New COVID-19 cases below 6,000 for 2nd day, critical cases at over 1,000 again

South Korea's new coronavirus cases were below 6,000 for the second day in a row Tuesday, but the number of new critically ill patients exceeded 1,000 again. The country added 5,202 more COVID-19 cases, including 5,144 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 575,615, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The number of critically ill patients came to 1,022, after 1,016 on Saturday, an all-time high of 1,025 on Sunday and 997 on Monday, the authorities said. Th

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

N. Korean leader 3rd most searched politician online in 2021: data

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is the third most searched politician by internet users worldwide this year, data showed Tuesday. Online searches for Kim totaled a monthly average of 1.9 million, behind US President Joe Biden, who topped the list with 7 million searches, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with 2 million, according to German data analytics firm Statista. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel ranked fourth with 1.4 million searches. The most searched keyword related to t

North KoreaDec. 21, 2021

Korea, Thailand discuss defense cooperation

South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook met with his Thai counterpart in Bangkok on Monday to discuss defense cooperation between the two countries and the security situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, his ministry said.   Suh held talks with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who doubles as defense minister, on the second day of his three-day visit to Thailand.    During the meeting, Prayut said Bangkok wishes to expand arms industry cooperation with South

Foreign AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Korea reports additional case of highly pathogenic bird flu

    South Korea has confirmed an additional case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the southeastern part of the country, the agriculture ministry said Monday.    The latest case was reported at a farm where around 12,000 ducks are being raised in Yeongam, 384 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.    Health authorities have cordoned off the site and are culling ducks there to prevent the spread of t

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

[Hwang’s China and the World] Dealing with North Korea in 2022, not very optimistic

Understanding the other half of the Korean Peninsula, North Korea, is literally arduous as its ‘Arduous March’ reminds. From the emotional 2018 when the peninsula was overwhelmed with the Panmunjeom Declaration to the disappointing meeting at Singapore, today we are standing in the middle of North Korea’s impassiveness and indifference.  On the motionless circumstance, there exists a possibility of North Korea’s provocation. It seems unpredictable but also might be

North KoreaDec. 20, 2021

[Herald Interview] Can Korea’s surveillance keep up with omicron?

Korea needs to reinforce its COVID-19 testing capacity if the country is to keep tabs on the omicron variant, Dr. Hong Kiho, a laboratory medicine professor at Severance Hospital in Seoul, said in a phone interview. Hong called for enhancing testing, as clinics continue to deal with the surge propelled by the Nov. 1 return to normal. Some sites in the Seoul area have reported a wait time of an hour to several hours for a test. The spike in testing demand is mainly attributable to the overall

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Demanding to be heard, disability groups disrupt rush-hour trains

An association of civic groups in South Korea stepped up actions in their campaign to raise awareness for the mobility rights of the disabled, staging simultaneous rallies at subway stations during the morning rush hour. From around 7 a.m. Monday, scores of activists and disabled persons affiliated with the Solidarity against Disability Discrimination showed up at four stations -- Gwanghwamun, Wangsimni, Yeouido and Haengdang -- all on Line No. 5. Some people in wheelchairs deliberately put

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Lee vows full compensation to small businesses hit by pandemic

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, on Monday called for the provision of full compensation to pandemic-hit small businesses as he unveiled a set of measures to support their recovery. "I want to pay back people's sacrifice in a way that is completely different from now," Lee said in his meeting with small business owners and self-employed people. "I will change the paradigm with a preemptive system that provides damage compensation to peopl

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea to add hospital beds, medical workers and testing centers to counter COVID-19 surge

President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered the government to secure additional COVID-19 hospital beds, health care workers and testing centers to counter the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases. “The government will take extraordinary measures to secure enough medical capacity” to counter the resurgence of cases, Moon said in a statement released by Cheong Wa Dae. Moon also ordered concerned government agencies to designate additional public hospitals for exclusive care of COVID-19 pati

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

[Herald Interview] Lawmaker calls for awareness for disabled

The next president should improve social awareness and welfare for the disabled, says Rep. Kim Ye-ji, South Korea's first visually-impaired woman to hold a parliamentary seat. The visually-impaired pianist-turned-politician of the main opposition People Power Party said in an interview with The Korea Herald that she asks whoever becomes the next president to raise awareness of disabled people and to ensure their presence and needs are recognized by others. She demands the next president to hel

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

Moon orders hospitals to focus on critically ill COVID-19 patients

President Moon Jae-in instructed national university hospitals on Monday to focus their medical resources on caring for critically ill COVID-19 patients. Moon's order came as the country has seen a surge in serious cases, with the number hitting an all-time high of 1,025 on Sunday amid a shortage of hospital beds across the country. "I ask national university hospitals to focus their medical capacities on treating critically ill COVID-19 patients," Moon said during a meeting with his

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

Spy agency warns of possible terrorist attacks during holiday season

South Korea's state intelligence agency on Monday warned of possible terrorist attacks during the upcoming year-end holiday season, stressing that terrorism is increasingly becoming an "actually existing threat" in the country. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said anti-vaccine protests in Europe and other countries could turn violent or become a target for a terrorist attack, and South Korea is no longer free from such threats. A total of 489 materials instigating or propagan

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Ruling party concentrates fire on opposition candidate’s wife

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea is concentrating fire on Kim Keon-hee -- People Power Party presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife -- raising one allegation after another related to her career history. Adding on to the allegedly inaccurate information on Kim’s resume that she sent to universities while applying for teaching positions, the Democratic Party is raising suspicions on Kim’s claims to have studied at New York University. The ruling party claims that whi

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

7 in 10 Koreans support stricter social distancing measures: poll

Slightly over 70 percent of South Koreans approve of toughened social distancing measures to stem the resurgence of COVID-19, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 1,000 adults nationwide organized by multiple civic groups, 71.3 percent supported the government's decision to halt the "living with COVID-19" scheme this past Saturday for two weeks and restore stricter social distancing measures. Under the new policy, the maximum number of people at private gatherings was reduced to four

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Pardons for ex-presidents unlikely under Moon administration

Former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, currently serving prison terms for a number of corruption convictions, are unlikely to be included in a list of New Year’s special pardons, which could be the last of the Moon Jae-in administration. From Monday, the Ministry of Justice began a two-day amnesty review by a nine-person committee, including Justice Minister Park Beom-kye and senior officials from related agencies. The selected list will be reported to the president and the f

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

Ex-President Park to stay in hospital until early next year

Former President Park Geun-hye, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, will stay in hospital until February for multiple illnesses, the justice ministry said Monday. When admitted to a hospital in southern Seoul on Nov. 22, Park had planned to stay there for about a month, but doctors now say that she needs at least six more weeks for treatment of back, shoulder and other ailments, according to the ministry. This year, the 69-year-old Park was hospitalized three times due to

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021

Yoon vows to double war veterans' allowances

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, on Monday vowed to double war veterans' allowances and improve welfare for service members as he targeted military voters ahead of the March 9 election. "I will improve disability criteria so that veterans who sacrificed themselves for the country do not feel disappointed," Yoon said in a Facebook post, referring to veterans of the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Yoon added that he will reform the

PoliticsDec. 20, 2021

S. Korean govt. cautious on possible change in political status of N. Korean leader's sister

South Korea's unification ministry responded cautiously Monday to reports of a possible change in the stature of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, days after she was seen standing alongside members of the powerful politburo of the North's ruling party during a memorial event last week. Kim Yo-jong, apparently influential in the secretive regime, was spotted between members and alternate members of the politburo during a memorial event for her father and late North Korean leader Kim Jong

North KoreaDec. 20, 2021

S. Korea ranks 9th in world arms exports: report

South Korea was the world's 9th-largest arms exporter in the 2016-2020 period, accounting for 2.7 percent of the world's total defense exports, an annual government report showed Monday. According to the Global Defense Market Yearbook 2021 released by the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT), South Korea's arms export ranking rose from 10th place in the 2015-2019 period. The Asian country's share in the global arms export market jumped to 2.7 percent

DefenseDec. 20, 2021

Infant found dead inside clothing donation bin

Police are investigating the death of an infant found inside a clothing donation bin in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, on Sunday night. The baby was found by the bin’s operator at around 11:30 p.m. Naked, the infant was wrapped with a towel, with the umbilical cord unclamped. “It appears the baby had been just born,” a police officer investigating the case was quoted as saying by local media. The police are looking into surveillance footage installed nearby in order to identify

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2021