New infection cases under 1,000 for 3rd day; restrictions eased on indoor sports facilities

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 1,000 for the third consecutive day on Thursday amid signs of a slowdown, and the government eased virus curbs on indoor sports facilities in response to growing complaints from small business owners. The country added 870 more COVID-19 cases, including 833 local infections, raising the total caseload to 66,688, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's daily caseload was up from 840 on Tuesday and 71

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Cold wave, heavy snow disrupt morning traffic

A cold wave combined with heavy snowfall overnight created a rush among morning commuters Thursday. The temperature in Seoul dropped to minus 16.1 C at 7 a.m. but with a wind chill of minus 25.3 C, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. As of 9 p.m. Wednesday, the city had received 3.8 centimeters of snow. The suburbs of Gwacheon and Hanam also received 11.6 cm and 9 cm of snow, respectively. Subways were packed well before 7 a.m., and buses crawled on icy roads. "I left h

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

US employee at Yongsan base, family members test positive for COVID-19

A US Department of Defense (DoD) employee working in Seoul and two of his family members have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. The employee, his spouse and their dependent were confirmed to have contracted the virus Wednesday following their contact with another DoD official who previously tested positive, according to the US military. The civilian employee and his spouse work at US Army Garrison Yongsan in central Seoul, and they last visited

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

FM Kang calls for continued intl. support for peace efforts on peninsula

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has called for steadfast international support for South Korea's efforts to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, her office said Thursday. Kang made the remarks during Wednesday's virtual session of the Ministerial Meeting of the Stockholm Initiative on Nuclear Disarmament and the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a multilateral forum on nuclear arms control issues. "Minister Kang explained our government's efforts for the Korean Peninsula peace process fo

Foreign AffairsJan. 7, 2021

S. Korean delegation departs for Iran to negotiate release of seized oil tanker

A government delegation left for Iran on Thursday to negotiate an early release of the South Korean oil tanker and its crew seized by Iranian authorities earlier this week. The delegation, led by Koh Kyung-sok, director-general of the foreign ministry's Africa and Middle Eastern affairs, boarded a plane early Thursday and is set to arrive in Iran via Qatar, foreign ministry officials said. On Monday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) seized the MT Hankuk Chemi carrying 20 crewme

Foreign AffairsJan. 7, 2021

NK leader vows to boost defense capabilities at party congress

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to strengthen his country's military capabilities to protect its people at a rare party congress, state media said Thursday, amid an impasse in its nuclear negotiations with the United States. Kim, however, did not use such provocative words as nuclear weapons or war deterrent, which some experts saw as intended to avoid increasing tensions, as he reported to the second-day session of the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party on Wednesday. He &q

North KoreaJan. 7, 2021

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, Britain discuss ways to boost bilateral cooperation

Defense Minister Suh Wook held phone talks with his British counterpart Ben Wallace on Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and exchanges, the defense ministry said. Suh congratulated Britain on its recent agreement with the European Union for cooperation in future relations, the ministry said in a press release. Suh added that Seoul hopes to continue bilateral cooperation even after Brexit, pointing out that Britain participated in the 1950-53 Korean War and maintain

DefenseJan. 6, 2021

S. Korea extends UK flight ban for two more weeks amid concerns over COVID-19 variant

South Korea decided Wednesday to extend the suspension of direct flights from Britain for two more weeks to block a more transmissible coronavirus variant first detected in the European country. Health authorities have confirmed a total of 11 cases of the new strain, most recently two cases Tuesday, and one case of a separate variant spreading in South Africa. "The ban on flights from Britain has been extended for two weeks until Jan. 21," the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Age

Social AffairsJan. 6, 2021

[Herald Interview] Doctor asks prosecutors to consider murder charges in toddler’s death

The president of the Korean Pediatrics Society, Dr. Lim Hyun-taek argued murder charges should be brought against the adoptive parents of a toddler who died in October last year of suspected abuse, citing “clear signs of intentional trauma.” The pediatrician of 20 years pointed to the 16-month-old’s ruptured pancreas as a key indication of willful injury, as opposed to an accidental fall as claimed by the adoptive parents. “The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen,

Social AffairsJan. 6, 2021

Ruling party kicks off review of new round of emergency relief handouts

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has kicked off a review of a potential fourth round of stimulus checks, with a focus on whether they should be given to all or only business owners hit by the new coronavirus pandemic, officials said Wednesday. The move comes as the government is to start providing some 9.3 trillion won ($8.6 billion) next Monday to small merchants reeling from the COVID-19 outbreak as part of the country's third round of emergency coronavirus response handouts. Including the 1

PoliticsJan. 6, 2021

Couriers demand overwork preventive measures ahead of Lunar New Year

South Korea's parcel delivery workers on Wednesday called on their companies to offer measures to prevent overwork-related casualties and keep a promise to beef up staffing. A civic task force working for the rights of delivery workers, which was formed in July to improve working conditions for couriers, said delivery companies have yet to fulfill their pledge to hire additional hands to help with parcel sorting operations. During a press conference in Seoul, the group argued major logistics f

Social AffairsJan. 6, 2021

US flies spy plane over peninsula amid NK party congress: aviation tracker

A US reconnaissance plane flew over South Korea on Wednesday, an aviation tracker said, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea as Pyongyang kicked off its rare party congress. The US Navy's EP-3E was seen flying over Hwaseong, south of Seoul, and Hongcheon, 100 kilometers east of the capital, in the afternoon, according to the tracker, No callsign. The flight came as the ruling Workers' Party's first congress in nearly five years started in Pyongyang on Tuesday. The congress draws keen

North KoreaJan. 6, 2021

Seoul considers legal action against Iran after tanker seized

South Korea is considering legal action against Iran after its forces seized a Korea-flagged tanker and its crew, while Tehran insists the issue is “completely technical” on environmental concerns, rejecting allegations it is holding the vessel hostage for its $7 billion in funds frozen in Seoul.   　 The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, in a report submitted to the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said it is preparing legal procedures, checking whether the seizure was d

Foreign AffairsJan. 6, 2021

Temporary COVID-19 testing centers to shorten operations due to cold spell

Temporary coronavirus screening centers in the greater Seoul area will temporarily curtail their operating hours this week due to the expected onset of the season's coldest weather, authorities said Wednesday. About 150 temporary testing stations, launched on Dec. 14 in Seoul and neighboring Gyeonggi Province and Incheon to detect hidden COVID-19 infections, currently operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends. "All temporary testing centers in the cap

Social AffairsJan. 6, 2021

Kim Jong-un admits economic failures, holds off on foreign policy

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un admitted Tuesday his five-year economic plan had failed “terribly” to deliver on expectations for almost every sector, as he opened a party congress for the second time since 2016. Kim, who came to power in 2012, did not address foreign policies. The key party meeting, attended by the ruling Workers’ Party members, delegates and spectators, sets forth the regime’s major economic and foreign initiatives and involves a party reshuffle. In 20

North KoreaJan. 6, 2021

Daily virus cases below 1,000 for 2nd straight day

The number of new daily confirmed cases of coronavirus in South Korea stayed below 1,000 for a second consecutive day, officials said Wednesday. Concerns still remain though, as the virus is spreading quickly in jails and hospitals where social distancing is nearly impossible. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said the number of people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus was 840 on Tuesday, up by 125 from the previous day. Of the new confirmed cases, 809 were locally

Social AffairsJan. 6, 2021

Failure to get NK to begin denuclearization was unfortunate: Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a media interview that it was unfortunate that the US failed to get North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to begin the denuclearization process during his term. The outgoing secretary of state who was deeply involved in US President Donald Trump’s summits with Kim made the remarks when asked by Bloomberg TV on Monday whether he feels there has been progress on North Korea. “President Trump came in and recognized that one of the great challenges t

North KoreaJan. 6, 2021

US civilian employee at Yongsan base tests positive for virus

A US Department of Defense employee working in Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday. The employee who works at US Army Garrison Yongsan in central Seoul was confirmed to have contracted the virus Tuesday, according to the US military. He last visited the base last Wednesday and is currently at a facility designated for COVID-19 patients at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The employee has been staying at h

DefenseJan. 6, 2021

Cold wave warning to be issued in Seoul for first time in 3 years

A cold wave warning is set to be issued in Seoul on Wednesday for the first time in about three years, as the capital and central parts of the nation came under the grip of the season's coldest weather. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that the cold wave warning will take effect for the whole of Seoul at 9 p.m., marking the first such warning since the previous one was issued on Jan. 23, 2018. The cold wave warning is issued when the morning low is below minus 15 C for more t

Social AffairsJan. 6, 2021

[Newsmaker] Coffee shops, bars, internet cafes join protest against virus restrictions

Coffee shops, bars and internet cafes have joined a growing list of businesses protesting the government's coronavirus restrictions, with shop owners lighting signboards, staging demonstrations and petitioning the Constitutional Court. The shop owners say the restrictions are applied unfairly, allowing some businesses to reopen while shuttering others, and without any promise of proper compensation for their losses. The complaints have grown since the government extended Level 2.5 social dista

Social AffairsJan. 6, 2021