Moon urges emergency steps to curb pandemic-linked job losses

President Moon Jae-in called Tuesday for all-out efforts to tackle South Korea's jobs crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I would like the government to take this employment situation seriously and urgently seek extraordinary measures," he said at the outset of a weekly Cabinet meeting. Moon raised the need for a "pan-governmental all-out response system" in order to turn the job situation around within this month. He described the January situation as "employ

PoliticsFeb. 16, 2021

N. Korea appears to mark late leader's birthday without massive celebrations, provocations

North Korea appears to be celebrating the birthday of late leader Kim Jong-il in a low-key manner on Tuesday amid speculation that Pyongyang might carry out a major provocation in time for one of its biggest national holidays. Leader Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the body of the former leader and his father lies in state, the Korean Central News Agency reported. Also enshrined at the mausoleum is the body of Kim Il-sung, the national founder and grandfather of the cu

North KoreaFeb. 16, 2021

New virus cases bounce back to over 400; deals signed to secure additional vaccines

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 400 on Tuesday after the four-day-long Lunar New Year holiday, while the government signed deals to secure additional COVID-19 vaccines to better fight the pandemic. The country reported 457 more COVID-19 cases, including 429 local infections, raising the total caseload to 84,325, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added seven more deaths, raising the total to 1,534. Tuesday's daily caseload w

Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

S. Korea signs deals with Novavax, Pfizer to secure additional vaccines for 23m: PM

South Korea has secured additional new coronavirus vaccines for 23 million people by signing contracts with US drugmakers Novavax and Pfizer, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Tuesday. Through the deals, Novavax will provide vaccines for 20 million people, which are expected to be ready for inoculation by the second quarter, and Pfizer will ship vaccines for 3 million also during the second quarter, Chung said during an interagency meeting on the nation's coronavirus response at the government

PoliticsFeb. 16, 2021

JCS civilian employee tests positive for COVID-19

A civilian employee working at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials said Tuesday. The employee, working at the defense ministry compound in Yongsan, central Seoul, was confirmed the previous day to have contracted the virus, marking the first such case among JCS personnel. It is the first time since November for a COVID-19 case to be reported at the Yongsan compound, where the headquarters of the defense ministry and the JCS are located. Som

Social AffairsFeb. 16, 2021

Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, Japan hold phone talks on peninsula peace, denuclearization

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, spoke by phone with his Japanese counterpart on Monday to discuss cooperation for complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. The talks between Noh and Takehiro Funakoshi, director-general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Tokyo's foreign ministry, came as Washington stresses the importance of trilateral cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo in addressing regional challenges, including the North Korea

Foreign AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

Minor quake hits S. Korea's western coastal region

A 2.5-magnitude earthquake struck South Korea's lower western coastal region on Monday evening, with no damage reported, the weather agency said. The quake occurred in a region 10 kilometers east-northeast of Gunsan, located about 270 km south of Seoul, in North Jeolla Province at 6:59 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The epicenter was at 35.99 degrees north latitude and 126.84 degrees east longitude at a depth of 14 km. "(Those who are in) regions near the af

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

9 ex, current maritime police officials acquitted of botched rescue activities in Sewol ferry sinking

A Seoul court on Monday acquitted former and current maritime police officials of mishandling the rescue operation during the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014 that killed more than 300 people. The Seoul Central District Court found Kim Suk-kyoon, then chief of the Korea Coast Guard, and eight other former and current senior maritime police officials not guilty of professional negligence in one of the country's worst peacetime disasters. Delivering the ruling, judge Yang Chul-han said the pro

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

Moon hints at further easing of COVID-19 restrictions

President Moon Jae-in on Monday hinted at further easing of the nation’s COVID-19 social distancing rules to boost the pandemic-battered economy, especially hardest-hit small business owners. “We can no longer ignore the urgent appeals (from small businesses). The government will come up with new social distancing measures in March when full-fledged vaccinations start,” the president said during a weekly meeting with his key aides. He stressed a strategic shift in the nat

PoliticsFeb. 15, 2021

Moon says S. Korea-US alliance crucial for Korea peace process

President Moon Jae-in stressed Monday the importance of reinforcing the South Korea-US alliance for the success of the Korea peace process in a direct message to the new foreign minister, Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon pointed out that Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong is an architect of his liberal administration's diplomatic and security policy as the president gave him a letter of appointment. Chung had long served as director of national security at the presidential office, the equivalent of the W

PoliticsFeb. 15, 2021

[Newsmaker] In Korean sports, medals cover a multitude of sins

South Korean sports’ “medals-only” meritocracy is revealing its dark side after patterns of violent behavior were laid bare, shocking sports fans and the public. On Monday the Incheon Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders, a women’s professional volleyball team, announced the indefinite suspension of twin sisters Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-young over assaults they had perpetrated on classmates in middle school. It was only the latest scandal related to violence and bully

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

Revised laws to limit use of plastic, disposable items

The environment ministry said Monday it has revised a set of laws to limit the use of plastic and other disposable items as the country grapples with soaring waste amid the coronavirus pandemic. The revisions, which will be subject to a public review from Tuesday until March 29, include a ban on the use of paper cups, plastic straws and stirrers inside cafes and other eateries. The use of plastic bags will now be prohibited at retailers and bakeries, expanding a ban that currently applies to l

PoliticsFeb. 15, 2021

S. Korea to launch new-format social distancing campaign in March, Moon says

President Moon Jae-in said Monday his government will introduce new social distancing rules next month as South Korea is gearing up for full-fledged COVID-19 vaccine shots. The focus will be on minimizing compulsory measures and encouraging voluntary ones, he said during a weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides. "It will be changed to disease control and prevention based on autonomy and responsibility from a one-size-fits-all compulsory way," Moon said. He cited "ac

PoliticsFeb. 15, 2021

Korea advises against AstraZeneca vaccine for those over 65

The AstraZeneca vaccine will not be used on those aged 65 and over for the time being, the Korean government committee for COVID-19 immunization said Monday, citing insufficient evidence on how well the vaccine works for the age group. As Korea’s first batch of COVID-19 vaccines would be from AstraZeneca, changes to the country’s vaccination plan appear inevitable. The country had planned to give the first jabs to those over 65 alongside front-line health care workers. “Pri

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

S. Korea extends pandemic-driven advisory against overseas travel until March 17

South Korea on Monday 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 March 17. The current advisory, which was issued in December, was initially set to expire on Monday. The extension came as many countries around the world continue to restrict entries of people arriving from ove

Foreign AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

Seoul to temporarily ease rules on foreign seasonal workers

South Korea will temporarily ease rules on the employment of foreign seasonal workers in the agriculture and fisheries sectors to cope with the labor shortage aggravated by the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Justice said Monday. Under the temporary deregulatory measure, foreigners who are staying here without a work visa or overstayers unable to return home due to COVID-19 will be permitted to work at local farming and fishing villages for up to 13 months, the ministry said. I

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

Seoul, Washington close to striking defense cost-sharing deal

South Korea and the US are inching toward a conclusion to their stalled negotiations on the defense cost-sharing agreement that governs the 28,500 US troops stationed here, according to media reports. 　 The two countries could be “just weeks away” from clinching a deal, CNN reported last week, citing multiple sources. The deal would likely be a multiyear agreement that increases Korea’s contribution by 13 percent from the previous accord -- the same figure Seoul suggested as

Foreign AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

Cat tests positive for COVID-19 in Seoul's 1st case involving pet

A cat living with a family infected with COVID-19 has tested positive for the coronavirus in Seoul's first case involving a pet, the city government said Monday. The female, 4-to-5-year-old cat was tested Saturday after she showed symptoms, including vomiting and lethargy. The result came back positive Sunday, and the cat was sent to a city-run animal welfare center to quarantine, according to the local government. "The cat is being taken care of at the animal welfare center because its

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

Child abuse reports in February double from last year

Reports of child abuse made to the police over the past two weeks nearly doubled compared with a year ago amid heightened awareness, the police said Monday. Police said they had run a Lunar New Year’s security campaign from Feb. 1 through Sunday and that the daily average number of child abuse reports during the period was 47 cases, compared with 24 cases a year ago. “Child abuse reports rose sharply upon growing awareness,” an official with the National Police Agency said.

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2021

Cold wave advisory issued for Seoul and most parts of Korea

A cold wave advisory will be issued in Seoul and almost all other parts of the nation Monday night, as a cold snap is forecast to grip the nation for three days or longer this week, the weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the cold wave advisory will take effect at 9 p.m. in Seoul and many other major cities and regions, including Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Daejeon. The advisory is issued when the morning low is below minus 12 C for more than two consecutive d

Social AffairsFeb. 15, 2021