Moon-Biden summit going virtual?

After an official phone call last week, Cheong Wa Dae is pushing for an early summit between President Moon Jae-in and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, in an attempt to breathe life back into the Korean Peninsula peace negotiations, with a virtual meeting emerging as one possibility to advance the date. During the 32-minute conversation early Thursday morning, the two leaders agreed to hold summit talks as soon as possible once the COVID-19 situation has stabilized, according to Seoul’s re

PoliticsFeb. 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] Warrant sought for former energy minister over nuclear plant closure

Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Un-gyu on Monday faced potential arrest for his role in the controversial closure of South Korea’s second-oldest nuclear reactor. The Daejeon District Court on Monday afternoon started an arrest warrant hearing for Paik on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of business following a request from the prosecution on Thursday. Paik is under investigation for allegedly abusing his authority to negatively influence the viability assessme

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2021

Seoul city to test pet cats, dogs for COVID-19

The Seoul metropolitan government will test pet cats and dogs for COVID-19 if they show symptoms, an official said Monday. The new program will start the same day, several weeks after the country reported its first COVID-19 case involving a pet in a kitten in the southeastern city of Jinju. Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official at the city government, said during a virtual press briefing that the tests will be conducted near the animal's home by a team of health workers, including a veterina

PoliticsFeb. 8, 2021

Employment insurance growth hits 17-year low in Jan. amid pandemic

Subscriptions to state employment insurance increased by the smallest number in 17 years in January amid the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the labor ministry said Monday. The number of subscribers reached 13.84 million in January, up 151,000, or 1.1 percent, from the same month last year, according to the ministry's monthly report on the labor market. That figure is the smallest since February 2004, when the increase was 138,000. It is also less than the 155,000 recorded in May 2020

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2021

15 USFK-affiliated people test positive for coronavirus

Thirteen American service members and two civilians affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival here from the United States recently, USFK said Monday. Eleven service members, one civilian and one contractor arrived on international commercial flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, between Jan. 21 and Feb. 6, according to USFK. The other two service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, around 70 kilometers south

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2021

3 Filipinos given prison terms for trafficking illicit drugs into S. Korea

CHANGWON -- Three Filipinos have been given prison terms for trafficking illegal drugs into South Korea, a local court said Monday. The Changwon District Court, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, recently sentenced the three Philippine nationals to three to five years in prison for violating the Narcotics Control Act. The court also handed down prison terms ranging from one to 2 1/2 years, suspended for two to four years, to three other Filipinos on the same charge. The six were indicte

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2021

Two minor natural quakes hit N. Korea's eastern region: KMA

Two minor natural earthquakes struck North Korea's eastern region early Monday, South Korea's state weather agency said. The first quake with a magnitude of 3.2 was detected at around 3:37 a.m., 37 kilometers north-northeast of Changjin, South Hamkyong Province, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was at a latitude of 40.67 degrees north and a longitude of 127.45 degrees east, the agency said. The second quake of magnitude 2.3 struck about four hours late

North KoreaFeb. 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea reports another suspected case of bird flu, total now at 87

South Korea said Monday it is currently investigating yet another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu, with the country's total confirmed infections staying unchanged at 87. The latest suspected case of the deadly H5N8 strain of avian influenza was reported from an egg farm in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The test result is expected to come out within three days. The farm was raising 160,000 chickens. Since l

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2021

NK paper calls for military role in advancing economy on army founding anniversary

North Korea's official paper said Monday the country's military should play a leading role in major construction and other economic development projects as the country marked the 73rd anniversary of the army's founding. At the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party in January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un unveiled its new five-year economic development plan focusing on self-reliance amid multiple challenges, including efforts to ward off the coronavirus and crippling sanctions. Kim cal

North KoreaFeb. 8, 2021

[Graphic News] Number of airport passengers in S. Korea plummets after 12 years of gains

　The number of passengers using South Korean airports fell sharply last year due to the fallout from the new coronavirus outbreak, marking the first drop in 12 years, data showed. 　The number of people using 15 airports across the nation came to 65 million last year, down 58.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　It was the first time that the number of airport passengers had declined since 2008, when the country was in the midst of the global f

NationalFeb. 8, 2021

New virus cases at over 2-month low on fewer tests, infection slowdown

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 300 on Monday, marking the lowest number since last November, when a third wave of outbreaks began, as the nation started an eased social distancing scheme outside the greater Seoul area. The country added 289 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including 264 local infections, raising the total caseload to 81,185, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It marked the lowest daily infections since Nov. 23 last year, whe

Social AffairsFeb. 8, 2021

S. Korea to develop indigenous long-range radar to boost air defense capabilities

South Korea will develop an indigenous long-range radar for air defense in order to replace old ones brought in from abroad, the arms procurement agency said Monday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration signed a 46 billion won ($41 million) deal with LIG Nex1 Co. for the four-year development project with a plan to begin its deployment in 2027, the agency said. The radar would be capable of monitoring and identifying aircraft inside the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) a

DefenseFeb. 8, 2021

Seoul appoints first female unification ministry spokesperson

  The Unification Ministry on Sunday tapped Lee Jong-joo, director-general of humanitarian cooperation bureau, as the ministry’s first female spokesperson.  With the appointment, she became the first woman to hold the position since the ministry, in charge of inter-Korean affairs, was established in 1969.  The ministry said Lee has been recognized for her competence, having worked in the ministry’s key divisions and various posts across the government. It expects Le

North KoreaFeb. 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] NK to convene party meeting this week

North Korea is set to convene a meeting of top ruling party officials to finalize policy plans for this year set forth at last month’s Workers’ Party congress, state media said Sunday.   　 The second plenary meeting of the eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea will take place within the first 10 days of this month, according to the official Korea Central News Agency. The state media did not specify an exact date in the report, but considering the disclo

North KoreaFeb. 7, 2021

Seoul sees lowest traffic fatalities in 2020

The number of fatalities from traffic accidents in Seoul fell to its lowest recorded level last year, police said Sunday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, the number of people who died from traffic accidents reached 218 throughout 2020, down from 247 people from a year earlier. The number of traffic accident fatalities has been steadily falling from 399 deaths recorded in 2014. Pedestrians accounted for more than half, or 115, of all traffic accident deaths in Seoul recorded

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2021

S. Korea working to bring home seized sailors in Iran as early as this week

South Korea plans to help crew members aboard an oil tanker seized by Iran to return home as early as this week after Tehran's announcement that it will set most of them free, diplomatic sources said Sunday. Last week, Teheran said it will free the crew members detained aboard the MT Hankuk Chemi, except for the captain, about a month after its military seized the vessel with its crew in the country's waters for allegedly polluting the ocean. Officials at the South Korean Embassy in the Middle

Foreign AffairsFeb. 7, 2021

Eastar Jet founder's relative indicted for embezzlement

JEONJU -- A senior financial official of the troubled budget carrier Easter Jet has been indicted on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust, prosecutors said Sunday. The official, whose identity was withheld by the prosecution, is accused of underselling 5.2 million company shares owned by its affiliates to a specific subsidiary in 2015, which caused damage to the carrier, according to the Jeonju District Prosecutors Office. The shares were worth around 54 billion won ($48.06 million), bu

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2021

Foreign minister says vaccine hoarding will lengthen pandemic

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Friday that the hoarding of vaccines by a few countries would only undermine the public interest and lengthen the pandemic. “It is especially important to keep a distance from ‘vaccine nationalism’ and guarantee fair provision of vaccines to everyone at affordable costs,” Kang said during a congratulatory speech at a sustainable development forum hosted by Yonsei University. “We need to invest in bolstering the national health

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2021

Restaurants, gyms outside metropolitan area to be open until 10 p.m.

Restaurants, cafes and sporting facilities located outside the greater Seoul area will be allowed to stay open until 10 p.m. starting Monday, as the government decided to ease restrictions on their operating hours. Under the current social distancing scheme, businesses are required to close at 9 p.m., but the government decided Saturday to ease the rule for those in the provincial regions amid growing complaints over the prolonged virus curbs. The greater Seoul area is currently under Level 2.5

PoliticsFeb. 7, 2021

Food poisoning cases fall to record low

The number of food poisoning cases last year was the lowest ever recorded as the COVID-19 pandemic forced cafeterias to close and increased an emphasis on personal hygiene, data showed Sunday. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the number of reported food poisoning cases reached 178, down 52 percent from five-year average of 343 cases since 2015. The number of food poisoning patients reached 53 per million, down 40 percent from an average of 133 patients per million from 2015 t

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2021