S. Korea, US seeking nuclear-free North in unison

South Korea and the United States are on the same page on North Korea denuclearization, Seoul and Washington’s senior officials dealing with the issue said Wednesday at a virtual forum co-hosted by the Korea Press Foundation and the East-West Center in the US. “The two countries discuss a number of ideas on how to get to denuclearization. But we’re headed in the same direction. Things change. And we’re adapting to them at the moment,” said Ko Yun-ju, director gener

Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2021

S. Korea reports another suspected bird flu case in 10 days

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it has identified another suspected case of avian influenza for the first time in more than a week, raising concerns over another uptick in the animal disease. The latest suspected cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza was reported at an egg farm in Naju, 355 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm was raising 214,000 chickens. The test results are expected to come out within

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021

Lawmakers, Burmese residents call for revival of democracy in Myanmar

Politicians and Burmese residents in Korea raised their voices together, pressing for the revival of democracy in Myanmar and an end to military control in the Southeast Asian nation. A group of lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and local representatives of Myanmar-related organizations held a press conference in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday. “It has been over 40 years, but Myanmar is going through the same pain that Gwangju citizens experienced in

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021

13 more public servants found to have bought land in possible speculation

Thirteen more public servants were confirmed to have bought land for possible property speculation, two local governments said Wednesday, as a snowballing land speculation scandal involving employees of a state housing corporation sparks public outrage. The municipal government of Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, said it confirmed land purchases by five more employees in the area of Gwangmyeong and nearby Siheung that has been designated by the central government as the site of a major housing d

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021

S. Korea agrees to pay 13.9% more from 2019 to host US troops

South Korea has agreed to raise its payment for stationing US troops here by 13.9 percent this year from 2019, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, in a six-year deal with the United States that cleared the way for the countries to cement their alliance. Under the deal that will last until 2025, Seoul is to pay 1.183 trillion won ($1.03 billion) this year, up from 1.038 trillion won in 2019 -- the first double-digit rise since 2002 -- for the upkeep of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea (USFK).

DefenseMarch 10, 2021

Defense cost-sharing sheds light on seven decades of Korea-US alliance

With South Korea and the US clinching a new accord on how to share the cost of maintaining the US troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula, the deal has drawn attention to how this arrangement was first forged and how it has transformed over the decades. 　 From the US forces landing in the southern half of the peninsula after World War II to the US-led allies helping South Korea repel an invasion by the communist North and the troops’ presence hereafter, the US military has been a key pa

Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2021

Presumed dinosaur bone found on western island

A fossil assumed to be a toe bone of a dinosaur dating back to 120 million years ago has been discovered on a western island, a local government said Wednesday. The city government of Ansan, southwest of Seoul, said the 4.5-centimeter-long fossil was found by a citizen on Daebu Island last month. It is believed to have belonged to a plant-eating basal ceratopsian dinosaur known as Koreaceratops, which existed on the Korean Peninsula about 120 million years ago during the Albian age. The phala

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon says land speculation scandal ‘unacceptable’

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday denounced the alleged speculative purchases of land by officials of the state-run housing developer, calling the snowballing insider trading scandal “unacceptable.”  “It is unacceptable that officials at public organizations or public servants make speculative land purchases based on related information. This is an act of undermining our society’s integrity and trust,” Moon said before a luncheon meeting with floor leaders o

PoliticsMarch 10, 2021

Zero-carbon drive will address businesses’ needs: minister

The Ministry of Environment will prioritize the needs of the industrial sector and provide necessary support for businesses as South Korea looks to move forward with its carbon neutrality plan, the ministry said Wednesday. Environment Minister Han Jeoung-ae said in a press briefing Wednesday that the ministry understands the financial burden companies will face as the government fulfills its goal to have Korea become carbon-neutral by 2050 with increased emphasis on renewable energy sources and

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021

USFK to administer J&J COVID-19 vaccine in addition to Moderna

The US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday that it has received the first shipment of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine to administer to its members in addition to Moderna's, a move expected to speed up its inoculation program. In December, the USFK began its vaccination campaign with the Moderna vaccine in line with its government's guidance, with the first group of recipients including health care workers, first responders and mission critical service members. The United St

DefenseMarch 10, 2021

Korea scrambles to contain outbreaks among migrant workers

The South Korean government is speeding up the process of testing foreign workers for COVID-19 as the number of confirmed cases rises, but language barriers and the presence of significant numbers of unregistered migrant workers are hampering its efforts. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed concerns on Tuesday about the mass outbreaks reported at workplaces where many foreigners work, saying they could lead to a fourth wave of the pandemic. He called on foreign workers to cooperate with

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021

DP floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon begins interim role as acting party chairman

Stepping into his interim role as the acting chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon pledged Wednesday to lead the party with an acute sense of urgency. "I will be serving in the (new) party seat with the acute determination to spend the two months as if they are two years," Kim said during a meeting of the top party council, which he presided over for the first time as the acting DP chairman. "With about a month to go before the April 7 by-elections (fo

PoliticsMarch 10, 2021

Seoul draws record $10.2b in FDI in 2020 despite pandemic

Seoul attracted a record 10.2 billion in foreign direct investment last year despite the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic, the city government said Wednesday. Last year was also the second consecutive year FDI in the capital city topped $10 billion, continuing an upward trend since 2017, according to the local government. The increase comes at a time when total FDI in the world dropped sharply by 42 percent last year from 2019 to $850 billion amid the pandemic, the lowest level in 15

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021

SMA deal reflects S. Korea, US desire to focus on issues like NK: Knapper

South Korea and the United States' recent agreement on a new defense cost-sharing deal reflects the two countries' commitment to strengthening their alliance and a desire to focus on issues like North Korea, a US diplomat said Wednesday. Marc Knapper, deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan, made the remark in a webinar days after Seoul and Washington reached a six-year deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), on how to share the cost for stationing the 28,500-strong U

DefenseMarch 10, 2021

PM calls for close cooperation between police, prosecution in LH probe

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun instructed the police and prosecution on Wednesday to work closely together to get to the bottom of a massive land speculation scandal involving public officials. Chung called the police and prosecution chiefs to a meeting, along with the justice and interior ministers, to discuss how they can collaborate to investigate the allegations of speculative land purchases by Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) employees. "More important than anything is organic commun

PoliticsMarch 10, 2021

French Navy spots suspected illegal oil transfer during embargo mission against NK

Two tankers involved in an alleged illegal ship-to-ship oil transfer were spotted while on patrol for an embargo enforcement mission against North Korea, the French Navy has said. On Feb. 28, the French frigate Prairial was deployed to the East China Sea to contribute to the UN embargo against the North and identified the two oilers during a suspected nighttime transfer, the France Pacific Command (ALPACI) wrote on Twitter Tuesday. ALPACI released four photos of the suspected tankers involved

Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ex-opposition leader Hwang Kyo-ahn signals return to politics

Hwang Kyo-ahn, a former leader of the main opposition party who has been out of the public eye since an election defeat last year, said Wednesday he will rise up against what he calls the Moon Jae-in government's "tyranny," practically declaring his return to politics. "I will be the first to rise up, however meager (my capacity is). I will muster my courage ... to go 'among the people' again to share their indignation against the Moon administration and safeguard the spark of ho

PoliticsMarch 10, 2021

Military reports 7 new COVID-19 cases

Four Army officers, two draftees and an Air Force officer have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the latest in a series of infections at barracks across the country, the defense ministry said Wednesday. One Army officer stationed in Wonju, Gangwon Province, tested positive after showing symptoms, and the authorities then carried out tests for all unit members, which confirmed two more officers and an enlisted solider had been infected, according to the ministry. "Testing is still u

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021

New virus cases most in nearly 3 weeks, current virus curbs likely to be extended

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose by over 400 for a second consecutive day Wednesday, the highest in 19 days, as cluster infections continued to pile up across the country ahead of adjustments of social distancing rules. The country reported 470 more COVID-19 cases, including 452 local infections, raising the total caseload to 93,733, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added three more deaths from COVID-19, raising the total to 1,648. The dai

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2021

[Graphic News] OTT use jumps in S. Korea amid pandemic

　Over 66 percent of South Koreans used over-the-top (OTT) media, or video streaming services, last year amid the stay-at-home trend driven by the pandemic, a survey showed. 　South Korea’s OTT usage rate stood at 66.3 percent in 2020, compared to 52 percent the previous year, according to a survey of 6,029 people over the age of 13 by the country’s media regulator, the Korea Communications Commission 　YouTube was the most popular OTT service here, with its usage rate at 62.3 pe

NationalMarch 10, 2021