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

Political parties press Tokyo further over Fukushima water discharge decision

South Korea's political parties on Wednesday continued to express firm oppositions to Japan's decision to release radiation-tainted water into the sea from its wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant. Tokyo announced Tuesday that it plans to start releasing massive amounts of radioactive water, which has been stored in tanks at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, in two years. South Korea has expressed strong opposition towards Japan's controversial decision and pledged to take necessary measu

PoliticsApril 14, 2021

Moon to Japan's envoy: There's 'great concern' over plan to release contaminated water

South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered a message of "great concern" Wednesday over Japan's decision to dump a huge amount of contaminated wastewater from a crippled nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. Speaking directly to Japan's new ambassador here, Koichi Aiboshi, the president said that there is great concern among South Koreans, as the two nations are geographically close to each other and share the sea, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. He asked the env

PoliticsApril 14, 2021

KIS Jeju students to advance to top-tier universities globally as school enters 10th year

Korea International School, Jeju Campus, has achieved a high level of excellence in its 10th year with the vast majority of its senior students earning admission to prestigious global universities. The school announced Wednesday that students from this year’s graduating class -- KIS Jeju’s sixth -- had been admitted to top-tier universities in the United States, including Ivy League schools such as Columbia University and Cornell University, as well as Johns Hopkins University, Wash

Social AffairsApril 14, 2021

S. Korea again marks world's lowest birthrate: UN report

South Korea continues to have the lowest birthrate in the world this year amid fast growth of its elderly population, a United Nations report showed Tuesday. The country's total fertility rate per woman amounted to 1.1 in 2021, unchanged from a year earlier, according to the report from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). The fertility rate refers to the average number of children each woman is expected to give birth to over her lifetime. South Korea's rate is the lowest among all 198 countries s

Social AffairsApril 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon orders probe into alleged corruption by Cheong Wa Dae secretary

President Moon Jae-in instructed Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday to look immediately and thoroughly into allegations of corruption involving his secretary for culture. The move came after a news report that a local company established in 2004 by the secretary, Jun Hyo-gwan, won a dozen contracts, worth a total of 5.1 billion won ($4.5 million), with the Seoul metropolitan government on culture-related projects while he was serving as a senior official in charge of innovation planning affairs at City

PoliticsApril 14, 2021

Navy officer, 3 Army soldiers test positive for COVID-19

A Navy officer and three Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The Navy officer in Incheon, west of Seoul, was found to have contracted COVID-19 while in quarantine after a family member was confirmed infected, according to the ministry. The Army soldiers -- one each in the central city of Nonsan; Goyang, just north of Seoul; and Namyangju, northeast of the capital -- were infected with the virus after vacation. The latest cases rais

DefenseApril 14, 2021

NK propaganda outlet decries S. Korea's mayoral elections as 'backward' politics

A North Korean propaganda outlet on Wednesday criticized South Korea's recent mayoral elections as an example of "backward" politics, saying the races were marred by mudslinging and negative campaigning. Last week's mayoral by-elections in Seoul and the southeastern city of Busan ended with the ruling Democratic Party's crushing defeat after the campaigns were dominated by alleged real estate speculation and criticism of the Moon Jae-in administration's real estate policy. Tongil Voi

North KoreaApril 14, 2021

NK propaganda website denounces S. Korea's weapon purchase plan as preparation for invasion

A North Korean propaganda outlet on Wednesday denounced South Korea's recent decision to deploy new attack helicopters and destroyers as part of preparations for a long-sought invasion of the North. Last month, South Korea announced that it will import around 36 large combat choppers by 2028 and build next-generation Aegis-equipped destroyers as part of efforts to beef up its national defense capability. "The South Korean military is focused recklessly on strengthening its armed forces no

North KoreaApril 14, 2021

Unseasonable cold snap grips South Korea

Mid-April's warm spring weather suddenly turned back into early winter across South Korea on Wednesday, as the state weather agency said temperatures dived more than 10 degrees from the previous day. The morning low plummeted below zero in many parts of the country, with the Mount Seorak area in Gangwon Province logging a low of minus 7.8 C, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The KMA issued a cold wave advisory for parts of central and southern provinces, including the

Social AffairsApril 14, 2021

New virus cases back over 700 as fourth wave of pandemic looms

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rebounded to over 700 on Wednesday, the most in over three months, as health authorities are looking at the option of raising social distancing rules to contain the virus resurgence. The country reported 731 more COVID-19 cases, including 714 local infections, raising the total caseload to 111,419, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's daily caseload was the highest since Jan. 7, when 869 new cases were confirmed. The

Social AffairsApril 14, 2021