[Newsmaker] Rival parties try to drum up turnout as early voting for by-elections set to begin

With one day left before the start of the early voting for next week's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, rival parties on Thursday strived to encourage more of their supporters to go to the polls. The advance polling is set to begin at 6 a.m. on Friday and last till Saturday evening at 722 polling stations in Seoul, Busan and other regions ahead of the election day on Wednesday. Both sides believe turnout of their supporters for the early voting will be a prime determinant in the elections

PoliticsApril 1, 2021

2 Army soldiers, 1 Marine test positive for virus

Two Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. A newly enlisted soldier in Yangju, north of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 in a virus test conducted prior to release from quarantine, according to the ministry. Another soldier in the southwestern town of Imsil and a Marine in the western border island of Yeonpyeong also tested positive before release from quarantine after a vacation, the ministry said. The la

DefenseApril 1, 2021

Seoul to resume city bus tours this week

The Seoul metropolitan government said Thursday it will resume operation of its city bus tours later this week. The buses will start running again from Saturday, about a year after the city government suspended the tours in March last year as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. To ensure tourists' safety, it will conduct mandatory virus tests on all bus drivers, limit the number of people aboard and ban eating on buses. All passengers' entry logs and body temperatures will be al

Social AffairsApril 1, 2021

Diplomats from S. Korea, Japan hold talks amid rows over wartime history, trade

TOKYO/SEOUL -- Diplomats from South Korea and Japan held talks in Tokyo on Thursday, a source said, as they seek to address protracted spats over wartime history and trade amid the United States' calls for stronger trilateral cooperation with its Asian allies. The closed-door meeting between Lee Sang-ryol, director general for Asian and Pacific affairs at the foreign ministry, and his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, came a day after Foreign Minister Chung-Eui-yong renewed Seoul's desi

Foreign AffairsApril 1, 2021

Defense chief calls for strong readiness after NK missile launches

Defense Minister Suh Wook on Thursday called for a strong defense posture following North Korea's launch of two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea last week. Suh made the remark in a congratulatory message to mark the Reserve Forces Day on Friday, saying the military has a staunch readiness posture to "respond to any threats and provocations" based on strong defense capabilities and a firm South Korea-US alliance. "On March 25, North Korea test-fired missiles follo

DefenseApril 1, 2021

Military begins annual mine removal operations

The military has launched an annual mission to remove land mines near the border with North Korea and elsewhere to promote local residents' safety and convenience, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday. The military plans to mobilize 1,700 troops from 34 engineering units for the eight-month project to search and clear the mines near the civilian control area south of the heavily fortified border and the southern regions where the government is pushing to develop trekking courses for lo

DefenseApril 1, 2021

Early voting for upcoming by-elections set to kick off for 2-day run

Early voting for the upcoming by-elections, including polls for the new Seoul and Busan mayors, is set to kick off this week for a two-day run, election officials said Thursday. The advance polling will begin at 6 a.m. on Friday and last till Saturday evening, ahead of the election day on April 7. Some 8.4 million voters in Seoul are eligible to cast ballots for a new mayor in the by-elections that come about a year ahead of the 2022 presidential poll. In Busan, South Korea's second-bigges

PoliticsApril 1, 2021

NK leader visits construction site for riverside flats again in week

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a construction site for riverside apartments in Pyongyang again in a week, state media reported Thursday, an apparent move to underscore his commitment to improving the livelihoods of people. Kim's "field guidance" trip to the construction site for "800 terraced apartment buildings" along the Pothong River marked the second time after he visited on March 25 without attending a test-firing of short-range ballistic missiles. "Stric

North KoreaApril 1, 2021

New COVID-19 cases above 500 for 2nd day, Busan under tougher distancing rules

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose to more than 500 for the second day Thursday, with tightened social distancing rules to be implemented in the second-largest city of Busan over the continued emergence of cluster infections. The country reported 551 more COVID-19 cases, including 537 local infections, raising the total caseload to 103,639, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It marked the highest daily tally in 41 days. The country added four more deaths

Social AffairsApril 1, 2021

S. Korea to adopt 'vaccine passport' showing person's COVID-19 vaccination status: PM

South Korea will introduce a digital certification system to verify a person's COVID-19 vaccination status through a smartphone application this month, amid the government's efforts to boost people's participation in the public vaccine program, the prime minister said Thursday. "The people will be able to experience a sense of return to normality from a vaccine passport or green card systems," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a daily interagency meeting on the government's co

Social AffairsApril 1, 2021

N. Korea steals over $300m to support weapons development in 2020: UN panel

North Korea continued to blatantly violated UN Security Council resolutions last year, stealing more than $300 million in virtual assets to support its illegal development of weapons of mass destruction, a UN report said Wednesday. The impoverished country also continued to illicitly import oil, several times the amount allowed under UN Security Council resolutions, according to the report from a panel of experts under the UN Security Council committee on North Korea sanctions. "The Panel

North KoreaApril 1, 2021

S. Korea's national security adviser arrives in US for talks

South Korea's national security adviser, Suh Hoon, arrived in the United States on Wednesday for talks with his US and Japanese counterparts on how to deal with North Korea. Suh arrived in New York, and is expected to travel to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where the three-way security dialogue will be held on Friday. Seoul's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, earlier said Suh will also hold bilateral talks with his US counterpart, Jake Sullivan, and Japan's Shigeru Kitamura.

Foreign AffairsApril 1, 2021

N. Korea denounces Japan over military buildup

North Korea on Wednesday denounced Japan's recent moves to beef up its military as a threat to regional peace and stability. In a commentary, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Japan's ambition to turn itself into a military powerhouse has accelerated since Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office in September. The news outlet noted Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi recently ordered the military to keep full preparations amid "severity and uncertainty of the securit

North KoreaApril 1, 2021

UN takes no action on latest North Korea missile tests

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The UN Security Council took no action after a brief meeting Tuesday on North Korea’s latest ballistic missile tests, the first since US President Joe Biden took office on Jan. 20 and a violation of UN sanctions. Council diplomats said all 15 members encouraged dialogue and negotiations on North Korea‘s nuclear program but disagreed on the need for a statement. Last Friday, the council unanimously adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of UN experts monit

North KoreaMarch 31, 2021

S. Korea to buy more attack choppers from abroad by 2028

South Korea decided Wednesday to buy dozens more advanced attack helicopters from abroad by 2028, the arms procurement agency said. The defense project promotion committee, presided over by Defense Minister Suh Wook, approved a plan to import around 36 large combat choppers with a budget of 3.17 trillion won ($2.81 billion), according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). South Korea secured and deployed 36 Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters under the first round of the pro

DefenseMarch 31, 2021

All not equal before COVID-19: Politicians get away with social distancing breaches

Koreans are growing wary of politicians breaking social distancing rules and getting away free of repercussions, as the country stands on the brink of what may be a fourth big surge in infections. Rep. Lee Nak-yon, the recently-resigned Democratic Party of Korea chief and Moon Jae-in’s former prime minister, became the latest elected official to face allegations of a major social distancing hypocrisy. Gangnam’s district office said Monday it was investigating Lee over a report he

Social AffairsMarch 31, 2021

PM demands Japan withdraw history distortion amid renewed Dokdo sovereignty claims

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday criticized Japan for the country's latest territorial claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo and demanded that Tokyo withdraw its attempts to distort history. A textbook screening committee under Japan's education ministry approved 296 textbooks Tuesday for first-year high school students, including 30 kinds for social studies subjects that contain Tokyo's territorial claims to Dokdo. "We demand that Japan, as a responsible member of

PoliticsMarch 31, 2021

S. Korea, Japan to have working-level talks amid protracted row over history, trade

South Korea and Japan will hold working-level diplomatic talks this week to discuss the protracted row over wartime history and trade, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Lee Sang-ryol, director general for Asian and Pacific affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, left for Tokyo earlier in the day for talks with his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, the ministry said. The previous working-level talks took place via video links in January. This week's talks, slated for Thursday, come as S

Foreign AffairsMarch 31, 2021

Noise complaints jump over 60% as more stay home during pandemic

Noise complaints surged more than 60 percent last year, as people spend more time at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a state environment promotion agency said Wednesday. Korea Environment Corp. (KECO) said its hotline dedicated to the matter received 42,250 complaints in total last year, a 60.9 percent year-on-year increase. Inquiries for on-site inspections to determine the level of noise came to 12,139, which grew 52.3 percent from 7,971 cases in 2019. Noise disputes have long been an issu

Social AffairsMarch 31, 2021

Dokdo not marked as Japanese territory in 1904 school textbook

A Japanese elementary school textbook published about a century ago did not define the easternmost Korean islets of Dokdo as Japanese territory, a Seoul-based public foundation said Wednesday. The state-funded Northeast Asian History Foundation disclosed the old Japanese geography textbook printed in 1904 at a seminar of history experts in Seoul, slamming Tokyo for its latest approval of school textbooks renewing territorial claims to Dokdo. A textbook screening committee under Japan's educati

Social AffairsMarch 31, 2021