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

The United States on Wednesday condemned North Korea's latest missile launch while confirming the North has fired a ballistic missile. "The United States condemns the DPRK's ballistic missile launch," a spokesperson for the US Department of State told Yonhap News Agency in an email. Seoul earlier said the North fired an unidentified projectile early Wednesday (Seoul time) but that more analysis was required to determine the type of missile launched. "Like the DPRK's recent test of

North KoreaMarch 16, 2022

Kim inspects major housing project site in Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a major housing construction site in the country’s capital, state media reported Wednesday, stepping up domestic activities amid the regime’s continued weapons launches threatening the security in the region. 　 The Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday said Kim visited the construction site of 10,000 apartments in Songsin and Songhwa districts of eastern Pyongyang that is nearing completion. Kim had attended the groundbreaking ceremony of

North KoreaMarch 16, 2022

Yoon seeks ‘US-style’ personnel vetting. How does that work?

As the presidential transition team takes shape, President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said he would pursue change in the personnel vetting process, using the United States as reference. Yoon said he plans to abolish the Office of Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, which handles discipline for public officials, and transfer its functions that include vetting nominees for Cabinet posts to other entities, such as the Justice Ministry and police, in a bid to avoid criticisms of “closed-door”

PoliticsMarch 16, 2022

N. Korea launches unidentified projectile in first test since presidential election

North Korea on Wednesday fired an unidentified projectile, in its first launch since the conservative People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol’s win in the March 9 presidential election. But, the launch appears to have failed immediately after liftoff, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. According to South Korea’s military, North Korea launched the projectile at 9:30 a.m. from an airfield in Sunan, an airfield outside the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. The projectile,

North KoreaMarch 16, 2022

NEC secretary general offers to resign over mishandling votes

A key election watchdog official offered to resign after facing criticism over mismanaging the 20th presidential election held earlier this month. National Election Commission Secretary-General Kim Se-hwan said in an email to the commission’s employees that he seeks to resign from his post immediately in assuming responsibility for the problems voters experienced during the latest election, the watchdog said Wednesday. The notice comes after the NEC faced widespread criticism for its lac

PoliticsMarch 16, 2022

[Newsmaker] Biden to visit Europe for Ukraine talks as refugees surpass 3m

US President Joe Biden will make his first visit to Europe since the invasion of Ukraine to discuss the crisis with NATO allies next week, the White House said on Tuesday as the refugee tally hit 3 million amid more Russian air strikes. Moscow has not captured any of the 10 biggest cities in the country following its incursion that began on Feb. 24, the largest assault on a European state since 1945. Local authorities said Tuesday's bombardments on Kyiv killed at least five people as buildings w

Foreign AffairsMarch 16, 2022

[Reporter's Notebook] How did the Democratic Party lose its power in just five years?

When President Moon Jae-in took office in 2017 following the impeachment of his predecessor Park Geun-hye, many, including myself, thought the liberal Democratic Party of Korea would dominate politics for at least a full decade. Some even expected the party to rule for the next 20 years, and the general consensus was that it would be extremely difficult for the conservative bloc to make a quick comeback. But just five years later, the conservatives are about to take back power. As a reporter w

PoliticsMarch 16, 2022

Moon and Yoon off to rocky start in transition

The first luncheon between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol was canceled about four hours before they were to sit down together, with the transition getting off to a rocky start. This is the first case in which a meeting between the incumbent president and president-elect was canceled after plans were made public. “We decided to reschedule the meeting because working-level consultations have not been completed,” a Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson said in a statem

PoliticsMarch 16, 2022

[Hwang’s China and the World] Is a new monetary world emerging?

The US dollar has been at the center of the global monetary system for more than seven decades since the end of World War II. The dollar-dominated international monetary system has shaped the postwar world political economy by significantly contributing to US power, both economically and politically, as well as lubricating the wheels of the global economy. However, in recent years there have been some notable growing developments that might shake the dollar’s global supremacy. China has

Foreign AffairsMarch 16, 2022

7-yr jail term confirmed for mother for beating adult son over 2,000 times to death

The Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed a seven-year prison term for a 64-year-old woman for beating her adult son over 2,000 times with a bamboo stick for more than two hours and causing him to die. The mother was indicted on charges of beating to death her 35-year-old son at a Buddhist temple in August 2020 by either assaulting him with a stick or kicking. Two lower courts sentenced her to seven years in prison. According to CCTV footage, the assault took place for about 2 1/2 hours. The son

Social AffairsMarch 16, 2022

Seoul mayor to return to work this week following at-home virus treatment

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon plans to return to work this week after ending his at-home isolation treatment for his COVID-19 infection, officials said Wednesday. Oh, who tested positive for the virus last week, will finish his seven-day isolation Thursday and return to his office Friday. He plans to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Seoul Fashion Week at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art scheduled Friday. According to officials, Oh has been overseeing the city government's management through remote

Social AffairsMarch 16, 2022

UN aviation agency voices concern over recent NK missile launches

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) expressed concern Wednesday about North Korea's continued missile launches, stressing the move poses a "serious risk" to international civil aviation. The Montreal-based UN agency's governing body reiterated its concern over the North's recent "unannounced missiles launches which pose a serious risk to international civil aviation," according to a statement posted on its website. "As an ICAO Member State, the DPRK is e

North KoreaMarch 16, 2022

First on-campus unisex toilet opens at Seoul university

A gender-neutral toilet that can be used by anyone regardless of sex or disability has been installed at a Seoul university for the first time among domestic universities. Sungkonghoe University said Wednesday it has completed the construction of the unisex toilet on the first basement floor of a lecture building called the New Millennium Hall. The toilet, named "Everyone's Toilet," is equipped with various convenience facilities, such as voice assistance, automatic doors, Braille bloc

Social AffairsMarch 16, 2022

N. Korea seems to have failed in projectile launch: S. Korean military

North Korea on Wednesday fired an unidentified projectile, but the launch appears to have failed soon after liftoff, South Korea's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North launched the projectile from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 9:30 a.m. Other Details were not immediately available. "The intelligence authorities of South Korea and the US are conducting an additional analysis," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters. Speculation has been widespread tha

North KoreaMarch 16, 2022

'Zero chance' Yoon will move into Cheong Wa Dae: spokesperson

A spokesperson for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday there is "zero chance" Yoon will move into Cheong Wa Dae and the transition team will continue to look at alternative sites, including the defense ministry compound in Yongsan. Yoon pledged during the presidential campaign that if elected, he would set up his office in the Seoul government complex in Gwanghwamun and open the Cheong Wa Dae compound to the public. Since his election, the transition team has been scouting alt

PoliticsMarch 16, 2022

S. Korea, UAE to discuss defense cooperation this week

South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook plans to meet his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart later this week to discuss defense cooperation, his ministry said Wednesday. Suh will meet Mohammad Ahmed Al Bowardi, the UAE's minister of state for defense, Friday during his three-day visit to South Korea, the ministry said. The two ministers also plan to visit the Korea Aerospace Industries, South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, in Sacheon, 440 kilometers south of Seoul, as part of efforts to

DefenseMarch 16, 2022

Prosecutor general vows to continue duty amid pressure to step down

Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo said Wednesday he will faithfully carry out his duties, after a key aide to President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol urged him to decide his course of action in apparent pressure on him to step down voluntarily. Speculation about Kim's possible resignation emerged after Rep. Kwon Seong-dong, a close confidant of Yoon, said in an interview Tuesday that Kim should decide on his "own course of action" if he is to repeat the "same behavior as shown so far." &qu

PoliticsMarch 16, 2022

PM calls for adjusting infectious disease level of COVID-19 amid surging cases

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Wednesday asked health officials to consider adjusting the infectious disease level of COVID-19 to better cope with surging cases. The novel coronavirus is currently classified as "Class 1 infectious disease," the highest in the four-tier classification that falls under the same category with diseases like the Ebola virus and the Middle East respiratory syndrome. The Class 1 infection diseases require high-level isolation, such as negative pressure isolat

Social AffairsMarch 16, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases surpass somber 400,000 milestone amid omicron wave

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit yet another somber milestone of more than 400,000 on Wednesday, driven by the dominant omicron variant spreading at an overwhelming speed. The country added 400,741 new daily COVID-19 infections, mostly locally transmitted, raising the total caseload to 7,629,275, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It's an all-time high since South Korea reported the first COVID-19 case on Jan. 20, 2020, and a big jump from Tuesday's 362,338. The pre

Social AffairsMarch 16, 2022

N. Korean leader inspects housing construction site in Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the site of a major housing project in the country's capital ahead of its completion, state media reported Wednesday. Kim inspected the construction of 10,000 apartments in the Songsin and Songhwa areas of Pyongyang that is nearing completion after a groundbreaking in March last year, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "He noted with pleasure that the architecture of the country has developed onto a higher plane through the c

North KoreaMarch 16, 2022