S. Korea, US discussing Washington's nuke policy review on 'various occasions': Seoul official

South Korea and the United States have been discussing the latter's nuclear policy review on "various occasions," a Seoul official said Sunday, amid reports that Washington is mulling a policy shift feared to weaken military deterrence. The Financial Times reported Saturday that US allies have been lobbying President Joe Biden not to alter America's policy on the use of nuclear weapons, amid speculation he is considering a "no-first-use" approach that critics say could embol

Foreign AffairsOct. 31, 2021

PM says it's time for 'warm consumption,' notes small businesses' difficulties

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday it is time for "warm consumption," noting difficulties faced by small business owners amid COVID-19, as South Korea is set to enforce a phased scheme for a gradual return to normal life this week. Kim made the remarks in a Facebook post after he attended an online opening ceremony of the Korea Sale FESTA, an annual nationwide shopping festival, which will kick off its 15-day run on Monday.  "It's time when there is a need for warm con

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2021

Vietnam invites Korean investors in energy, infra sectors

Vietnam is ready to offer business incentives for South Korean companies that invest in the nation’s sustainable development and digital transformation projects, Vietnamese Ambassador to Korea Nguyen Vu Tung said at the Eurasian Economic and Cultural Forum hosted by The Korea Herald on Wednesday. Delivering the opening remarks at the forum’s third weekly gathering, the ambassador stressed that Vietnam is committed to further improving the nation’s business environment for gl

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 31, 2021

Gov't warns of strict response to foreigners violating COVID-19 rules over Halloween

The government will deal sternly with violators of COVID-19 rules during the Halloween weekend and foreigners will be no exception, the interior minister said Sunday. Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol issued the warning during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, saying Halloween celebrations pose a high risk of additional infections. Halloween falls on Sunday this year. "The government and local governments have been carrying out joint patrols in area

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2021

N. Korea accuses S. Korean entertainment industry of helping Netflix

North Korea accused the South Korean entertainment industry on Sunday of working in favor of US companies, such as Netflix, through "unfair" deals. The North's propaganda outlet, Meari, said South Korean entertainment firms have turned to Netflix to improve their margins amid a business slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It did not mention the South Korean-made hit Netflix series "Squid Game," but the article follows recent controversy in South Korea over the way the US

North KoreaOct. 31, 2021

[News Focus] Deaths outnumber births in 22 of recent 23 months

SEJONG -- The number of deaths outstripped that of births in 22 of the past 23 months in South Korea, which could signal mid and long-term risks in terms of national competitiveness due to a shrinking workforce. A continuous decline in the working age population, those aged between 15-64, is likely to undermine national competitiveness in the coming years and decades. Of the entire population, the size of the working age population has dipped to the lowest in 25 years at 71.1 percent. Accordi

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2021

Moon seeks papal visit to NK, but will Pyongyang play ball?

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is striving to have Pope Francis visit North Korea in what appears to be a final push to salvage diplomacy with the reclusive regime, but it remains to be seen whether Pyongyang will accept the proposal. 　 Moon asked the pope to visit the North when they met at the Vatican on Friday, saying a visit would build “momentum for peace” on the Korean Peninsula, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. 　 In response, the pope, calling the

North KoreaOct. 31, 2021

Female directors account for only 4.1% of financial firms' boards in S. Korea

The portion of female directors at local financial companies stood at 4.1 percent as of the end of last year, lower than that of overall listed companies in South Korea, a report said Sunday. Among 209 outside directors at 13 banks, 27 brokerage houses and 12 insurance companies, only 12 were female, a report by Korea Insurance Research Institute said. Of 129 internal directors at the companies, only two were female, the report said. The portion of female directors at the financial companies

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2021

Yeonsu-gu completes hosting UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities

Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu successfully completed hosting the 5th UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities under the attendance of thousands of representatives from across the world. During the four-day conference started Oct. 27, around 2,000 people from 229 cities in 64 countries virtually attended the conference held in Songdo Convensia, with 200 in-person participants from South Korea and 24 other countries. The latest conference shed light on the importance of virtual education a

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2021

Cases surge as 'living with COVID-19' starts

Despite a recent resurgence in the number of daily COVID-19 infections, Korea is taking its first step in return to normalcy from Monday with its "living with COVID" strategy. The government on Friday revealed the roadmap to ease social distancing measures in three phases with each of them slated to take four to six weeks. According to the health authorities’ plan, the first phase of changes is mainly focused on lifting restrictions for businesses that suffered from operating

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2021

Ahn Cheol-soo to announce 3rd presidential run

Minor opposition People’s Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo will announce his third presidential bid Monday as he looks to make next year’s presidential election a four-way race. Ahn is slated to meet the press Monday at the National Assembly to announce his run. It will be Ahn’s third attempt at the presidency. The entrepreneur-turned-politician withdrew from the presidential race less than a month before the presidential election in November 2012 and declared his support for Moon

PoliticsOct. 31, 2021

Gender Ministry forum to discuss rise of cyberhate during pandemic

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is holding a virtual forum on Nov. 2-3 to address the rise of discrimination and hate speech on the internet during the pandemic. The ministry said the forum would discuss the challenges brought upon by the digital transformation by the pandemic in sectors across the society, especially with regards to the increase in online abuse against minorities and women. Gender Minister Chung Young-ai said the pandemic has forced people, young people in part

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2021

CIA ran previously undisclosed office in Seoul until last year: sources

The US Central Intelligence Agency ran a previously undisclosed office in Seoul until last year, legal sources said Sunday. The existence of the office, which was used to collect open-source intelligence on South Korea as part of the CIA's Open Source Enterprise, became known after three former employees sued the US government for firing them, according to the sources. The plaintiffs, all South Koreans, were hired between 2005 and 2009 and laid off around February and March of last year. They

Foreign AffairsOct. 31, 2021

Unification minister meets with WFP chief, senior Vatican official in Rome

Unification Minister Lee In-young held meetings with the chief of the World Food Program (WFP) and a senior Vatican official during a trip to Rome and discussed issues related to North Korea, the ministry said Sunday. The meetings with David Beasley, executive director of the U.N. food agency, and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, the first Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, took place Saturday as Lee was in Rome to accompany President Moon Jae-in. Dur

North KoreaOct. 31, 2021

DP presidential nominee vows to launch real estate supervisory service

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, has said that, if elected, he will launch a real estate supervisory service in an effort to root out corruption in the property market. Lee made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Friday, saying he would give the service powers to conduct investigations into any irregularities that arise in the real estate market. The pledge comes as Lee has been accused of involvement in a massive corruption scandal

PoliticsOct. 31, 2021

Ahn Cheol-soo to declare third presidential bid this week

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the minor opposition People's Party, will declare his third presidential run this week, the party said Sunday, shaping next March's election as a four-way race. Ahn will hold a ceremony at the National Assembly on Monday to declare his bid, the party said. It will be the third time for the former medical doctor and software entrepreneur to run for president. In November 2012, Ahn withdrew from the race less than a month before the election, giving his support for Moon

PoliticsOct. 31, 2021

New virus cases remain in 2,000s for 4th day ahead of 'living with COVID-19' measures

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases surpassed 2,000 for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday, deepening health authorities' worries over a possible resurgence of virus infections ahead of the implementation of measures to get back to normalcy. The country added 2,061 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,052 local infections, raising the total caseload to 364,700, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily cases dropped to 1,190 on Monday, but resurged from Wednesday and re

Social AffairsOct. 31, 2021

Moon, EU leader agree to bolster vaccine supplies for developing nations

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed Saturday to step up efforts to boost the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to developing nations, the presidential office said. Moon met with the European Union leader on the sidelines of this year's summit of the Group of 20 major economies that opened in the Italian capital on Saturday for a two-day run. The two leaders agreed to jointly take steps to increase the supply of vaccines to developing natio

Foreign AffairsOct. 31, 2021

Moon tells Biden about his offer of papal visit to North Korea

US President Joe Biden on Saturday welcomed as good news Pope Francis' expression of a willingness to visit North Korea when he met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Rome, an aide to Moon said. Biden made the remarks as Moon told him that he asked the pope to visit North Korea to bring peace on the Korean Peninsula and Pope Francis positively reacted to the offer by saying he is willing to go to the North if he receives an invitation, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said. Bid

Foreign AffairsOct. 31, 2021

[Eye Plus] A walk on Jaraseom with flowers during day, lights at night

Jaraseom is a well-known place for music lovers, drawing more than 100,000 visitors every October for its annual Jazz Festival.  But Jaraseom, which consists of four islands, has recently become a beautiful park for visitors to enjoy various flowers from spring to autumn.  Since 2019, Gapyeong County has transformed Jaraseom into a “flower island” by establishing flower fields, landscape lighting installations and tourist facilities on 100,000 square meters of the souther

Social AffairsOct. 30, 2021