Moon says current surge ‘last hurdle,’ warns against panic

President Moon Jae-in on Monday warned against panic in face of the spike in COVID-19 cases saying that it could be the “last hurdle” in returning to normalcy. “They say it’s always the darkest before dawn,” Moon said, referring to the record number of COVID cases in Korea. “I think this is the last hurdle on the way to recovery. If we believe in the government and work together, we will be able to progress toward normal life more quickly.” Moon made t

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2022

'Robot chefs' unveiled at boot camp to cut troops' workloads, improve meals

South Korea's military unveiled its novel lineup of "robot chefs" at a boot camp on Monday in an effort to lessen Army cooks' workloads and meet growing calls to improve everyday troop meals. The kitchen has become the latest frontier for the military's tech-based operational strategy, as it seeks to enhance efficiency and safety in its personnel management amid concerns about possible troop shortages caused by the country's chronically low birthrate. Since November, the Army's 28th

DefenseFeb. 7, 2022

Rescuers locate body of presumably last missing worker at Gwangju construction accident site

GWANGJU -- Rescue workers on Monday discovered the body of presumably the last missing person trapped under rubble at the site of last month's apartment construction accident in the southwestern city of Gwangju. The body, presumed to be that of the sixth worker who went missing following the accident on Jan. 11, was found on the 27th floor of the damaged building in Gwangju, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul, as search operations have entered the fourth week. The body, which has yet to be re

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2022

Ruling party's attempt to revive late progressive icons backfires

The presidential campaign for Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea is embroiled in fresh controversy, this time over accusations of posthumous defamation of two iconic progressive presidents. The Democratic Party on Saturday uploaded two videos on its official YouTube channel featuring former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung. The videos portrayed the two presidents backing Lee, separately, in the presidential election next month, even though they both died years ago. I

PoliticsFeb. 7, 2022

29 Afghan evacuees find jobs at Hyundai Heavy: justice ministry

Twenty-nine Afghan evacuees airlifted to South Korea last year have been hired by a subcontractor of the shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., leading to their departure Monday from the government-provided temporary residence, officials said. The newly hired and their family members, totaling 157 people from 29 households, will move into company housing provided by Hyundai Heavy in Ulsan, about 415 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the justice ministry. They are among 391 Afghan

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2022

Omicron surge sparks shortage fears of home test kits

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has demand for at-home test kits rising at an alarming rate, with major convenience store chain CU temporarily ceasing distribution to franchises. According to local reports Monday, CU stores across the country have been unable to order new stock of at-home kits since Friday. This is believed to be due to a spike in sales during the Lunar New Year holiday last week, a CU official was cited as saying. CU reported a 700 percent increase in sales of at-home test kits

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2022

S. Korea, US not mulling additional THAAD deployment: defense ministry

South Korea and the United States are not considering the deployment of an additional THAAD anti-missile system here, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday amid a heated debate on the issue rekindled ahead of the March 9 presidential election. Boo Seung-chan, the ministry spokesperson, made the remarks, following a media report that a government-commissioned research in 2015 noted the need for South Korea's military to acquire its own THAAD battery separately from the one currently run by the US

DefenseFeb. 7, 2022

‘Now is the time to pass anti-discrimination law’

South Korea’s upcoming presidential election is just one month away. But overshadowed by other issues such as housing prices and family misbehavior, the two leading candidates Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party have tiptoed around the issue of an anti-discrimination law. One party’s stance on the issue, however, has been crystal clear –-- an anti-discrimination bill needs to be passed now, said Rep. Jang Hye-youn

PoliticsFeb. 7, 2022

Moon, Turkmen president exchange letters marking 30th anniversary of relations

President Moon Jae-in and Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov exchanged letters celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday. In the letters, the two leaders took note of cooperation between their countries in the fields of energy and transportation, and agreed to expand cooperation to new sectors, according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon told Berdymukhamedov that the two nations have developed relatio

PoliticsFeb. 7, 2022

PM hints at possible increase in extra budget for pandemic-hit merchants

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum hinted Monday at the possibility of increasing a proposed extra budget designed to help support pandemic-hit small merchants following calls from ruling and opposition parties. "The government does empathize with views that direct support for these people needs to be increased," Kim told lawmakers during a parliamentary budget committee meeting. "Now is the time for the National Assembly and the government to open up candidly to each other and put the

PoliticsFeb. 7, 2022

Military reports 150 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Monday reported 150 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 6,277. The new cases included 75 from the Air Force, 20 from the Navy, 20 from the Marine Corps, 21 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry and 14 from the Army. Currently, 1,975 military personnel are under treatment. Meanwhile, three more sailors of the Navy's 304-strong Cheonghae unit operating in waters off Africa tested positive, bringing

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2022

Govt. launches team to support vulnerable N. Korean defectors

The South Korean government launched an interagency team Monday tasked with helping North Korean defectors suffering from economic and psychological difficulties after resettlement here. The nine-member team, comprising officials from different government agencies, will provide support in fields ranging from education and employment to living and psychological counseling for the defectors, the Ministry of Unification said. According to a biannual government survey conducted last year, 1,582 de

PoliticsFeb. 7, 2022

Bear with me: Animal rights awareness in Korea takes strides

Late last month, the Ministry of Environment announced that all bear farming will be outlawed in Korea as of Jan. 1, 2026, and the currently farmed bears will be relocated to shelters for protection by 2025. The decision follows decades of controversy on the practice, which started in 1981 due to high demand for the bear bile used in traditional medicine. “The declaration to cease bear breeding is particularly meaningful because the government, the agricultural industry and civil societ

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2022

[Graphic News] Lottery sales hit all-time high in 2021 amid COVID-19 pandemic

　Lottery sales in South Korea rose 10.3 percent on-year to reach an all-time high last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed. 　Sales of lottery tickets stood at 5.98 trillion won ($5.02 billion) in 2021, compared to 5.42 trillion won the previous year, according to the data from the Finance Ministry. 　The figure has been rising in recent years from 4.15 trillion won in 2017 to 4.38 trillion won in 2018 and further to 4.79 trillion won in 2019, the data showed. 　By type, sales of onlin

NationalFeb. 7, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 35,000 for 3rd day as omicron's spread picks up

South Korea's new COVID-19 infections stayed at more than 35,000 cases for three days in a row Monday despite fewer tests over the weekend, as the highly infectious omicron variant rages across the country following a major holiday. The country reported 35,286 new COVID-19 infections, including 35,131 local cases, raising the total to 1,044,963, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The accumulated virus caseload surpassed a grim milestone of 1 million the previo

Social AffairsFeb. 7, 2022

N. Korea marks 6th anniv. of Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite launch

North Korea on Monday celebrated the sixth anniversary of what it claims to be a major satellite launch, its state media said, highlighting Pyongyang's resolve for the "conquest of space." The commemoration of the 2016 Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite launch came amid concerns that the North could conduct provocative acts, such as a long-range rocket test disguised as a satellite launch, following its veiled threat last month to lift a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests. &q

North KoreaFeb. 7, 2022

Yoon leads Lee 43.4% to 38.1%: poll

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is leading his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung with 43.4 percent public support to 38.1 percent, a survey showed Monday. Yoon of the People Power Party gained 3.2 percentage points from a week ago, while Lee of the Democratic Party lost 0.4 point, according to the Realmeter survey conducted on 1,509 adults from last Wednesday to Friday. Yoon led Lee by 5.3 percentage points, which was outside the margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent

PoliticsFeb. 7, 2022

N. Korea stays silent on much-anticipated parliamentary meeting

North Korea stayed mum on a much-anticipated meeting of the country's rubber-stamp parliament Monday, a day after it was supposed to take place, spawning speculation the event might have been delayed. The 6th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) was to be held Sunday to discuss issues that included the state budget and tasks for this year, according to Pyongyang's state media, but they have yet to report on the opening of the event as of Monday morning. The North's official medi

North KoreaFeb. 7, 2022

[Herald Interview] Politics startup seeks to bring power of data to people ahead of elections

Transparent and unbiased data will help potential voters and politicians make rational choices, putting an end to the era of heavily skewed public polls and knee-jerk policy reactions. This is the guiding philosophy at Oxopolitics, where scores of data engineers are working to change political decision making with the power of data. “I wanted to build an open data platform that enables each user to have their say about politics and see the data on themselves, like-minded people and al

PoliticsFeb. 6, 2022

Election remains foggy with Lee, Yoon neck and neck in polls

Even after the first TV debate held Thursday, two front-runners of the presidential election are running neck and neck against each other, polls showed Sunday. Candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party earned 43.3 percent support, while Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea earned 41.8 percent, according to a poll held by Realmeter under the request of local media outlet Newsis. The poll was conducted on 1,076 adults on Thursday and Friday, partially ref

PoliticsFeb. 6, 2022