Moon faces dilemma over Beijing Olympics boycott

The US decision to have its diplomats boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics is posing a dilemma for South Korea, as Washington could prod allies to follow suit, while Seoul hopes to use the games as an opportunity to restart dialogue with Pyongyang. Amid the struggle between the two global superpowers, South Korea has taken an ambiguous diplomatic position, as it values both its security alliance with the US and its economic ties with China. But with Washington’s recent announcement, South

Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2021

Punishment recommendation ceiling for child abuse homicide raised to 22 1/2 years

The Supreme Court has raised the maximum recommmended sentence for those convicted of child abuse resulting in death to 22 1/2 years in prison amid calls for tougher punishment for such heinous crimes, sources said Tuesday. The highest court's sentencing commission held a meeting Monday and raised the standard sentence for the crime to 4-8 years in prison, with up to 15 years of imprisonment possible for aggravated cases, from the current 4-7 years in prison and up to 10 years for aggravated ca

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2021

DP presidential candidate defends his 'basic finance' program for youths

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), on Tuesday defended his election pledge to provide low-interest loans for youths, saying there are "good debts." "Whether they are national debts or personal debts, it is a foolish thought to say all debts are bad," Lee said at a lecturing event at Seoul National University. "If using your future assets in advance is more valuable, I think it is right to do it." Lee's election pledge of

PoliticsDec. 7, 2021

Presidential office creates new technology and cybersecurity role

South Korea’s Office of National Security will establish a new technology and cybersecurity role to take charge of strengthening innovative research capabilities and coordination among related ministries, officials said Tuesday. The launch of the new position, Secretary to the President for Emerging and Critical Technologies and Cybersecurity, comes amid an intensifying global technology competition and a growing need for protecting core technologies such as artificial intelligence and qu

PoliticsDec. 7, 2021

Kim Jong-un urges to nurture ‘absolutely loyal’ military officers, improve education

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged the military to improve its education system and nurture commanding officers with “absolute loyalty” to the ruling party, in a move in line with the regime’s ongoing ideological campaigns. According to the North’s state media on Tuesday, Kim made instructions at the Eighth Conference of Military Educationists of the Korean People’s Army, which was held at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang over the weekend. North Kore

North KoreaDec. 7, 2021

Seoul raises concern over Japan’s ‘short-term’ focused Fukushima release assessment

The South Korean government has again raised concern about Japan’s plans to treat radioactive water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant and release it into the sea, saying Tokyo has only looked at the short-term impact on the marine environment. 　 Korean officials and experts voiced their concerns to their Japanese counterparts at a special virtual session held last Friday, in regard to a draft report released by the Tokyo Electric Power Co., the state-run operator of the wrecked p

Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2021

COVID-19 cases in schools go up, vaccine plan for youths on way

South Korean authorities are speeding up an inoculation plan for students as schools across the nation saw a significant spike in COVID-19 infections after returning to full-scale, in-person classes. From Nov. 29 to Sunday -- the second week since schools have fully reopened -- 1,450 students in Seoul tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education released Tuesday. The cases marked a 33 percent increase from the 1,090 infected studen

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2021

Did real-life ‘Arrowhead’ take down ex-DP campaign member?

Dispute surrounding Cho Dong-youn, a former member of the ruling party’s presidential campaign, recently took a new turn when she claimed that her child born out of wedlock had been conceived by sexual assault. Legal representatives for Cho, who recently resigned from her post as a co-chair of the election committee for the liberal Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung, said late Monday that his client had evidence to prove this, following Cho’s statem

PoliticsDec. 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul agrees to accept foreign vaccination records

South Korea is devising a system to accept foreigners’ overseas vaccination records, a government official confirmed to The Korea Herald on Tuesday. “We’re drafting a ‘vaccine status form’ for foreign nationals vaccinated abroad,” an official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The plan will leave more people in the country eligible for booster shots, with more details to be announced Thursday, the official added. The comments came j

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2021

Korea, Australia celebrate 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations

The Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea hosted a reception Thursday marking the 60th anniversary of Australia-Korea diplomatic relations. The reception was attended by Australian Ambassador Catherine Raper, Posco Vice-President Lee Jae-wan, and KOTRA foreign investment ombudsman Kim Sung-jin. Raper said that public and private engagements between Australia and Korea throughout the anniversary year had highlighted a long history of close cooperation and friendship. They had also showcased

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 7, 2021

Finnish Embassy celebrates Independence Day

INDEPENDENCE DAY – Finnish Ambassador Pekka Metso delivers welcome remarks at his residence in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, to mark his country’s 104th Independence Day. Finland gained independence from the Soviet Union on Dec. 6, 1917. (Sanjay Kumar/The Korea Herald)

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 7, 2021

Kazakhstan reaffirms drive for carbon neutrality by 2060

Kazakhstan will push forward in developing renewable energy sources as part of the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy, Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin has reaffirmed. Chairing a meeting of the Council for the Improvement of the Investment Climate on Friday, Mamin reaffirmed the plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Under the plans, the country plans to increase use of renewables to account for 15 percent of its energy use from the current 3 percent by 2030 and to plant

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 7, 2021

Moon calls for more efforts to prevent spread of omicron, people to get booster jabs

President Moon Jae-in instructed aides Tuesday to make greater efforts to prevent the spread of the omicron variant, urging more people to get booster shots as the nation is struggling with a spike in COVID-19 deaths and infections. "We are facing a very grave situation as the numbers of confirmed patients, critically ill patients and deaths are on the rise, coupled with the omicron variant," Moon told a Cabinet meeting. Amid growing alarm over omicron, which is potentially more cont

PoliticsDec. 7, 2021

Activists, police clash over military radar installation in Busan

The Air Force launched a surprise operation to install an anti-missile radar on a mountain in the southeastern city of Busan, sparking angry protests from residents concerned about potential health hazards from the radar's electromagnetic waves. Police were trying to disperse a group of protesters on Mt. Jang in the city, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where the Air Force began installing a Green Pine land-based radar at around 6 a.m. Minor clashes broke out during the standoff. The Air Fo

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2021

Seoul reports first Omicron cases in 3 foreign students

Three foreign students attending universities in Seoul have been confirmed to be infected with omicron, officials said Tuesday, signaling the highly contagious COVID-19 variant's penetration into the capital. One foreign student each from Seoul National University (SNU), Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) and Kyunghee University has been confirmed to have contracted the omicron variant, according to the Seoul city government.All of the three were found to have visited a church in Inche

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2021

Seoul reports jump in student COVID-19 cases

A total of 1,450 students from kindergarten to high school tested positive for COVID-19 in Seoul last week, up 360 from 1,090 a week earlier, after the full resumption of in-person classes, the city's education office said Tuesday. The increase came in the second week since all kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools returned to full-fledged in-person classes on Nov. 22 in line with the country's "living with COVID-19" scheme aimed at gradually bringing the country back

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2021

New cases below 5,000 for 2nd day; critically ill patients at record high

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 5,000 for the second straight day Tuesday, but the number of critically ill patients hit a fresh high as concerns about a surge fueled by the omicron variant continued to put heath officials on edge. The country added 4,954 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 482,310, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients hit a record high of 774, up 47 from a day ag

Social AffairsDec. 7, 2021

US will not send official delegation to Beijing Olympics: White House

The United States will diplomatically boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights abuses, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. US athletes, however, will be allowed to take part should they choose to do so. "The (Joe) Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, given the PRC's ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses,"

Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2021

NK leader Kim urges nurturing people with 'absolute fidelity' to party

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over a gathering of military educators and called on them to nurture people with "absolute fidelity" to the ruling Workers' Party, the country's state media reported Tuesday. The party's Central Committee and Central Military Commission convened the gathering at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang on Saturday and Sunday to make a "groundbreaking" change in education projects in line with the "shifting times," acco

North KoreaDec. 7, 2021

S. Korea to host two-day UN peacekeeping ministerial forum

A virtual UN peacekeeping ministerial conference is scheduled to open Tuesday, hosted by South Korea, promising to serve as a chance to further solidify the global community's collective commitment to sustainable peace in conflict-laden parts of the world. The two-day 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial comes as Seoul has steadily pushed to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and embrace a greater role in global efforts to stabilize volatile regions in the Middle East, Africa and el

Foreign AffairsDec. 7, 2021