Qatar National Day celebrations in Korea

 The Qatar Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday celebrated the country’s national day, commemorating the unification of Qatar on Dec. 1878. Qatar’s national day, which falls on Dec. 18, marks the anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani. In 1878, he unified the peninsula bordered by Saudi Arabia and surrounded by the Persian Gulf. Delivering welcome remarks at the annual celebration, Qatar Ambassador to Korea Khalid Ibrahim al-Hamar welcomed the progress and

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 15, 2021

‘Golden time’ in inter-Korean relations is up till March presidential election: KINU

The runup to the March 9 South Korean presidential election could be a “golden time” to make strides in the stalled diplomacy with North Korea and a potential inter-Korean summit could be an answer for a breakthrough, experts at the state-funded think tank said Wednesday. 　 “The period up till the presidential election could be the ‘golden time’ where decisive change could happen (on the peninsula),” Lee Sang-sin, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for

North KoreaDec. 15, 2021

Court orders cancellation of answer to disputed CSAT bioscience question

A court on Wednesday ruled that a bioscience question in this year's college entrance exam had errors and ordered the state-run agency responsible for producing the test to cancel its designated answer. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of 92 examinees disputing question No. 20 of the bioscience part 2 section of this year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) developed by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE). The examinees argued the question centering aroun

Social AffairsDec. 15, 2021

S. Korea has duty, obligation to take interest in Beijing Olympics: Cheong Wa Dae

South Korea has a duty and obligation to take a special interest in the Beijing Olympics as the host of the previous games and will decide later whether it is appropriate for President Moon Jae-in to attend the opening ceremony, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. Moon earlier said South Korea is not considering a diplomatic boycott of February's Beijing Olympics after the United States decided not to send an official delegation to the games over concerns about China's human rights abuses.

Foreign AffairsDec. 15, 2021

Police to detain stalking suspects in high-risk cases to better protect victims

Police will take stalking suspects into custody in high-risk cases as part of efforts to bolster victim protection, officials said Wednesday, after facing criticism for failing to provide due protection to victims in two recent stalking murder cases. The measure was announced as part of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's plan to strengthen its response capability against stalking crimes after two people were recently killed in stalking cases that had been reported to police. Last week, a 2

Social AffairsDec. 15, 2021

2 arrested for allegedly locking up 12-year-old girl for sex

Two men have been arrested for allegedly locking up an elementary school girl for over 10 hours for sex, police said Wednesday. The two unidentified men, both in their early 20s, were suspected of locking up the 12-year-old at a residential "officetel" building in Shindang-dong, central Seoul, for about 11 hours from 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The girl was discovered after her mother filed a missing report with police. Police believe the two had sex with the juvenile during the lockup. The s

Social AffairsDec. 15, 2021

S. Korea deploys 30mm wheeled antiaircraft gun

South Korea's military has started deploying a homegrown 30 mm-caliber wheeled antiaircraft gun for field operations under a project to replace decades-old Vulcan cannons, the state arms procurement agency said Wednesday. Developed in 2019, the new gun will supplant the 20mm cannons that the country's Army, Air Force and Marine Corps have operated for over 40 years, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said. The new gun's firing range is 3 kilometers, 1.2 km longer than the ex

DefenseDec. 15, 2021

Seoul's daily COVID-19 infection cases exceed 3,000 for 1st time

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Seoul surpassed 3,000 for the first time on Wednesday, setting a grim milestone for the capital since the onset of the pandemic, according to officials. The city reported 3,166 new cases, 265 higher than the previous record of 2,901 on Dec. 7. The latest tally was 1,104 larger compared to Tuesday's figure of 2,062. Of the total, only nine were cases of travelers from abroad. Seoul has seen an alarming rate of increase in infection cases following last

Social AffairsDec. 15, 2021

Moon departs Australia to return home from state visit

President Moon Jae-in departed Sydney on Wednesday to return home from a four-day state visit to Australia during which the countries agreed to expand cooperation on securing stable supply chains. Moon began his visit in Canberra on Sunday where he met with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for a summit on deepening ties in defense, pandemic response and strengthening supply chains with the help of resource-rich Australia's critical minerals. The two leaders also agreed to upgrade the b

Foreign AffairsDec. 15, 2021

Military reports 45 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Wednesday reported 45 additional COVID-19 cases, including 41 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,822. Of the new cases, 18 people are from the Army, 10 from the Air Force, 11 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry, four from the Marine Corps and one from the Navy, officials said. An officer from the ministry was also infected. Currently, 328 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military cas

DefenseDec. 15, 2021

New COVID-19 cases surge to record high; govt. to restore tougher virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases and critically ill patients surged to fresh record highs Wednesday, with the government tipped to restore toughest virus curbs to contain the spread of infections. The country added 7,850 new COVID-19 infections, including 7,828 local infections, raising the cumulative caseload to 536,495, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's figure broke the previous record high of 7,174 cases last Wednesday. Daily virus cases hav

Social AffairsDec. 15, 2021

Military starts deploying new 7.62mm machine guns

South Korea on Wednesday started deploying new 7.62 mm-caliber machine guns to the Army under a project to replace the existing decades-old equipment and reinforce combat capabilities, the arms procurement agency said. The K-16 machine guns will supplant K-3 and M60 guns as a bedrock asset of the military's fire power, the first such replacement in three decades, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said. The K-16 gun's operational range is 30-percent longer than the K-3 gun a

DefenseDec. 15, 2021

No overnight aftershocks reported following Jeju earthquake

No overnight aftershocks were reported following a 4.9 magnitude earthquake that struck off South Korea's southern island of Jeju the previous day, officials said Wednesday. The earthquake occurred at 5:19 p.m. in waters about 41 kilometers off the island's southwestern city of Seogwipo, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). According to KMA, a total of 13 aftershocks occurred after the earthquake. The last one with a 1.3 magnitude took place at 10:36 p.m. Tuesday near th

Social AffairsDec. 15, 2021

[Contribution] Korea-ASEAN, Strategic Partners for a New Era

This year marks another historic milestone in Korea’s diplomacy. In June, President Moon Jae-in was invited to the Group of Seven (G-7) Summit. In July, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reclassified Korea as a developed country, the first time for the UN agency to upgrade its member state’s status since it was founded in 1964. These are testaments that the world not only acknowledges Korea’s success but also expects Korea to play a more proactive role in add

Foreign AffairsDec. 15, 2021

Brother of North Korea's founder Kim dies: state media

Kim Yong-ju, a brother of North Korea's late founder Kim Il-sung, has died, according to Pyongyang's state media Wednesday. The North's leader Kim Jong-un sent a wreath the previous day to express condolences over his death, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Kim Yong-ju was a former honorary vice chairman of the standing committee of the North's rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly, and a winner of the Order of Kim ll-sung and the Order of Kim Jong-il, the report said, without givi

North KoreaDec. 15, 2021

N. Korea to convene parliamentary meeting in February

North Korea will hold a session of its rubber-stamp legislature in February to discuss the state budget and issues of adopting laws on childcare and overseas compatriots, Pyongyang's state media reported Wednesday. The standing committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) held a plenary session the previous day and made the decision to open the parliamentary meeting on Feb. 6, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The plenary meeting was presided over by Choe

North KoreaDec. 15, 2021

PM hints at return of social distancing as cases rise to new high

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday the government was considering implementing stronger social distancing measures as infections continue to surge, and will announce them soon. As of Tuesday midnight, the number of new daily cases marked 7,850, the highest since the pandemic broke out. The number of severely ill patients increased by 58 from the previous day, reaching the high 900s. The number of new confirmed cases has been increasing sharply after surpassing 4,000 for the first ti

Social AffairsDec. 15, 2021

4.9 magnitude earthquake hits coast off Jeju

A powerful 4.9-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday afternoon struck the southwestern coast off Jeju Island, causing panic as it marked one of the strongest earthquakes in South Korea’s recent history. The Korea Meteorological Administration said in an emergency alert that the earthquake was observed 32 kilometers southwest of Seogwipo, Jeju Island, at 5:19 p.m. Tuesday. The epicenter is suspected to be 17 kilometers below sea level, with a latitude of 33.15N and a longitude of 126.24E, acco

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2021

Despite record deaths, Korea hesitates to reimpose restrictions

As deaths and hospitalizations continue a record-breaking streak, the South Korean government says it has yet to decide if COVID-19 restrictions will be brought back. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s spokesperson Son Young-rae told Tuesday’s news briefing that it “may need to evaluate” if reintroducing restrictions is necessary. He denied accusations that the government was “delaying restrictions,” explaining, economic implications also had to be taken

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2021

Moon meets with Australian entrepreneurs over mineral cooperation

President Moon Jae-in, who is on a state visit to Australia, met with Australian businesspeople on Tuesday to discuss expanding cooperation in key minerals between the two countries. The meeting came a day after the Korean and Australian industry ministries signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the core mineral supply chain. It was attended by Simon Crean, the chair of the Australia-Korea Business Council, Ian Gandel, non-executive chairman of Australian Strategic Materials

Foreign AffairsDec. 14, 2021