApril 14, 2021

Pro-NK paper slams Japan's decision to release contaminated Fukushima water into sea

A pro-North Korea newspaper on Wednesday denounced Japan's decision to dump contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, calling it a "crime against humanity." Tokyo earlier announced a plan to release more than 1.2 million tons radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean amid criticism from its local fishery industry and neighboring countries. "It is a crime against humanity to justify themselves

North KoreaApril 14, 2021

S. Koreans escalate protests against Japan's planned release of radioactive water

South Koreans are stepping up protests against Japan's decision to release contaminated water from its wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, as a dozen government leaders on Wednesday joined civic activists and fishermen in condemning the move as an irreparable disaster for the world's marine ecosystem. Heads of local governments nationwide successively issued statements or held news conferences to denounce Japan's planned release of radioactive water as a threat to the safety and

Social AffairsApril 14, 2021

20-year quest for independent fighter jet nears fruition

The fruit of South Korea’s 20-year quest to make a more independent military with locally built fighter jets took shape Friday, as it unveiled the prototype of its first homegrown jet, the KF-21 Boramae.  President Moon Jae-in hailed the event as marking a new era of self-reliance in the military, describing the jet as the new backbone of the Air Force. The vision of deploying homegrown warplanes by 2015, announced by late President Kim Dae-jung in 2001, was initially met with doubt

DefenseApril 14, 2021

S. Korea adopts slogan, key symbols for P4G Seoul Summit

South Korea adopted a slogan and key symbols for next month's virtual summit on green growth and sustainable development, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, stepping up publicity efforts for the successful hosting of the event. The Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals (P4G) summit is scheduled to take place on May 30-31, as Seoul seeks to highlight its commitment to the global fight against climate change. Its preparatory committee adopted "Green We Go, Change We Make"

Foreign AffairsApril 14, 2021

Victim urges Seoul to bring wartime sex slavery issue to ICJ

A former wartime sexual slavery victim pleaded with the South Korean government again on Wednesday for it to bring the issue of forced sexual slavery by Japan to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), two months after she made the first such request. "My wish is that President Moon Jae-in convinces Japan's prime minister to take the issue to the ICJ to reveal the truth," Lee Yong-soo, one of the 15 registered surviving South Korean victims of sexual slavery by Japan during World Wa

Foreign AffairsApril 14, 2021

[#WeFACE] Where should Seoul’s garbage go?

A conflict over landfills has arisen with Incheon refusing to receive garbage from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province beginning in 2025. Experts say Seoul and Gyeonggi Province should look to reducing garbage to better persuade Incheon. Sudokwon Landfill in Incheon has been taking waste from the metropolitan area since 1992. The first and second parts of the landfills were used between 1992 and 2018. The initial phase of the third part, or 3-1 landfill, is being used between 2018 and 2025 by Seoul, I

Social AffairsApril 14, 2021