Working age population predicted to fall by 3.2m in 2020-2030: report

South Korea is predicted to see its working age population shrink by a whopping 3.2 million during the 2020-2030 period amid the country's graying demographics, a government labor report showed Thursday. The estimate of people aged 15-64 would represent a turnaround from a growth of 1.17 million between 2010 and 2020 and 2.66 million during the previous decade, the labor ministry said in a report illustrating the seriousness of the country's low birthrate and fast-aging population. People age

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2022

Lee, Yoon neck-and-neck at 40.4% vs. 38.5%: poll

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung is running neck and neck with his main opposition rival, Yoon Suk-yeol, at 40.4 percent support against Yoon's 38.5 percent, a poll showed Thursday. Lee of the liberal Democratic Party gained 5.1 percentage points from the pollster's previous survey on Jan. 8-10, and Yoon of the conservative People Power Party edged up 0.5 point, according to the survey of 1,012 adults conducted by Hangil Research on Wednesday. The gap between Lee and Yoon was

PoliticsFeb. 3, 2022

[Voters &] Will swing voters bother to vote?

Kim Ki-hyeon, a 30-year-old salesperson based in Seoul, cast his first ballot in a presidential election in December 2012. That election was won by Park Geun-hye from the conservative Saenuri Party. The first election he ever participated in turned out to be a huge disappointment. His preferred candidate won, but Park was riddled with allegations of corruption, misbehavior and a lackluster performance, and ultimately impeached after hundreds of thousands of people descended upon the Gwanghwamun

PoliticsFeb. 3, 2022

Seoul keeps close eye on possible messages from N. Korea at parliamentary meeting: official

South Korea is keeping close tabs on an upcoming session of North Korea's rubber-stamp legislature over possible messages from its leader Kim Jong-un, a Seoul official said Thursday, following Pyongyang's barrage of missile tests since the start of the year. The North's official Korean Central News Agency earlier reported the country will convene the 6th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) on Sunday to discuss issues including "the work of the Cabinet" and the state bu

North KoreaFeb. 3, 2022

3 in 10 Seoul women support nonmarital pregnancies: report

Almost three out of 10 women in Seoul believe they can have babies outside marriage, a city government report showed Thursday. According to the report, 28.1 percent of women and 31.6 percent of men living in the capital said they can have children even if they are not married. About six in 10 women and men said they can live together with their partners before marriage. The report was based on various surveys conducted on Seoul residents between 2018 and 2021. There were about 9.79 million

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2022

Over 200,000 tourists visit Jeju during Lunar New Year

JEJU -- Tourist arrivals on the southern resort island of Jeju surged over 30 percent from a year ago during the just-ended Lunar New Year holiday, industry data showed Thursday, amid mounting concern about the spread of the omicron variant. According to the data from Jeju's tourism association, 203,437 visitors arrived on Jeju during the extended holiday, which ran from Saturday to Wednesday, marking an increase of 32.9 percent from 153,132 visitors during last year's Lunar New Year holiday.

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2022

‘Rent a puppy for a day’

South Korea’s pet scene is evolving, with over 10 million of the country’s 51 million population owning companion animals. Various businesses cater to pet owners or their beloved animal friends, ranging from high-end clothing to pet funeral services.  Amid a growing interest in pets, however, there are illegal businesses renting out puppies or kittens for those who want the pet experience, minus the responsibility or commitment to a long-term relationship. For them, pets are no

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2022

Military reports 136 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Thursday reported 136 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 5,192. The new cases included 70 from the Army, 24 from the Air Force, 20 from the Navy, eight from the Marine Corps, 11 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry and three from the ministry. Currently, 1,175 military personnel are under treatment. Meanwhile, two more sailors of the Navy's 304-strong Cheonghae unit operating in waters off Afri

DefenseFeb. 3, 2022

UN panel OKs yearlong sanctions waiver for S. Korean civic group's COVID-19 aid to N. Korea

A United Nations Security Council committee on North Korea sanctions has approved a sanctions exemption for a civic organization here to send anti-coronavirus equipment to the impoverished nation, according to its website Thursday. Under the decision, the first of its kind for the North this year, the Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Research Center will be exempt from UN sanctions in place for a shipment of 20 thermal imaging cameras there as part of efforts to help Pyongyang stave off the sp

North KoreaFeb. 3, 2022

[Graphic News] Air traffic up 11% last year but still below level before pandemic

　South Korea’s air traffic rose nearly 11 percent last year on increased domestic flights but international travel continued to falter amid the pandemic, data showed. 　Over 465,000 domestic and international flights flew over South Korea last year, up 10.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. 　Air traffic in the country had gradually increased in recent years from around 739,000 in 2016 to 842,000 in 2019 before dipping

NationalFeb. 3, 2022

Omicron drives daily virus caseload to over 20,000 for 2nd day

South Korea broke its single-day COVID-19 case record again Thursday with infections topping 20,000 for the second day in a row, as holiday gatherings and travel fueled omicron's fast spread. The country reported 22,907 new virus infections, including 22,773 local cases, raising the total to 907,214, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The previous daily record was 20,270 reported on Wednesday. The death toll from COVID-19 came to 6,812, up 25 from a day earli

Social AffairsFeb. 3, 2022

US focused on joint defense readiness with S. Korea: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to remain focused on its joint defense capabilities with South Korea and will make any related decisions through close consultation with Seoul, a Pentagon spokesperson said Wednesday. John Kirby made the remarks when asked if the US and South Korea were considering postponing joint military exercises despite a recent series of missile launches by North Korea. "As I've said many times, we take our readiness on the peninsula very, very seriously,&qu

Foreign AffairsFeb. 3, 2022

S. Korea's daily COVID-19 cases surpass 20,000 for the first time

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases as of midnight Tuesday surpassed 20,000 for the first time since the country reported its first virus case in January 2020. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s announcement Wednesday, the country added 20,270 new COVID-19 infections for the 24 hours of Tuesday, due to the fast spread of the omicron variant. Of the total, 20,111 were locally transmitted cases, while the number of imported cases reached 159. Among the l

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2022

S. Korea reports additional avian influenza case

South Korean agricultural authorities on Wednesday reported an additional confirmed case of highly pathogenic bird flu from a local farm. The outbreak occurred in a duck farm in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, bringing the total number of such outbreaks to 29 since the first confirmed case in fall last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm is known to be raising some 9,000 meat ducks. Upon the report, the government cordoned off the duck farm a

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2022

Military reports 144 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Wednesday reported 144 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 5,056. The new cases included 90 from the Army, 23 from the Air Force, 11 from the Navy, 11 from the Marine Corps, one Joint Chiefs of Staff member and one from the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command. There were also four cases from units under the direct control of the defense ministry and three from the ministry. Currently, 1,406 military personnel are u

DefenseFeb. 2, 2022

N. Korea’s Hwasong-12 missile launch breaks self-imposed moratorium: UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday denounced North Korea’s intermediate-range ballistic missile launch as a “breaking” of the country’s self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests.  The statement came days after North Korea on Sunday fired the Hwasong-12 nuclear-capable missile, which was the first launch of the missile since September 2017. The Hwasong-12 is the longest-range missile launched by Pyongyang in more than four years,

North KoreaFeb. 2, 2022

Shamans and politicians, a relationship bound with uncertainties and insecurities

Shamanism has once again returned to haunt South Korean politics. This time around, People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife have been accused of having a close relationship with religious practitioners and allegedly letting them advising on administrative decisions. Korean shamans’ role is to serve ghosts, predict fortunes and perform exorcisms. Shamans and fortunetellers have been a regular feature in presidential elections since the 1992 election. As uncert

PoliticsFeb. 2, 2022

US nuke envoy condemns recent NK missile launch, but stresses diplomacy

WASHINGTON -- The US special representative for North Korea has condemned Pyongyang's recent missile launch but stressed readiness for "serious and sustained diplomacy" with the recalcitrant regime, the State Department said Tuesday. Ambassador Sung Kim made the remarks during phone talks with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts -- Funakoshi Takehiro and Noh Kyu-duk-- respectively, on Saturday and Sunday (Washington time) following the North's test-firing of what it calls the H

Foreign AffairsFeb. 2, 2022

Traffic begins to slow on last day of Lunar New Year holiday

Traffic on major highway sections began to slow Wednesday as people headed home after spending time with their loved ones or finishing trips on the last day of the Lunar New Year's holiday. This year's Lunar New Year holiday ran from Monday to Wednesday and was extended by two days due to the preceding weekend. As of 8:15 a.m., traffic on some sections of the inland expressway linking Yangpyeong near Seoul to the southeastern city of Changwon slowed, while congestion was also seen in parts of

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2022

NK leader Kim, his wife Ri attend performance marking Lunar New Year's Day

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, have attended an art performance marking Lunar New Year's Day, Pyongyang's state media reported Wednesday. It marks Ri's first public appearance since last September when the couple visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of Kim's late grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung, and his late father and former leader Kim Jong-il lie in state. Kim and Ri, along with senior North Korean officials, watched the performance

North KoreaFeb. 2, 2022