US ready to adjust short, longer-term military posture to handle N. Korean provocations

The White House said Wednesday that the US is ready to adjust its “short and longer-term military posture” regarding North Korea and handle “all contingencies,” including major weapons tests during the US president’s trip to South Korea and Japan. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan reaffirmed the US defense commitment to the regional key allies and warned that North Korea could conduct long-range missile and nuclear tests on the occasion of President Joe B

Foreign AffairsMay 19, 2022

[H.Eco Forum] ‘Rising sea levels can bring biggest displacement of mankind’

In the past decades, global warming has gained much awareness, prompting the international society to look for solutions, but rising sea levels, one of the consequences, has often been overlooked, renowned photojournalist Kadir van Lohuizen said. People should understand the seriousness of rising sea levels around the world and act fast, as it could bring “the biggest displacement of mankind in history,” van Lohuizen said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “(Rising sea l

Social AffairsMay 19, 2022

Mother under investigation for drowning newborn baby in toilet

A mother who has been accused of drowning her newborn baby in a toilet has been referred to public prosecution. Pyeongtaek Police Station in Gyeonggi Province handed over the case to the prosecution, with the woman in her 20s as a suspect of murder and abandonment of the body. She was suspected of killing a baby she gave birth to at her house in Pyeongtaek on May 11. It is suspected that the woman drowned the infant in the toilet and then buried the body in a nearby mountain. The crim

Social AffairsMay 19, 2022

7 in 10 job seekers willing to work at startup: survey

Over 70 percent of job seekers in South Korea said they were willing to get a position at a startup company, a survey showed Thursday. According to online recruiting platform JobKorea’s survey of 1,063 workers and job seekers, the most-selected reason for expressing a willingness to work at a startup was their growth potential, with 52.9 percent. Respondents could pick more than one reason, and 35 percent said they believed working at a startup would provide many learning opportunities,

Social AffairsMay 19, 2022

Campaigning starts for local elections with polls putting ruling party in lead

The official campaigning period has kicked off for the upcoming local elections in South Korea, with the ruling People Power Party appearing to be at an advantage over the larger opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Many opinion surveys expect the People Power Party to prevail in the elections, with many experts saying that the political party that wins the presidential election is likely to extend the winning streak into the local elections. For the time being, the People Power Party is sho

PoliticsMay 19, 2022

This is what balconies are for

A typical Korean apartment unit comes with an enclosed balcony that is attached to the living room or the master’s room.  This semi-outdoor space serves many purposes. It can be a laundry yard, a storage space for all your odds and ends, as well as a fire escape. However, it is often the most underused area in a Korean home and many households choose to get rid of it for extended indoor space.  In the past few years, as a deadly virus forced many to stay indoors, a new tre

Social AffairsMay 19, 2022

N. Korea stays mum on S. Korea's offer for COVID-19 talks, assistance: official

North Korea has remained unresponsive to South Korea's bid for a formal offer of consultations on providing COVID-19 medical assistance for the fourth day, according to a ministry official here Thursday. The Ministry of Unification had sought to deliver a related fax message to the North on Monday through their liaison office to hold working-level talks and offer assistance to the impoverished neighbor struggling with the recent outbreak. But the North did not express its intention to accep

North KoreaMay 19, 2022

US flies spy plane to East Sea amid concerns about possible NK missile launch

The US military has flown a reconnaissance plane toward the East Sea, an aviation tracker said Thursday, amid concerns about the possibility of another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch by North Korea. In a Twitter post, Aircraft Spots released an image showing an RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft en route to the East Sea. It said the flight was to "monitor the North Korean missile launch window." The previous day, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy chief of South Korea's pres

DefenseMay 19, 2022

Official campaigning for local elections begins

Official campaigning for local elections and parliamentary by-elections kicked off Thursday with the ruling and opposition parties looking to expand their presence from the start of President Yoon Suk-yeol's new government. The 13-day campaign period will last until the eve of the June 1 elections. A total of 7,616 candidates are vying for 17 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, and 226 heads of lower-level administrative units in the upcoming elections. Also up for grabs are 779 s

PoliticsMay 19, 2022

N. Korea yet to fully develop hypersonic missile, but its testing raises concerns: US official

WASHINGTON -- North Korea does not appear to have developed a hypersonic missile, but its tests to develop such a system warrant US concerns, the head of the US Missile Defense Agency said Wednesday. North Korea claims to have successfully test launched a new hypersonic missile on Jan. 5 and Jan. 11 (Seoul time). "They claim to have developed hypersonics," Vice Adm. John Hill said when asked if the North is developing hypersonic missiles in a hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on S

Foreign AffairsMay 19, 2022

New COVID-19 cases fall to 28,000s as omicron wave ebbs

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to around 28,000 on Thursday, continuing the modest decline as the omicron spread has been slowing for weeks. The country added 28,130 new COVID-19 infections, including 15 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,889,849, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's tally marks a further fall from 31,352 and 35,117 counted for Tuesday and Monday, respectively. Daily infection numbers have stayed in the 10,0

Social AffairsMay 19, 2022

N. Korea reports 1 additional death amid COVID-19 outbreak

North Korea reported one additional death and over 260,000 new suspected COVID-19 cases Thursday, raising its total number of fever cases to nearly 2 million amid its battle with the virus outbreak. According to the information of the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, more than 262,270 people showed symptoms of fever and one death was reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. Wednesday, increasing the total number of fatalities to 63, the official Korean Central News Agency (KC

North KoreaMay 19, 2022

[Graphic News] Seoul's daily subway ridership hits pandemic-era high on eased restrictions

　The daily number of riders on the Seoul subway system breached the 7 million mark for the first time in 1 1/2 years, data showed, partly on the back of rollbacks of COVID-19 restrictions. 　According to the data from Seoul subway operator Seoul Metro, 7,210,000 people rode subway trains in the capital city on April 29, marking the most single-day riders since Oct. 30, 2020. 　An average of 7,320,000 riders used the Seoul subway system in a 24-hour period in 2019, the data showed. The average t

NationalMay 19, 2022

N. Korean missile or nuclear test very possible during Biden's Asia trip: Sullivan

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is widely expected to stage a long-range or nuclear test before or even during President Joe Biden's trip to South Korea and Japan, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Wednesday. He said the US is fully prepared to make any necessary adjustments to US defense posture to ensure the security of the US and US allies. "With respect to the issue of North Korea, we have said from this podium, we said at the state department and we have indicated in quite clea

Foreign AffairsMay 19, 2022

N. Korea's trade with China jumps on year in April

  North Korea's trade with China jumped on year in April as the two nations had resumed railroad freight traffic, according to Chinese customs data on Wednesday.  North Korea's trade volume with China stood at $102 million in April, compared with some 30 million for the same month a year ago, according to the data.  Railroad freight traffic between North Korea and China halted in August 2020 due to outbreaks of COVID-19 in China, and resumed in January this year.  Trade

North KoreaMay 18, 2022

Korea-US military, economic alliance to extend to technology at summit

South Korea will expand its military and economic alliance with the US to include technology at the upcoming summit this weekend, seeking to join a US-led new coalition that will set new trade and supply chain rules, a senior security official said Wednesday. 　 US President Joe Biden will arrive in Korea on Friday afternoon and visit Samsung Electronics’ chip facilities in Pyeongtaek. The next day, he will hold a summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol and attend an official banquet along wi

Foreign AffairsMay 18, 2022

Patients fear losing COVID-19 coverage with emergency about to end

Patients in South Korea may soon lose government coverage for medical bills, with the “trial period” for a Moon Jae-in-era change in COVID-19’s legal status due to expire at the end of this week. On April 25, the Moon administration downgraded COVID-19’s level of public health hazard within Korea’s classification of infectious diseases, thereby removing the legal framework for the government to cover medical costs while a patient is under isolation. Families of

Social AffairsMay 18, 2022

S. Korea to decide whether to lift 7-day quarantine mandate on Friday

The South Korean government announced Wednesday that it would decide whether to end the country’s seven-day quarantine mandate for COVID-19 patients on Friday, which would mark another major step towards the next phase of its post-pandemic plan. If the mandate is lifted, people who are infected with COVID-19 would no longer have to quarantine. COVID-19 patients will also be responsible for their own medical costs treating COVID-19. “South Korea is stepping towards normal,”

Social AffairsMay 18, 2022

[H.Eco Forum] Protecting the oceans and tackling climate change ‘go hand in hand’

Protecting the ocean environment is more important than people usually think, according to Nam Sung-hyun, a School of Earth and Environmental Sciences professor at Seoul National University.　 Nam said the oceans work as massive carbon sinks and also absorb most of the solar energy reaching the Earth. Protecting the oceans and marine ecosystems is thus intimately involved in maintaining the Earth’s climate change resilience, Nam said in an email interview with The Korea Herald. “Mo

Social AffairsMay 18, 2022

South Korea to join US-led economic initiative: presidential office

South Korea will join the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, a US-led economic initiative, as a founding member, the presidential office said Wednesday. The decision appears likely to put further pressure on Seoul to choose a side in the US-China rivalry, with Beijing already expressing opposition to South Korea’s entry. President Yoon Suk-yeol will be participating in the launching ceremony of the initiative via video call, as the event is planned to take place in Tokyo on May 24, accord

Foreign AffairsMay 18, 2022