Govt. to buy 200,000 tons of rice to stabilize prices

The government will buy 200,000 tons of locally produced rice this year to help stabilize the market price of the staple grain, the ruling party said Tuesday following a meeting with agriculture authorities. "Of the surplus amount of 270,000 tons of rice, the government will isolate 200,000 tons from the market in the near future," said Rep. Park Wan-joo, the chief policy maker of the ruling Democratic Party (DP). "The government will announce a detailed plan for the purchase of

PoliticsDec. 28, 2021

Biden signs US defense budget bill with call to keep USFK troops intact

President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a US defense budget bill that calls on his administration to maintain the troop level of US Forces Korea (USFK) at the current level. The National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law, less than two weeks after the Senate approved it in a 89-10 vote. The House of Representatives had also approved the bill earlier this month. "On Monday, December 27, 2021, the President signed into law: S. 1605, the "National Defense Authorizatio

Foreign AffairsDec. 28, 2021

Panel says late ex-President Chun called recommendation for crackdown on Gwangju uprising ‘good idea’

Late former President Chun Doo-hwan described a military document recommending a crackdown on the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju as a “good idea,” a fact-finding panel said Monday. 　 　Marking the second anniversary of its launch, the May 18 Democratization Movement Truth Commission released interim results of a probe into the clampdown that led to the deaths of hundreds of protesters in the city, now the cradle of the country‘s democracy. 　 　T

PoliticsDec. 27, 2021

S. Korea's military to deploy homegrown surveillance drones by 2031

South Korea‘s military approved a plan Monday to locally develop and deploy a reconnaissance and surveillance drone by 2031 to better defend the country’s northwestern border islands, the state arms procurement agency said. The Defense Project Promotion Committee endorsed the project worth 570 billion won ($479 million) for the drone designed to be operated aboard Navy warships and by Marine Corps units on front-line islands, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administra

DefenseDec. 27, 2021

Yoon visits Seongnam city to demand special counsel probe

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol visited the city of Seongnam on Monday to demand an independent investigation into a corruption scandal tied to a development project overseen by his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung. Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) renewed his demand for the appointment of a special counsel after arriving on the grounds of the apartment complex built in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, when Lee was the city's mayor. "A special counsel is the only an

PoliticsDec. 27, 2021

Moon hails Archbishop Desmond Tutu as 'remembered in mind of humanity forever'

President Moon Jae-in said Monday the life of South Africa's late Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be "remembered in the mind of humanity forever," paying his tributes to the passing of the anti-apartheid icon. In a statement, Moon praised Tutu, who died Sunday at the age of 90, for showing the power of "forgiveness and reconciliation" throughout revelations of the truth on apartheid-era crimes. Moon said Tutu inspired South Korean people in their efforts to show the truth an

PoliticsDec. 27, 2021

S. Korea to invest W642.4b on nuclear safety R&D by 2029

South Korea said Monday it will inject 642.4 billion won ($541.1 million) on research and development (R&D) in strengthening safety of the country's nuclear reactors by 2029. The budget is part of a five-year plan for 2022-2026 that is focused on reinforcing safety of the country's nuclear industry and to create new strategic business based on accumulated technology. The plan was finalized at a government meeting presided over by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum earlier in the day. The govern

PoliticsDec. 27, 2021

Neighbors mourn death of infant found at clothing donation bin; Mother arrested

Neighbors left flowers, gifts and heartfelt notes at a roadside clothing donation bin in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, where an infant was found dead earlier this month. The baby -- a boy -- was found by the bin’s operator on Dec. 18, wrapped with a towel. On Sunday, local police arrested a 20-something woman living nearby as a suspect. The woman confessed to having given birth to the baby at home and abandoning him at the bin, out of fear that her husband could find out about her extramar

Social AffairsDec. 27, 2021

NK’s nuclear issue requires both peace and denuclearization tracks: Lee’s foreign policy adviser

For years, South Korea, the US and the international community have tried to coax North Korea into giving up its nuclear and missile program. Despite a series of negotiations, headline-grabbing summits and carrot-and-stick tactics, the reclusive regime has not ceased from developing the weapons of mass destruction, but instead has been advancing them. What the years of failed negotiations have taught us is that the North’s nuclear issue is a complex conundrum that requires a multifaceted

Foreign AffairsDec. 27, 2021

New war plans don’t target China’s regional military activities: Seoul

South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Monday publicly dismissed a former US Forces Korea commander’s opinion that China’s growing military activities and presence in the region should be a key consideration in updating military operational plans. Boo Seung-chan, the ministry’s spokesperson, elucidated that the South Korean and US defense chiefs agreed on a new Strategic Planning Guidance, “reflecting changes to the strategic environment on the Korean Peninsula.”

DefenseDec. 27, 2021

COVID-19 cluster infections rising at Seoul's educational facilities

Coronavirus cluster infections have been on the rise at young children's educational facilities in Seoul, the city government said Monday. The Seoul government said as many as 270 children tested positive for COVID-19 last week as parts of infection clusters traced to daycare centers, kindergartens and other educational facilities. The number of COVID-19 infections traced to an English language academy in the southern ward of Gwanak, for instance, reached 76 from Dec. 19-25, while similar clus

Social AffairsDec. 27, 2021

Civic groups vent outrage over pardon for jailed ex-President Park

Civic groups vented outrage Monday over the recent special pardon for ex-President Park Geun-hye imprisoned on corruption charges, arguing that the decision is a blow to the country's democracy. Activists representing 1,001 civic groups, including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, staged a press conference in front of Cheong Wa Dae earlier in the day, calling for the withdrawal of the amnesty. "President Moon Jae-in's

Social AffairsDec. 27, 2021

State intelligence agency on alert over fake $50 note

South Korea's state intelligence agency formally raised the alarm Monday about the possibility of counterfeit $50 bills being distributed in the nation, especially before and during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made public a photo of a fake bill, similar to a so-called supernote in its highly deceptive characteristics, which it had acquired recently. "Such a $50 counterfeit has not yet been found in South Korea, but it is continuing to ci

Social AffairsDec. 27, 2021

Korea approves Pfizer oral drug

An oral drug for COVID-19 is likely to become available via prescription from late January, following the Food and Drug Ministry’s decision Monday to issue emergency authorization for Paxlovid, Pfizer’s oral pill for COVID-19.　 The announcement came five days after the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency requested emergency authorization of the drug manufactured by the global drug giant. “As the number of COVID-19 patients and those in serious condition has been i

Social AffairsDec. 27, 2021

Lee Jae-myung consolidates forces as rival suffers in controversies

South Korea’s ruling party presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung is consolidating forces with heavyweights and bringing together outside forces in the tight race to presidency. Lee's presidential election campaign committee on Monday launched a subcommittee tasked with establishing a national vision and bringing unity. The subcommittee is to be jointly headed by the presidential nominee and Lee Nak-yon, his closest rival from the primary race. "I sincerely thank former Chairman Lee for

PoliticsDec. 27, 2021

Employment rate of college, grad school graduates falls to record low last year

The employment rate of students with bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees fell to a record low last year as the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to job markets, government statistics showed Monday. Their employment rate stood at 65.1 percent last year, the lowest since the education ministry started compiling such data in 2011, according to its statistics. According to the statistics, 553,521 people graduated from colleges and graduate schools across the country between August 2019

Social AffairsDec. 27, 2021

Lee asks Japan ambassador for meeting with PM Kishida

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung asked Tokyo's top envoy to Seoul on Monday to help arrange a meeting between him and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a campaign official said. The Democratic Party nominee expressed the wish during a meeting with Ambassador Koichi Aiboshi at the party's headquarters, Kim Joon-hyung, a foreign policy adviser for Lee's campaign, told reporters after attending the meeting. The ambassador promised to convey the request, he said. "Candid

PoliticsDec. 27, 2021

Seoul urges N. Korea to start new year by opening door for dialogue

South Korea's unification ministry on Monday urged North Korea to start the new year with a step for dialogue and cooperation, as Pyongyang is set to convene a key party meeting this week to discuss domestic and foreign policy issues. North Korea earlier announced the ruling Workers' Party will hold a plenary meeting of its central committee "in the last third of December" to "discuss and decide on work plans for the new year." "The plenary has been usually held for on

North KoreaDec. 27, 2021

Lee launches new committee with ex-PM Lee Nak-yon

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on Monday launched a new committee with former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon in a display of internal unity ahead of the March presidential election. The Democratic Party presidential nominee has sought to add the former prime minister to his campaign in order to heal an internal rift that followed their bitter primary battle and rally the support of voters in the southwestern Honam region, where Lee Nak-yon is popular. The two met last week and a

PoliticsDec. 27, 2021

[Hwang’s China and the World] Tough diplomatic security environment waiting to greet the next administration

Korea’s national security can be mainly divided into the policy toward North Korea and toward the others. Since last week’s interview with the president of KINU (Korea Institute of National Unification) covered Korea’s policies toward North Korea, the interview this week is about Korea’s overall national security. Kim Ki-jung, the president of the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), has shared his views on the Moon Jae-in administration’s national sec

Foreign AffairsDec. 27, 2021