South Korea, US will start military drills

South Korea and the US will begin their biannual joint military exercises in the second week of March, carrying out computer simulations of war against North Korea for nine days, sources said Sunday. Seoul and Washington, which have held them to deter aggression from Pyongyang since the 1953 Korean War armistice, now take part in computer-based war games rather than all-out field exercises. The two allies still do not see eye to eye on testing Korea’s readiness to take over the wartime

DefenseFeb. 14, 2021

No reports of S. Koreans suffering damage from quake-hit Fukushima

The foreign ministry said Sunday there were no reports of South Koreans suffering damage from the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck off northeastern Japan the previous night. The quake, which occurred at around 11 p.m. off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, left over 100 people injured, according to Japanese media. "No damage from our nationals has been reported so far," the ministry said, adding that its consulate general will provide necessary assistance to South Koreans living

Foreign AffairsFeb. 14, 2021

S. Korean, US preparing to stage combined exercise in mid-March: sources

South Korea and the United States are preparing to hold their annual springtime combined military exercise next month, sources said Sunday. The planned exercise has drawn keen attention amid concern that North Korea could use the exercise as a pretext for provocations in the early months of the administration of US President Joe Biden. Pyongyang has long denounced such drills as a rehearsal for invasion. Despite complaints from the North, the computer-simulated command post training will likel

DefenseFeb. 14, 2021

New infections in 300s for 2nd day ahead of eased distancing

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 300s for a second straight day on Sunday on fewer tests on the Lunar New Year holiday, with eased social distancing measures in store this week. The country reported 326 more COVID-19 cases, including 304 local infections, raising the total caseload to 83,525, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily infections fell from 362 cases the previous day, 403 on Friday, 504 on Thursday when the number of new cases surge

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2021

Extend work permits for stranded migrants, advocates say

A rise in the number of unregistered migrants who are stranded in South Korea, unable to return home amid the coronavirus pandemic, is prompting calls to allow them to live and work legally in the country. With international flights curtailed due to the pandemic, the government has granted extensions of stay for migrant workers whose visas have expired. But they are not allowed to work here during the extended stay. “We urge the government to extend work permits for migrant workers w

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021

Biden’s NK human rights agenda could cause clash with Seoul

Over the past few years, North Korea policy has not featured human rights on the front burner -- either in Seoul or in Washington.  This is because the North’s human rights situation, despite its direness, was viewed as a less pressing issue than the security threats posed by Pyongyang with its ever-expanding nuclear and missile programs. Furthermore, both former US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had refrained from addressing rights abuses -- whic

North KoreaFeb. 13, 2021

Govt. seeking to allow foreigners subject to deportation to extend stay in return for donation

South Korea's government is pushing for a program in which foreign nationals subject to deportation due to minor offenses could extend their stay legally in return for a donation, the justice ministry said Saturday.    According to a research paper commissioned by the ministry on the subject, convicted foreign nationals who are given even minor punishments, such as a fine or suspended sentence, could face deportation under the current Immigration Act.    The government is

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021

S. Korea decides to ease social distancing, retains ban on gatherings of 5 or more

The government decided Saturday to lower social distancing levels by one notch each for the greater Seoul area and the other regions next week, but kept tight vigilance to curb COVID-19 by retaining a ban on gatherings of five people or more.    Health authorities said that starting Monday, they plan to lower social distancing guidelines to Level 2 -- the third highest in a five-tier system -- for the greater Seoul area and Level 1.5 for other regions until Feb. 28.    The

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021

Seoul's public transport ridership fell sharply last year due to COVID-19: data

Public transport usage in Seoul plummeted last year due to passengers' coronavirus fears, throwing their operators into management difficulties, official data showed Saturday.    According to the data from the metropolitan government, Seoul's subway and bus passenger numbers plunged 27 percent and 24 percent, respectively, last year. Notably, airport bus ridership dived by as much as 85 percent.    Seoul Metro, the operator of the city's vast subway system, saw its annual d

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021

Activists call for release of dolphins from aquariums

A group of animal activists called Saturday for South Korea to free captive dolphins in line with the upcoming policy banning newly established aquariums from displaying marine mammals.    Earlier this year, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it plans to ban newly established aquariums from displaying whales and dolphins, although existing facilities will be allowed to continue keeping them.    The decision -- with details yet to be worked out -- came as a total of

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021

N. Korea ranks lowest in world democracy index last year: poll

North Korea ranked the lowest in a world democracy index last year for the 16th consecutive year, a recent report showed.    North Korea placed at the bottom among the 167 countries polled, with an overall score of 1.08 out of a total of 10, according to the Democracy Index 2020 published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research division of the British weekly The Economist.    The North has ranked the lowest in the EIU index since the agency began compiling t

North KoreaFeb. 13, 2021

Fewer S. Korea-US combined drills staged in 2020 amid pandemic: data

  South Korea and the United States conducted fewer joint military exercises last year compared with a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, defense ministry data showed Saturday.    The two countries staged a total of 172 joint training sessions in South Korea last year, down from 191 in 2019.    By service branch, joint maneuvers between their armies tumbled to 29 times last year from 89 in 2019, and their marine corps' combined programs were carried out seven

DefenseFeb. 13, 2021

New virus cases dip below 400; govt. decides to ease social distancing level

 South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 400 on Saturday, apparently due to fewer tests during the Lunar New Year holiday, as the government decided to ease social distancing restrictions.    The country reported 362 more COVID-19 cases, including 345 local infections, raising the total caseload to 83,199, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It added seven fatalities, bringing the accumulative death toll to 1,514.    Saturday's inf

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] N. Korean nuclear issue a top priority for Biden administration: State Dept.

The North Korean nuclear issue remains a top priority for the US government despite the recent lack of direct engagement with the country, a State Department official said Friday.    Ned Price, department press secretary, also said continued advancement in the North's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities made it an "urgent" priority.    "I hope you don't confuse a lack of direct engagement with North Korea as an indication that the challenge of North Ko

North KoreaFeb. 13, 2021

[Herald Interview] ‘Foreigners in Seoul want more benefits, less discrimination’

Seoul is an attractive city for expats, but administrative discrimination must be addressed, says the new chair of the foreign resident council that represents around 500,000 foreigners in Seoul, vowing to improve the quality of their life in cooperation with council members and the government. “Seoul is a globalized and inclusive city that foreigners want to live. However, there is still discrimination against foreigners in the workplace and in terms of social benefits,” said Boqi

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2021

Discharged transgender soldier struggles to make a return

Byun Hee-soo, South Korea’s first transgender soldier, who was discharged from the military last year after undergoing sex reassignment surgery, is battling her way back into the Army. In January 2020, the Army fired the former staff sergeant, a tank gunner who served at an armored unit in Gyeonggi Province, saying the surgery rendered her mentally and physically unfit to be on active duty. Byun wanted to remain in the military as a female. In August, Byun petitioned the court to reverse

DefenseFeb. 12, 2021

Main opposition to seek prosecution probe against chief justice

The main opposition People Power Party on Friday stepped up its pressure on the chief justice to step down for his alleged role in the parliamentary impeachment of a judge, threatening to file a criminal complaint against him if he refuses to resign. "(The PPP) has a stance that it will lodge a complaint against Chief Supreme Court Justice Kim Meong-su with the prosecution if he does not step down," Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, who heads the party's campaign against the chief justice, told Yo

PoliticsFeb. 12, 2021

FM Chung, Blinken stress close cooperation for complete denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

New Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed close bilateral cooperation for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during their first phone talks Friday, the foreign ministry said. They also shared the view of the importance of their countries' trilateral cooperation with Japan in the conversation that took place three days after Chung, a former top security adviser to President Moon Jae-in, took office. The talks came as Seoul seeks to

Foreign AffairsFeb. 12, 2021

S. Korea, US nearing agreement on defense cost sharing: CNN

South Korea and the United States are getting close to a new defense cost-sharing agreement for American troops here, CNN reported showed Friday, as they seek to bolster their alliance and defense posture. The two sides may be "just weeks away" from signing a deal, CNN said, citing five sources familiar with the matter. The US news outlet reported that the deal is likely to be "a multi-year agreement that increases Seoul's contribution to cover the presence of US troops at arou

North KoreaFeb. 12, 2021

N. Korean Foreign Minister Ri named politburo member

North Korean Foreign Minster Ri Son-gwon has been elected a member of the powerful politburo of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported Friday. Ri was by-elected as a politburo member during a four-day plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee that wrapped up on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Kim Song-nam, another ranking party official, was also named an alternate member of the politburo, while O Su-yong was elected as director of the party's De

North KoreaFeb. 12, 2021