[H.eco Forum] ‘Our home is disappearing’: Pleas from ex-president of sinking island nation

Former Kiribati President and environmental activist Anote Tong says that for many Pacific Islanders, climate change is already an “existential threat.” Over 119,000 people of Kiribati at risk of losing their homes as rising sea levels slowly inundate the islands. Scientists believe the island nation could become inhabitable by 2050. The following are excerpts from The Korea Herald’s interview with Tong. KH: Tell us about how the climate crisis is afflicting Pacific isla

Social AffairsMay 5, 2022

[Photo News] Children’s Day

With the COVID-19 pandemic losing its grip, Children’s Day has returned with its full grandeur in South Korea, with theme parks and other kid-friendly venues jam-packed with crowds. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the holiday, which falls on May 5 and is usually celebrated by parents taking their kids to enjoy a special treat.   

Social AffairsMay 5, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Mapping out Korea’s diplomacy through Canada

Just as how Korea is referred to as the East’s Land of the Morning Calm, Canada is the West’s. Despite its vast territory, Canada has often flown under the radar on the global stage because of its small population and proximity to the world’s largest economy, the US. From Korea’s standpoint, news from the four major powers -- the US, China, Japan, and Russia -- have mostly dominated the headlines here. What we do hear occasionally about Canada, such as the young prime m

Foreign AffairsMay 5, 2022

S. Korea to legislate new law to protect basic rights of children

South Korea will prepare a new bill to protect the basic rights of children by recognizing them as individuals who exercise their rights, not just subjects of protection or education, officials said on Children’s Day, Thursday. To protect the basic rights of children, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will start drafting a new bill this year, with an aim of passing it within the next year. “The new law will recognize children as individuals in their own right,” an official

Social AffairsMay 5, 2022

South Korea’s intelligence agency joins NATO’s cyber defense center as first in Asia

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service became a member of a cyberdefense center for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the state agency said on Thursday. According to NIS, it has been admitted as a contributing participant for NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, a cyberdefense group based in Tallinn, Estonia. It is the first time an Asian country joins the group. The NATO CCDCOE is a cyberknowledge hub focused on research, training, and exercises in the fiel

DefenseMay 5, 2022

US dispatches Second Gentleman-led delegation for Yoon’s inauguration

US second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the spouse of Vice President Kamala Harris, will lead the delegation for the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, the White House announced on Wednesday. The Biden administration will dispatch the eight-member US delegation, which includes US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Christopher Del Corso who serves as the charge d‘affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Seoul. Two US congressmen from the Democratic party will attend the e

Foreign AffairsMay 5, 2022

S. Korea's new cases stay below 50,000 for 2nd day, with mask rules eased

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases remained below 50,000 on Thursday for the second straight day, amid the recent lifting of the outdoor mask mandate in a major step toward a return to "normalcy." The country reported 42,296 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total caseload to 17,438,068, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Thursday's tally is slightly down from 49,064 reported Wednesday and sharply down from 57,464 reported a week earlier. Daily coron

Social AffairsMay 5, 2022

N. Korea's media mute about latest missile test

North Korea's state-controlled news outlets were unusually silent Thursday morning about the country's latest ballistic missile test the previous day. There were no related reports by the secretive nation's media, including the Korean Central News Agency and the Rodong Sinmun, as of 9:30 a.m., unlike Pyongyang's usual practice of quickly boasting publicly about its major weapons tests. On Wednesday, the North launched a ballistic missile, which flew 470 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 780 km

North KoreaMay 5, 2022

US condemns N. Korea's missile launch, urges Pyongyang to engage in dialogue

WASHINGTON -- The United States condemns North Korea's latest missile launch, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday, urging Pyongyang to engage in dialogue to peacefully denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Ned Price made the remarks after North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea on Wednesday (Seoul time). "This launch is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions," the spokesperson said in a daily press briefing. "It demonstrat

Foreign AffairsMay 5, 2022

US may discuss deployment of additional THAAD system to S. Korea: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States may discuss deploying additional missile defense units to South Korea if requested by Seoul's incoming administration, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday. The remarks come after North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Wednesday (Seoul time), marking its 14th known show of force this year. "Every country has the inherent right to self-defense," Ned Price said when asked if the US might consider deploying additional THAAD units to South Kor

Foreign AffairsMay 5, 2022

Threat from N. Korea continues to grow with each test: Pentagon spokesman

WASHINGTON -- The threat posed by North Korea continues to increase with each missile test North Korea stages, a Pentagon spokesperson said Wednesday, urging the recalcitrant country to halt its provocations and engage in dialogue. John Kirby reiterated it would be foolish not to think the North's missile capabilities are increasing. "We would agree that the threat from North Korea continues to increase because they continue to test, because they continue to learn, because they continue to

Foreign AffairsMay 5, 2022

[Graphic News] Number of students from multicultural backgrounds tops 160,000

　The number of students from multicultural backgrounds enrolled in elementary, middle, and high schools increased by three times over the last nine years to 160,058 this year from 46,954 in 2012, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Education. 　As a result, the proportion of multicultural students among all students increased from 0.7 percent to 3 percent. 　In particular, in the case of elementary schools, the proportion nearly quadrupled from 1.1 percen

NationalMay 5, 2022

S. Korea mulling expanding support to Ukraine: trade chief

South Korea is considering boosting assistance to Ukraine, Seoul's top trade official said Wednesday, as Western countries provided weapons and other support to help Ukraine defend against the Russian invasion. South Korea has provided $40 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, 65 non-lethal military items and various support for Ukraine refugees. "We are considering continuing to expand assistance to Ukraine," Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said during a virtual meeting with tra

Foreign AffairsMay 4, 2022

Tracing the start of childhood in Korea

  In nearly every corner of modern society, children are believed to be entitled to protection and care. But things were not that way in Korea when the Cheondogyo Children’s Association declared the first Children’s Day on May 1, 1922. There was no Korean word that matches the meaning of children at the time. Children were expected to provide labor or contribute to the family’s wellbeing in other ways such as marriage. It was Bang Jeong-hwan and his colleagues at the gro

Social AffairsMay 4, 2022

Newly coined word “rini” demeans children: rights watchdog

Popular internet slang words derived from the Korean word “eorini,” which means children, may promote negative stereotypes and discrimination against children, the country’s human rights watchdog said Tuesday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea urged related government bodies to find ways for the public to refrain from using the newly coined words that compare a beginner in a certain field to a child, saying it can demean children. “Eorini” is a for

Social AffairsMay 4, 2022

Wife and accomplice indicted for murder of husband

A woman and man suspected of causing the 2019 drowning death of the woman’s husband were indicted for murder by state prosecutors on Wednesday, as the investigators set themselves up for a court fight to prove her criminal intent. The Incheon District Prosecutors’ Office indicted 31-year-old Lee Eun-hae and her accomplice, 30-year-old Cho Hyun-soo ,on charges of murder, attempted murder, and violation of insurance fraud law. The pair is accused of inciting Lee’s husband

Social AffairsMay 4, 2022

Seoul to add 3,000 late-night taxis to solve shortage

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday announced new measures to increase the number of late-night taxis to cope with a worsening cab shortage, after the government lifted social distancing rules last month. The city plans to add around 3,000 taxis that run from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m., 2,700 of which will be operated by independent drivers, and another 300 from Seoul-based taxi firms. To secure more late-night taxi drivers, authorities have announced a raft of changes to existing rules, suc

Social AffairsMay 4, 2022

Disabled advocacy group resumes subway protests

South Korea‘s largest disabled advocacy group resumed subway protests Wednesday, calling on the government to roll out more detailed plans to guarantee the basic rights of those with disabilities.　 Like recent demonstrations, Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, a disability advocacy group that has recently been staging protests at subway stations, held a demonstration at Gyeongbokgung Station during the morning rush hour. Members of the disabled advocacy group crawled along t

Social AffairsMay 4, 2022

Who's attending Yoon’s inauguration?

The United States and China are reviewing which key figures to send to the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on May 10, to stress the importance of their relations with Korea. Meanwhile, Japan is reported to have dropped plans for its prime minister’s attendance, as thorny issues remain unsolved. The US government will reportedly send second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, a lawyer and the spouse of Vice President Kamala Harris. The US will also send Labor Secretary Mart

PoliticsMay 4, 2022

Race to fill empty Assembly seats amid local elections

On the sidelines of the local elections on June 1, South Korea will be electing seven new lawmakers as some incumbents have resigned from their legislative posts to run for metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial elections. Eyes are centered whether heavyweights that have been in the shadows will return to try joining the main circle once again and change the dynamics in South Korea’s political landscape. According to the Public Official Election Act, those running for local elections hav

PoliticsMay 4, 2022