S. Korea investigating 4 suspected cases of bird flu, extends disinfection operations

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is looking into four suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu as it extended the daily disinfection operations at all poultry farms for another two-week period. Since late November, South Korea has reported 73 cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza from local farms, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The country has been carrying out daily disinfection operations at all farms since last week. All fou

Social AffairsJan. 27, 2021

S. Korea to host intl. conference on veterans affairs with 22 UN 'Sending States'

South Korea plans to host an international conference this year involving veterans affairs ministers from countries that participated in the 1950-53 Korean War, officials said Wednesday. The peace conference, to be held either in Seoul or the southern city of Busan in December, will bring together the ministers from 22 countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada and Turkey, to discuss ways to develop their friendly relationships and promote peace, according to the Ministry of Patrio

Foreign AffairsJan. 27, 2021

Xi expresses hope for early visit to S. Korea in phone talks with Moon: Cheong Wa Dae

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed hope for an "early visit" to South Korea, as soon as conditions are created, during his phone talks with President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday night, Cheong Wa Dae said. Moon told Xi that he expects the two countries to continue communication for the Chinese leader's trip here once the COVID-19 situation is stabilized. Xi responded positively, saying he is looking forward to traveling to South Korea and meeting with Moon at an early date as soon as c

PoliticsJan. 27, 2021

NK paper calls for heightened alert against pandemic as global cases exceed 100m

North Korea's official newspaper on Wednesday urged the people to keep their guard up against the coronavirus pandemic as the number of global COVID-19 cases has exceeded 100 million. "The cases of the new coronavirus have now exceeded 100 million with the death toll rising well over 2.14 million," said the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party. "We need to keep alert and ramp up emergency antivirus efforts more than ever." The paper called on the people to c

North KoreaJan. 27, 2021

S. Korea welcomes Blinken's inauguration as top US diplomat

South Korea welcomes the inauguration of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and expects that the alliance with the United States will develop further, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. "Our government welcomes the official inauguration of US Secretary of State Blinken following the Senate approval," ministry spokesperson, Choi Young-sam, said in a commentary. "We expect the South Korea-US alliance to develop further with the inauguration of the new secretary, who has ample

Foreign AffairsJan. 27, 2021

Trump's push for KORUS FTA revision added uncertainty to alliance: CRS

WASHINGTON -- Former US President Donald Trump's push to revise the Korea-US FTA may have hurt the countries' alliance, a congressional report said Tuesday, noting the issue may need to be addressed by the Biden administration. "The modification agreement allayed some of these concerns, but the Trump Administration's statements linking trade and security issues and persistent threats of additional US unilateral import restrictions, particularly on US auto imports, added a degree of uncerta

Foreign AffairsJan. 27, 2021

NK state media slams Japan's defense chief for remarks over military parade

North Korea‘s state news agency on Tuesday strongly slammed Japan’s defense chief for his recent remarks over a military parade held in Pyongyang, saying Tokyo is just making a fuss and inciting hostility toward its country. 　 North Korea conducted a massive military parade in central Pyongyang in mid-January, showing off a new submarine-launched ballistic missile and other state-of-the-art weaponry. 　 Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said that Tokyo is working to collect and an

North KoreaJan. 26, 2021

Health minister tests negative for COVID-19 after exposure to patient

Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday after coming in contact with a ministry employee infected with the virus, his office said. 　 Kwon has been placed under self-quarantine after being exposed to the patient. He will receive a second test a few days later in consideration of the virus‘ incubation period, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said. 　 Earlier in the day, Kwon attended a Cabinet meeting held at the government complex in Sejong, about 120 kilome

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021

Adoptees say ‘we are not a thing’

A group of South Korean adoptees have taken to social media to demand an apology from President Moon Jae-in over his controversial remarks on adoption and are calling for a change in landscape for future adoptees. In the wake of a series of child abuse cases, Moon recently said that adoptive parents should have the right to cancel their adoptions or switch their child. Although Cheong Wa Dae later explained he was referring to a grace period before an adoption is finalized and such foster care

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021

6 in 10 workers will not travel to hometown for Lunar New Year: survey

Six out of ten office workers in South Korea said they will not visit their families in their hometowns during the Lunar New Year holiday due to the spread of the coronavirus, a survey showed Monday. According to a survey of 1,434 officer workers conducted by a job search engine Saramin, 63.4 percent of the respondents said they will not travel to their hometowns in what is normally the busiest time of the year for family get-togethers. This year’s Lunar New Year holiday falls on Feb.

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021

With COVID-19 vaccines just weeks away, S. Korea aims high

With the first COVID-19 vaccines to arrive here in just a few weeks, South Korea is drawing up a national plan to achieve the coveted goal of herd immunity with hopes of exiting the pandemic before the year is over. The government announced in a virtual news conference after a presidential briefing on Monday that it plans to vaccinate 70 percent of the Korean population by the end of September. Herd immunity will be reached by November. This is an expedited time frame compared with the one pr

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021

Seoul city apologizes over ex-mayor's sexual harassment

The Seoul city government apologized Tuesday after the state human rights watchdog deemed the sexual harassment allegations against former Mayor Park Won-soon to be true. In a statement, acting Mayor Seo Jeong-hyup said the city government "humbly accepts" the results of the National Human Rights Commission's investigation into Park's alleged abuse of a secretary, which lasted several years until his death in an apparent suicide in July. "We sincerely apologize to the victim and

PoliticsJan. 26, 2021

PM calls for careful preparation of compensation measures for virus-hit businesses

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Tuesday instructed the finance minister to carefully devise measures to compensate small businesses for their losses incurred by the country's strict social distancing measures against COVID-19. In a meeting held with Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki and Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae, Chung told Hong to "carefully prepare for the measures by studying the opinions of on-site (merchants) experiencing difficulties." Chung also directed Hong to "review

PoliticsJan. 26, 2021

Infections linked to homeless shelters at Seoul Station

Facilities for homeless people at Seoul Station were temporarily shut down Tuesday after coronavirus infections were traced there, according to the Seoul city government. Three homeless people and two employees linked to the homeless support center and emergency shelter at Seoul Station Plaza had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Tuesday, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Since the first case was reported Jan. 17, some 25 people had been hospitalized or gone into isolati

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021

3 officials from McDonald's supplier get suspended sentences for selling tainted patties

Three officials from a burger patty supplier for McDonald's Korea were given suspended prison sentences by a local court Tuesday for providing patties potentially contaminated with E. coli to the local unit of the global fast-food giant. A managing director of the supplier, whose name was withheld, and two mid-ranking officials in charge of production and quality management, respectively, were indicted without detention in 2018 for allegedly distributing 63 tons of beef patties that tested pos

Social AffairsJan. 26, 2021

Moon requests parliamentary hearing report on justice minister nominee

President Moon Jae-in has requested that the National Assembly send a report on its confirmation hearing on the nominee to become justice minister, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. Lawmakers had the hearing on Park Beom-kye on Monday but failed to adopt a formal report on its results amid disputes over whether he is qualified to assume the post. Moon earlier tapped Park, a three-term ruling Democratic Party lawmaker, to lead the ministry. The parliament was supposed to finish all procedures relate

PoliticsJan. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Belligerence of pro-Moon extremists

A cohort of President Moon Jae-in’s unwavering loyalists who are most active on the internet has long been criticized or even abhorred for going to extreme lengths to attack anyone they think is berating Moon or his administration. For years, members of the pro-Moon legion have threatened to lynch reporters or anyone who appears “disrespectful” of the administration, going after their personal information and hurling verbal abuse on internet forums. Most recently, a pro-Moon

PoliticsJan. 26, 2021

Moon shares finance minister's online message on S. Korea's economic performance

President Moon Jae-in shared Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki's social media message Tuesday on South Korea's latest gross domestic product (GDP) data, a rare move seen as meant to encourage Hong publicly. Moon was also apparently seeking to highlight that the country's economy has fared relatively well despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in the day, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said the economy is projected to have contracted 1 percent in 2020 compared with the previous year. Hong wrote

PoliticsJan. 26, 2021

Ex-unification minister urges prompt decision on joint military drills

A former unification minister called for a prompt decision from the Moon Jae-in government on whether to hold joint military drills with the US this spring, saying the resolution of this issue would be an important turning point in inter-Korean relations. “North Korea is shameless enough to raise questions about the South’s strategic assets and military training while advancing its own nuclear weapons and missiles. But the ball is in the South’s court now,” Jeong Se-hyun

Foreign AffairsJan. 26, 2021

NK raps Australia on human rights in support of China

North Korea, which has often been criticized by the United Nations for recurring human rights abuses, condemned Australia at a UN meeting for committing human rights violations, UN Watch said Tuesday. The group is a Geneva-based organization that follows UN activities. “The deep-rooted racial discrimination and xenophobia rampant in the Australian public sector must come to an end,” North Korea’s UN ambassador said at a United Nations Human Rights Council session Jan. 20. He

North KoreaJan. 26, 2021