‘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

Ex-national security adviser tapped as top diplomat amid stalled NK diplomacy

Chung Eui-yong, President Moon Jae-in's pick for foreign minister, is known for his role as national security adviser in spearheading Moon's engagement policy for North Korea that led to the first-ever summit between the United States and North Korea. Chung's nomination, announced just ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden, is seen as reflecting Moon's will to revive his peace drive and help resume the nuclear diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang in his remaining time

PoliticsJan. 20, 2021

Navy officer in Seoul tests positive for COVID-19

A Navy officer based in Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus after coming into contact with an infected civilian, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The officer was confirmed to have been infected in a test conducted before release from quarantine, which he was put into following contact with a person who was found to have contracted COVID-19, according to the ministry. The latest case raised the total number of infections among the military population to 540. Meanwhile, a vete

DefenseJan. 20, 2021

Moon replaces foreign minister as Biden takes office

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday named three ministerial nominees, including his former top security adviser Chung Eui-yong as foreign minister, in the first Cabinet reshuffle this year. Chung, 74, replaces Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, the nation’s first female foreign minister and the longest-serving minister in Moon’s Cabinet. Kang’s replacement comes as a surprise, as she had been widely expected to stay until the end of Moon’s presidency in May 2022. A C

PoliticsJan. 20, 2021

N. Korea tightens antivirus campaign as party congress, military parade end

North Korea is stepping up antivirus efforts and tightening border control to ward off the new coronavirus, state media reported Wednesday, as major political events attended by thousands of delegates wrapped up last week in the capital city. Pyongyang concluded the eight-day congress of the Workers' Party and held a military parade last week, during which thousands of attendees, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, were seen without masks. Officials attending Sunday's meeting of the rub

North KoreaJan. 20, 2021

New virus cases rise from low plateau 1 year after COVID-19 outbreak

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hovered around 400 for the third straight day Wednesday as the country struggles to further slow down the third wave of the pandemic with an enhanced social distancing scheme. The country added 404 more COVID-19 cases, including 373 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 73,518, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's figure was slightly up from 386 cases reported the previous day. Since the first c

Social AffairsJan. 20, 2021

Soldiers, civilians stage joint rallies in N. Korea in support of party decisions

Soldiers and civilians staged joint rallies across North Korea, calling for nationwide cooperation to carry out new policies and decisions made during a recent rare party congress, state media reported Wednesday. North Korea held the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party that ended last week, unveiling a new five-year economic development plan focusing on self-reliance in the face of the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and global sanctions on its regime. "Joint rallies of soldi

North KoreaJan. 20, 2021

US defense nominee vows to quickly conclude cost-sharing talks with S. Korea

The nominee for US secretary of defense on Tuesday said he will seek to quickly conclude stalled negotiations with South Korea to set the latter's contribution toward maintaining US troops on the Korean Peninsula. Lloyd Austin said an early conclusion to the long-stalled negotiations would be part of efforts to enhance and modernize the US-South Korea alliance. "The US-Republic of Korea (ROK) Alliance is the linchpin of peace and security in the region. It is among the most combined, inte

North KoreaJan. 20, 2021

Blinken says US is 'better positioned' to deal with N. Korea when working with allies

Secretary of State-designate Antony Blinken on Tuesday vowed efforts to improve US relations with allies, saying the country is "far better positioned" to deal with threats from North Korea and other adversaries when it works with friendly nations. The former deputy secretary of state made the remarks at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "We can revitalize our core alliances -- force multipliers of our influence around the world," said

North KoreaJan. 20, 2021

US will review entire N. Korea policy, consider humanitarian aid: Blinken

The new US administration of Joe Biden plans to review the country's entire approach and policy toward North Korea, Biden's secretary of state nominee said Tuesday. Antony Blinken said the new administration may also try to find ways to get humanitarian assistance to the North to help lessen the suffering of North Korean people if necessary. "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

North KoreaJan. 20, 2021

Understanding N. Korean capabilities important part of intelligence: DNI nominee

Understanding North Korea's capabilities and true intentions is a critical role of US intelligence, the nominee for US director of national intelligence said Tuesday. Avril Haines also said, if confirmed, she will review existing intelligence on North Korea to discern what the regime's intentions are. "Understanding the capabilities and intentions of a country like North Korea is a critical responsibility of the intelligence community," Haines said in a written answer to questions fr

North KoreaJan. 20, 2021

S. Korea confirms 67th case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea on Tuesday confirmed another case of highly pathogenic bird flu in poultry, raising the total caseload to 67. The latest case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Yongin, just south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The ministry will administer screening tests and impose a 30-day movement ban on all poultry farms within a 10-kilometer radius of the affected farm. The restriction also applies to all poultry farms

Social AffairsJan. 19, 2021