New COVID-19 cases below 6,000 for 1st time in 4 days; critical cases hit fresh high

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 6,000 for the first time in four days Saturday, apparently as a result of antivirus restrictions, but critical cases surged to another record high. The country added 5,842 more COVID-19 cases, including 5,767 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 602,051, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Saturday's tally is sharply down from 6,233 cases on Friday and 6,917 cases on Thursday. The number of critically ill p

NationalDec. 25, 2021

Military reports 25 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's defense ministy on Saturday reported 25 additional COVID-19 cases, with 24 of them being breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload in the military to 3,089. Of the new cases, five are from the Army, 13 from the Navy, five from the Air Force, two from units under the direct control of the defense ministry. Of the total military caseload, 1,297 are breakthrough cases. The military plans to complete its booster shot program, which began last Monday, by Jan. 14. (Yonhap)

DefenseDec. 25, 2021

Moon wishes everyone a 'caring, hopeful' Christmas

President Moon Jae-in on Saturday expressed hope that Christmas will serve as a day to care and give hope to each other as he also delivered message of encouragement to people suffering from COVID-19. "Helping hands that look around to see whether our neighbor is sick, eating meals, living in a warm room would be the heart of Jesus," Moon wrote in his message posted on Twitter on Christmas morning. "We are heading to a light. We will do our best to make the world a warmer place.

NationalDec. 25, 2021

Moon to hold luncheon with chiefs of conglomerates

President Moon Jae-in will hold a luncheon with the chiefs of conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, to thank them for their participation in a government-led jobs project, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. Other likely invitees to the lunch scheduled for Monday include the chiefs of KT, LG, SK, POSCO and Hyundai Motor Group, all of which took part in the project to create youth jobs. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun and LG

PoliticsDec. 24, 2021

Number of S. Koreans studying abroad falls 41% in 2020 amid pandemic: ministry

The number of South Koreans studying in foreign nations in 2020 dropped 41 percent from two years earlier amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Friday. There were 171,343 South Korean students abroad at the end of last year, a decrease from 293,157 recorded at the end of 2018, according to the foreign ministry's report on Korean expatriates. The total number of South Koreans abroad fell 6.53 percent over the same period to 2.51 million, apparently affected by the virus situation. (Yonhap)

Social AffairsDec. 24, 2021

S. Korea's vice minister talks with Iranian envoy over 'pending' issues

South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun had discussions with Iran's top envoy here on "pending" bilateral issues Friday, his ministry said. Choi met with Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari and reaffirmed that Seoul will continue diplomatic efforts for progress in negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, taking the importance of Seoul-Tehran ties into consideration, it added. They also agreed to maintain close communication to resolve "pending" bilateral issues. T

Foreign AffairsDec. 24, 2021

How special pardon for ex-President Park may affect March election

With just 75 days before the presidential election, the government’s decision to grant special pardon to former President Park Geun-hye on Friday has risen as a factor that may sway the results of the election. While the main opposition People Power Party welcomed the pardon of their former leader, key party members criticized President Moon Jae-in for making a “political move” to create a divide in the conservative bloc, ahead of the presidential election slated for March.

PoliticsDec. 24, 2021

Former leftist lawmaker Lee Seok-ki paroled

Lee Seok-ki, a former left-wing lawmaker who was imprisoned for plotting a rebellion against the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea, was released on parole Friday. Lee was released from a detention center in Daejeon with an ankle bracelet that allows officers to monitor offenders on parole. Previously, Lee refused to wear the ankle bracelet. Upon his release, Lee criticized the government’s announcement that came earlier in the day, which granted a special pardon

PoliticsDec. 24, 2021

[Newsmaker] Parties offer mixed reactions on Park's pardon

A special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, has sparked a wide range of responses in South Korea’s political circles. The ruling Democratic Party appeared largely to respect the president’s decision, while lawmakers from the opposition parties voiced different opinions, mostly raising doubts about the special pardon. Democratic Party Chairman Song Young-gil announced that the party “honors” the president&rsquo

PoliticsDec. 24, 2021

Lee pledges to build nuclear submarines, launch space command

South Korean presidential hopeful Lee Jae-myung on Friday promised to push forward with plans to build a nuclear-powered submarine and launch a space command against multifaceted threats as part of his policy manifesto. The presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea announced his envisioned defense and security policies at a news conference, under the theme of “fostering a smart, powerful force.” Lee called for a new, multidomain approach to protecting national

PoliticsDec. 24, 2021

S.Korea, China agree to strengthen ‘substantial cooperation’ on economy, culture

South Korea and China pledged to strengthen “substantial cooperation” in the fields of economy and culture and agreed on the importance of leader-to-leader and high-level exchanges at a strategic dialogue in more than four years. South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and his Chinese counterpart, Le Yucheng, held the virtual session of the ninth Strategic Dialogue on Thursday, the first of its kind since June 2017. The resumption of the meeting came at a critical time w

Foreign AffairsDec. 24, 2021

Ex-President Park expresses gratitude for pardon: Park's lawyer

Ex-President Park Geun-hye expressed gratitude for her pardon to President Moon Jae-in shortly after the announcement of Moon's decision to grant a special pardon to her, her lawyer said Friday. President Moon Jae-in said earlier in the day that he granted a special pardon to former President Park, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, to bolster national unity and in consideration of her deteriorating health. In a meeting with reporters in front of Seoul Samsung Hospital whe

PoliticsDec. 24, 2021

Number of one-person households jumps 27.5% over past 5 years

The number of single-member households in South Korea soared more than 27 percent in 2020 from five years earlier, government data showed Friday, amid a delay in marriage and a rapidly aging population. One-person families numbered 6.64 million last year, up 27.5 percent from five years earlier and accounting for 31.7 percent of the total 20.93 million, according to the data by Statistics Korea. By age, men took up 49.7 percent of single-person households, with their number soaring 42.7 percen

Social AffairsDec. 24, 2021

Seoul education chief indicted in alleged power abuse case

Prosecutors on Friday indicted Seoul's top education official on charges of alleged abuse of power in the process of hiring teachers who had been fired for engaging in union activities. Cho Hee-yeon, the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, was charged without detention for allegedly influencing the process of reinstating five dismissed teachers, including members of a teachers' labor union, in 2018. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office also pressed charges ag

Social AffairsDec. 24, 2021

Season's 1st cold wave warning issued for Seoul, many parts of Korea

This season's first cold wave warning will be issued in the greater Seoul area and many other parts of the country on Friday night, with temperatures expected to plummet to as low as minus 15 C the following morning, the weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the cold wave warning will take effect at 9 p.m. in the capital area, most of Gangwon Province and many other central inland regions. The warning is issued when the morning low is expected to fall more tha

Social AffairsDec. 24, 2021

Military reports 37 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Friday reported 37 additional COVID-19 cases, including 30 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,064. Of the new cases, 24 are from the Army, six from the Navy, four from the Air Force, two from units under the direct control of the defense ministry and one from the Marine Corps, the ministry said. Currently, 286 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,273 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

DefenseDec. 24, 2021

Former president Park Geun-hye granted special pardon

Former President Park Geun-hye is to be pardoned in the special New Year presidential pardon granted to 3,094 individuals. Former President Lee Myung-bak was not included in the list. 　 Park, 69, has been serving a combined 22-year term since March 2017 for charges including abuse of power and bribery, after she was impeached in the year before. Her immediate predecessor Lee, who is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for bribery and embezzlement, has not been given the special pardo

PoliticsDec. 24, 2021

New COVID-19 cases fall below 7,000 for 2nd day; critical cases hit record high

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 7,000 on Friday for the second day in a row on the back of antivirus restrictions, but critical cases surged to a record high again. The country added 6,233 more COVID-19 cases, including 6,163 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 596,209, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's tally is down from 6,918 on Thursday and sharply down from 7,434 reported on Dec. 17. The number of critically ill patients, h

Social AffairsDec. 24, 2021

COVAX allocates 1.29m additional COVID-19 vaccine doses to N. Korea

The COVAX Facility, a global vaccine distribution platform, has assigned 1.29 million doses of additional COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea, a UN website showed Friday. According to the U.N. Children's Fund's COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard, the addition increases the number of vaccines allocated to North Korea to 8.12 million doses. The number is up from the previously known 6.83 million, including 4.7 million doses of COVAX allocated to the North last month. The type of the newly allocated

Social AffairsDec. 24, 2021

BOK to adjust monetary policy next year amid inflation woes

South Korea's central bank said Friday that it will "appropriately" adjust its monetary policy next year, given a variety of factors that could quicken inflation, suggesting that it will maintain the move to hike the key interest rate. In a report laying out its monetary policy direction for 2022, the Bank of Korea (BOK) also expected that the country's inflation will run in its 2 percent target range next year but expressed concerns over intensifying upward pressure from global suppl

Social AffairsDec. 24, 2021