New virus cases below 1,500 for third day amid preparations for return to normalcy

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 1,500 for the third consecutive day Tuesday, less than a week to go before the beginning of a gradual return to normal life with eased social distancing rules. The country added 1,266 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,246 local infections, raising the total caseload to 354,355, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally inched up from 1,190 new cases reported the previous day, though it remained under 1,500

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2021

[Graphic News] 3 in 4 Koreans support shift to ‘living with COVID-19’: poll

Three-quarters of South Koreans agree with the need to shift to the “living with COVID-19” scheme, according to a recent poll, as the government is moving to phase out coronavirus restrictions under the new policy next month. According to the survey conducted early this month with 1,083 people aged 19 to 69, 76.5 percent expressed support for the government‘s planned transition to coexistence with the coronavirus. In a similar poll carried out in August, only 56.9 percent wer

Social AffairsOct. 26, 2021

N. Korea reports no coronavirus case: WHO

North Korea has conducted coronavirus tests on around 42,000 people but found no infections, a World Health Organization (WHO) report showed Tuesday. A total of 678 North Koreans underwent testing for the virus from Oct. 8-14, but all were found negative, according to the WHO's COVID-19 weekly situation report Of the newly tested North Koreans, 113 people had flu-like illness or acute respiratory infections, while the rest were healthcare workers, it said. The latest testing brings the total

North KoreaOct. 26, 2021

Kim says NK-China ties are 'sealed in blood,' will strengthen for generations

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said the North's close ties with China are "sealed in blood" and will further strengthen for generations as he marked the anniversary of China's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, state media reported Tuesday. Kim sent a remembrance wreath to a cemetery of fallen Chinese soldiers in Hoechang, South Pyongan Province, on Monday on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of China's dispatching of troops to the three-year war, according to the Korea

North KoreaOct. 26, 2021

US enhances restrictions on unvaccinated visitors

WASHINGTON -- The United States is strengthening restrictions for all inbound travelers, including US citizens who are not vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said Monday. Starting from Nov. 8, all non-US citizens and non-immigrant visitors from outside of the country will be required to provide a proof of vaccination before heading for the US, according a proclamation signed by President Joe Biden. Those fully vaccinated, regardless of their citizenship, will continue to be required

Foreign AffairsOct. 26, 2021

China can and should help denuclearize N. Korea: Pentagon spokesman

WASHINGTON -- China should help denuclearize North Korea if it wishes to see stability on the Korean Peninsula, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. John Kirby also insisted that Beijing has a great amount of influence over Pyongyang that he said can be used to help the North make the right decision. "What I can tell you is that we know China has influence in Pyongyang and that influence could be important to helping us all achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula," the Department

Foreign AffairsOct. 26, 2021

Arrest warrant sought for prosecutor linked to opposition's political meddling scandal

An arrest warrant has been sought for a sitting prosecutor accused of conspiring with the main opposition party to investigate key ruling camp officials last year when Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl, now a leading opposition presidential contender, was in office. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said it sought the warrant over the weekend for Son Jun-sung, who served at the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office last year, as he has not cooperated with the inv

PoliticsOct. 25, 2021

Moon, Biden expected to meet on sidelines of G20 summit or UN

President Joe Biden are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Italy or the UN climate summit in Britain, a senior presidential official said Monday.   Moon and Biden are scheduled to participate in the G20 summit next week, as well as the COP26 climate talks on Nov. 1 and 2, when world leaders will assess achievements since the Paris agreement to limit global warming.   Asked whether Moon and Biden could meet on the margins of the global s

Foreign AffairsOct. 25, 2021

S. Korea to give 1.1 million doses of AZ vaccines to Iran

South Korea is providing COVID-19 vaccines to Iran, as the country looks to use them as diplomatic leverage with formidable progress in the nationwide vaccination scheme. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Monday that Korea will deliver 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca this month. The vaccines will arrive in Iran on Wednesday as a means to celebrate the 60-year relationship between Korea and Iran. The government said

Foreign AffairsOct. 25, 2021

Moon pledges last-ditch effort to bring normalcy back

President Moon Jae-in on Monday pledged a last-ditch effort to bring normalcy back and cement the economic recovery in his final address at the National Assembly before he leaves office in May. “With six months left for my presidency, I’m deeply impressed by this final speech,” the president said as he opened his seventh parliamentary speech earlier in the day. “I’ll make an all-out effort until the very end for a complete return to normalcy and an economic recove

PoliticsOct. 25, 2021

End-of-war declaration would show absence of hostile policy: Seoul envoy

A declaration to formally end the Korean War is the most symbolic move that Seoul could take to show Pyongyang that neither Washington nor Seoul have a “hostile policy” toward the regime and revive the stalled denuclearization talks, South Korea‘s chief nuclear envoy said Monday. 　   　 Noh Kyu-duk, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, made the remark at a forum organized by the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank a

North KoreaOct. 25, 2021

Busan police bust 27 sex trafficking suspects, including court official

Police in this southeastern port city have apprehended 27 sex trafficking suspects, including one identified as a court official, the local police agency said Monday. The suspects are accused of operating 95 prostitution establishments in Busan and adjacent areas of Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province, mediating prostitution over 8,800 times and taking 700 million won (US$599,000) in profits from March last year to last month, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. Notably, a civil

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2021

Arrest warrant sought for prosecutor linked to opposition's political meddling scandal

An arrest warrant has been sought for a sitting prosecutor accused of conspiring with the main opposition party to investigate key ruling camp officials last year when Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl, now a leading opposition presidential contender, was in office. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) said it sought the warrant over the weekend for Son Jun-sung, who served at the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office last year, as he has not cooperated with the inve

PoliticsOct. 25, 2021

Gyeonggi gov. begins presidential race in earnest as pressure grows

Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on Monday announced his resignation as governor of Gyeonggi Province, starting his presidential bid in earnest as opposition parties ratcheted up their demands for an independent counsel investigation into the ongoing land development corruption scandal. Lee said he was stepping down effective Tuesday morning, with eight months left in his term. “I feel burdened with a heavy sense of responsibility, but I promise to fulfill

PoliticsOct. 25, 2021

Korea unveils 3-month plan to exit pandemic

South Korea on Monday unveiled its road map for a “return to normal,” about a year and nine months since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed here. The government COVID-19 response headquarters, comprising several ministries and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said social distancing restrictions and other public health precautions will be lifted on a phased basis stretching over a dozen weeks. The timeline put forth shows Korea will be entering phase one on

Social AffairsOct. 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] Military loosens rules on haircut amid discrimination concerns

The military said Monday that it would ease regulations on conscripts’ hair length and introduce the same standards for both officers and troops, amid calls for a change in discriminatory practices. “We were asked to review our rules on haircuts, and to that end, we instructed each branch of the armed forces to draft revisions. We can’t say when the change will take effect, though,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Boo Seung-chan said, referring to an advisory panel on huma

DefenseOct. 25, 2021

USFK reports 9 additional COVID-19 cases

Nine additional people affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for COVID-19, the US military's infection tally showed Monday. Among the new cases counted from Oct. 15 to 21 were four American troops working at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The remaining individuals were four family members and a civilian contract worker, according to the USFK. The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated populat

DefenseOct. 25, 2021

Prosecutors expected to seek arrest warrants for 2 key figures in Seongnam development scandal

Prosecutors were expected to seek arrest warrants in the coming days for two key suspects in an urban development scandal on charges of promising to give massive bribes to a top official of the project's administrator in exchange for business favors. Prosecutors have been looking into suspicions over how a previously unheard-of asset management firm, Hwacheon Daeyu, and its seven affiliates reaped astronomical profits from a 2015 project to develop the Daejang-dong district in Seongnam, south o

PoliticsOct. 25, 2021