French culture minister says to consider lending 'Jikji' to S. Korea

The French culture minister has said she will actively consider lending "Jikji," the world's oldest existing metal-printed book made in ancient Korea, for exhibitions in South Korea, Culture Minister Hwang Hee said. France's Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin made the remarks in response to Hwang's request to lend the item during their talks in Paris, Hwang told South Korean correspondents in Paris on Wednesday (Paris time). Hwang said he brought up the topic while discussing

Foreign AffairsNov. 18, 2021

US trade chief to visit S. Korea for talks on supply chains, trade pact

US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai was to visit South Korea on Thursday for talks on pending trade issues such as supply chains for key components and steel tariffs. Tai is scheduled to arrive here from Japan later in the day for a four-day stay, the USTR office said in a release. It will be the first time in 10 years that the top US trade official visits the country. The chief plans to meet with South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo on Friday for the joint committee meeting of the

Foreign AffairsNov. 18, 2021

National college entrance exam kicks off amid pandemic

Nearly 500,000 high school seniors and other exam takers nationwide sat down to take the annual national college entrance test Thursday, the second such exam held against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 509,000 high school seniors, graduates and others signed up to take the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), a single-day five-session exam, held this year at 1,251 test sites nationwide. It is the second CSAT the country has held since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020.

Social AffairsNov. 18, 2021

PM to meet hospital chiefs in capital area over critical care bed operations

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum will hold a meeting with hospital chiefs in the Seoul metropolitan area to discuss operations of intensive care beds amid a rising number of critically ill coronavirus patients, his office said Thursday. Kim will have an emergency meeting with heads of 22 tertiary hospitals in the capital area on Friday to discuss the bed situation for serious COVID-19 patients following concerns over the region's medical capacity. The Seoul metropolitan area, including the surround

PoliticsNov. 18, 2021

Gimhae city apologizes for mandatory virus testing of foreign children amid xenophobia concerns

The government of the southeastern city of Gimhae apologized Thursday for ordering mandatory COVID-19 tests of foreign children registered at the city's daycare centers amid a backlash over xenophobia and rights violations concerns. A government memo obtained by Yonhap News Agency earlier this week showed the municipality, located 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, ordered 93 daycare centers to cooperate with preemptive tests of foreign children under their care on Monday and Tuesday. The city

Social AffairsNov. 18, 2021

S. Korea's employment rate of university grads ranks low among OECD: report

South Korea ranks low among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in terms of the employment rate for university graduates due mainly to a severe mismatch between their majors and job openings, a report showed Thursday. The employment rate for South Koreans aged 25-34 with university diplomas came to 75.2 percent in 2020, the 31st lowest among 37 comparable OECD member countries, according to the report from the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI). Th

Social AffairsNov. 18, 2021

US satisfied with consultations on ways to denuclearize Korean Peninsula: Sherman

T he United States is very satisfied with its consultations with South Korea and Japan on the best way to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Wednesday. The US diplomat, however, declined to offer any direct response when asked if the US supported declaring a formal end to the Korean War as proposed by South Korea. "The United States is very satisfied with the consultations we are having both with the Republic of Korea and with Japan and with

Foreign AffairsNov. 18, 2021

N. Korea slams US military drill as a 'nuclear war exercise'

North Korea on Wednesday slammed the United States for its ongoing nuclear command training exercise, calling it a nuclear war drill targeting the entire world. Global Thunder, led by the US Strategic Command, is an annual command military exercise that provides training opportunities, with a specific focus on nuclear readiness. The exercise, which kicked off on Nov. 1, involves a number of countries, including South Korea. In a commentary posted on its website, the North's foreign ministry s

North KoreaNov. 17, 2021

USFK begins COVID-19 inoculation program for affiliated children

The US Forces Korea on Wednesday started inoculating children in its affiliated community with a pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at three of its bases, its officials said. The vaccination program for children aged 5 to 11 started at the medical facilities in Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, and Camp Walker in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of the capital, the USFK said. The vaccination came after the US Food and Drug Administration authorized the

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

Korea reviewing emergency approval for Merck’s COVID-19 pills

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is looking at data on the COVID-19 antiviral pill from Merck for emergency use approval, the result of which, he said, is anticipated to be out sometime next month, Kim Gang-lip, who heads the ministry said Wednesday. Merck is one of two companies that Korea has entered an advance purchase deal with for their oral medicines, the other being Pfizer. Pfizer, as of Wednesday, has yet to submit an emergency approval application. Kim said the ministry was aimi

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

S. Korea sells missiles to UAE in record arms sale

The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday that it will buy mid-range missiles from South Korea in what would be Seoul’s largest arms sale worth nearly 4 trillion won ($3.5 billion). “We have reached very advanced stages in negotiations with the Korean side and are close to concluding a final agreement in this regard,” said Tariq Abdul Rahim Al Hosani, CEO of Tawazun Economic Council. The body is the chief weapons buyer for Abu Dhabi. The Middle East country would be the first to

DefenseNov. 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Ex-lawmaker’s home, Hana Bank head office searched in Daejang-dong scandal

South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday searched ousted lawmaker Kwak Sang-do’s home and former office as well as Hana Bank’s head office as they pressed on with an investigation into alleged bribery and corruption in the Daejang-dong land development scandal. The raid on Kwak’s home and former office came around a week after Kwak was officially expelled from the National Assembly and lost his immunity from arrest on Nov. 11. In early October, Kwak, who was affiliated with the

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

Public land ownership tax: Solution to inequality or infringement of rights?

Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung’s pledge to introduce a “public land ownership tax” is raising controversy, with some hailing it as a means to narrow social inequality while others say it would infringe on private property rights. Lee’s envisioned tax is similar to the nation’s comprehensive real estate holding tax, which is levied on high-priced real estate. But Lee hopes to impose taxes on all land, meaning homeowners would pay taxes on the

PoliticsNov. 17, 2021

N. Korea warns of 'catastrophic' COVID-19 crisis as other countries ease restrictions

North Korea has expressed concerns over the spread of the coronavirus and a "catastrophic public health crisis," after countries across the globe eased a set of antivirus rules as part of efforts to gradually get back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The North's official radio broadcaster Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported Tuesday the virus situation is at a serious stage, citing "premature" decisions to lift social distancing measures against COVID-19. "Countries

North KoreaNov. 17, 2021

Yoon says sinking of Cheonan warship clearly act of N. Korea

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said Wednesday that the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010 was clearly the act of North Korea. Yoon made the remarks during a meeting with Choi Won-il, the retired captain of the sunken naval ship Cheonan, and Lee Seong-woo, who represents family members of the fallen soldiers, saying that questioning the scientifically proven investigation outcome comes from a "submissive" attitu

PoliticsNov. 17, 2021

Yoon Seok-youl hints at possibility of ditching inter-Korean military agreement

Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, said he could consider scrapping a symbolic inter-Korean military agreement if there is no sign of change in North Korea’s attitude, adding he would not seek a summit with the North’s leader Kim Jong-un “just for show.” “A promise can be kept when the partner keeps it. In the event I’m elected president, I would call for the North to carry out the Sept. 19 military agreemen

PoliticsNov. 17, 2021

Korea to shorten wait for COVID-19 boosters as breakthrough hospitalizations rise

South Korea will shorten the wait for COVID-19 booster shots as the daily count of new cases rose above 3,000 and breakthrough infections continued to send people to hospitals. 　Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a government meeting on Wednesday that the six-month wait for a booster will now be cut to four months for people who are older than 60 and residents of long-term care facilities. People aged 50 and up will be eligible for booster doses five months after their primary vaccine series.

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

S. Korea says discussed end-of-war declaration with US

Senior diplomats of South Korea and the US discussed how to restart stalled nuclear talks with North Korea, including Seoul’s proposal to formally end the Korean War, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, amid concerns that the allies may be at odds over President Moon Jae-in’s proposal.  First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun is in Washington through Friday for talks on security issues including North Korea, economic cooperation and other matters. Choi met his American coun

Foreign AffairsNov. 17, 2021

Seoul reports record daily COVID-19 cases

Daily coronavirus cases in Seoul topped 1,400 for the first time Wednesday, two weeks after the nation drastically eased social distancing rules. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 1,436 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the capital over the past 24 hours, the highest since the start of the pandemic early last year. Of them, 1,432 were local infections, and four were imported cases. The total caseload reached 134,949 in the city with a population of more than 9.58 mil

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

'Face-to-face phishing' on rise: police

Voice phishing scammers are getting increasingly bold lately as many of them prefer to directly meet fraud victims to extort money, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Wednesday, releasing the results of its recent crackdowns. The NPA said its wholesale crackdowns on voice phishing criminals, conducted for eight months this year between February and June, and between August and October, netted 19,634 roundups, of which 1,845 suspects were put under arrest. By type of phishing crimes busted b

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021