New virus cases in 400s for 2nd day amid downward trend

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in 400s for the second consecutive day Thursday as health authorities try to further slow down infections with an enhanced social distancing scheme. The country added 401 more COVID-19 cases, including 380 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 73,918, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Thursday's figure was slightly down from 404 cases reported the previous day. The third wave of COVID-19 here reac

Social AffairsJan. 21, 2021

Moon sends congrats message to Biden, vows cooperation in peace drive

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has sent a congratulatory message to new US President Joe Biden on his inauguration, stressing Seoul's commitment to unswerving coordination for regional peace and prosperity, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. In the note delivered to Washington, Moon expressed hope for a meeting with Biden in the near future to build "trust and friendship" as well as to have "candid dialogue" on issues of mutual concern, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kan

PoliticsJan. 21, 2021

Biden's speech signals better ties with Seoul, less drama with Pyongyang

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is and will continue to be a major challenge for the new US administration, but not as great a challenge as other domestic issues such as the pandemic, at least for now, as evidenced by President Joe Biden's inaugural address on Wednesday. The new US leader took office with a speech that mostly focused on the need for unity among Americans to fight off the deadly new coronavirus, but also other foes facing the US that he said included "anger, resentment, hatred, e

North KoreaJan. 21, 2021

Customs seize 1.3 tons of Chinese tobacco stashed in punching bags, other household goods

A team of four Chinese nationals was caught smuggling tobacco leaves from China in punching bags and other household goods shipped to South Korea, officials said on Wednesday. The Incheon Main Customs uncovered some 1.3 metric tons (1,300 kilograms) of tobacco leaves at the Incheon International Airport, which can be used to manufacture up to an estimated 13 million packs of cigarettes. Customs authorities slapped each of the four smugglers, including a 30-year-old woman in charge of the opera

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

Govt. applauds own ‘superb’ COVID-19 response 1 year on

A year on since the official introduction of the novel coronavirus into South Korea, the government says the country has responded to the pandemic “superbly,” especially compared to other countries. “Korea has managed to dodge the kind of chaotic situation seen overseas without having to lock down or close borders,” Yoon Tae-ho of the Ministry of Health and Welfare told a news briefing Wednesday, in an assessment of the past year. On Jan. 20 last year, the Korea Cent

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

Veggie restaurant guide released on Seoul City website

The Seoul city government released a list of restaurants, cafes and bakeries in the country’s capital offering vegetarian or vegan options, making it easy for users to search for one in their own neighborhood. A total of 948 restaurants -- 368 independent restaurants and 580 franchise chains -- were introduced, including vegetarian-only restaurants as well as others with vegetarian options. A click on a district on the map of Seoul will bring up a list of places in the district serving

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

Moon’s security adviser tapped as top diplomat amid stalled peace talks

President Moon Jae-in’s longtime aide who has served as his top security adviser since the presidential campaign, Chung Eui-yong, 74, has been nominated to serve as foreign minister. Chung has long helped shape Moon’s engagement policy for North Korea as well as his vision for the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. When Moon took office in 2017, Chung was picked to lead the presidential National Security Office at Cheong Wa Dae and held the post for three years.

PoliticsJan. 20, 2021

Gyeonggi residents, including foreigners, to receive COVID-19 relief

All residents of Gyeonggi Province, including registered foreigners, will receive 100,000 won ($90.90) in emergency cash payouts to cope with the COVID-19 economic fallout regardless of their income, age or occupation, with the exact timing to be decided soon. Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung said Wednesday at an online press conference that it is appropriate to dole out the second round of cash relief and to do so rapidly, given the devastating economic situation, the slowing coronavirus infe

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

State-run Youth Startup Academy set to recruit record-high number of students

The state-run Youth Startup Academy has recruited 1,065 students so far, already a record-high number, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said Monday. Established in 2011, the Youth Startup Academy has so far fostered 4,798 young entrepreneurs and created 13,718 jobs while generating 4.78 trillion won ($4.35 billion) in cumulative sales from startups that began with its support. South Korea’s leading fintech unicorn Viva Republica’s Toss and one of the country’s most popular

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

Euljiro opens resting area dedicated for essential public workers

A dedicated resting area for essential public workers is to be newly built in central Seoul’s Euljiro 5-ga. Jung-gu Office announced Wednesday that it plans to build a seven-floor resting area building with a floor space of 200 square meters by October, with construction to begin early this month. The existing rest areas in Jung-gu for on-site essential public workers were installed on a small scale and mostly located underground. They have been vulnerable to ventilation problems,

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

US to review entire approach on NK: Secretary of State nominee Blinken

Antony Blinken, incoming US President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, said the North’s nuclear problem has “gotten worse” and that the new administration is planning a full review of Washington’s approach to Pyongyang. 　 “I think we have to review and we intend to review the entire approach and policy toward North Korea because this is a hard problem that has plagued administration after administration, and it is a problem that has not gotten bet

North KoreaJan. 20, 2021

‘Child abuse is still a family matter, not a crime, in Korea’

South Korea lacks a “big picture” for dealing with child abuse, and must break away from the idea that child abuse is a “family problem,” experts say. Although this is slowly changing, child abuse is still perceived as a family issue instead of a crime that society needs to intervene to stop. Even before the horrific death in October of a 16-month-old girl named Jeong-in, child abuse was nothing new. In 2020, a 9-year-old boy who was abused by his stepmother died afte

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

USFK reports another virus case linked to Yongsan base

A US Department of Defense official working at an American military base in central Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday. The American working at the US Army Garrison Yongsan was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Monday following direct contact with someone who tested positive earlier, the US military said. The official had been in quarantine at his off-installation residence since Jan. 8, and tested positive after developing symptoms.

DefenseJan. 20, 2021

Seoul city's bike service users soar amid pandemic

The accumulated membership of Seoul's public bike service has surpassed 2.78 million, largely due to high demand for personal transport means amid the coronavirus pandemic, the city government said Wednesday. The tally translated into one in every four Seoul citizens using the city's unmanned bike rental service, dubbed Ttaereungyi in Korean. The growth was particularly great last year, when nearly 1.21 million people newly became members, amounting for 43.3 percent of the total users. "

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

Additional bird flu case confirmed, total now at 68

South Korea's agricultural ministry Wednesday confirmed yet another highly pathogenic bird flu case traced to a farm, with the total caseload of confirmed infections reaching 68. The latest confirmed case of the malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Eumseong, 131 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm was raising 400,000 chickens. Authorities have issued a seven-day standstill order on all poultry farms in

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

Delivery chaos looms as parcel workers consider full-scale strike ahead of Lunar New Year

South Korea may be headed for delivery chaos ahead of next month’s Lunar New Year holiday, as unionized parcel delivery workers consider a full-scale walkout next week in their fight for better working conditions and wages. The Parcel Delivery Workers’ Solidarity Union said Wednesday that a nationwide vote among its 5,500 members has started and will end Thursday. The members will decide whether to go ahead with the collective action as its negotiations with logistics firms and the

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

Seoul women spend nearly four times longer than men on housework: report

Women in Seoul spent almost four times longer than men on household chores and were paid less in 2019, highlighting the persistent gender disparity in the country’s capital, according to a report by the Seoul city government. Girls and women aged 15 or older spent about two hours and 26 minutes on housework in 2019, about 3.6 times longer than men who devoted 41 minutes, according to the 2020 Seoul gender statistics report on residents’ work-life balance. In double-income househo

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

Marking 1-yr fight against coronavirus, PM vows full effort to overcome it

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Wednesday the government will continue all-out efforts to end the COVID-19 crisis, a year after South Korea confirmed its first infection case. Chung pledged to place top policy priority on turning 2021 into the "original year" of overcoming the pandemic and thanked the people for related cooperation so far. "Today marks exactly one year since the first COVID-19 patient in the nation was reported. Public cooperation has always filled up the def

PoliticsJan. 20, 2021

Watchdog opposes disadvantages against NCO candidates with juvenile criminal records

Records of juvenile delinquency should not stand in the way of a person's aspiration to pursue professional careers in the military, a state human rights watchdog said Wednesday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said the Marine Corps' disqualification of a non-commissioned officer (NCO) candidate due to his history of juvenile offenses violates his freedom of occupation and rights to equality. The NHRCK expressed such an opinion in response to a petition from an applicant

PoliticsJan. 20, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ex-President Park tests negative for COVID-19 after being exposed to patient

Former President Park Geun-hye, now serving a 22-year prison term on corruption convictions, tested negative for COVID-19 on Wednesday after coming into contact with an infected person, the Ministry of Justice said. According to the ministry, Park came into close contact with a prison officer diagnosed later with COVID-19 while traveling by bus to a medical facility on Monday outside the Seoul Detention Center, where she has been imprisoned since March 2017. The prison officer tested positive

PoliticsJan. 20, 2021