Korea Arts Group hosts ‘the color of your mind’ multicultural concert

Korea Arts Group hosted a multicultural concert named “Woollim V – The Color of Your Mind” at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul on Tuesday. The concert, sponsored by Seoul Metropolitan Government and The Korea Herald, was a part of a private festival in Seoul to support multicultural artists and art groups. According to the organizers, the concert hoped to send the message that people all over the world recognize each other‘s differences in religion, langua

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 14, 2021

Spy agency partners with university for counterespionage, security education program

South Korea's state intelligence agency said Thursday it has agreed to cooperate with a local university to support education programs in the counterespionage and security fields in a bid to help train skilled manpower. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Myongji University, which has campuses in Seoul and Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, to that effect. The university plans to create a Master's and Doctorate defense and security progra

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

Defects found in all 4 Global Hawk drones brought from US: lawmaker

South Korea has found defects in all of the four Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft it has procured from the United States, a ruling party lawmaker said Thursday, calling for measures to ensure their stable operation. Citing data from the Air Force during a parliamentary audit, Rep. Ahn Gyu-back of the Democratic Party said that defects have been found in the drones an average of 10 times each. From December 2019 through September last year, South Korea brought in four Global Hawks und

DefenseOct. 14, 2021

PM says govt. determined to raise quality of soldier meals

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Thursday the government is determined to improve the quality of meals for military service members following heavy criticism that troops are poorly fed. "Recent soldier meal issues are something that should not have happened, but at the same time, it showed that our military food system has reached its limit," Kim said during a state affairs coordination meeting in Sejong, some 120 kilometers south of Seoul. The prime minister said that military foo

PoliticsOct. 14, 2021

Military reports 8 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported eight more COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 1,951, the defense ministry said. Seven Army soldiers, including three trainees at a boot camp, and a Navy member tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to military data. The three Army trainees from the boot camp in Yeoncheon, 62 kilometers north of Seoul, were found to have contracted the virus while in quarantine following the COVID-19 outbreak in the unit. Of

DefenseOct. 14, 2021

New cases near 2,000 amid rising vaccination rate

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases neared the 2,000s on Thursday, but the daily caseload dropped from a week ago as the country ramped up its vaccination rate in a move to prepare for a gradual return to normal life. The country added 1,940 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,924 local infections, raising the total caseload to 337,679, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload rose 356 from Wednesday but was down 485 from 2,425 a week earlier.

Social AffairsOct. 14, 2021

[Graphic News] Number of foreign home rental business operators nears 2,400

　Nearly 2,400 foreign nationals are engaging in the home rental business in South Korea, with Chinese nationals accounting for more than one-third of the total, government data showed. 　The number of foreign home rental business operators in Asia’s fourth-largest economy stood at 2,394 as of the end of June last year, according to the data from the Land Ministry. 　There were 885 Chinese housing rental business owners here, making up 37 percent of the total. Americans came next at 702.

NationalOct. 14, 2021

Court to question key suspect in Seongnam development scandal

A Seoul court was to question a key suspect at the center of a snowballing regional development corruption scandal on Thursday to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant for him on bribery and other charges. Prosecutors sought the warrant to arrest Kim Man-bae on Tuesday on charges in connection with how his previously little-known firm, Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management, reaped massive profits from a 2015 development project in the city of Seongnam, south of Seoul. The former journalist al

PoliticsOct. 14, 2021

US, S. Korea working to restart dialogue with N. Korea: Amb. Lee

WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States are working closely together to restart the Korean Peninsula peace process, South Korea's ambassador to the US, Lee Soo-hyuck, said Wednesday. Lee said the countries are also discussing ways to bring North Korea back to the dialogue table that may include the provision of humanitarian assistance to the impoverished North. "(We) are discussing various ways to build trust such as the provision of humanitarian assistance to create a favorable c

Foreign AffairsOct. 14, 2021

US to host virtual meeting on countering ransomware attacks from N. Korea, others

Officials from more than 30 countries, including South Korea, will discuss ways to counter ransomware attacks from countries, including Russia and North Korea, in a US-led virtual meeting this week, a US official said. The virtual meeting, to be held Wednesday and Thursday, comes after a series of recent ransomware attacks on US businesses and government offices from perpetrators believed to be based in other countries, including China, Russia and North Korea. “While the United States is

PoliticsOct. 13, 2021

N. Korea slams Japan‘s arms buildup as preparations for aggression

  　North Korea on Wednesday condemned Japan‘s recent push to build up its military, branding it as “preparations for a war of aggression.” 　 　A commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) noted Japan is planning to import over 20 U.S.-made reconnaissance drones, and pushing to possess aircraft carriers and introduce the latest stealth fighters. 　 　“The gravity of the issue lies in the fact that Japan pushes ahead with such arms buildup under the pret

North KoreaOct. 13, 2021

Ex-PM Lee Nak-yon concedes defeat in party primary 　

Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Wednesday conceded defeat in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea‘s presidential primary, shortly after the party rejected his claims of unfair vote counting. Lee said he accepted the results of the presidential primary and sent a congratulatory message for Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung’s victory. “I respect the decision of the party affairs committee,” Lee said in a public statement posted on his Facebook. Lee also pledge

PoliticsOct. 13, 2021

Sex crime victims need better front-line help: military panel

The military should adopt clearer rules to enable victims of sexual violence to find immediate care and avoid being repeatedly forced to deal with their abusers, an advisory panel said Wednesday, ending a monthslong mission to address rights abuses in the military. The panel, launched in June following the alleged cover-up of the suicide of an Air Force master sergeant who had reported a sexual assault, recommended that the military expand outside oversight as well, with a civilian voting membe

DefenseOct. 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] Is fluent Korean a must for at-home COVID-19 care? Not necessarily

South Korea is expanding at-home care in a bid to return closer to normal in about a month’s time, by the second week of November at the latest, according to public health officials.  The key to safe home care is whether remote monitoring can be done efficiently, which raises concerns for patients who may not speak Korean fluently. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare earlier this week, patients staying at home need to report any changes in symptoms and other important

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2021

7 in 10 workers unaware of newly revised workplace anti-bullying law: survey

Many South Korean workers are unaware of the newly revised labor law that will take effect later this week to better prevent workplace bullying, a survey showed Wednesday. The survey by a pro-labor civic group Gabjil 119 found that over 70 percent of office workers do not know about the revision of the so-called workplace anti-bullying act set to go into effect Thursday. The survey was conducted on 1,000 office workers from Sept. 7-14. Under the amendment, bullies can be fined up to 10 mil

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2021

Death of student apprentice stirs controversy

The case of a high school senior who drowned while participating in a student apprenticeship program has sparked an outrage, as safety rules were found to be loosely followed and eventually led to the student’s death. A student surnamed Hong died in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on Oct. 6 while taking part in his school’s apprenticeship program that started on Sept. 27. The school signed a contract with a yacht business in the area that allowed Hong to gain work experience at the co

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2021

Military reports 14 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported 14 more COVID-19 cases Wednesday, the defense ministry said, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 1,943. Thirteen Army soldiers, including five trainees at a boot camp, and an Air Force airman tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to military data Wednesday morning. The five Army trainees from the boot camp in Yeoncheon, 62 kilometers north of Seoul, were found to have contracted the virus while in quarantine following the COVID-19 out

DefenseOct. 13, 2021

S. Korea begins mapping out route back to normalcy

South Korea is positively considering a “vaccine pass” system to incentivize people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as officials look to start the normalization process next month. The system would entail providing benefits and exemptions to virus rules for those who have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations. The discussion has gained steam as officials believe such a system could boost the nationwide vaccination program and increase the likelihood of successful normalization.

Social AffairsOct. 13, 2021

US stresses ‘sincerity’ in its overture toward North Korea

The top national security advisers of South Korea and the US on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to engaging with North Korea, pledging to work together to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. Suh Hoon, South Korea’s director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, was visiting Washington to hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart, Jake Sullivan, amid North Korea’s conflicting messages involving back-to-back missile tests and diplomatic overtures, including the

North KoreaOct. 13, 2021

T-shirt with portrait of Kim appears at N. Korea's public event for 1st time

A T-shirt with a printed portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted during a public event in Pyongyang for the first time, state media showed, amid the reclusive regime's push to rev up an image of being a "normal state." According to footage released by the North's official Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station on Tuesday, an orchestra conductor was clad in the white T-shirt with Kim's face printed in black and white on the front at a defense expo the previous day. N

North KoreaOct. 13, 2021