Living with COVID: ICUs near capacity amid new surge

Two weeks into Korea’s “living with COVID-19” scheme, the number of critically ill patients in intensive care is inching closer to the government’s threshold. The number of coronavirus patients undergoing intensive care treatment reached 483 as of Saturday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The figure is just short of the record high of 485 reported on the previous day. Of the 483 critically ill patients, 82.2 percent were over the age of 6

Social AffairsNov. 14, 2021

S. Korea, US, Japan to discuss NK’s nuclear stalemate, supply chain

South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun on Sunday left for Washington for talks with his US and Japanese counterparts, with North Korea’s nuclear issue and the global supply chain disruption expected to top the agenda.  Choi will be in Washington through Friday, during which he is scheduled to hold a three-way meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Mori Takeo on Wednesday. The three envoys last met for a

Foreign AffairsNov. 14, 2021

Ruling bloc working to win back trust lost from real estate fiasco

Ruling party lawmakers are gearing up to adjust details of South Korea’s capital gains taxation program to match the rising price level of housing units and thereby make up for their continued losses in public support. The National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee is on track to hold a sub-committee meeting Monday to discuss details of a bill aimed at revising the guidelines on imposing capital gains tax for real estate properties. The bill was proposed by Rep. Yoo Dong-soo of t

PoliticsNov. 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Kim Jong-un’s prolonged absence from public stokes speculation

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been missing from public view for more than a month, fueling speculation over his whereabouts, as it marks his longest absence since 2014.   The last time Kim appeared in a public setting was on Oct. 11 when he delivered a speech at a rare defense exhibition in Pyongyang that showcased the country’s new weaponry, according to state media. 　 Since then there have been reports of him sending letters to foreign leaders and his people, but he ha

North KoreaNov. 14, 2021

Could Korea get teenage lawmakers?

South Korea’s political circles are seemingly in agreement over lowering the age bar for people to run for office, a measure discussed from both ruling and opposition parties as a means to match the global trend and assure better representation and diversity in local politics. The idea has been a traditional ask from the liberal bloc demanding rights for younger generations to actively participate in politics, the latest effort of which came last week with a bill proposed by Rep. Noh Woon

PoliticsNov. 14, 2021

New COVID-19 cases stay over 2,000 for 5th straight day amid relaxed virus curbs

South Korea's COVID-19 cases stayed above 2,000 for the fifth consecutive day Sunday amid worries over a resurgence of infections, as the country relaxed its social distancing restrictions earlier this month in line with the campaign of "living with COVID-19." Throughout the previous day, 2,419 new coronavirus cases were confirmed nationwide, raising the total caseload to 395,460, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload has stayed in th

Social AffairsNov. 14, 2021

[Weekender] Building bridges: English program helps children of defectors born abroad dream big

The nonprofit Wish School aims to use English to build a bridge to the wider world for children born to North Korean defectors outside the Korean Peninsula, who often suffer from identity confusion and maladjustment. Since May 2020, the organization has provided professional English programs tailored for defectors’ children born in China. “We provide an opportunity for children to develop a trilingual ability to use English, Korean and Chinese and become global leaders,” Wish

North KoreaNov. 13, 2021

[Photo News] ‘The fallen heroes will never be forgotten’

On Nov. 11, the “Turn to Busan” annual ceremony to commemorate the sacrifices of UN soldiers during the Korean War was held at the UN Memorial Cemetery in the southeastern port city of Busan. The UN Memorial Cemetery is the only UN cemetery in the world and more than 2000 troops from 11 countries are buried there.  According to the veterans’ affair ministry, approximately 300 people, including UN Command (UNC) chief Gen. Paul LaCamera, war veterans, their families and di

DefenseNov. 13, 2021

Korea extends overseas travel advisory until Dec. 13

Korea has extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month due to the continued spread of COVID-19, the foreign ministry said Saturday.    Citizens are recommended to cancel or postpone non-essential trips abroad until Dec. 13, as the rise of variant cases in many countries poses risks to their health, the ministry said.    The travel advisory was first imposed in March and has been extended every month as many countries struggle with the outbreaks o

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2021

New infections above 2,000 for 4th day amid woes over serious cases

    South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 2,000 for the fourth consecutive day Saturday amid concerns over a growing number of serious cases following eased virus curbs.    The country reported 2,325 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 393,042, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).    The daily caseload has stayed in the quadruple digits since July 7, including the record high of 3,272 cases on Sept. 2

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2021

Vice FM Choi to meet US, Japanese counterparts in Washington next week

South Korea's vice foreign minister will visit Washington next week for talks with his US and Japanese counterparts, the foreign ministry said Friday. First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun plans to meet US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Tuesday (US time), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two are expected to discuss ways to bring North Korea to nuclear negotiations that have been stalled since 2019, and Seoul's proposal to declare a formal end to the 1950-53 K

Foreign AffairsNov. 12, 2021

Seoul can provide economic support if N. Korea move to denuclearize: Yoon

Presidential hopeful Yoon Seok-youl on Friday said he is open to providing economic support in return for Pyongyang’s progress toward denuclearization, while pledging to change the current “master-servant” relationship between the two Koreas. Yoon, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, elucidated his camp’s approach to North Korea and foreign and security policies at a news conference hosted by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club.

PoliticsNov. 12, 2021

Korea launches COVID-19 vaccine safety committee

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Friday launched a COVID-19 immunization safety surveillance and research committee, to be operated by the National Academy of Medicine of Korea. The committee’s head Dr. Park Byung-joo, the national academy’s vice president, said the committee aimed to provide a scientific basis for assessing each adverse event’s potential link to vaccination. Asked how the committee’s role would differ from the KDCA’s existing

Social AffairsNov. 12, 2021

North Koreans urged to meet economic goals

North Koreans should make the best use of the remainder of the year to support the regime’s economic plan, the official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Friday, as the North faces a growing economic crisis. “Those who are falling behind what they are expected to do should come to their senses and respond to what our revolution demands: bold action,” the newspaper said, referring to the five-year initiative that national leader Kim Jong-un revealed in January to jump-start the econ

North KoreaNov. 12, 2021

Natl. Security Office, Coast Guard ordered to disclose info on NK killing of S. Korean official

Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office (NSO) and the Coast Guard were ordered Friday to provide undisclosed information in connection to North Korea's killing of a South Korean fisheries official near the inter-Korean sea border in September last year to his family. The Seoul Administrative Court made the ruling in an information disclosure suit launched by the family of the then 47-year-old official, who was fatally shot and then set on fire by North Korean soldiers while on duty near the we

Social AffairsNov. 12, 2021

Lee says US played part in Japan's forced annexation of Korea

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), said Friday the United States played a part in Korea losing its sovereignty to Japan, as it consented to the colonization in a 1905 secret deal with Japan. Lee made the remarks during a meeting with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), referring to the Taft-Katsura Agreement between then US Secretary of War William Howard Taft and Japanese Prime Minister Katsura Taro in which the US condoned Japanese rule over Korea at that time.

PoliticsNov. 12, 2021

Moon to discuss pandemic recovery at APEC summit

President Moon Jae-in is set to attend this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit Friday to meet with 20 other Pacific Rim leaders and discuss a path to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. APEC members from Pacific Rim nations including New Zealand, Russia, the US and Chile meet annually to ease trade barriers and expand growth. Their economies account for nearly 40 percent of the world’s population and about 60 percent of its gross domestic product. But for a second

PoliticsNov. 12, 2021

Korea sees record-high ICU admissions for COVID-19 for third day in row

South Korea marked a record high for a third consecutive day in the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals’ intensive care units, amid the country’s phased return to normal. According to a situation report from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, 475 COVID-19 patients were undergoing intensive care treatment as of Thursday at midnight, on top of the 4,178 patients who were hospitalized but did not require intensive care. In Seoul, which accounted for abo

Social AffairsNov. 12, 2021

Partisan clashes over special probe into land development scandal intensify

The ruling and opposition parties continue to clash over an independent counsel investigation into the Daejang-dong land development scandal, even after presidential hopeful Lee Jae-myung said he is open to the probe on conditions. The partisan collision over the timing and scope of the special prosecutor’s probe intensifies, with less than four months until the March 9 presidential elections. The main opposition People Power Party has reiterated that a special probe led by an independ

PoliticsNov. 12, 2021

Yoon says firm S. Korea-US alliance ever more important

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl met with the top US diplomat for East Asia and a US senator Friday, saying a firm alliance between the two countries has become ever more important. The meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and US Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) was held at the People Power Party's headquarters as part of their separate visits to Seoul. "I can't stress enough the importance of the South Korea-US alli

PoliticsNov. 12, 2021