N. Korea to hold conference of 'cell secretaries' in early April: state media

North Korea will hold a conference early next month of the secretaries of "party cells," the grassroots units of the ruling Workers Party, state media reported Sunday, as the country tries to achieve goals laid out in a party congress earlier this year. "The Secretariat of the Central Committee of the ruling party decided to convene the sixth conference of cell Secretaries to discuss and guide the affairs in prioritizing the position and role of the Party cells", the Korean

North KoreaMarch 28, 2021

[#WeFACE] Tips for turning your coffee green

Koreans love their coffee. Getting a cup of joe is a part of the morning ritual for many, to shake off sleepiness and boost energy ahead of the day’s start. The average Korean adult has 353 cups of coffee a year, which is about three times the global consumption rate, according to the Korea Food Forum. Seoul especially brims with cafes. The cafe count in the city has been growing each year since 2002, reaching 18,535 as of last June. And yet only about a dozen of them are “zero-

Social AffairsMarch 27, 2021

[#WeFACE] Environmentally conscious consumers turn to refill stations

On Sunday afternoon, a refill station called Almang Market in Mangwon-dong, Seoul, was busy with consumers seeking plastic-free alternatives. A refill station is a shop where customers take their own containers to buy goods without packaging. Almang Market, which opened in June, sells a variety of refillable products, such as shampoo, cosmetics and detergent. Customers purchase them by weight. As well as refillable liquid products, there are also products like unpacked body and dish soap t

Social AffairsMarch 27, 2021

Thousands join worldwide vigil to honor victims of Atlanta shootings

Thousands join worldwide vigil to honor victims of Atlanta shootings Over 2,000 people in the United States and from around the world have taken part in a vigil to honor the victims of recent shootings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent. The White House too mourned the deaths of the eight people while strongly denouncing violence against Asian-American communities on Friday, according to organizers. "My heart goes out to all who are joining the A

Social AffairsMarch 27, 2021

S. Korea, US. express deep concerns about NK missile launches

Senior defense officials of South Korea and the United States have expressed deep concerns over North Korea's recent missile launches and vowed to closely cooperate to counter threats from Pyongyang, Seoul's defense ministry said Saturday. Cho Yong-geun, director of North Korea policy at the defense ministry, and David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, held telephone talks Friday, a day after the North fired two short-range ballistic missiles in a first s

North KoreaMarch 27, 2021

N.Korea accuses Biden of 'provocation' for criticizing missile launches

North Korea on Saturday accused US President Joe Biden of making a "provocation" for criticizing its recent missile launches, claiming the firings are an exercise of its self-defense right and warning the United States will face "something that is not good" if such "thoughtless remarks" continue. Ri Pyong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, made the statement, a day after Biden said the North's launch of two short-range ballistic m

North KoreaMarch 27, 2021

New virus cases hit one-month high amid concerns over spring resurgence

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose to above 500 on Saturday to reach the highest number in more than a month, deepening concerns over a resurgence in infections particularly as more people go out in the warmer weather. The country reported 505 more COVID-19 cases, including 490 local infections, raising the total caseload to 101,275, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The country added five more deaths from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,721. Saturday's ca

Social AffairsMarch 27, 2021

S. Korea, India agree on closer military ties in high-level talks

The defense chiefs of South Korea and India held talks on Friday and discussed ways to further boost exchanges and cooperation in the security and arms industry fields, Seoul's defense ministry said. The meeting between Minister Suh Wook and his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh, took place in New Delhi, as Suh is on a three-day visit to the country following his trip to the United Arab Emirates. During the talks, Suh explained his government's peace process involving North Korea, and Singh vo

Foreign AffairsMarch 26, 2021

Moon slams North Korea’s missile test amid efforts for dialogue

President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed deep concerns over North Korea’s recent missile launches, calling any action that hampers ongoing efforts for resuming dialogue “undesirable.” “I’m aware the people are concerned about North Korea’s missile launches yesterday,” Moon said in his speech during a ceremony honoring patriotic servicemen who sacrificed their lives to defend the Yellow Sea during maritime battles against North Korea. “Now is

North KoreaMarch 26, 2021

US labeling mishap of ‘East Sea,’ ‘Sea of Japan’ fuels debate

South Korea and Japan’s unresolved dispute over what to call a body of water between the two countries came to the fore again after the US military called it the “East Sea,” and then later corrected it to the “Sea of Japan.” On Thursday, the US Indo-Pacific Command, in confirming North Korea’s missiles test, said the launches were made into the “East Sea,” the name which Seoul prefers.  Tokyo immediately protested the reference, with its De

Foreign AffairsMarch 26, 2021

Japanese firm repeats dismissed claims at court hearing on wartime forced labor

Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. on Friday reiterated its claim that the company is not liable to pay compensation to South Korean victims of forced labor during World War II. The Seoul Central District Court heard arguments in a lawsuit filed by two South Koreans who worked for Japan Iron and Steel Co., Nippon Steel's forerunner, in 1941 and 1944. The plaintiffs demanded 100 million won ($88,295) per person in damages. They lodged the suit in April 2019 after the Supreme Court ordered Nippon Steel

Foreign AffairsMarch 26, 2021

No wild bird-tied flu cases reported for 1 week

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Friday that additional avian influenza cases tied to wild birds have been not reported in the country over the past seven days, signaling a possible letup in the transmission of the disease among local farms. Since October last year, the country has reported a total of 229 cases of malign H5N8 strain of bird flu from wild birds, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The ministry said the number of cases from the wild remained

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2021

Ruling party voices 'deep regret' over N. Korea's missile provocations

South Korea's ruling party on Friday expressed "deep regret" over North Korea's recent back-to-back launches of short-range missiles, calling on the country to come back to the negotiating table. "(We) express deep regret over the North Korean provocations that took place as the US Biden administration is reviewing its North Korea policy," Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, acting chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), said during a party meeting held in the southern port city of Busan.

PoliticsMarch 26, 2021

Moon replaces eight vice minister-level officials

President Moon Jae-in on Friday replaced eight vice minister-level officials, including those at the science and unification ministries, Cheong Wa Dae announced. Yong Hong-taek, the science ministry's director of research and development policy, was promoted to first vice science minister, and Cho Kyeong-sik, Cheong Wa Dae's secretary for digital innovation, was named second vice science minister. Choi Young-joon, the unification ministry's director for unification policy, was promoted to vice

PoliticsMarch 26, 2021

N. Korea holds general assembly of Olympic Committee

North Korea held a general assembly meeting of its Olympic Committee to discuss plans for this year, state media said Friday, amid uncertainty over the North's participation in the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics. The meeting was held through video links on Thursday to discuss "practical issues linked to actively organize public sport events," according to the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA said that Kim Il-guk, North Korea's Olympic chief and sports minister, and other participants

North KoreaMarch 26, 2021

Saudi ambassador to become honorary Seoul citizen

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to South Korea Riyad Almubaraky will be awarded honorary citizenship of Seoul in recognition of his contributions to developing bilateral ties, the city government said Friday. Almubaraky has spent 10 of his more than 35 years in diplomatic service in Korea. His first overseas assignment was as secretary at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Seoul from 1990-95. Since 2016, he has served as Riyadh's ambassador to South Korea. Next month, he plans to complete his five-year ter

Foreign AffairsMarch 26, 2021

Ultrafine dust density soars to 'very bad' level in greater Seoul

The greater Seoul area was blanketed by extraordinarily heavy concentrations of locally generated ultrafine particles on Friday, but its air quality will return to normal over the weekend due to rainfall, a state monitoring agency said. According to the state-run National Institute of Environmental Research, the hourly average density of ultrafine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, known as PM 2.5, soared to 95 micrograms per cubic meter as of 10 a.m. The PM 2.5 level reached a

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2021

Seoul court orders N. Korea, leader Kim to pay damages to family of Korean War abductee

A Seoul court has ordered North Korea and leader Kim Jong-un to compensate a family member of a South Korean who was abducted to the North during the 1950-53 Korean War. The plaintiff, identified by his surname Choi, filed a damages suit in December over the policeman father who was kidnapped by North Korean soldiers in Hapcheon, 350 kilometers south of Seoul, in September 1950. The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday ordered Kim and his regime to pay Choi 50 million won ($44,135). It

North KoreaMarch 26, 2021

US condemns N. Korea's missile launch as 'destabilizing'

The United States on Thursday condemned North Korea's ballistic missile launches as "destabilizing" actions violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions. "The United States condemns the DPRK's destabilizing ballistic missile launches. These launches violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions and threaten the region and the broader international community," a department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency in an email. "Our commitment to the defense of the R

North KoreaMarch 26, 2021

Army soldier tests positive for COVID-19

An Army soldier has tested positive for the new coronavirus while on vacation in the central city of Daejeon, the defense ministry said Friday. The soldier, based in Namyangju, northeast of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after coming into contact with a civilian who tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 647. Of them, 616 have been fully cured and 31 are undergoing tre

DefenseMarch 26, 2021