[Seoul Struggles 3] Forced from public squares, 'flying rats' crowd residential areas

At any time of the day, on any day of the week, Seoul residents are used to being “greeted” by pigeons fearlessly roaming the roads alone or in packs. It’s hard not to notice these “flying rats” if they are near, and people in Seoul became used to sharing the space with them when visiting populous areas. Many have come to accept them as the norm, but there don’t seem to be many in the public eye anymore. “Now that you speak of it, I don’t know,&r

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2021

Korea stands by AstraZeneca vaccine, but ‘may exercise caution’

South Korea said Wednesday it may halt the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine based on regulator decisions in Europe and other emerging findings here and abroad. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency told reporters in a closed-door briefing that as more countries in Europe and elsewhere shelve the vaccine over unconfirmed blood clot fears, the agency “may take precautionary steps.”  The Korean national health agency said it was “closely monitoring&rdquo

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2021

Seoul, central region choked by yellow dust for 2nd day

South Korea's central region, including the greater Seoul area, was choked by yellow dust blowing in from the inland deserts in northern China for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, a state forecasting agency said. According to the National Institute of Environmental Research's Air Quality Forecasting Center, the density of fine dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, known as PM 10, remained at the "bad" level in Seoul and surrounding areas, the central province

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2021

Main opposition submits proposal for parliamentary inquiry into LH scandal

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday submitted a proposal to the National Assembly to launch a parliamentary inquiry into a snowballing land speculation scandal involving employees of a state housing developer. Twenty employees at the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) are currently under investigation on suspicion of using insider information to purchase farmland mainly in the cities of Siheung and Gwangmyeong, both south of Seoul, before the central government designated t

PoliticsMarch 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Soccer star Ki continues to face sexual assault allegations

Former national soccer team captain Ki Sung-yueng continues to face allegations that he sexually assaulted two of his elementary school teammates 21 years ago, as a television program aired interviews of the purported victims on Tuesday. The two, who were themselves punished for school violence four years later in 2004, said they now realize that they should have sincerely apologized to their victims. The two told MBC’s “PD Notebook” that Ki and another teammate, who were six

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2021

Pfizer vaccines for 500,000 people to arrive in S. Korea from late March

South Korean health authorities said Wednesday that the rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will continue despite major European countries' decision to pause vaccinations to investigate reported side effects. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a press release that there is no evidence suggesting correlation between vaccines manufactured by British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University and reports of blood clots in some recipients. A

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2021

Late Seoul mayor's harassment victim calls for ending consuming debate

The victim of alleged sexual harassment by late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Wednesday called for terminating all "consuming" debate on her case. The victim, a former secretary of Park, made the plea during a news conference arranged by her supporters in Seoul ahead of the April 7 by-election to elect his successor. It is the first time since the case erupted last July that the victim has stood in front of the media. On July 8 last year, the victim filed a complaint with the police,

PoliticsMarch 17, 2021

4 people of Korean descent killed in Atlanta shootings: foreign ministry

Four people of Korean descent were among those killed in a series of deadly shootings in the US state of Georgia, Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. South Korea‘s Consulate General in Atlanta sent consular staff members to check if there were any other Korean causalities in the shootings, the ministry said. In the shootings, at least eight people, most of them Asian women, were killed at three different spas in the Atlanta area. According to reports, a 21-year-ol

Foreign AffairsMarch 17, 2021

Arms procurement agency chief visits Indonesia to attend submarine handing-over ceremony

The head of South Korea's arms procurement agency on Wednesday attended a ceremony in Indonesia to mark the handing over of a 1,400-ton submarine to its navy, his office said. The 61-meter submarine, dubbed Alugoro, was the third unit South Korea delivered to Indonesia under a 1.3 trillion-won (US$1.15 billion) contract in 2011 to export three submarines to the Southeast Asian country, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co

DefenseMarch 17, 2021

Assembly speaker supports Korean firms joining Costa Rica’s electric train project

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug asked Costa Rican Foreign Minister Rodolfo Solano Quiros to pay special attention to South Korean companies’ participation in the nation’s electric train project and in electronic-government projects, in a meeting held Tuesday. “I learned that Costa Rica is pushing for electric trains in the metropolitan area and e-government projects, Park said during a talk with Solano. I think there are many areas where we can work together as

PoliticsMarch 17, 2021

[#WeFACE] Best way to solve plastic problem? Just don’t use it

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles about efforts being made by the public and governments to protect the environment as the country moves towards the goal of becoming a more eco-friendly society. - Ed. In a small office full of machine and colorful pieces of plastic, staff are busily making new products with plastic waste. They wash plastic waste, categorize them by color, grind and melt them and then pour the molten plastic into a mold. Through this process, plastic waste

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2021

FM Chung voices hope for expanded cooperation with Latin America on digital technologies

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong expressed hope Wednesday for expanded cooperation with Latin American countries on digital technologies and in other areas, calling the region a key partner for co-prosperity. Chung made the remarks at the Korea-LAC Digital Cooperation Forum, which took place as part of an annual gathering that Seoul hosts to promote collaboration with Latin American and Caribbean countries on economic and other issues. "Central and South America -- a companion for South Ko

Foreign AffairsMarch 17, 2021

S. Korea extends pandemic-driven advisory against overseas travel until April 16

South Korea on Wednesday extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month amid the continued spread of the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. The measure, which calls for citizens to cancel or postpone their planned trips abroad, will remain in effect until April 16. The current advisory, which was issued in December, was set to expire on Wednesday. The extension came as many countries around the world continue to restrict the entry of people arriving from overs

Foreign AffairsMarch 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Police raid land ministry over mounting LH scandal

Police conducted raids on Wednesday into multiple places, including the land ministry, in a widening investigation into alleged land speculation by employees of a state housing developer. Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency has sent investigators, 33 in total, to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in the administrative capital of Sejong, some 120 kilometers south of Seoul. The raid is said to be aimed at corroborating allegations that employees at the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH)

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2021

3 Army soldiers, Navy civilian employee test positive for virus

Three Army soldiers and a Navy civilian worker have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The Navy employee in the southeastern port city of Pohang and an Army officer in Seoul were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after their respective family members were found infected, according to the ministry. Another officer in Namyangju, northeast of Seoul, tested positive after coming into contact with a civilian who tested positive earlier, while a soldier

DefenseMarch 17, 2021

PM says allowing new virus wave will be painful misstep amid resurgence woes

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday stressed the importance of maintaining strict adherence to government measures against the new coronavirus pandemic, amid no clear signs of a letup in new cases and fears of an infection resurgence. "If we lose our sense of attentiveness and allow a fourth pandemic wave to break out, it will be a painful misstep," Chung said during a daily interagency meeting on the coronavirus response. South Korean health authorities have struggled to brin

PoliticsMarch 17, 2021

New infections rebound to 400s, AstraZeneca vaccine rollout to continue

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 400 Wednesday on increased virus tests and a continued rise in cluster infections, stoking woes over a resurgence down the road. The country reported 469 more COVID-19 cases, including 452 local infections, raising the total caseload to 96,849, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload was sharply up from 363 on Tuesday. During the first two days of this week, the daily virus cases stayed in t

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] AstraZeneca vaccine rollout to continue in S. Korea: authorities

South Korean health authorities said Wednesday that the rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will continue despite major European countries' decision to pause vaccinations to investigate reported side effects. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a press release that there is no evidence suggesting correlation between vaccines manufactured by British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University and reports of blood clots in some recipients. A

Social AffairsMarch 17, 2021

Pro-NK paper stresses Cabinet's role as control tower for economic policy

A pro-North Korea newspaper on Wednesday stressed the importance of the Cabinet's role as a control tower for economic policy as Pyongyang is pushing to implement various development goals put forth during January's party congress. At the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party in January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un admitted to a failure in its previous five-year economic plans and disclosed a new development scheme focusing on "self-reliance." "The power of socialist

North KoreaMarch 17, 2021

Blinken arrives in S. Korea for talks on N. Korea, alliance

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for talks with Seoul officials on diplomacy with North Korea, joint efforts to revitalize the alliance and other issues, officials said. Blinken came here after he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Japan as part of their first overseas trip since the Jan. 20 launch of the Joe Biden administration. Austin flew in hours earlier. Their visit meant to underscore the US' focus on rebuilding regional alliances came jus

Foreign AffairsMarch 17, 2021