Moon orders thorough probe into Seongnam land development scandal

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday ordered a thorough probe into a snowballing corruption scandal involving a close aide to the ruling Democratic Party's presidential nominee. Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee told reporters Moon instructed the prosecution and the police to "actively cooperate and do their utmost to uncover the factual truth through a swift and thorough investigation."This is the first time Moon has commented on the scandal that centers on allegations that the a

PoliticsOct. 12, 2021

Number of employment insurance subscribers in service sector surpasses 10m for 1st time in 26 years

The number of state employment insurance subscribers in the service sector topped 10 million last month for the first time since the insurance scheme was introduced 26 years ago, government data showed Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, more than 10 million service sector workers were subscribed to the state insurance plan last month, up 270,000 from September 2020, the first time the service industry achieved the milestone since the country adopted the plan in 1995. By

Social AffairsOct. 12, 2021

Why Kishida is not in a rush for his first call with Moon

The first phone call between President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is being delayed, with Japanese media saying the new Japanese leader has little incentive to rush ahead of a major election later this month, his first test in domestic politics. According to Japan’s Nikkei business daily on Tuesday, Kishida’s office and Japan’s foreign ministry have agreed not to prioritize South Korea for the new prime minister’s first phone calls with foreign

Foreign AffairsOct. 12, 2021

Navy cut back on live-fire drills under Moon

The Navy has steadily scaled back exercises using live ammunition since President Moon Jae-in took office in 2017, a lawmaker said, amid concerns that Moon’s North Korea policy could affect combat readiness. Live ammunition was used 96 percent of the time in 2016, but the rate has since slowly fallen and hit 87 percent in 2020, according to Rep. Shin Won-sik of the main opposition People Power Party, citing data compiled by the Navy. The data was an average of the rates that live ammuni

DefenseOct. 12, 2021

60% sexual violence support center heads are non-experts: lawmaker

Over 60 percent of sex crime support centers are headed by those with no expertise in the field, the main opposition People Power Party’s Rep. Kim Byong-wook said, citing Ministry of Education data. Of the 304 universities operating a support center for sexual violence, the lawmaker’s office on Tuesday said 185 were found to be led by people who did not major in subjects related to sexual damage consultation. According to the data, the largest number of universities’ suppor

Social AffairsOct. 12, 2021

Moon says S. Koreans at 'last gateway' to return to normal

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that the country is about to enter the "last gateway" to a return to normal following the COVID-19 pandemic. Moon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, referring to Wednesday's planned launch of a new government-civilian committee handling the transition from COVID-19 to everyday life. "We have done well until now, and if we hang on a little longer, we will be able to enter the stage of returning to normal as planned, in li

Social AffairsOct. 12, 2021

Korea Herald, Uzbek Embassy pledge to expand media cooperation

The Korea Herald and the Embassy of Uzbekistan in South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding to expand media cooperation on Thursday. A signing ceremony was held at the embassy in Hannam-dong, Seoul, Oct. 7, with Ambassador Vitali V. Fen and Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young in attendance. Uzbekistan offers many opportunities for joint investment projects, Fen said. He mentioned climate change, energy, establishing inclusive infrastructure, the transition to a low-carbon economy, and Kore

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 12, 2021

Top court orders govt. to pay DSME W31b in dispute over salvage ship delivery

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the government to pay Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) 31 billion won ($25.8 million) in connection with a protracted legal dispute surrounding a project to build the country's first indigenous military salvage vessel. Tuesday's ruling confirmed two lower court rulings in favor of the shipbuilder, which was seeking government compensation after the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) refused to accept the 3,500-ton Navy sa

Social AffairsOct. 12, 2021

Man given life sentence for murdering online friend he stalked, family members

A Seoul court on Tuesday sentenced a young man to life imprisonment for brutally killing an online game mate he stalked and her family members, in a case that raised awareness about stalking crimes The Seoul Northern District Court delivered the sentence to Kim Tae-hyun, 25, indicted on five criminal charges, including murder, housebreaking and theft. Kim was arrested at the victims' home on March 25, with self-inflicted injuries, two days after killing the three women there. He had been stalk

Social AffairsOct. 12, 2021

ASEAN Week 2021 showcases trade opportunities, culture

ASEAN Week 2021, organized last week by the presidential committee on New Southern Policy, presented a variety of trade opportunities, potential and cultural visuals of ASEAN member countries. In congratulatory remarks at the Oct. 5-6 event, KITA chairman Christopher Ko said the New Southern region was a young and dynamic market of 2 billion people, and was developing faster than any other in the world. “New Southern region is now transforming into a new business place for global compan

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 12, 2021

President Moon, clad in hanbok, presides over Cabinet meeting

President Moon Jae-in, clad in traditional Korean attire hanbok, presided over a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, in a move to raise awareness among the public over the traditional outfit. The move came as the culture ministry designated Oct. 11-17 as the "Week of Autumn Hanbok Culture" to promote the traditional Korean dress, which features large sleeves and wide trousers. Moon said hanbok has gained international attention due to its unique beauty and styles. Oxford English Dictionary has

PoliticsOct. 12, 2021

Assembly speaker requests Egypt's support for end-of-war declaration

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug has met with the leaders of Egypt's parliament and requested their support for Seoul's push for an end-of-war declaration with North Korea, his office said Tuesday. Park, who is on an official visit to Italy and Egypt, met separately with Egypt's President of the Senate Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razeq and Speaker of the House of Representatives Hanafy Ali El Gebali in Cairo on Monday. In the meetings, Park explained Seoul's wish to build peace and co-prosperity

PoliticsOct. 12, 2021

PM calls on more foreign residents to get vaccinated amid resurgence concerns

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Tuesday called on foreign residents to actively participate in the country's vaccination program amid virus resurgence concerns. Kim stressed that South Korea does not discriminate against foreigners when it comes to the virus fight and that health authorities are willing to help foreigners get vaccinated. "Although cases from foreign residents in South Korea have been rising recently, their vaccination rate is relatively low," Kim said during a Central D

Social AffairsOct. 12, 2021

Defector-turned-lawmaker calls for efforts to improve North Korea human rights

North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker said Monday that South Korea should step up efforts to improve the human rights situation in North Korea, along with its proposal to declare the formal end to the Korean War. Rep. Tae Young-ho of the main opposition People Power Party made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency while in New York for a parliamentary audit of the South Korean Embassy to the United Nations. "We shouldn't lean toward the left or the right for the North Korea

North KoreaOct. 12, 2021

Ruling party chief rules out change of presidential nomination results

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party said Tuesday there will be no change in the party's nomination of Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung as its presidential candidate, despite an appeal from the runner-up over whether votes cast for dropouts from the primary should be counted. On Sunday, Gov. Lee Jae-myung was named the DP's standard-bearer for the March presidential election after he won 50.29 percent of the vote in a primary, followed by former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon with 39.14 percent. Lee

PoliticsOct. 12, 2021

New infections remain in 1,000s for 4th day on fewer tests over extended weekend

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases hovered around the 1,000s for a fourth straight day on Tuesday due to fewer tests over an extended weekend. The country added 1,347 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,334 local infections, raising the total caseload to 334,163, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily number of COVID-19 cases has stayed in the quadruple digits since July 7. Health authorities are worried about a possible surge in confirmed cases as more c

Social AffairsOct. 12, 2021

N. Korea leader calls for boosting military capabilities but says enemy is 'war itself'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for boosting the country's military capabilities to counter what he called "hostile forces" against Pyongyang but said the move is not aimed at a war against South Korea or the United States. Kim made the remarks Monday in a speech at a defense development exhibition to mark the 76th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, criticizing Seoul and Washington over their combined military exercises and weapons development. "The Un

North KoreaOct. 12, 2021

Top security adviser to discuss end-of-war declaration, other issues with US

A top South Korean national security official said Monday that he plans to discuss President Moon Jae-in's recent proposal for the declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War and other issues with senior US officials in Washington this week. Suh Hoon, director of national security at Cheong Wa Dae, made the remarks upon arrival in the US, as Seoul strives to bring North Korea back to dialogue and pave the way for the resumption of nuclear talks between the United States and the North,

Diplomatic CircuitOct. 12, 2021

Korea’s blueprint for post-vaccine normal begins to take shape

South Korea’s plans to get back to a normal life are beginning to take shape, with about less than a month left until the vaccine goal is projected to be cleared. As of 4 p.m. Monday, more than 40 million people, or 77 percent of the nation’s population, had received their first vaccination against COVID-19, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s update. Some 30 million, or 59 percent, had received two full doses or a one-dose Johnson & Johnson va

Social AffairsOct. 11, 2021

[News Focus] Employment index in steady improvement in 2021

SEJONG - South Korean hiring is showing signs of recovery, though it is hard to say that the uncertainty has been lifted amid the ongoing pandemic situation. A small rebound in the employment index could be seen in recent figures for the portion of “unemployed plus underemployed” of the economically active population. According to the Supplementary Index III for Employment, compiled by Statistics Korea, the portion of unemployed or underemployed -- known as the “de facto&rdqu

Social AffairsOct. 11, 2021