Police search Nat'l Assembly in Seoul over bomb threat

Police and fire officials searched the National Assembly complex in Seoul on Monday after a lawmaker's office received a bomb threat by phone, officials said Monday. According to police and parliament officials, an unidentified person made the call around 2 p.m., saying an explosive has been placed somewhere at the complex and a secretary of the lawmaker's office alerted security personnel there about the call. Dozens of firefighters and police officers, along with a bomb squad and 10 fire tr

PoliticsOct. 18, 2021

NK may test long-range missile next year: US intelligence agency

  North Korea may resume long-range ballistic missile tests next year, the US Defense Intelligence Agency said, warning that the regime is unlikely to renounce its weapons of mass destruction as it believes they are critical to the country’s survival. 　 The DIA, which provides intelligence to the Defense Department, released a report Friday examining Pyongyang’s military program, strategy and intentions, stressing that the North will continue to pose a “critical security

North KoreaOct. 18, 2021

Ex-Foreign Minister Kang asks for local labor sector's support for her bid for top ILO seat

Former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Monday met with the chief of an umbrella labor union and asked for support for her bid to become the next director general of the International Labour Organization (ILO). "I decided to run for the seat because I thought the experiences, career and the international network I have reasonably match the leadership credentials demanded by ILO," Kang said during her meeting with Kim Dong-myung, chief of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. &quo

PoliticsOct. 18, 2021

S. Korea to raise goal of cutting emissions to 40% by 2030: Moon

South Korea will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the 2018 levels by 2030, sharply raising its previous goal as part of efforts to curb the pace of climate change, President Moon Jae-in said Monday. Moon also confirmed that South Korea will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, as the nation started tackling the challenge of responding to climate change and attaining sustainable growth simultaneously. The goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions was sharply raised from 26.3

PoliticsOct. 18, 2021

[From the scene] Teens eager to put pandemic behind them, return to school

On the first day of COVID-19 vaccinations for teens under 18, the high schoolers The Korea Herald met at Hong-ik Hospital in Seoul’s Yangcheon-gu shared their hopes of returning to face-to-face classes. Among them was Park Ju-young, 16, who said he’d left school early to get his first Pfizer dose. “Virtual learning is nothing like actually being in class. I think going to class is so much better than doing it online because then you get to see everyone and stuff,” h

Social AffairsOct. 18, 2021

Naver map to be used to provide address information of sex offenders

The gender ministry said Monday it will begin a pilot service this week that allows citizens to search where convicted sex offenders live using internet portal operator Naver Corp.'s map app. The pilot service, which uses the Naver map to display actual home addresses of sex offenders listed in the government's registry system (www.sexoffender.go.kr), will run from Tuesday to the end of this month before the official launch, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The service

Social AffairsOct. 18, 2021

US general calls for strong space partnership with S. Korea

A top US military official called Monday for strong space cooperation with South Korea, stressing credible deterrence in the "contested" security domain comes from a robust partnership based on "mutual trust and shared values." Gen. Jay Raymond, the chief of Space Operations at the United Nations Space Force, made the call during a security forum in Seoul, as a Sino-US competition is intensifying with Beijing pushing to become a major space power. "A key part of credib

DefenseOct. 18, 2021

Lee shifts blame for corruption, takes credit for project

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung on Monday continued to praise himself for his role in a controversial land development project while distancing himself from any alleged corruption, and attacked the opposition bloc for undercutting his milestone achievement. The leading presidential candidate representing the ruling Democratic Party said Monday that he was the chief officer responsible for the land development project in Daejang-dong, a neighborhood within Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, when

PoliticsOct. 18, 2021

[Newsmaker] Prosecutors detain key figure in land development scandal, raid Seongnam City Hall

A key figure in a high-profile land development corruption scandal was detained upon his arrival from the US on Monday morning for questioning on bribery and misconduct allegations. Attorney Nam Wook was taken into custody by the prosecution on suspicion of promising to pay a bribe and breach of trust, and transported to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office immediately after he arrived at Incheon International Airport from Los Angeles. Nam has been accused of playing a key ro

Social AffairsOct. 18, 2021

Air Force chief meets with US officials ahead of major defense exhibition

South Korean Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho met with a delegation of senior US military and defense officials in Seoul on Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation ahead of a biennial defense exhibition later this week, his office said. The talks with the US delegation, including Heidi H. Grant, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and DeAnna M. Burt, deputy commander of the Space Operations Command, came a day before the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhib

DefenseOct. 18, 2021

S. Korea voices concern over Japan's Fukushima water release plan

South Korea has expressed concern over the new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's plan to release radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean, Seoul officials said Monday. Kishida on Sunday visited the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant and said the planned disposal of wastewater stored in the facility cannot be delayed, sticking to his predecessor's plan to discharge the water into the sea beginning in 2023. "Japan's decision (to discharge the

Foreign AffairsOct. 18, 2021

Moon orders plan for booster shots for people who receive J&J COVID-19 vaccine

President Moon Jae-in on Monday ordered officials to swiftly set up a plan to provide booster shots for people who received Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccines. Moon's remarks came as a study showed COVID-19 protection from J&J's Janssen is weakening after a certain period of vaccination, according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon also instructed officials to come up with plans for patient transportation as the nation is preparing for gradually returning to normal

PoliticsOct. 18, 2021

89 cities, counties, wards designated as depopulation areas

Nearly 90 small cities and counties that are in danger of extinction due to population decrease have been designated as "depopulation areas" for intensive support from the central government, the interior ministry said Monday. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said that it has designated 89 cities, counties and wards across the country as depopulation areas and a relevant public notice is to take effect Tuesday. The government plans to provide intensive administrative and finan

PoliticsOct. 18, 2021

First frost of season spotted in Seoul as chilly weather continues

The first frost of the season was observed in Seoul on Monday as unseasonably cold weather continued for most parts of the country in the morning, the state weather agency said. Morning lows hovered around 5 C across the country, slightly up from Sunday, when some areas experienced record-low temperatures for mid-October, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. The first frost of this fall was spotted in Seoul and nearby Suwon, the agency said. The weather is expected to warm up i

Social AffairsOct. 18, 2021

Seoul closely monitoring N. Korean leader's increased messages toward US: ministry

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has publicly mentioned the United States more often recently, drawing attention to Pyongyang's next move amid a prolonged deadlock in their nuclear talks, according to South Korea's unification ministry Monday. The ministry made the assessment in a report to lawmakers for an annual parliamentary audit, calling for an "active response" to resume dialogue in the face of growing volatility in the region. North Korea conducted four new missile tests in Sep

North KoreaOct. 18, 2021

New virus cases hit 3-month low; eased rules on private gatherings in force

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases dropped to the lowest level in more than three months Monday as the country eased restrictions on private gatherings ahead of preparations for a gradual shift to the "living with COVID-19" scheme. The country reported 1,050 new cases, including 1,030 local infections, raising the total caseload to 343,445, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's tally is the lowest daily number since July 7, when the country reporte

Social AffairsOct. 18, 2021

S. Korea to start deploying new hand-held mine detector next year

South Korea plans to start deploying a new military mine detector capable of locating non-metal objects, such as those made of wood, in the latter half of next year, the state arms procurement agency said Monday. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed a contract with local developer Hanwha Systems Co. last week to mass-produce the hand-held mine detector, as the military seeks to replace its aging detectors introduced in the late 1990s. Developed in December last year, th

DefenseOct. 18, 2021

Lee says he feels 'betrayed' by ex-aide arrested in Seongnam development scandal

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung said Monday he feels "betrayed" by a former aide arrested over a massive development corruption scandal, once again disavowing any connection to the case threatening to mar his presidential campaign. Lee made the remark ahead of the National Assembly's audit of his government, referring to Yoo Dong-gyu who served as acting president of Seongnam Development Corps. in charge of the development project in Seongnam, south of Seoul, when Lee was its mayor. Yoo

PoliticsOct. 18, 2021

Key suspect in corruption-laden development scandal detained upon return from US

A key partner in a corruption-laden urban development project involving a former aide to the ruling Democratic Party's presidential nominee was detained upon his arrival from the United States on Monday for questioning over bribery and other allegations. Nam Wook is believed to be holding a key to resolving 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 distri

PoliticsOct. 18, 2021

Seoul 'regrets' over Kishida's Yasukuni offering

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday expressed “deep regret” over Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s sending of a ritual offering to the Yasukuni war shrine, which is seen by its Asian neighbors as a symbol of Japan’s wartime aggression.  Kishida sent a “masakaki” tree offering under his name as prime minister to celebrate the shrine’s two-day fall festival that runs through Monday, according to Japan’s Kyodo News.  It

Foreign AffairsOct. 17, 2021