Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean adoptee sisters meet for the first time in 39 years
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Signs point to N. Korean troops in Russia-Ukraine combat zone
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Yoon calls for measures to protect Koreans amid escalating Iran-Israel conflicts
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Rose's 'Apt.' redefines K-pop's global appeal
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Civil servant’s death linked to workplace bullying
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Two years on, thousands mourn Itaewon tragedy, calling for accountability
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[Weekender] Walk around Korea to really get to know the country
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N. Korea slams Seoul-Washington joint air exercise
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[Herald Interview] Love for K-drama, food defines 'Secret Ingredient'
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
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S. Korea to begin inoculations this week, herd immunity by Nov. in question
South Korea will begin its first inoculations against the novel coronavirus later this week, health authorities said Tuesday, adding it might not be able to achieve herd immunity by November. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it will launch the free inoculation program with British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca's vaccine Friday and with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc.'s vaccine Saturday. Starting at 9:00 a.m. Friday, health care workers and patients,
Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2021
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New virus cases in 300s for 2nd day; high reproduction rate, variants still concerning
South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 400 for the second straight day Tuesday on fewer tests over the weekend, but authorities are vigilant over the rising reproduction rate amid eased social distancing measures and an increase in the number of patients infected with COVID-19 variants. The country reported 357 more virus cases, including 330 local infections, raising the total caseload to 87,681, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). On Monday, S
Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2021
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US working closely with S. Korea to maintain joint defense readiness: Pentagon official
The US and South Korea have maintained an adequate level of defense readiness and will continue to do so, an official from the US Department of Defense said Monday. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby also said the South Korea-US alliance will continue to remain strong as ever. "As Gen. Abrams has said many times, we do have to maintain a significant level of readiness on the peninsula," Kirby said, referring to Robert Abrams, commander of US Forces Korea. "And the secretary is confi
Foreign AffairsFeb. 23, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Men's volleyball league suspended for 2 weeks after player tests positive for COVID-19
The South Korean professional volleyball league announced Tuesday the ongoing men's season will be suspended for two weeks, effective immediately, after a player tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO), which operates the V-League, reached the decision a few hours after Park Jin-u of the KB Insurance Stars tested positive for COVID-19 late Monday. The suspension will wipe out Tuesday evening's match between the Hyundai Capital Skywalkers and the Kepco
Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2021
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US will build on 'Quad' to deal with China: State Dept.
The United States will continue to build on its multilateral dialogue in the Indo-Pacific, known as the Quad, to face many challenges in the region, including China, a spokesman for the US State Department said Monday. Ned Price also said the Quad will play a central role in the region. "When it comes to the Quad...it's an example of the United States and some of our closest partners pulling together for the good of a free and open Indo-Pacific," the department spokesman told a press
Foreign AffairsFeb. 23, 2021
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Chemical accidents surged over 30% last year: institute
The number of chemical accidents soared by more than 30 percent last year, a government agency said Monday, indicating possible loopholes in the management of hazardous materials amid the growing prevalence of non-face-to-face work environments caused by the coronavirus outbreaks. According to the National Institute of Chemical Safety, affiliated with the Ministry of Environment, 75 chemical accidents were reported nationwide in 2020, marking a rise of 32 percent from 57 accidents in 2019. The
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2021
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Experts paint murky outlook for COVID-19 herd immunity
Health experts both inside and outside the government say Korea may be farther away from herd immunity against COVID-19 than previously thought. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Commissioner Jung Eun-kyeong said Monday that as more contagious variants of COVID-19 and other variables come into play, herd immunity “could take higher rates of vaccinations than the aimed 70 percent.” In a Jan. 25 briefing to the president, the Ministry of Health and Welfare had said 70 per
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2021
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Moon’s top aide returns to work after offering to resign over personnel spat
President Moon Jae-in’s senior secretary for civil affairs and justice Shin Hyun-soo has withdrawn his resignation after the president turned it down last week, putting a tentative end to a weeklong dispute over possible internal conflicts within the presidential office. “Shin has returned to work, entrusting his future to the president’s decision,” said Chung Man-ho, senior presidential secretary for public communication, during a media briefing Monday, adding that he
PoliticsFeb. 22, 2021
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Unification minister calls for early resumption of inter-Korean dictionary project
Unification Minister Lee In-young called Monday for efforts to restart a long-suspended project to compile a unified Korean-language dictionary with North Korea, saying it will be a "firm step" toward unification. Lee made the remarks during his virtual speech at a forum on the inter-Korean project, urging for the early resumption of the project on the publication of a common Korean-language dictionary that began in 2005 as part of efforts to overcome language barriers between the two
North KoreaFeb. 22, 2021
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Defense minister readies for nationwide vaccine rollout
South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook on Monday chaired a teleconference reviewing the last-minute preparations for the first round of coronavirus vaccinations to begin Friday. The military has practiced safely delivering the vaccines -- from AstraZeneca and Pfizer -- to about 340,000 patients and medical personnel in nursing homes and COVID-19 treatment centers. Pfizer vaccines need to be kept at temperatures at least as cold as minus 60 degrees Celsius, while AstraZeneca vaccines can
DefenseFeb. 22, 2021
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Police pledge maximum safety measures for vaccination
Police on Monday pledged all-out efforts to ensure the safety of the nation's COVID-19 inoculation program to be rolled out late this week. South Korea plans to begin to administer AstraZeneca's vaccines Friday and Pfizer's products Saturday. Pfizer's shots are scheduled to arrive in the country Friday while AstraZeneca's vaccines are produced in SK Bioscience Co.'s factory in Andong, 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Kim Chang-yong, chief of the National Police Agency (NPA), said the agency
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2021
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Homegrown COVID-19 vaccine may be available early next year: minister
South Korea could produce locally developed vaccines against the novel coronavirus early next year, the ICT minister said Monday, as the country seeks to prepare for a drawn-out fight against the pandemic. Minister of Science and ICT Choi Ki-young said the government will continue to support development of local vaccines against the virus even though the country has secured enough vaccines from foreign pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca. The country plans to roll
PoliticsFeb. 22, 2021
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Govt. to set up new investigative body for industrial disasters
The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday announced a decision to establish a new government body in charge of investigating fatal and serious industrial disasters, ahead of the enforcement of a new law aimed at increasing the punishment of business owners for on-duty deaths and employee injuries. In a report to the National Assembly, the ministry said it will establish the Occupational Safety and Health Headquarters within its organization this year before spinning it off as an independen
PoliticsFeb. 22, 2021
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Conservative groups plan anti-Moon rally on March 1
Conservative groups known for organizing mass political rallies last year said Monday they plan to hold a similar event denouncing President Moon Jae-in on March 1 Independence Movement Day. At a press conference near Cheong Wa Dae, the activists said the rally will be held at Gwanghwamun Square but stopped short of revealing details. "We hope that your resolve, which filled Gwanghwamun Square on Aug. 15, will once again manifest itself," Kim Kyung-jae, a former leader of the Korea F
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2021
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Less than half of S. Koreans willing to receive COVID-19 vaccine shots immediately: poll
Less than half of South Koreans are willing to receive COVID-19 vaccine shots immediately, without waiting for further reports on those vaccines' effects, an opinion poll showed Monday. In the survey conducted on 1,020 people aged 18 or over by the Korea Society Opinion Institute from last Friday to Saturday, only 45.8 percent said they are willing to be vaccinated "right away" when their turn for COVID-19 vaccine shots comes. Another 45.7 percent responded they will delay their vacc
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Lawmakers condemn Myanmar military coup, call for democracy
South Korean lawmakers on Monday called for a restoration of democracy in Myanmar and raised concerns about atrocities against ethnic minorities, after the military junta took control in a coup. Myanmar’s military on Feb. 1 overthrew the country’s democratically elected government and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A state of emergency was declared, rolling back efforts to end more than 50 years of military dictatorship and establish a democratic government through the
PoliticsFeb. 22, 2021
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[News Focus] Doctors protest bill to strip convicts of medical licenses
Doctors are once again in conflict with the government, this time over a legislative revision on the revocation of medical licenses, and are threatening industrial action that could disrupt the country’s COVID-19 vaccination program. The conflict, if unresolved, could cause delays and disruptions to the operations of hospitals, as well as to the nationwide COVID-19 inoculation program slated to start Friday. The Korean Medical Association announced Sunday that it would stage a general st
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2021
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Foreign ministry calls in Japanese diplomat over Tokyo's renewed Dokdo claims
The foreign ministry called in a Japanese diplomat in Seoul on Monday to lodge a protest over Japan's renewed claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo. Kim Jung-han, the ministry's director general for Asian Pacific affairs, expressed regrets to Hirohisa Soma, deputy head of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, after the Japanese prefecture of Shimane held an annual event to publicize Japan's claim to the rocky outcroppings in the East Sea. The latest flare-up of tensions came
Foreign AffairsFeb. 22, 2021
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Wildfires sweep area the size of 357 soccer fields
Forest fires that began in Andong and Yecheon in North Gyeongsang Province on Sunday swept an area the size of 357 soccer fields, fire and local authorities said Monday, as dry weather and strong winds continue. Over 2,600 personnel including civil servants, expert fire fighters, dozens of helicopters and fire trucks were mobilized as firefighting work resumed early Monday. No casualties have been reported, but residents in the area were told to evacuate. As of 7 a.m. Monday, about 30 percent
Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2021
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Moon's senior secretary entrusts decision on his resignation offer to the president: Cheong Wa Dae
President Moon Jae-in's senior secretary for civil affairs and justice is likely to stay in the job at least for the time being despite his resignation offer that has grabbed public attention, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Monday. Having returned from a four-day leave, Shin Hyun-soo has "entrusted" a decision on his letter of resignation to the president, Chung Man-ho, Moon's senior secretary for public communication, told reporters. Shin was quoted as saying that he would do his bes
PoliticsFeb. 22, 2021