NK paper stresses 'respect for economic officials' to achieve new objectives

North Korea's official newspaper on Monday stressed the importance of respecting government officials in the economic sector as the country strives to achieve a recently unveiled five-year economic development scheme. "We must respect economic officials in the administration and establish an orderly administrative system ... so that administrative orders can be delivered down and accurately implemented without hesitation," the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Worker

North KoreaFeb. 22, 2021

Nordic Talks to look at public-private partnerships, innovation for greener economy

The embassies of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in South Korea will co-host a webinar on Thursday to share their experiences of long-term public-private partnerships that can accelerate the decarbonization of industries for a more sustainable economy. Titled “Nordic Talks Korea: Innovation for a Green Transition,” the event will bring together experts from Korea and the Nordic region to discuss how the public sector, the private sector and the rest of society can collaborate t

Diplomatic CircuitFeb. 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Blazes tear through forests in southeastern cities of Andong, Yecheon

Wildfires have reduced huge swaths of forests in the southeastern cities of Andong and Yecheon to ash, fire authorities said Monday. The fires that broke out Sunday engulfed the mountain areas of Andong and Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, and burned around 255 hectares of land, equivalent to 357 football fields. The cities' governments resumed containment operations early Monday, deploying around 2,000 public servants and scores of fire equipment, and put out the remaining flames by around

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2021

New virus cases in 300s again on fewer tests; cluster infections worrisome

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases dipped below 400 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but a series of cluster infections at plants and hospitals continued to pile up. The country reported 332 more COVID-19 cases, including 313 local infections, raising the total caseload to 87,324, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Monday's daily caseload marks the lowest in a week. The country added five more deaths, raising the total to 1,562. The fatali

Social AffairsFeb. 22, 2021

Doctors' association threatens strike over bill on licenses

South Korea's largest association of doctors said Sunday it will stage a general strike if parliament passes a revised bill on revoking the licenses of medical professionals convicted of serious crimes. The threat by the Korean Medical Association, which represents about 130,000 doctors, comes only five days before South Korea is scheduled to begin COVID-19 inoculation program with AstraZeneca's vaccines. It fueled concerns that the vaccination program will be adversely affected before it even

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2021

Will ‘social bubble’ strategy work for Korea?

South Korean health authorities are expected to announce a revised roadmap for social distancing that will give more freedom to businesses, while restricting people’s behaviors more strictly, to combat COVID-19. “So far Korea has restricted opening of businesses and public places without necessarily limiting movement of people or other individual behaviors,” said Health Ministry spokesperson Son Youg-rae during a news briefing last week. “From now on, closures

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2021

US generals warn against rush for OPCON transfer

South Korea’s push to take over its wartime operational command from the US, which has been responsible for it since the 1953 Korean War armistice, has taken a more serious hit after a former US commander openly challenged the plan. Retired Gen. Burwell Bell, who headed the joint forces from 2006 to 2008, withdrew his previous support for the transition, saying the change would have a devastating fallout. “If the United States places restrictions on the employment of its troops i

DefenseFeb. 21, 2021

[News Focus] Koreans’ life expectancy to be 85.5 years by 2040

SEJONG -- South Korea ranked No. 10 in people’s life expectancy at birth among the 37 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in its 2019 comparison. The Paris-based organization defined life expectancy at birth as how long, on average, a newborn can expect to live, if current death rates do not change. Korean newborns are estimated to live 82.7 years on average. Though Korea saw the average life span has become quite longer compared to 1970-1980s, the figur

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2021

S. Korea to start administering 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine on Feb. 27: PM

South Korea will begin administering 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines to medical staff on Saturday as the vaccines are expected to arrive in the country later this week, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday. "On Feb. 26, 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines will arrive in the country and the vaccines will be administered to medical staff treating coronavirus patients starting on Feb. 27," Chung said during a meeting on the COVID-19 response held at the government complex in Seoul.

PoliticsFeb. 21, 2021

Harvard professor urged to offer apology for 'comfort women' claims

A controversy surrounding a Harvard professor who wrote a journal article depicting victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery as voluntary prostitutes continues to escalate, with scholars, politicians and students demanding apologies and a retraction. 　 In the paper, titled “Contracting for sex in the Pacific War” and published online in the International Review of Law and Economics, Mark Ramseyer, Mitsubishi professor of Japanese legal studies at Harvard Law School, argued t

Foreign AffairsFeb. 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] NK defectors accuse unification minister of defamation

Four North Korean defectors in South Korea are filing a criminal defamation complaint against Unification Minister Lee In-young over remarks he made earlier this month questioning the reliability of defectors’ statements about human rights issues in the North. Mulmangcho, a Seoul-based nongovernmental group that supports North Korean defectors, said Sunday that four defectors would file a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Monday afternoon over comments

North KoreaFeb. 21, 2021

NK uranium plant indicates ongoing operations throughout winter: US monitor

North Korea's main nuclear complex showed continued activity at its uranium enrichment facility throughout the winter, a US monitor said Sunday. In an experts' analysis of satellite imagery from January and February this year, the think tank, 38 North, said the movement of specialized vehicles and equipment near the uranium facility at Yongbyon indicates that the Uranium Enrichment Plant (UEP) has continued operations. Satellite imagery, however, showed no signs of activity at nuclear reactors

North KoreaFeb. 21, 2021

NK man caught on coastal CCTV cameras at least four times: sources

A North Korean man was caught on military surveillance cameras set up along the east coast at least four times after he swam ashore in the South, but border guards did nothing to stop him, an investigation has found. Military authorities have been looking into what went wrong with border security after the man was caught on Tuesday about 8 km away from the border inside a restricted area north of the Civilian Control Line in the eastern border town of Goseong. The man has expressed a desire to

North KoreaFeb. 21, 2021

New virus cases in 400s for 2nd day, potential upticks in infections in focus

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 500 for the second straight day on Sunday, but health authorities remained vigilant about a potential flare-up in virus infections amid eased social distancing rules. The country reported 416 more COVID-19 cases, including 391 local infections, raising the total caseload to 86,992, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country added four more deaths, raising the total to 1,557. The virus tally was lower

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2021

Forest fire in Jeongseon contained, no casualties reported

JEONGSEON -- A wind-fed forest fire that broke out in the northeastern county of Jeongseon has been put out after 18 hours, authorities said Sunday. The fire, which broke out on Saturday, was put out as of 9:40 a.m. after affecting an estimated 12 hectares of mountain land, according to the Korea Forest Service. No casualties have been reported. The authorities have deployed 14 helicopters and 421 personnel from the Korea Forest Service, fire services and the military as part of mop-up efforts

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2021

[Photo News] Tulips get ready for shipment as spring nears

As spring nears, tulips, one of the most popular flowers in the nation, are growing on a flower farm in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.  The flower business in the area has been slow due to the cancellation of special events such as graduations amid the pandemic. But laborers are still busy at work. With the upcoming season offering new hope, they are preparing shipments of tulips. By Gha Hee-sun (lizka98@heraldcorp.com)

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2021

NK paper stresses ‘economic principles’ and ‘scientific analysis’ in economic policy

North Korea’s official newspaper on Saturday stressed the importance of “economic principles” and “scientific analysis” as the country is striving to achieve a recently unveiled five-year economic development scheme. “Economic workers should stay away from such tendencies of ignoring economic principles and failing to concentrate and causing waste and confusion by not resorting to scientific analysis,” the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the r

North KoreaFeb. 20, 2021

Joint efforts of S. Korea, Japan critical to denuclearization of N. Korea: State Dept.

Any US effort to denuclearize North Korea will not be as effective without the support and close cooperation of both South Korea and Japan, a US State Department official said Friday, highlighting the importance of the two US allies working together. Ned Price, press secretary at the State Department, also said three-way cooperation between the countries is important to promoting their shared values in the Indo-Pacific region. “We know that any approach to North Korea, one that puts den

Foreign AffairsFeb. 20, 2021

Anti-Asian crimes a disgrace to US, must be stopped: US lawmakers

A group of US lawmakers,including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Friday insisted on an immediate stop to racially motivated crimes, including those targeting Asian Americans, calling them a total disgrace to the country. The call comes amid a sharp increase in anti-Asian hate crimes. “I always say, ‘Our diversity is our strength, our unity is our power,’ and we have unity on this subject. So thank you for the opportunity to salute you, and this precedent to call attention to s

Foreign AffairsFeb. 20, 2021

Coronavirus cases fall below 500 amid resurgence concerns after eased distancing rules

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 500 for the first time in four days on Saturday, but sporadic infections continued to be reported amid worries over a potential resurgence after the government eased social distancing rules earlier this week. The country reported 448 more COVID-19 cases, including 416 local infections, raising the total caseload to 86,576, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest caseload was down from the previous day's 56

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2021