Lee gets boost from proposal on hair loss treatment

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has generated an enthusiastic public response after his campaign proposed adding hair loss to ailments covered by national health insurance. Democratic Party Rep. Choi Jong-yoon unveiled the idea on Facebook on Tuesday, saying Lee is looking into it as a campaign pledge to deal with the reality that "one in five" South Koreans suffer from hair loss but resort to buying treatment drugs from overseas or alternative drugs meant for the pr

PoliticsJan. 5, 2022

Moon rebukes military for failing to detect border crosser, calls for special sense of alert

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday rebuked the military for failing to detect a man who crossed the eastern inter-Korean border into North Korea over the weekend, calling for the military to have a special sense of alert in border security. The man, who was found to be a North Korean defector, crossed the heavily fortified border on Saturday despite surveillance cameras having caught him as many as five times in a major security failure, according to the military. Moon said the "failure

PoliticsJan. 5, 2022

[Newsmaker] N. Korean man redefected unnoticed although military cameras spotted him 5 times

South Korea’s military said Wednesday that it failed to stop a North Korean defector even though he was caught on surveillance cameras five times. The Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday disclosed the results of its on-site investigation into how the 30-something North Korean man returned to the North Saturday night. The military currently believes that the defector is the same person who defected to the South in November 2020. The military first spotted him approaching the border reg

DefenseJan. 5, 2022

‘Nothing agreed until everything agreed’: US holds firm on sanctions on Iran

The US said “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” on lifting its sanctions on Iran, indicating that an immediate breakthrough to unlock some $7 billion of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea could be difficult. 　 State Department spokesman Ned Price made the remarks Tuesday in the US, when asked about whether the issue of Iranian funds frozen in South Korea due to US sanctions will be resolved soon. It comes as South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun is in

Foreign AffairsJan. 5, 2022

Seoul urges N. Korea to respond to calls for dialogue following projectile launch

South Korea's unification ministry on Wednesday urged North Korea to respond to calls for dialogue after the North launched what appears to be a ballistic missile toward the East Sea in its latest show of force. The North fired the missile at around 8:10 a.m. from the northern province of Jagang where it claimed to have fired a hypersonic missile in September last year, according to the South Korean military. The missile launch came hours before President Moon Jae-in attended a groundbreaking

North KoreaJan. 5, 2022

Lee renews call for universal COVID-19 relief grants

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), on Wednesday renewed his call for providing COVID-19 relief grants to all people, saying it is an effective way to help pandemic-hit small businesses. "Basically, all people have suffered (from COVID-19), so opportunity should be given to all of them," Lee told reporters after a campaign event in Gwangju, 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul. "I am not saying it needs to be done immediately but in princi

PoliticsJan. 5, 2022

NK projectile raises stakes for talks, ratchets up pressure

North Korea on Wednesday fired what could be a ballistic missile from an inland area into the East Sea, days after leader Kim Jong-un urged to further defense capabilities and reviewed key policy directions. “Our military detected one (short-range) projectile, which is presumed to be a ballistic missile, being fired from the Jagang Province area in North Korea into the East Sea today (Jan. 5) at around 08:10 a.m.,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Bu

North KoreaJan. 5, 2022

[Election 2022] Yoon disbands conflict-riddled campaign team

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, on Wednesday disbanded his election campaign committee, following weeks of internal dispute. In a press conference, the nominee from the People Power Party said he is launching a new campaign team that is more compact for efficiency, and apologized again for conflicts and scandals raised in the party and surrounding his family. “The election committee is disbanded from today. Instead of giving posts to lawmakers, I

PoliticsJan. 5, 2022

KTX train derails in central S. Korea, injuring passengers

A KTX bullet train en route to Busan from Seoul derailed in central South Korea on Wednesday, injuring some passengers, the operator said. The Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) and firefighters said the derailment occurred at 12:58 p.m., when the KTX-Sancheon train was entering a tunnel in Yeongdong of North Chungcheong Province, 214 kilometers south of Seoul. One passenger car from the train went off the tracks near the Yeongdong Tunnel after being apparently hit by a steel structure that fell fr

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2022

Swing voters shun Yoon Suk-yeol amid controversies

Presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party has seemingly lost support from young voters in their 20s and 30s, with just over 60 days left until the March election. A Realmeter survey commissioned by YTN with 1,024 voters between the ages of 18 and 39 conducted on Monday and Tuesday showed that Yoon had 18.4 percent support from respondents, trailing Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People’s Party. Lee

PoliticsJan. 5, 2022

[Herald Interview] Balancing act between China-US not in Korea’s interest: Victor Cha

South Korea should join the democratic coalitions designed to keep China in check, instead of hedging between the US and China, which could result in Seoul having to deal with Beijing alone, says Victor Cha, a former top adviser on North Korea in the George W. Bush administration. “Hedging is not a long-term strategy for South Korea between the US and China. It does not help relations with either party and growing US-China competition will make it harder to hedge,” Cha said, when as

Foreign AffairsJan. 5, 2022

Military reports 28 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Wednesday reported 28 additional COVID-19 cases, including 25 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,360. Of the new cases, 14 are from the Army, nine from units under the direct control of the defense ministry, two from the Air Force, two from the Marine Corps and one from the Navy. Currently, 233 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,552 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

DefenseJan. 5, 2022

Moon urges N. Korea to make efforts for dialogue after Pyongyang fires suspected missile

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday called for North Korea to make efforts for dialogue in a more earnest manner, after Pyongyang launched a suspected ballistic missile into the sea in this year's first show of force. "This morning, North Korea test-fired an unidentified short-range projectile," Moon told a groundbreaking ceremony for a railway at an inter-Korean border town. "Because of this, there are concerns that tensions could rise and a stalemate of inter-Korean relations c

PoliticsJan. 5, 2022

North Korea should work harder for dialogue: Moon

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday reiterated his willingness to build an integrated railway network for the peace on the Korean Peninsula during a visit to a groundbreaking ceremony for railroad construction in the Jejin railway project. On the same day, the North fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea. “It could symbolically show our trust and willingness to connect the Donghae Line and Gyeongui Line, which the two Koreas agreed to pursue as a top priority in the Panmunjom De

PoliticsJan. 5, 2022

Osstem Implant chief apologizes for large-scale embezzlement scandal

The chief of South Korean dental implant maker Osstem Implant Co. on Wednesday apologized for its own employee allegedly embezzling a large amount of corporate funds. The employee in charge of managing corporate funds, only identified by his surname Lee, has allegedly embezzled 188 billion won ($157.7 million). Osstem Implant on Friday sued the employee in question on charges of embezzlement. The amount is estimated to be equivalent to 92 percent of Osstem Implant's equity capital of 205 bill

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2022

‘Hocance’ boom spurs trade of secondhand hotel amenities

With overseas travel virtually decimated by the pandemic, many Koreans are choosing to splurge on a one or two- night staycation at a luxury hotel. While trying to enjoy their hotel experiences to the fullest, from complimentary drinks at a lounge to access to an indoor pool or gym, some are even trying to recoup part of their spending by re-selling bathroom amenities.  Yoon, a 33-year-old office worker in Seoul, recently spent a night at Josun Palace, a newly-opened, top-notch hotel in Se

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2022

Rapper Dok2 appeals court order to pay unpaid jewelry bill to LA jeweler

South Korean rapper Dok2 has appealed a court ruling ordering him to pay an unpaid jewelry bill to a jeweler in Los Angeles, court officials said Wednesday. Last month, the 31-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Lee Joon-kyung, was ordered by the Seoul Southern District Court to give 41.2 million won ($34,740) and interest on his unpaid jewelry bill to the LA jeweler. The jeweler sued Dok2 in September 2020, claiming the rapper had not paid that amount of money when he purchased seven piece

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2022

Drunk driver swims out of sinking car in Han River

A drunk 30-something man has swum to safety after his car sank in the Han River near southeastern Seoul, police said Wednesday. The man's car fell into the river near the southeastern district of Jamsil at around 10 p.m. Tuesday. The driver swam out of the sinking vehicle without sustaining major injuries, according to the police. In a following police probe, the man was found to have driven toward the river under the influence of alcohol. The police said he has been booked on charges of drivi

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2022

Daily virus cases bounce back to above 4,000 amid omicron concerns

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases bounced back to above 4,000 for the first time in three days Wednesday, putting health authorities on high alert over a possible resurgence amid omicron concerns. The country added 4,444 new COVID-19 infections, including 4,233 local infections, raising the total caseload to 649,669, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's figure was up 1,420 from a day earlier and down 963 compared with the same day last week. It

Social AffairsJan. 5, 2022

Sanctions on Iran will remain until full return to nuclear deal: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- US sanctions on Iran will remain in place until Tehran returns to full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday, suggesting that there will be no immediate release of some $7 billion of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea. On Tuesday (Seoul time), the South Korean foreign ministry said first vice minister, Choi Jong-kun, will visit Vienna for talks with negotiators from the US and five other member countries of the Iran nuclear deal, app

Foreign AffairsJan. 5, 2022