US consulted with S. Korea in advance on behind-the-scenes outreach to NK

The United States consulted with South Korea in advance before attempting to reach out to North Korea recently, the unification ministry said Monday. Citing a senior official in the Biden administration, Reuters earlier reported that the new US administration has made several behind-the-scenes attempts to reach out to the North, although unsuccessfully so far. "South Korea and the United States have maintained close consultations and cooperation throughout the overall process of the US po

North KoreaMarch 15, 2021

Ultrafine dust pollution continues, with yellow dust expected Tuesday

Authorities are under pressure as fine dust levels remain threateningly high in South Korea despite emergency measures to reduce air pollution. An ultrafine dust alert was issued in Seoul on Monday at 11 a.m., as the concentration level reached 76 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the Korea Environment Corporation. Similar alerts were issued for 13 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province, where ultrafine dust levels were as high as 81 micrograms per cubic meter. Alerts are issued when

Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021

US stresses Korea-Japan relations before Blinken trip

The US stressed the importance of the trilateral relationship with South Korea and Japan, as well as between the two neighbors, as the country’s top diplomat embarked on a trip to East Asia amid the rising possibility that Washington could pressure the bickering allies to bury the hatchet and move forward.   　 The State Department released a statement titled “Reaffirming the Unbreakable US-Japan Alliance” on Sunday in the US, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secr

Foreign AffairsMarch 15, 2021

US seeks stronger alliances to balance China in Seoul trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday they expect to forge stronger alliances with South Korea and Japan to resolve global security challenges and counter an assertive China, in their trip to Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday, which immediately follows a visit to Tokyo. “Our diplomats and defense leaders strategize together on how to confront shared threats such as North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs,” the to

DefenseMarch 15, 2021

[Newsmaker] Police conduct raids against local lawmaker, public servants amid LH scandal

Police on Monday raided the homes and offices of local public servants and a council member in a widening investigation into land speculation nationwide. Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency sent investigators to the home and office of a ruling Democratic Party council member of Siheung and the home and office of a Gwangmyeong municipal government employee. Siheung and Gwangmyeong, both south of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, are at the center of a massive scandal sparked by allegations of land speculati

Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021

Majority of experts say division, conflicts of S. Korean society at serious levels: survey

Nearly 90 percent of experts view the level of social division and conflicts in South Korea as serious, a survey by a parliamentary advisory committee showed Monday. In its survey conducted from March 2-6 on 1,801 experts in social, political or economic affairs who are registered in the National Assembly Library's database, 89 percent of the respondents said social division and conflicts within the country are at serious levels, according to a subunit of the Committee for National Cohesion tha

PoliticsMarch 15, 2021

S. Korea hopes for N. Korea to take part in World Cup qualifiers despite global pandemic

South Korea on Monday expressed hope for North Korea to take part in an inter-Korean World Cup qualifier scheduled for June as it is preparing to host the soccer match amid the global coronavirus pandemic. The second round of the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifying tournament began in September 2019 and was supposed to resume in March 2020, but the schedule has been postponed multiple times due to the coronavirus pandemic. The two Koreas belong to the same Group H, and they played to a scoreless d

North KoreaMarch 15, 2021

5 military members test positive for COVID-19

An Air Force officer, two Army draftees and two civilian workers for the military have tested positive for the new coronavirus over the weekend, the defense ministry said Monday. The officer stationed in the southeastern city of Daegu was confirmed to have been infected in a test required to exit quarantine, as he has been in isolation after one of his family members tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. One Army draftee in the border town of Goseong and the other one in Yeonche

DefenseMarch 15, 2021

New infection cases at 1-week low on fewer tests, potential surge woes growing further

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to below 400 for the first time in a week on Monday as the number of people taking virus tests decreased over the weekend, but health authorities warned that the virus curve is set to follow an upward cycle amid warm weather and an increase in nontraceable cases. The country reported 382 more COVID-19 cases, including 370 local infections, raising the total caseload to 96,107, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The f

Social AffairsMarch 15, 2021

Moon's approval rating falls to five-week low amid LH land speculation scandal

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating dropped to its lowest in nine weeks, a poll showed Monday, as his administration struggles to calm public outcry over alleged speculative land purchases by officials at the state-owned housing supply enterprise. Public support for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) also dipped, while that for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ascended, with less than a month left before the all-important Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, according to Realmete

PoliticsMarch 15, 2021

‘Korea still not through third wave of COVID-19’

The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet in Korea, experts said Sunday, calling on public health officials to keep social distancing measures in place to avoid a new surge in cases. For the sixth consecutive day on Saturday, Korea’s single-day case count exceeded 400 -- reaching 459, of which 436 were locally transmitted and 23 imported, according to government statistics. The cumulative number of cases stood at 95,635. Although the Ministry of Health and Welfare said

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2021

University-local government linkage project launched to revitalize traditional markets

The Traditional Market Revitalization Project Team through Digital Introduction, led by endowed chair professor Min Byoung-chul of Chung-Ang University and Mayor Jung Soon-kyun of Gangnam-gu, held their inauguration ceremony at the Gangnam-gu Office on Friday. The project is a government-academic linkage project jointly planned by the Gangnam-gu Office and professor Min, who had proposed the project for government-academic cooperation in relation to the “fourth industrial revolution.&rdqu

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2021

Blinken to embark on Asia trip to discuss N. Korea, China issues amid US policy review

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to embark on a trip to Asia on Sunday to discuss major challenges in the region, including China and North Korea, with two key US allies there -- Japan and South Korea. The top US diplomat will first visit Tokyo where he will be joined by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for a Two-Plus-Two meeting with their Japanese counterparts. Austin left Saturday for a stop in Hawaii before his trip to Japan. Both Blinken and Austin will v

Foreign AffairsMarch 14, 2021

US to end North Korea review in weeks: official

The US will wrap up its policy review on North Korea in the coming weeks, a senior US diplomat for East Asian affairs said Friday, ahead of senior-level talks to take place in Seoul this week between the US state and defense secretaries and their South Korean counterparts. The top US envoy and defense chief is visiting Korea on March 17 and 18 following a trip to Japan to discuss North Korea’s denuclearization, among others, in the first high-level meeting held in person. “I don&r

North KoreaMarch 14, 2021

Former SMEs minister vows to expand hydrogen mobility in Seoul

Seoul mayoral candidate Park Young-sun says there are three things at the top of her agenda to make the city cleaner and safer if she is elected: Expanding green areas, boosting eco-friendly mobility and tackling the capital’s overflowing waste problem. In December, Seoul set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and going carbon neutral by 2050 in line with the global environmental trends. But the city has a long way to go as it struggles to combat worsening

PoliticsMarch 14, 2021

Yangyang on east coast emerges as tourist hot spot

Yangyang, a Gangwon Province county on the east coast, has emerged as one of the nation's hottest travel destinations, as it registered the highest rate of growth in visitor numbers among all local governments nationwide last year, the county office said Sunday. The county office, citing data from the Korea Tourism Organization, said the number of outsiders who visited Yangyang last year totaled 15,226,306 people, marking a rise of 9.8 percent, or 1.37 million, from 13,857,308 in 2019. Yangyan

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2021

Budget for overseas Korean language education sharply raised

SEJONG -- The education ministry said Sunday that it has nearly doubled its budget for Korean language education overseas this year amid growing demand for Korean as a second language thanks to the global popularity of K-pop and other Korean cultural content. According to the education ministry's 2021 plan, the country will spend 23.6 billion won ($20.8 million) this year to help expand the opening of Korean language classes overseas. The earmarked budget nearly doubles the amount set aside

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2021

New virus cases over 400 for 6th day, potential resurgence worrisome

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed above 400 for the sixth consecutive day Sunday as health authorities struggled to bring down infections amid a nationwide vaccination campaign. The country reported 459 more COVID-19 cases, including 436 local infections, raising the total caseload to 95,635, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added two more deaths from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,669. One fatality came from a patient in his or her

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2021

S. Korea reports new case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agicultural authorities confirmed Saturday one more case of highly pathogenic bird flu amid growing concerns over a prolonged battle against the animal disease. The latest case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza was identified at an egg farm that raises 550,000 chickens in Chungju, 147 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.  A travel ban within a 10-kilometer radius of the farm has already been imposed. Birds and

Social AffairsMarch 13, 2021

[Photo News] Seoul covered in hazy fine dust

Above the skyscrapers, the rising sun is blurred by fog and fine dust, as fine dust levels in Seoul continue to exceed 100 micrograms per cubic meter.  In the city’s central district of Jongno, where emergency fine dust reduction measures have been taken, citizens head to work. In front of the entrance to Deoksugung in central Seoul, cleaners wash fine dust off the streets.  Wonhyodaegyo is seen in a haze of fine dust as people take early morning walks or ride bikes in Ye

Social AffairsMarch 13, 2021