New virus cases at over 1-month low on fewer tests, infection slowdown

South Korea's new coronavirus cases rose by the smallest number in 41 days Monday apparently on the back of tightened social distancing measures and fewer tests over the weekend. The country added 451 more COVID-19 cases, including 419 local infections, raising the total caseload to 69,114, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). "The COVID-19 pandemic is on the path toward a slow downturn, yet dangers of cluster infections on the community level still persist

Social AffairsJan. 11, 2021

Moon's approval rating dips to 35.5%: Realmeter

President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating has dropped to 35.5 percent, while the proportion of those critical of his leadership has hovered above 60 percent, a poll showed Monday. In the five-day tracking survey by Realmeter of 2,513 voters nationwide from last Monday, his approval rating fell 1.1 percentage point to 35.5 percent from a week earlier. It marked the sixth consecutive week that Moon's approval rating has stayed in the 30 percent range. Furthermore, 60.9 percent of respondents

PoliticsJan. 11, 2021

N. Korea crowns leader Kim Jong-un as party's general secretary

North Korea has endorsed leader Kim Jong-un as the general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party at its ongoing congress, state media said Monday, in an apparent move to tighten his grip on power. The election took place at the sixth-day session of the party's eighth congress in Pyongyang on Sunday, following the North's revision of party rules to reinstate the secretariat system that was scrapped in 2016, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The 8th Cong

North KoreaJan. 11, 2021

S. Korea's highly pathogenic bird flu cases rise to 51

The number of highly pathogenic bird flu cases in South Korea stood at 51 on Sunday after the country added another confirmed case from a duck farm in a southeastern county, officials said. The latest case was found in a broiler duck farm in Geochang, South Gyeongsang Province, about 300 km away from Seoul, according to officials. It was confirmed as the malign H5N8 type. A standstill order has been issued for all poultry farms in Geochang. The agriculture ministry said Saturday that tests

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2021

Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fall, but deaths rise

South Korea’s new cases of COVID-19 have fallen, but deaths and hospitalizations are climbing amid a lack of hospital beds and outbreaks among vulnerable populations. In this month alone, 208 people have died of COVID-19, which makes up over 18 percent of a total of 1,125 deaths here so far. This compares with 148 deaths reported in the initial wave in the spring and 91 deaths during the summer resurgence last year. The case fatality rate, or the proportion of people who died from the d

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2021

[Photo News] Arctic cold waves freeze ports in Hwaseong

Arctic cold waves froze the water surrounding Jeongok Port and Gungpyeong Port in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday morning, as winter temperatures continued below zero. The boats appear to be frozen in place near Jeongok Port as they remained still, scattered across the water. People walked across on the solid ice, which once was a body of flowing water. (Photos: Yonhap) By Song Donna (donnadsong@heraldcorp.com)

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice FM heads to Iran for talks to free seized tanker

South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun left for Iran Sunday to seek the release of an oil tanker and its crew that were seized by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf last week. 　 Choi left early Sunday and was to arrive in Tehran via Doha the same day. He is expected to meet with counterparts and other high-level officials at the Iranian Foreign Ministry to negotiate the return of the ship and its crew members, along with a government delegation that has already been in Tehran s

Foreign AffairsJan. 10, 2021

[Feature] Cash incentives fail to boost childbirth

Having a baby is not even a question for Lim Ji-yeon, 34, as she and her husband made the decision that it was not for them years ago. Both Lim and her husband thought having a child would be nice, but that was before they had to really consider the idea of becoming parents after getting married in 2018. They quickly gave up on that dream, vowing to devote the remaining years of their lives solely to themselves. “Why have a baby to voluntarily go through all the struggles? There’s

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2021

New virus cases stay below 700 for 3rd day despite steady cluster infections

South Korea's new coronavirus cases remained at the 600 mark for the third consecutive day on Sunday as social distancing measures had a slight effect despite steady cluster infections. The country added 665 more COVID-19 cases, including 631 local infections, raising the total caseload to 68,664, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was slightly up from a one-month low of 641 on Saturday, the fewest daily infections since Dec. 8, when the country add

Social AffairsJan. 10, 2021

NK highlights importance of defense capabilities in revised party rules

North Korea has clarified the importance of powerful defense capabilities in containing military threats in its revised rules for the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported Sunday. The revision was adopted at the fifth-day session of the eighth party congress in Pyongyang on Saturday, a day after leader Kim Jong-un defined the United States as the country's "foremost principal enemy" and vowed to bolster its nuclear arsenal, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). &q

North KoreaJan. 10, 2021

S. Korea reaffirms commitment to implementing inter-Korean agreements

The unification ministry on Saturday said it has a firm determination to implement inter-Korean agreements, shortly after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accused the South of going against it at a rare party congress. 　 Kim made the remarks during the eighth congress of the ruling Workers‘ Party currently under way in Pyongyang, calling on Seoul to abide by the inter-Korean peace-building and tension-reduction deals and halt its joint military exercises with the United States. 　 “As

North KoreaJan. 9, 2021

Kim calls US 'biggest enemy,' vows to continue nuclear development

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called the United States the “biggest enemy” of his country, threatening to continue to advance its nuclear capabilities, state media said Saturday. 　 Kim added that Washington‘s policy against Pyongyang won’t change regardless of who rules the White House, saying that an end to its hostile stance will be the key to future relations between the two countries, according to the Korean Central News Agency. 　 Kim made the remarks reporting

North KoreaJan. 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Navy officer found dead in Yellow Sea after going missing while on duty

A Navy officer was found dead Saturday after going missing while on duty aboard a patrol boat off the western border island of Baengnyeong, military authorities said. 　 The chief petty officer disappeared at around 10 p.m. on Friday in waters south of the island in the Yellow Sea, as the 450-ton patrol killer he was aboard was sailing for night guard operations, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). 　 After hours of search operations, the authorities found the man at around 10 a.m. Satur

Social AffairsJan. 9, 2021

FM calls for Japan not to respond excessively to court ruling on ‘comfort women’

South Korea's foreign minister on Saturday requested that Japan refrain from responding excessively concerning a local court’s ruling that ordered Tokyo to provide compensation for its wartime sexual enslavement of Korean women. 　 Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha made the remark during a 20-minute phone call with her Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 　 The phone call came after South Korean victims of wartime sexual enslavement won their f

Social AffairsJan. 9, 2021

Daily virus cases drop to one-month low amid concern over COVID-19 variant

South Korea‘s new coronavirus cases dropped to the lowest level in a month on Saturday, but authorities are vigilant over chains of cluster infections coupled with looming concerns over a COVID-19 variant. 　 　The country added 641 more COVID-19 cases, including 596 local infections, raising the total caseload to 67,999, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). 　 　It was the lowest daily figure since Dec. 8, when the country added 594 additional cases. The natio

Social AffairsJan. 9, 2021

Overseas Koreans Foundation launches support program for Korean adoptees abroad

The Overseas Koreans Foundation has launched a support program to help South Korean adoptees living in foreign countries. The program is for Korean adoptees under the age of 45 living outside Korea, and their children and grandchildren, the Overseas Koreans Foundation said Tuesday in an announcement on its website. The purpose of the program is to promote the rights of Koreans adopted overseas and help them settle down in the countries where they live by offering legal support and advice for

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2021

Kim Jong-un examines ties with S. Korea at party congress

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday examined ties with South Korea and decided to expand foreign relations, on the third day of his second party congress since coming to power in 2012. Kim did not elaborate, according to the North’s state media. The 37-year-old leader also highlighted “our way of life” full of socialist values in education, health and arts and discussed promoting the supremacy of “our institutions.” Kim, who faces the toughest challenges

North KoreaJan. 8, 2021

Child rapist Cho Doo-soon applied for welfare grants

Cho Doo-soon, one of Korea’s most notorious child rapists, and his wife applied for basic livelihood grants and pension for senior citizens, according to local news reports. Cho, 68, who was released from prison on Dec. 12 after serving a reduced sentence of just over a decade for kidnapping, beating and raping a young girl, now lives with his wife in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and is unemployed. After news surfaced that Cho is seeking welfare benefits, posts were made on the presidenti

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2021

Photos, physical details banned in matchmaking ads

Matchmaking advertisements in South Korea can no longer display personal information such as a person’s height and weight, or any photos of the face. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Friday that an amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Brokers Business Management Act was in effect. Under the amended enforcement decree, photos of users’ faces cannot be revealed in public through any type of advertisement that is visible to the general public. This includes

Social AffairsJan. 8, 2021

WHO chief seeks S. Korea's continued cooperation against coronavirus: Cheong Wa Dae

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has sent a letter to President Moon Jae-in and requested South Korea's continued support for the global fight against COVID-19, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. In the letter, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the rollout of new vaccines has given hope for the termination of the pandemic, according to Moon's spokesman Kang Min-seok. Tedros was quoted as adding that Moon's support for the COVAX Facility, a pooled procurement mech

PoliticsJan. 8, 2021