NK leader inspects construction site without attending missile test-firing

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a construction site for riverside apartments in Pyongyang without attending a test-firing of newly developed ballistic missiles, according to state media Friday. Thursday's "field guidance" trip to the construction site appears to underscore Kim's emphasis on improving people's lives. On the same day, the North test-fired two new tactical guided missiles without Kim's attendance. Kim "explained the plan to form the area of modern terraced

North KoreaMarch 26, 2021

New virus cases nearing 500, another uptick looming amid extended curbs

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed above 400 for the third straight day Friday, prompting health authorities to extend current distancing rules by another two weeks amid looming concerns over a spike in new infections. Health authorities are concerned about another uptick during spring time, with untraceable cases rising sharply. The country reported 494 more COVID-19 cases, including 471 local infections, raising the total caseload to 100,276, according to the Korea Disease Cont

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2021

S. Korea to extend current social distancing measures for 2 weeks: PM

South Korea will extend its current social distancing measures for another two weeks, the prime minister said Friday, amid no clear signs of a letup in new COVID-19 cases and fears of a mass infection resurgence. "The government will extend the current distancing levels and the gathering ban on five or more for another two weeks starting next week," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a regular COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul. The greater Seoul area, home to around half of

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2021

Biden says US will act accordingly if N. Korea escalates, but diplomacy still possible

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the United States will respond appropriately should North Korea continue to escalate tension, but that it is also prepared for diplomacy with the recalcitrant regime. Biden noted the launch of the missiles on Thursday (Seoul time) was in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. "Let me say that, number one, UN resolution 1718 was violated by those particular missiles that were tested," Biden said in his first formal press conference s

North KoreaMarch 26, 2021

N. Korea says it test-fired new tactical guided missiles

North Korea said Friday it test-fired new tactical guided missiles a day earlier, confirming the launch of ballistic missiles for the first time in about a year. On Thursday, South Korea's military said the North fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, raising concerns that the missiles banned under the UN Security Council resolutions could sharply escalate tensions. The latest launch came as the Joe Biden administration prepares to announce a new policy

North KoreaMarch 26, 2021

[#WeFACE] Zero-waste far from reality for grocery shopping in S. Korea

The zero-waste movement has been growing globally with increasing public interest toward a sustainable lifestyle with less reliance on extra packaging. Yet South Korea remains largely unprepared to accommodate the eco-friendly mindset at least in terms of shopping for groceries, as most supermarkets, retailers and stores are yet to step away from single-use plastic bags and packaging for their fresh produce and protein options. When The Korea Herald visited grocery stores of varying sizes in S

Social AffairsMarch 26, 2021

S. Korea’s homegrown rocket on track for October launch

South Korea’s plan to launch its first homegrown rocket later this year is on a roll after researchers successfully conducted the final combustion test for its main first-stage engines, the science ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the Korea Aerospace Research Institute successfully ran the third and final test for the four 75-ton liquid engines of the 200-ton rocket, named Nuri, at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 473 kilometers south of Seoul. Local researc

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2021

S. Korean nuclear envoy discusses NK missile launches with US official

South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy discussed North Korea’s latest missile launches with a senior US official and plans to do the same with his Japanese counterpart, a foreign ministry official said Thursday.  Noh Kyu-duk, the chief nuclear negotiator, spoke by phone with Sung Kim, acting US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, earlier in the day, the official said, hours after the North fired what appeared to be two ballistic missiles into the East S

North KoreaMarch 25, 2021

Korea surpasses 100,000 coronavirus cases

South Korea’s COVID-19 cases on Thursday passed the 100,000 mark, about 14 months since its first case was identified, as the country continues to grapple with the third wave. The total number of confirmed cases reached 100,276, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency statistics showed Thursday, up 430 from a day earlier. According to the World Health Organization, the figure puts Korea at 86th in terms of number of cases, next to China. In the last seven days the number of c

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2021

NK to step up pressure until US responds

The latest missile launches by North Korea are part of the regime’s accelerating cycle of provocations against the US as it seeks sanctions relief, experts said. The North fired what appeared to be ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday morning, a violation of the UN Security Council resolutions. It was the North’s second missile test since US President Joe Biden took office in January. On Sunday it fired two short-range cruise missiles into the West Sea. “We belie

North KoreaMarch 25, 2021

Russian FM calls to maintain peace on the peninsula, abandon arms race

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday stressed efforts to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and called for related countries to renounce the arms race amid a ramping up of tensions in the region, following Pyongyang’s launch of what appeared to be ballistic missiles.   　 Lavrov’s remark came after his meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, just hours after North Korea had fired two short-range

Foreign AffairsMarch 25, 2021

8 USFK soldiers test positive for virus, total exceeds 800

An American service member stationed in South Korea has tested positive for the new coronavirus, while seven other US troops have been confirmed to be infected with the virus following their arrival here, the US military said Thursday. The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 806, most of who tested positive upon their arrival here from the United States. A service member at Camp Hovey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, was con

DefenseMarch 25, 2021

Army soldier tests positive for COVID-19

A full-time Army reserve soldier has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. The soldier in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 while in quarantine after a virus case was reported at his base, according to the military. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 646. Nationwide, South Korea's total virus caseload topped 100,000 on Thursday, about a year and two months a

DefenseMarch 25, 2021

Ministry co-hosts photo exhibition on history of Korean migrants in Cuba

A photo exhibition capturing the history of Koreans who migrated to Cuba in the early 1900s opened in Seoul on Thursday in celebration of the centennial anniversary of the migration, the foreign ministry said. The weeklong exhibition, co-hosted by the ministry and Chonam National University, will showcase some 300 photographs and other visual materials that shed light on the lives of Koreans in Cuba in the 1920s and 1950s, including their efforts to assist the independence movement against col

Foreign AffairsMarch 25, 2021

Seoul Cyber University Chairman of the Board awarded Pushkin Medal for strengthening Korea-Russia cultural ties

Korea-Russia Arts and Culture Society President Lee Sang Kyun was awarded the Pushkin Medal from the Russian government for his role in strengthening ties between Seoul and Moscow. During the opening ceremony for the Year of Mutual Exchange between South Korea and Russia held Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presented the award to Lee, chairman of the board at Seoul Cyber University, in place of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Korea-Russia Arts and Culture Society has pl

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2021

Half of younger Koreans see no need to have kids after marriage: report

More than half of South Koreans in their 10s and 20s think it is not necessary to have kids after marriage, a report showed Thursday, adding to concerns about the country's chronic low birth rate. As of 2020, 32 percent of Koreans aged 13 or older said it is not necessary to have children after getting married, up from 30.4 percent two years earlier, according to the report on social indexes by Statistics Korea. All age groups felt less need to have kids after marriage, but in particular, more

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2021

Stalkers to face heavier punishment under new law

The consistent stalking of others will constitute a crime that can be punished by up to three years of imprisonment under a new law. The National Assembly passed a bill on a 235-0 vote Wednesday to strengthen the punishment for stalkers amid growing public voices calling for increasing penalties for the offense. The legislation was made 22 years after an initial move was made to stipulate stalking as a crime by law. Until now, stalking has been categorized as a misdemeanor and was punished o

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2021

Russian FM calls for efforts to keep peace on peninsula after NK missile launches

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for efforts to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and warned against "all kinds of military activities" Thursday, hours after North Korea fired off what appeared to be ballistic missiles into the East Sea. Lavrov made the remark in a press statement after his talks with Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, where South Korea called for Moscow to play a "constructive" role in fostering a lasting peace on the divided peninsula. &qu

Foreign AffairsMarch 25, 2021

S. Korea reports 1 more bird flu case, total now at 108

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Thursday it has confirmed yet another case of highly pathogenic bird flu traced to poultry farms, with the total caseload rising to 108. The latest confirmed case of the deadly H5N8 strain of bird flu came from a duck farm in Naju, 355 kilometers south of Seoul, the previous day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. South Korea reported its first highly contagious bird flu case since March 2018 in November. Gyeonggi Provin

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2021

PPP's Oh leads Seoul mayoral race backed by strong support from voters in 20s: poll

Oh Se-hoon, the main opposition party's Seoul mayoral candidate, outpaced his liberal rival Park Young-sun by nearly 20 percentage points, according to the latest public opinion poll Thursday. According to the Realmeter survey conducted on 806 voters in Seoul on Wednesday, 55 percent of the respondents said they will vote for Oh of the People Power Party (PPP) in the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, while 36.5 percent chose Park of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) as their preferred candidat

PoliticsMarch 25, 2021