S. Korea pledges efforts to advance inter-Korean ties despite NK missile launch

South Korea will continue efforts to stabilize situations on the Korean Peninsula and advance stalled inter-Korean relations through dialogue and cooperation despite North Korea's latest missile test, the unification ministry said Tuesday. Earlier in the day, North Korea fired what appears to be one short-range missile into the East Sea. The firing came days after North Korea expressed a willingness to discuss the improvement of inter-Korean relations and even a summit between their leaders.

PoliticsSept. 28, 2021

ASEAN Week 2021 to highlight partnerships between Korea, Southeast Asian countries

The ASEAN-Korea Centre, an intergovernmental organization, will hold ASEAN Week 2021 online and offline Oct. 5-6 to highlight partnerships between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. According to the center’s Secretary-General Kim Hae-yong, the flagship event will be co-hosted by the Presidential Committee on New Southern Policy and the Korea International Trade Association. Throughout the week there will be programs on trade, investment, culture and youth. The t

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 28, 2021

Military reports 4 new COVID-19 cases

Three service members and a civilian worker for the Army tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday, the latest in a series of infections at barracks. One officer affiliated with the South Korea-United States Combined Forces Command in Seoul tested positive while in isolation after one of his family members was confirmed to have been infected, according to the ministry. Two Army officers, stationed in Seoul and the city of Goyang, respectively, also tested posi

DefenseSept. 28, 2021

Moon vows continued efforts through his term for response to pandemic, other challenges

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday there will be no let-up in his administration's efforts till its last day to lay the groundwork for South Korea's "great transition" toward a better future. He cited the urgency of addressing the COVID-19 crisis, climate change and the fourth industrial revolution. "(We) are faced with an era of a great transition into digital civilization and green civilization. This is not the philosophy or choice of our government but a global trend," h

PoliticsSept. 28, 2021

Cabinet passes workplace disaster law enforcement decree amid discontent from manager, labor groups

An enforcement decree for the new workplace disaster law aimed at better protecting workers from industrial accidents was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday despite criticisms from both management and labor groups. In January, the National Assembly passed a bill that strengthens the punishment for business owners and CEOs of companies with five or more employees in the event of serious workplace disasters. Under the new law set to take effect in January, business owners and CEOs could face a

PoliticsSept. 28, 2021

Rival parties to continue last-minute negotiations for 2nd day on controversial media bill

Rival parties will continue their negotiations Tuesday to find a negotiated solution to a controversial media bill under criticism for potentially undermining press freedom. Reps. Yun Ho-jung and Kim Gi-hyeon, floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), respectively, will sit down for a meeting chaired by National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug later in the morning to negotiate the ruling party-proposed amendment to the media arbitrati

PoliticsSept. 28, 2021

Moon orders comprehensive analysis of N. Korea's missile launch, recent statements on inter-Korean ties

President Moon Jae-in ordered his national security team Tuesday to comprehensively analyze North Korea's intentions behind its latest missile launch and statements, issued a few days earlier, on inter-Korean relations. He issued the call after receiving a briefing on the outcome of an emergency National Security Council (NSC) session from Suh Hoon, director of national security, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Earlier in the day, North Korea test-fired a short-range mi

PoliticsSept. 28, 2021

NK fires missile, blames US ‘hostile policy’

North Korea fired what appeared to be a short-range missile into the East Sea on Tuesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The launch took place just minutes before North Korea’s ambassador to the UN urged the US to drop its “hostile policy” at the UN. The JCS offered no details, saying South Korean and US intelligence are looking into the launch, while Japan’s Defense Ministry said the projectile appeared to be a ballistic missile, without

North KoreaSept. 28, 2021

New cases in 2,000s for 3rd day; infections resurge in non-greater Seoul

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for a third day Tuesday as infections spiked outside the greater Seoul area in the aftermath of a mass migration during the Chuseok holiday. The country reported 2,289 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,270 local infections, bringing the total caseload to 305,842, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload touched a fresh high of 3,272 on Saturday before slightly falling to 2,771 on Sunday.

Social AffairsSept. 28, 2021

N. Korea urges US to give up hostility by permanently stopping joint military exercise

WASHINGTON -- The United States must permanently stop its joint military exercises with South Korea and the deployment of its strategic weapons to the South if it wishes to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea's UN ambassador said Monday. Kim Song, the chief of North Korea's mission to the United Nations, also said a good relationship may be formed between the North and the US if and when Washington gives up its hostility toward his country. "If the US wants to see the Korea

North KoreaSept. 28, 2021

S. Korea to launch new 3,000-ton-class SLBM submarine

South Korea was set Tuesday to launch a new 3,000-ton-class homegrown submarine capable of firing ballistic missiles, the third of its kind designed to boost underwater defense capabilities, the Navy said. A launch ceremony for the new submarine, named after a prominent Korean independence activist, Shin Chae-ho, will take place at the shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. in the southeastern city of Ulsan later in the day, according to the military. It is the third and the final of three

DefenseSept. 28, 2021

US prepared to meet N. Korea without any conditions: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is prepared to meet with North Korea without any pre-conditions, a State Department spokesperson said Monday. The US official made the remark when asked if the US will be willing to consider easing sanctions on the impoverished North. "We are prepared to meet with the DPRK without preconditions, and of course, we certainly hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach," said Jalina Porter, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Depart

Foreign AffairsSept. 28, 2021

Vice FM Choi stresses 'survivor-oriented' approach to sexual violence in conflict

Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon has stressed the importance of a "survivor-oriented" approach to addressing sexual violence in conflict, reiterating South Korea's steadfast commitment to tackling the issue, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Choi made the remarks during Monday's virtual event, titled "Reparations for Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: Status and Prospects," on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The Global Survivors Fund, esta

Foreign AffairsSept. 28, 2021

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee retakes lead over ex-prosecutor general

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the front-running presidential contender for the ruling party, retook the lead in a presidential hopefuls poll released Monday, beating former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition party. In a poll of 1,006 voters conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) on Friday and Saturday, Gov. Lee of the Democratic Party (DP) garnered support from 30 percent of respondents, pushing down Yoon of the People Power Party (PPP) to second

PoliticsSept. 27, 2021

S. Korea chairs IAEA board for the first time

South Korea has been named the next head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors, marking the first time a Korean representative is to hold the post since the UN nuclear watchdog was established in 1957, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.  Shin Chae-hyun, the South Korean ambassador to Austria and permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, was elected as the chairman of the board during a meeting held in Vienna on Monday. His one-year term start

Foreign AffairsSept. 27, 2021

Korea says COVID-19 vaccination not as urgent for healthy kids

Korea said Monday that it would only “strongly recommend” COVID-19 vaccinations for children and teenagers if they are medically vulnerable, as it plans to roll out vaccinations for under-18s in late October. In a news briefing, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s chief Jeong Eun-kyeong said with regards to vaccination of children and adolescents, “an informed and voluntary decision is recommended.” But children with underlying health issues -- in

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

Time to review banning dog meat: Moon

President Moon Jae-in on Monday stressed the need for discussions about a ban on dog meat, renewing a decades-old dispute here over the slaughter of animals, especially dogs, for food. “Hasn’t the time come to prudently consider prohibiting dog meat consumption?” the president asked Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum during their weekly meeting, according to his spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon made the comments after he was briefed on the government’s new measures to prote

PoliticsSept. 27, 2021

Enforcement decree of workplace disaster law to be reviewed by Cabinet this week

An enforcement decree for the new workplace disaster law aimed at better protecting workers from industrial accidents will be reviewed during a Cabinet meeting this week, according to labor and business community sources Monday, despite criticism from both manager and labor groups over the government proposal. In January, the National Assembly passed a bill that strengthens the punishment of business owners and CEOs of companies with five or more employees in the event of serious workplace disas

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

Half of Koreans agree to careful inoculation of teenagers: poll

Nearly half of South Koreans are in favor of a cautious approach to the issue of COVID-19 vaccinations for teenagers aged between 12 and 17, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 1,006 people aged 18 and above conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute on Friday and Saturday, 49.1 percent said the government should take some time to observe vaccination situations in other countries before administering COVID-19 vaccine shots to the teen group. In contrast, 42.6 percent said vaccinations for

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

Tattooists again file constitutional petition against law banning tattooing by non-medical professionals

South Korean tattooists once again filed a petition with the Constitutional Court Monday against the medical law that requires tattooing to be conducted only by licensed medical personnel. A total of 153 tattooists associated with the Korea Fashion Tattoo Association and the Korea Tattoo Federation said Article 27 of the medical law that outlaws tattooing by people with no medical license violates their constitutional rights. "South Korea is the only country that punishes tattooing by non-m

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021