Foreign ministry hails Biden's pledge to strengthen alliances

The foreign ministry on Thursday welcomed new US President Joe Biden’s pledge to strengthen alliances, saying it will work with Washington to that end and seek an early summit between the two countries. “Our government welcomes that President Biden, through his inauguration speech, has expressed a willingness to lead the international community with the power of example, and particularly, to strengthen alliances,” ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a press briefing

Foreign AffairsJan. 21, 2021

Unmanned submarines, flying bikes, AI pilots proposed as future game changers

The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has proposed unmanned submarines, flying bikes, and artificial intelligence (AI) pilots as the future game changers. In a collaboration with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the ADD unveiled the Novel Weapon Systems Yearbook in booklet form for free on its website Wednesday. Introduced in the booklet, the state-of-the-art weapons systems cover a wide range of technologies in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including AI, synt

DefenseJan. 21, 2021

Two Koreas look toward new relationship with Biden

Gone are the days when the leaders of the US and North Korea exchanged “love letters” -- or threats of “fire and fury.”  US President Joe Biden took office Wednesday, and the world is now watching Biden to see what actions he will take -- not just unraveling years of Donald Trump’s policies, but how US foreign policy will formulate under the new leader, who declared that “America is back, ready to lead the world.” North and South Korea are also k

North KoreaJan. 21, 2021

[Video] A symbol of hope in COVID-19 era: Medical staff in suits

Protective gear has become a symbol of hope to fight back the pandemic, as the virus continues to sprawl to unprecedented heights. Medical personnel swathed in thick layers of protective hazmat suits have become harbingers of life and death. In this battle, doctors and nurses treating patients are playing the role of real-life superheroes. Footage of buckets of sweat pouring out of hazmat suits are commonplace in media around the globe. In particular, Europe displayed gratitude by hanging ba

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

Moon recommits to engaging with N. Korea

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed his commitment to reviving the stalled nuclear talks with North Korea at a meeting Thursday, where he was briefed by his security aides on major initiatives this year to improve inter-Korean relations and South Korea’s ties with the outside world. At the briefing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would work closely with the Biden administration in the US to help restart nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. Senior-level talks w

PoliticsJan. 21, 2021

Moon vows close cooperation with Biden for Korea peace process

President Moon Jae-in pledged Thursday to maintain close partnerships with the new US administration, chairing a rare plenary session of the National Security Council (NSC) hours after Joe Biden's inauguration. "The government will develop the South Korea-US alliance as a more comprehensive and mutually beneficial one," he said at the outset of the session held at Cheong Wa Dae, which was briefly open to pool reporters. Moon also said his government will make utmost efforts to restar

PoliticsJan. 21, 2021

Ex-short track coach sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison for sexual assault of athlete

A former national short track speed skating coach was sentenced to 10 1/2 years in prison on Thursday on charges of sexually assaulting Olympic champion Shim Suk-hee. The Suwon District Court convicted Cho Jae-beom of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles against Sexual Abuse, saying his act is highly condemnable. Cho is accused of assaulting Shim for about three years until a few months before the country hosted the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The court also orde

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

Korean language test for foreigners to take place 3 times abroad in 2021

The Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), a Korean language exam for nonnative speakers of Korean, will take place three times outside of South Korea this year, according to test administrators. The overseas exams are slated for April 10-11, July 11 and October 16-17 and the registration periods for each test are January 29-February 3, May 21-27 and August 3-9, respectively. Two more exams will be held only in South Korea in May and November. Anyone who wishes to apply to take the test can

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] School violence halved, but cyberbullying rises in pandemic

School violence in South Korea nearly halved from a year earlier in 2020 but cyberbullying gained greater presence among students as the COVID-19 pandemic limited the number of in-school interactions, a government data showed Thursday. According to an online Ministry of Education survey of 3.57 million students between 4th grade and 11th grade conducted from September 2019 to October 2020, 0.9 percent of respondents said they experienced school violence, down 0.7 percentage points from the same

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

Powerful new anti-corruption watchdog unleashed

A powerful new anti-corruption watchdog has officially kicked off, with President Moon Jae-in swearing in Kim Jin-wook, a former judge, as the inaugural chief of the agency Thursday. Kim immediately started his three-year term with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which is tasked with handling corruption cases involving ranking government officials, including senior prosecutors and police officers. “You should have pride and responsibility to lead the n

PoliticsJan. 21, 2021

S. Korea's gender equality index rises for 5th year in 2019: govt. report

South Korea's national gender equality level improved for the fifth straight year in 2019, as more women were appointed to senior government posts and committees, a government report showed Thursday. The country's gender equality index stood at 73.6 out of 100 in 2019, inching up 0.5 points from the previous year, according to the report by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The index measures gender equality in eight major categories: family, welfare, health, economic activities, deci

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

Social distancing likely to persist through the year, says health minister

Social distancing will likely be necessary for the rest of the year, Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol said Thursday. “Even if we achieve 70 percent herd immunity, social distancing and other public health measures will probably persist for a while,” he told a virtual press conference, suggesting that vaccinations alone would not immediately put an end to the outbreak. The minister said the government aimed to vaccinate around 70 percent of the population against COVI

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

Death toll from industrial disasters rebounded in 2020: minister

Deaths from industrial accidents rebounded in South Korea last year, the labor minister said Thursday, despite the Moon Jae-in government's pledge to halve the number of workers killed in the line of duty during its term. Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jae-kap said industrial disasters and work-related accidents took the lives of 882 workers in 2020, marking a rise of 27 deaths from the previous year. The number of workers killed on the job had increased from 964 in 2017 to 971 in 2018 b

PoliticsJan. 21, 2021

FM nominee Chung says he feels sense of 'immense responsibility' amid diplomatic challenges

Foreign Minister nominee Chung Eui-young said Thursday that he felt a sense of "immense responsibility" amid "difficult" diplomatic environments, as he faces the North Korean nuclear quandary and other policy challenges if appointed. President Moon Jae-in designated Chung, the former director of the National Security Office, as new foreign minister on Wednesday, as Seoul seeks to tighten up cooperation with the new US government of Joe Biden to resume stalled nuclear diploma

PoliticsJan. 21, 2021

Moon's approval rating makes strong rebound to 43.6%: Realmeter

President Moon Jae-in's latest job approval rating has shown a strong rebound, landing back in the 40 percent range for the first time in two months, following his New Year's press conference and a Cabinet shake-up, a poll showed Thursday. In the three-day tracking survey by Realmeter of 1,510 voters nationwide from Monday, Moon's approval rating stood at 43.6 percent, soaring 5.7 percentage points from a week ago. Moon's approval ratings tallied by Realmeter, which stood at 43.8 percent in la

PoliticsJan. 21, 2021

S. Korea culls 19.9m poultry, raises guard against bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Thursday it has completed culling 19.9 million poultry since late November as the country continues to raise its guard against highly pathogenic bird flu. The figures include 16.4 million chickens and 1.73 million ducks, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The total caseload of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza traced to farms reached 68 as of Thursday. The latest confirmed case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

S. Korea to revamp rules on aquariums to better protect animal rights

South Korea's oceans ministry said Thursday that it plans to come up with detailed guidelines for aquariums and ban newly established facilities from displaying whales and dolphins amid the public's growing awareness of animal rights. The move came as the country lacks detailed guidelines over the management of animal rights despite the fact that more than a million people visit local aquariums every year, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. South Korea currently has 23 aquarium

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

Delivery workers, employers reach agreement on preventing overwork

Delivery workers reached a final agreement with their employers on Thursday to prevent overwork by placing the burden of sorting parcels on the companies. The two sides had been in negotiations over a deal after 19 delivery workers died last year apparently due to overwork. The agreement, which was mediated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stipulates that logistics firms bear the responsibility for sorting parcels before their delivery, a job couriers have blamed for thei

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

PM orders authorities to take steps in compensating losses over forced business closures

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Thursday ordered state finance authorities to take legislative steps to legally enable compensations for small businesses that have suffered losses due to forced closures from the government's antivirus measures. "I've been well aware of the hearts of small business owners, who have reached their limits as COVID-19 has lasted for over a year. The four separate extra budgets and the tailored support programs remain insufficient in fully healing the pain,&quo

PoliticsJan. 21, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Koreans spend more time on mobile devices in 2020: report

　Koreans spent an average of 4.4 hours on mobile devices a day last year, up 19 percent from the previous year, a report showed. 　The country‘s increased use of mobile apps was in line with last year’s global daily average of 4.2 hours, up 20 percent over the same period, according to the report from mobile data tracker App Annie. 　App Annie said the time South Koreans spent on financial apps last year especially increased, with the country‘s top five financial apps loggi

NationalJan. 21, 2021