[Newsmaker] More versions of BA.2 omicron gaining ground in Korea

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Tuesday new versions of omicron’s BA.2 subvariant were making up increasingly larger proportions of circulating variants in the country. According to the KDCA’s weekly analysis posted Tuesday, BA.2, which was first spotted here in late January, showed up in 94.2 percent of cases in the third week of April. In a further breakdown of variants, BA.2.3 represented most of cases at 63.5 percent. BA.2 had the second-largest shar

Social AffairsApril 26, 2022

[Diplomatic Circuit] Korea and the Dominican Republic: Preparing for the next 60 years

In 1962 Korea needed markets in new countries for its nascent strategy of export-oriented industrialization. Diplomatic relations were the first step in that direction. Fifteen Latin American and Caribbean countries benefited from this drive, including mine, the Dominican Republic. Exporting to my region has contributed to Korea becoming the world’s sixth largest exporter and the 10th largest economy. It is now a leading source of quality products at affordable prices. Coherence is the o

Diplomatic CircuitApril 26, 2022

PM nominee confirmation hearing fails in boycott, parties negotiate to reschedule

The parliamentary confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Han Duk-soo has been rescheduled to next week, after the hearing fell apart due to a boycott from the liberal bloc on Tuesday. On the second day of the two-day confirmation hearing, the special committee members for the hearing from the the Democratic Party of Korea and minor opposition Justice Party were absent, as they had been the day before, aside from their respective committee heads. As the event ended without proper vet

PoliticsApril 26, 2022

Yoon’s delegation, Japanese PM agree to work on improving relations

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s policy consultation delegation met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and agreed to make joint efforts to enhance ties between the two countries, the chief delegate said Tuesday. Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the conservative People Power Party, who is leading the seven-member delegation to Japan, said the two sides had exchanged opinions on improving the bilateral relationship. “For the development of the future-oriented relationship of South Kor

Foreign AffairsApril 26, 2022

Seoul offers free pet dog education

Seoul is offering a series of free programs for dog owners, including a pet school for puppies with behavior problems. The school, set to open in May, will provide socialization and obedience training for dogs younger than 1 year old. For older dogs, the course will be divided by issue, such as for aggression and being overly attached with owners. There will also be online courses for pet owners and prospective pet owners, officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. More are planned

Social AffairsApril 26, 2022

[DIPLOMATIC CIRCUIT] Chile-Korea relations seminar

The Chilean Embassy in Korea, the Korean Council on Latin America and the Caribbean, the Korean International Trade Association and Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-hosted a seminar on April 20 called “Chile and Korea 60 years looking to the future: bilateral relations from the perspectives of its protagonists” in a hybrid online and offline format. Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Korean

Diplomatic CircuitApril 26, 2022

[Diplomatic Circuit] PERU EMBASSY RECEPTION

PERU EMBASSY RECEPTION -- Mayor of Lima, Jorge Munoz Wells, delivers a welcome speech at the Peru ambassador’s residence in Itaewon, Seoul, on April 19, during his visit to Seoul. Munoz Wells highlighted close relations, comprehensive strategic partnership, free trade agreements, modern smart city development, infrastructural projects and emerging areas of cooperation between Peru and Korea. (Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald)

Diplomatic CircuitApril 26, 2022

[Diplomatic Circuit] Uzbekistan’s SCO chairmanship: New directions of multisectoral cooperation

In recent years, the authority and role of Uzbekistan, which under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, have been growing not only in the region, but also in the world; the country’s positive influence on the international dynamic has been increasing. It goes without saying that a vital role in this is played through active participation in the institutions of multilateral cooperation -- international and regional organizations. In this sense, Uzbekistan’s partnership with

Diplomatic CircuitApril 26, 2022

Talk of pardons for Samsung leader, former president rise as Moon’s term nears end

Two weeks before the end of his term, President Moon Jae-in is reported to be contemplating whether to pardon former President Lee Myung-bak and Samsung leader Lee Jae-yong amid growing calls from religious and business groups on the grounds of “national unity.” Moon said in his last meeting with Cheong Wa Dae reporters on Monday, “It is true that people from all walks of life are requesting for pardons,” adding, “I think the public’s support of consensus is

PoliticsApril 26, 2022

Democratic Party looking to arbitrarily pass prosecution reform bill

The Democratic Party of Korea is on track to pass the controversial prosecution reform bill as it originally proposed, after the bipartisan compromise it reached with the conservative bloc fell apart. Floor leaders of the Democratic Party and its main rival People Power Party met for a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug on Tuesday but parted ways without progress. The 70-minute meeting started at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday but was concluded without any update on how the bill will b

PoliticsApril 26, 2022

S. Korea seeks to build new Busan airport as country's first 'floating airport'

South Korea plans to build the country's first floating airport in the southern port city of Busan by 2035, the land ministry said Tuesday. Last year, the National Assembly approved a bill on a mega state project worth some 13.7 trillion won ($10.97 billion) to build the new airport on Gadeok Island, the biggest island of Busan, to handle growing air traffic demand and facilitate prosperity in the country's southeast region. According to the detailed plan announced by the land ministry on Tuesda

Social AffairsApril 26, 2022

PM nominee's confirmation hearing ends without decision amid DP's boycott

Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the minor opposition Justice Party boycotted the confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo for the second day Tuesday, citing Han's failure to submit requested information. Although a legal deadline for the National Assembly to complete Han's confirmation hearing passed without a decision, the DP and the Justice Party asked the Assembly to reschedule a date for the hearing. Tuesday's hearing was adjourned about 30 minutes aft

PoliticsApril 26, 2022

Yoon's delegates meet Japanese prime minister in Tokyo

TOKYO -- A South Korean delegation sent by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol had a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday, during which it appears to have delivered the incoming president's personal letter. The meeting was held at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, two days after the seven-member team, led by Rep. Chung Jin-suk of Yoon's conservative People Power Party, arrived here for "policy consultations" with Japanese officials ahead of the launch

PoliticsApril 26, 2022

Current, former USFK employees under investigation on graft charges

DAEGU -- Ten current and former employees of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) are under investigation on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for jobs at an unidentified US Army base, with two of them in custody, police said Tuesday. The suspects, who were recruitment officers, were accused of receiving 175 million won ($140,000) from five South Koreans in return for hiring them between April 2018 and December 2020, according to the Daegu Metropolitan Police. They allegedly had the applicants' ca

Social AffairsApril 26, 2022

Cabinet approves remainder of initial funds for presidential office relocation

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the remaining 13.6 billion won ($10.9 million) in reserve government funds for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to relocate the presidential office. The spending was approved about three weeks after the first 36 billion won was approved following the orders of outgoing President Moon Jae-in, who endorsed the plan after initially opposing it over concerns a hurried relocation could leave a "security vacuum." The new presidential office will be set up

PoliticsApril 26, 2022

Bus drivers' strikes averted in Seoul and other major cities

Nationwide strikes by unionized city bus drivers were withdrawn or postponed in last-minute negotiations held just hours before and after the deadline on Tuesday. In Seoul, Busan and three other regions, unions of bus drivers and their employers reached deals on wage hikes at the last minute prior to the suspension of city bus services. Unionized drivers in Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, and the southeastern city of Daegu decided to postpone strikes slated to begin Tuesday or Wednesda

PoliticsApril 26, 2022

S. Korea's new infections jump to over 80,000 amid slowdown of omicron wave

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases jumped to over 80,000 on Tuesday as most of the country's virus restrictions are lifted amid the slowdown of the omicron wave. The country added 80,361 new COVID-19 infections, including 16 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,009,865, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Tuesday's tally is sharply up from 34,370 cases reported on Monday as the daily counts tend to fall on Mondays due to fewer tests on th

Social AffairsApril 26, 2022

S. Korea, US agree on first joint space policy research

South Korea and the United States have signed their first bilateral document on joint space policy research, Seoul's defense ministry said Tuesday, in the allies' latest push to reinforce cooperation in the increasingly crucial security domain. Cho Yong-geun, the ministry's director of North Korea policy, and John D. Hill, US deputy assistant secretary of defense for space and missile defense, inked the document during a session of the Space Cooperation Working Group (SCWG) in Was

DefenseApril 26, 2022

Yoon says will 'positively review joining' Quad if invited: report

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has said he will "positively review" South Korea's joining of Quad, a US-led anti-China security partnership, if invited, according to a report. Yoon made the remark in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday (US time), saying he does not expect South Korea to receive an invitation any time soon, but if approached, "will positively review joining." The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is made up of the United States, Austr

PoliticsApril 26, 2022

2 Europeans indicted for teaching N. Koreans how to evade US sanctions with cryptocurrency

WASHINGTON -- Two individuals have been indicted for teaching North Koreans how to evade US sanctions using cryptocurrency, the US justice department revealed Monday. The department said one Spaniard and one British national have been charged in the Southern District of New York with "conspiring to violate US sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," referring to North Korea by its official name. It said the two are suspected of having worked with a US citizen, Vi

Foreign AffairsApril 26, 2022