S. Korea culls nearly 22m poultry amid bird flu outbreaks

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it has completed destruction of 21.7 million poultry since late November to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic bird flu at farms. The total number of confirmed cases of malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza here reached 72 on the previous day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The latest case was traced to an egg farm in Hwaseong, south of Seoul. With authorities culling more poultry being raised at near inf

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021

Owners of fierce dogs required to hold insurance policy from Feb.

South Korea's agriculture ministry said Monday owners of fierce dogs are obligated to have insurance packages starting next month, in line with the country's efforts to protect people from related incidents. The measure will go into effect on Feb. 12, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The move is aimed at helping victims of fierce dog-related incidents promptly receive compensation. The country categorizes Tosas, American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshi

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021

S. Korea denounces deadly suicide bombings in Iraq

South Korea strongly denounces last week's deadly suicide bombings in Iraq that killed more than 30 people and wounded over a hundred, the foreign ministry said Monday. "Our government expresses deep concern over the terrorist attacks in central Baghdad that resulted in a high number of casualties and strongly denounces the attacks," ministry spokesperson, Choi Young-sam, said in a commentary. "We extend our deepest sympathy to the victims and their bereaved families, as well as

Foreign AffairsJan. 25, 2021

2 Army members test positive for new coronavirus

One Army officer and a civilian worker for the military have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. The officer underwent a test after showing symptoms consistent with COVID-19. He has not visited his base in the city of Pocheon, north of Seoul, recently, as he has been on leave, according to the ministry. The civilian worker on an Army base in the border town of Paju was confirmed to have been infected in a virus test required to return to work after weeksl

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021

Man gets suspended prison sentence for attacking bus driver

CHEONGJU -- A local court has sentenced a man to a suspended prison term for assaulting a bus driver who asked him to properly wear his face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Cheongju District Court said Sunday the 54-year-old was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 80 hours of community service on charges of assault. The man boarded a bus in Cheongju, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, on July 15 and was asked by the 37-year-old driver to c

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021

Authorities on alert as mass virus outbreak infects 127 at missionary school

State and local health authorities remained on heightened alert Monday as a new coronavirus outbreak at an unauthorized missionary school reported over the weekend has infected more than 120 students and faculty. The number of infected people at IEM School, an unauthorized Christian missionary training school in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, stood at 127, according to health authorities. The outbreak was first reported on Saturday. The school is a boarding facility that recruits teen

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] Chief of progressive minor party steps down over sexual harassment of party lawmaker

Kim Jong-cheol, the chief of the progressive minor Justice Party, stepped down Monday over what the party called "obvious sexual harassment" of a female lawmaker of the same party. It is the first time that the head of an established political party has resigned due to sexual misconduct. The unprecedented case is expected to deal a crushing blow to the party which has championed gender equality on top of the rights of social minorities. "I came here to announce very humiliating,

PoliticsJan. 25, 2021

New virus cases over 400 again on cluster infections

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 400 again on Monday due to largeSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 400 again on Monday due to large-scale cluster infections linked to religious training facilities, as the country is set to decide whether to extend or lower its toughest-ever virus curbs later this week. The country added 437 more COVID-19 cases, including 405 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 75,521, according

Social AffairsJan. 25, 2021

NK propaganda outlet mentions Biden's election for first time

A North Korean propaganda media outlet has mentioned Joe Biden's election as US president for the first time over the weekend, though official state media have stayed mum on his administration. DPRK Today, one of the North's propaganda websites, made the mention of Biden on Saturday, citing a report from Jaju Sibo, a pro-unification online media outlet in South Korea. "The US Congress failed to declare Biden as the president on this day and had to confirm Biden as the winner the following

North KoreaJan. 25, 2021

N. Korean diplomat defects to S. Korea: source

A North Korean diplomat has defected to South Korea while serving as the acting chief of mission at the country's embassy in Kuwait, a source said Monday. Ryu Hyun-woo, who had served as the embassy's charge d'affaires since Ambassador So Chang-sik was expelled from Kuwait after a UN resolution was adopted in 2017, entered South Korea, along with his family, according to the source. Further details were not available, including the timing of the defection. But a media report earlier said that

North KoreaJan. 25, 2021

Moon's approval rating jumps to 43% after New Year's address: Realmeter

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has bounced back to over 40 percent, driven mainly by his New Year's address, Realmeter said Monday. In the tracking poll of 2,510 voters nationwide from last Monday to Friday, Moon's job approval rating rose 5.1 percentage points to 43.0 percent. It marks the first time that the rating has topped 40 percent in eight weeks in the Seoul-based pollster's survey. Moon's approval had been on the decline since recording 43.8 percent in the fourth week of Nove

PoliticsJan. 25, 2021

S. Korea completes development of wheel-type command post for military

South Korea has completed the development of a command post vehicle to replace makeshift tent type posts for front-line infantry units, the arms procurement agency said Monday. The new wheel type vehicle allows commanders to lead combats while moving around and is equipped with devices to defend against enemy's chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) attacks, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. Hyundai Rotem Co. had led the development since 2017, using mostly loca

DefenseJan. 25, 2021

S. Korea reports 1 new highly pathogenic bird flu case

South Korea on Sunday confirmed one additional case of highly pathogenic bird flu at a poultry farm near Seoul, raising the total caseload to 72. The latest case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza (AI) was reported from an egg farm in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, according to the government. The government said that it has slaughtered all poultry within a 3-kilometer radius of the farm in a precautionary measure and restricted movement of poultry in the city for a week. The total number of ca

Social AffairsJan. 24, 2021

Seoul calls for ‘genuine efforts’ from Tokyo to restore dignity of victims

South Korea on Saturday called on Japan to make “genuine efforts” to heal the wounds and restore the dignity of the women who were forced into sex slavery during World War II, after Seoul’s recent court ruling on the issue drew a strong rebuke from Tokyo. 　 In a statement, the Foreign Ministry here acknowledged that the 2015 bilateral deal on the victims – euphemistically known as “comfort women,” was an official agreement, and thus said Seoul will not seek

Foreign AffairsJan. 24, 2021

First case of pet with COVID-19 confirmed in S. Korea: PM

A kitten has tested positive for the new coronavirus in the first virus case involving a pet reported in South Korea. "During a recent tracking process involving a mass outbreak, health authorities found that a pet has tested positive for COVID-19 in the first such case," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a government response meeting held at the Seoul government complex Sunday. The infected animal is a kitten that was found at a religious facility in the southeastern city of A k

Social AffairsJan. 24, 2021

[News Focus] Working age population declines by 750,000 over 4 years

SEJONG -- South Korea is heading toward a labor shortage in the wake of record-low fertility rates and the rapidly aging population. The baby boomer generation -- defined in Korea as those born between 1955-1963 -- is beginning to enter retirement age, with the working-age population classed as those aged 15-64. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the working age population fell to 71.4 percent of the total in December, the lowest in at least 12 years. The portion was 72.4 perce

Social AffairsJan. 24, 2021

Korea’s COVID-19 numbers fall, but risks still loom

The number of official cases of the novel coronavirus in South Korea is so far on a downward slope, but risks of a fresh flare-up are still imminent, health officials and experts say. Korea on Sunday confirmed 369 locally transmitted and 23 imported cases of COVID-19, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency situation report, bringing the cumulative total to 75,084. Twelve more people died, pushing the death toll to 1,349. The national health agency’s deputy director

Social AffairsJan. 24, 2021

[Newsmaker] Opposition lays siege to new justice minister nominee

Opposition lawmakers were geared up to use Monday’s confirmation hearing for Justice Minister nominee Park Beom-kye to their fullest advantage by bashing him over numerous issues, including his failure to declare some of his assets. The opposition’s offensive in the series of hearings for ministerial nominees since last week has mainly focused on Park, who himself rose to confirmation hearing stardom in 2014. As a first-time lawmaker at the time, Park raised allegations that the aut

PoliticsJan. 24, 2021

Mayor Baek Kun-ki transforms Yongin into a hub for semiconductors

Baek Kun-ki, the mayor of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and a retired four-star Army general, is a strategist. He also served as a member of the 19th National Assembly from March 2014 to December 2015. As soon as he was elected mayor in 2018, he drew up his “big picture” plan for Yongin. He promised to enhance services to improve on the housing shortage and transportation environments tainted by reckless development, and pledged to create a clean and amiable living environment for res

Social AffairsJan. 24, 2021

Green projects, growing competitiveness marked Yongin’s 2020

Yongin, Gyeonggi Province -- a city of some 1 million located about 40 kilometers south of Seoul -- announced the top 10 news items most popular with residents of the city. An online survey to determine the top 10 news stories was conducted from Dec. 10-22. A total 15,392 participants each selected up to five policies out of 20 listed. The number more than doubled from last year’s 7,110, with 1,727 participants (12 percent) from other cities also joining the survey. According to the sur

Social AffairsJan. 24, 2021