S. Korea reports more suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu at local farm

South Korea on Wednesday reported suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from a local farm, a day after detecting similar cases from a nearby farm for the first time in months, the agricultural ministry said. The latest suspected cases of the avian influenza were reported from a duck farm in the central county of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, which raised around 23,000 ducks, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. They were found as the health authorit

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2021

US top trade official says chip info sharing 'inevitable' under 'unprecedented' situation

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has said that Washington's recent request on South Korean and major global chipmakers to submit trade data was an "inevitable" measure under "unprecedented" circumstances of a global supply shortage, according to South Korea's industry ministry Wednesday. Raimondo made the remarks during her meeting with Seoul's Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook held in Washington, a day after Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. submitted their busine

Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2021

Police offer prime minister-level protection to Lee and Yoon

Police will begin providing prime minister-level security services to the presidential candidates of the ruling and main opposition parties this week, officials at the National Police Agency (NPA) said Wednesday. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party, and Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party, will receive the same level of police protection as the prime minister, the National Assembly speaker and the Supreme Court

PoliticsNov. 10, 2021

[Photo News] Hallasan welcomes the first snow of the season

The first snow of the season fell Monday on Hallasan, South Korea’s tallest mountain, on Jeju Island. Last year, the first snow fell on Nov. 29 in the province. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the temperature hit minus 3.1 degrees Celsius at Utse Oreum, a volcanic crater of Hallasan.  The KMA forecasts 1-5 centimeters of snow to fall by this Wednesday and warned hikers of the slippery trek up the mountain.  Meanwhile, snowfall was also recorded at Gwanak

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2021

Military reports 7 additional COVID-19 case

South Korea's military reported seven additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,095, the defense ministry said. An Army conscript based in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, tested positive after developing symptoms. Two Army officers, a civilian worker and a draftee of a unit under the direct wing of the defense ministry also contracted the virus after their family members were infected. Additionally, two Army conscripts tested positive

DefenseNov. 10, 2021

Yoon to visit Gwangju to apologize for defending ex-President Chun

Main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl was set to visit the liberal stronghold of Gwangju on Wednesday to apologize for remarks seen as praising a former authoritarian president accused of bloodily quelling a democracy uprising in the southwestern city. The two-day visit to Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, comes about three weeks after Yoon raised the ire of voters there by claiming many people believe former President Chun Doo-hwan did well in politics, except for his blo

PoliticsNov. 10, 2021

New infections bounce back to above 2,400 amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 2,400 for the first time in six days Wednesday amid growing concerns over a resurgence of infections as the country began its "living with COVID-19" scheme last week. The country reported 2,425 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 385,831, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally marked a sharp hike from 1,715 reported a day earlier. The daily infection tally has stayed in the

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2021

S. Korea vows role global vaccination campaign during APEC meeting

South Korea has vowed to play a role in achieving the global goal of vaccinating 70 percent of the world's population against COVID-19 by the middle of next year in a move to ensure a sustainable economic recovery, the trade and foreign ministries said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong made the pledge during the ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation via videoconferencing, which took place Monday and Tuesday, and brought together foreign and trade ministers of 21

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2021

Top US diplomat for East Asia policy due in Seoul for talks on alliance, economic ties

The top US diplomat for East Asia was set to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday as part of his first Asia trip since taking office in September, officials said, with North Korea, the bilateral alliance and economic cooperation likely to top the agenda in discussions with Seoul officials. Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, will fly to Seoul later in the day, after wrapping up a four-day trip to Japan, the first leg of his six-day trip. His trip

Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2021

China confirms plan for export process of 18,700 tons of urea for S. Korea: Seoul ministry

China has confirmed it will go ahead with the export process of 18,700 tons of urea for South Korea in accordance with existing contracts with local firms, Seoul's foreign ministry announced Wednesday. Beijing gave Seoul the assurance as a result of "communication through various channels" for speedy procedures to import the material used for the production of urea solution, an addictive used in diesel cars and factories to help cut emissions, according to the ministry. South Korea's

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2021

Seoul receives first snowfall of season, one month earlier than last year

Seoul received the first snowfall of the season Wednesday morning, about a month earlier than last year, the state weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said light snow was observed at the Songwol-dong weather observation station in central Seoul at 6:10 a.m. The KMA records the first snow seen at the Songwol-dong observatory as Seoul's first snow of the season every year. This year's first snow came in Seoul 30 days earlier than last year, when it fell on Dec. 10,

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2021

SK Group chief discusses green biz cooperation with visiting US senator

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has met with a visiting US senator and discussed cooperation in green business, including electric vehicle (EV) batteries, and climate change, the conglomerate said Wednesday. The meeting with Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on Monday came as SK has been ramping up investment in America with its EV battery, hydrogen and other eco-friendly businesses in a move to join US emission-reducing efforts. In the US state of Georgia, SKC Co., a chemical unit of SK Group, South K

Foreign AffairsNov. 10, 2021

S. Korea to honor fallen UN Korean War veterans in 'Turn toward Busan' event

South Korea was set to host an annual ceremony to commemorate the sacrifices of fallen troops who fought under the UN flag during the 1950-53 Korean War this week, the veterans affairs ministry said Wednesday. The "Turn Toward Busan" ceremony will take place at the UN Memorial Cemetery in the southeastern port city of Busan on Thursday, with the attendance of some 300 people, including the bereaved families, war veterans and diplomatic delegates, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2021

The beauty industry’s not-so-beautiful side

From the standard cut and dry to celebrity treatments worth millions of won per session, you could say hairdressing is a profession that will never go out of style. But behind the glamour lies a long history of disputes between workers and shop owners. The hairdressing industry in recent years has been hit with complaints from workers who say they are overworked and underpaid -- getting significantly less than the legal minimum wage of 8,720 won ($7.50) per hour. “I started off with 1.

Social AffairsNov. 10, 2021

Bangladesh showcases seafood at Busan International Seafood & Fisheries Expo 2021

The Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul showcased seafood products at Busan International Seafood and Fisheries Expo 2021 last week. Co-organized by Busan Metropolitan City, Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (Bexco), National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives and Korea Fishery Trade Association, the trade fair was held through Nov. 3 to 5 at Bexco. Fourteen countries including Korea participated in the expo and displayed a wide range of seafood items at a total of 551 booths -- 36 were forei

Diplomatic CircuitNov. 9, 2021

17th Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum

MIDDLE EAST COOPERATION -- Bader M. al-Awadi, Kuwait’s ambassador to South Korea who also serves as dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps, delivers congratulatory remarks at the 17th Korea-Middle East Cooperation Forum held at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Monday. The forum aimed to discuss future directions in strengthening the strategic partnership between Korea and the Middle East in the post COVID-19 era and to update and upgrade the paradigm of the Middle East in a rapidly changing political e

Diplomatic CircuitNov. 9, 2021

'Nuclear-Free World’ photo exhibition opens in Seoul

  The Embassy of Kazakhstan in Seoul opened a photo exhibition on Tuesday titled “Nuclear-Free World.” The show commemorates the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan. Opening the exhibition, Ambassador Bakyt Dyussenbayev noted that Kazakhstan was the first country in the world to close a nuclear test site and that it had voluntarily renounced its nuclear

Diplomatic CircuitNov. 9, 2021

‘At current trends, Korea can move on to second phase of pandemic exit’

Considering the current trajectory, South Korea will be able to enter the second phase of its reopening, otherwise known as the pandemic exit plan, slated for mid-December, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Yoo Geun-heag told reporters Tuesday. As Korea seeks to coexist with COVID-19, deaths and hospitalizations, rather than case counts, will be the two main metrics that measure the country’s performance in handling the pandemic, the government previously said. Based on the changes in

Social AffairsNov. 9, 2021

[Herald Interview] Peace comes from people, not handshakes: Korean War veterans

Peace comes from people and their hearts and minds, not from an organization, according to Vincent Courtenay, a Canadian veteran who took part in the 1950-53 Korean War and is visiting Busan on Thursday with fellow veterans to commemorate International Memorial Day for UN Veterans. Courtenay was referring to President Moon Jae-in’s latest initiative to formally end the decades-old conflict that ended in an armistice, signed by North Korea, China and the US, representing South Korea and th

DefenseNov. 9, 2021

LH employee acquitted in land speculation case involving insider information

ANSAN -- An employee of the scandal-ridden state housing developer Korea Land & Housing Corp. (LH) was acquitted Tuesday of land speculation using insider information. The LH employee was indicted on charges of having purchased about 17,000 square meters of land in Gwangmyeong, just south of Seoul, at 2.5 billion won ($2.1 million) in March 2017 after obtaining insider information while working on an urban development project. But the Suwon District Court cleared the employee, whose ident

PoliticsNov. 9, 2021