New infections in 5,000s for 2nd day, serious cases at record high amid new variant woes

South Korea's new coronavirus cases and the number of critically ill patients hit record highs Thursday, heightening concerns over medical capacity amid the spread of COVID-19 and continued surge in critical cases. South Korea reported 5,266 new COVID-19 cases, including 5,242 local infections, raising the total caseload to 457,612, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked the second straight day that the number of new coronavirus cases has been above 5,000

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2021

[Graphic News] Korea’s birthrate hits record low in September

　The number of babies born in South Korea fell to a record low in September, data showed, underscoring the country’s bleak demographic situation with the chronically low birthrate. 　A total of 21,920 babies were born in September, down 6.7 percent from the previous year, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　It marked the lowest for any September since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. 　In the third quarter, the number of newborns also reached an

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2021

Assembly set to pass W607.9t budget by deadline: official

The National Assembly is set to pass the government's 2022 budget before Thursday's deadline after increasing the sum by 3.5 trillion won ($2.97 billion) to 607.9 trillion won, a ruling party official said. "The ruling and opposition parties have nearly reached an agreement on tax revenues and expenditures, as well as the amount of net increase," the Democratic Party official told Yonhap News Agency. "There are differences over some projects, but we can't let that stop us from p

PoliticsDec. 2, 2021

Moon says phased return to normalcy faces challenges on omicron concerns

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday the nation's plan to gradually return to normal life is facing challenges, as the first cases of the omicron variant were detected in South Korea amid growing woes over an ongoing jump in COVID-19 infections. "The path toward a phased return to normalcy is not smooth, and risks over the new omicron variant are growing," Moon told a meeting of a national prayer group, the Korea National Prayer Breakfast. Moon said, however, the government will spare

Social AffairsDec. 2, 2021

N. Korea to hold key party meeting as leader Kim set to mark 10 years in power

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over a politburo session of the ruling party and decided to convene a key party meeting later this month, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday. During the meeting held the previous day, Kim called 2021 a year of "victory" for "the stable management of the state economy and big successes made in the agricultural and construction sectors," and decided to discuss plans for the new year at the plenary session, according to the Ko

North KoreaDec. 2, 2021

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, US to hold annual talks on OPCON transfer, N. Korea

South Korea and the United States are set to hold their annual defense ministerial talks in Seoul on Thursday to discuss the envisioned wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer, North Korean threats and bilateral alliance issues, officials here said. Defense Minister Suh Wook and his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, will lead the 53rd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), as the allies are stepping up cooperation for regional stability amid North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats and

Foreign AffairsDec. 2, 2021

[Breaking] South Korea finds first cases of omicron

South Korea has discovered its first cases of COVID-19’s omicron variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Wednesday evening. The first cases of the omicron variant were confirmed in a couple in their 40s who recently traveled to Nigeria and a man in his 30s whom they met after returning. The couple returned to Korea on Nov. 24 after staying in Nigeria from Nov. 14 through 23. Their PCR tests, taken on the day of their arrival, came back positive the next day. As

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2021

Moon says S. Korea-US alliance 'linchpin' of Northeast Asian peace

 President Moon Jae-in stressed Wednesday that the alliance between South Korea and the United States serves as a key pillar in maintaining peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. At a dinner reception celebrating the bilateral alliance in Seoul, Moon said that the alliance served as the foundation for "South Korea's security and diplomacy" while describing it as the "linchpin of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia." M

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 1, 2021

Rival parties tentatively agree on 2022 budget at W607tr

The ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party reached a tentative agreement Wednesday to pass next year's government budget at 607 trillion won ($515 billion), officials said. The agreement was reached during a bipartisan negotiation meeting headed by Rep. Yun Ho-jung and Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, floor leaders of the DP and PPP, respectively, along with Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki at the National Assembly earlier in the day, according to ruling party officials. The size of

PoliticsDec. 1, 2021

Woman charged with killing husband using lethal misutgaru drink

A woman, 37, is facing a trial on charges of killing her husband by putting nicotine in his morning misutgaru shake.  According to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday, the suspect, under arrest since early this month, has recently been indicted for her role in the death of her 46-year-old husband on May 27. The husband, said to be a nonsmoker for the last eight years, died of nicotine poisoning, autopsy results showed. A day before his passing, the deceased had co

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2021

S. Korea to strengthen qualified immunity for cops

South Korea is moving to strengthen immunity for police officers and improve training, following controversy sparked by a recent stabbing incident. In the incident, a pair of police officers -- a man and a woman -- were dispatched to an apartment complex in Incheon on Nov. 15 over a noise complaint. The man living on the fourth floor, who was the subject of the complaint, came down with a knife to the third floor and stabbed the woman who filed the complaint in the neck. The policewoman, who

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2021

Local towel maker earns trust through transparent management, open discussion

Songwol, a South Korean towel maker, has received a presidential award for its decades-long effort to improve labor-management relations, the Korea Labor and Employment Service, Wednesday.　 Founded in 1949, Songwol is a local towel manufacturer with around 35 percent of the market share. Now a leading towel maker, Songwol was on the verge of bankruptcy during the Asian financial crisis of 1997, when South Korea sought official assistance from the International Monetary Fund. Songwol said the

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2021

ST Pharm receives presidential award for improving labor-management relations

ST Pharm, a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, has received a presidential award for its efforts to improve labor-management relations, the Korea Labor and Employment Service said Wednesday. Founded in 2008, ST Pharm has been involved in the commissioned production of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Backed by its contract manufacturing capabilities, the company stepped up as one of major biopharmaceutical companies in South Korea amid the worldwide pandemic. In 2021, the company turne

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2021

Legal battle looms over cohort isolation of COVID-19 patients

The family of a female COVID-19 victim, who died during cohort isolation at a long-term care hospital for senior citizens in Seoul, plans to start a damage suit against the state, their lawyers said Wednesday. The lawsuit will soon be filed with the Seoul Central District Court on behalf of five bereaved family members of the victim, according to Lawyers for a Democratic Society, an association of progressive lawyers, also known as Minbyun. The victim, whose identity was withheld, died on Dec.

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2021

S. Korea changes UN peacekeeping forum to virtual sessions on omicron concerns: official

South Korea has decided to host a major UN peacekeeping conference via video link next week, instead of an originally planned face-to-face session, due to concerns over the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant, according to Seoul officials Wednesday. The 2021 Seoul UN Peacekeeping Ministerial will be held in the form of a "full-fledged online conference" on Dec. 7-8 as scheduled, a foreign ministry official told reporters. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and Defense Minister S

Foreign AffairsDec. 1, 2021

DP presidential candidate urges Japan to carry out wartime forced labor compensation

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), on Wednesday called for Japan to swiftly carry out a South Korean Supreme Court order to compensate wartime forced labor victims. "Turning away does not make history disappear," Lee wrote on his Facebook page. "It should respond to the victim's pain with a sincere apology and find realistic ways to carry out the compensation quickly." In 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court ordered Japanese firm

PoliticsDec. 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] People Power Party’s turmoil continues with chairman AWOL

Chaos is growing in the main opposition People Power Party with conflict between its chairman and the election campaign committee appearing to deepen. People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok reportedly left for Busan with his aides Tuesday and held meetings with officials there without any prior notice. He is believed to be avoiding the press for the time being and continuing his schedule without public notice. Lee's scheduled meeting with Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the party’s secretary-g

PoliticsDec. 1, 2021

US JCS chief reaffirms defense, extended deterrence commitments for S. Korea　

The US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to defending South Korea and providing extended nuclear deterrence at an annual top-level military meeting. South Korea’s JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul and his US counterpart Gen. Mark Milley held the 46th Military Committee Meeting the same morning in Seoul, according to the JCS of each country. At the meeting, both sides reaffirmed the “enduring alliance” and shared the view

DefenseDec. 1, 2021

Prosecutors demand death penalty for man charged with raping, killing 20-month-old baby

DAEJEON -- Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for a man charged with raping and killing the 20-month-old daughter of his live-in girlfriend. The 29-year-old man, surnamed Yang, allegedly killed the baby girl for not stopping crying on the night of June 15 by covering her with a blanket and punching and stomping on her for about an hour while drunk at his home in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul. He was also charged with raping the toddler before beating her to deat

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2021

S. Korea could make 'big adjustments' to virus measures over omicron variant: official

South Korea could make "big adjustments" to its virus prevention measures if the number of omicron coronavirus variant cases spike in the country, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. "We discussed such an issue during a special virus response meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in on Nov. 29," Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for communication, told a YouTube channel of a local news outlet. "We have completed our review (on the issue).&q

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2021