[Us and Them] The whiter the better: Korea’s racist hierarchy

An unspoken “caste” system based largely on race and skin color persists in South Korean society. In a matter of decades, Korea has grown into a popular destination for tourists, with iconic features like K-pop, culinary delights and cultural heritage items drawing travelers from all corners of the globe. Yet the number who come here to live is relatively small, and foreigners and experts point to an invisible ranking system based largely on race and ethnicity as one of the factors

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

Moon says it is time to consider ban on dogs as food

President Moon Jae-in raised the need Monday for the government to consider imposing a formal ban on dog meat consumption in South Korea. "Hasn't the time come to prudently consider prohibiting dog meat consumption?" Moon told Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum during their weekly policy consultation session, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The president made the remarks while being briefed by the prime minister on the government's plan to improve the system to take ca

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

Ruling, opposition parties struggle to reach agreement over ‘fake news’ law

Ruling and opposition parties failed to agree on the revision of the Act on Press Arbitration on Monday, postponing the plenary session scheduled for Monday to the next day.  Yun Ho-jung, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and his counterpart Kim Gi-hyeon from the People Power Party met at around 10 a.m. to discuss the controversial “fake news” law.  The meeting presided over by Speaker Park Byeong-seug lasted for several hours but the floor leaders failed to

PoliticsSept. 27, 2021

Pregnant women, younger children to get jabs from mid-October; booster shots eyed for elders, healthcare workers

South Korea will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant women and younger children starting Oct. 18 as part of its efforts to inoculate more people amid little signs of letup in the fourth wave of the pandemic, health authorities said Monday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced the list of fourth-quarter vaccine recipients to achieve its goal of inoculating more than 80 percent of the country's adults by end of October and achieve herd immunity by November

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

Moon urges all-out govt. efforts to contain coronavirus infections

President Moon Jae-in instructed his government Monday to make all-out efforts to tackle the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections across South Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said, as the country is preparing to implement measures in stages to ease social distancing rules and recover the normal life of the public. He delivered the message to Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum during their weekly meeting, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. "In order to achieve the phased recovery of daily

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

First Vice FM Choi to visit Pakistan for policy talks

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun will visit Pakistan this week for policy talks with senior officials there on bilateral cooperation and regional security, the foreign ministry said Monday. Choi is set to attend the 11th South Korea-Pakistan policy consultative meeting with ranking Islamabad officials Wednesday. The two countries last held the policy session in Seoul in November 2018. Choi plans to use the meeting to express appreciation to the Pakistani government for its support for S

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 27, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae shows cautious optimism over North Korea’s overture

South Korea’s presidential office on Monday appeared to be cautiously optimistic about a conciliatory overture from North Korea over the weekend, saying the reclusive regime had shown renewed eagerness for dialogue. On Saturday, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said the two Koreas could discuss improvements to their long-strained ties if mutual trust is restored. She went on to say that North Korea would consider holding a summit meeting

North KoreaSept. 27, 2021

NK slams US as ‘most heinous human rights abuser’

North Korea dismissed the US as the “most heinous human rights abuser” for using its human rights agenda to put pressure on other countries and interfere in their internal affairs, its state media said Monday. 　 The Korea Central News Agency published an article written by Kim Jin-hui, a researcher with the Institute of International Studies of the DPRK, accusing the US of interfering in the sovereignty of countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and Syria, crippling their economic develo

North KoreaSept. 27, 2021

Over 42% of people in their 30s unmarried in 2020

More than 42 percent of 30-somethings in South Korea remained unmarried last year, census data showed Monday, underscoring the trend in which many young people delay or give up on marriage amid a prolonged economic slowdown. Out of 13.7 million singles aged 15 and older, 2.82 million people in their 30s were single last year, up from 2.68 million five years earlier, according to the 2020 census by Statistics Korea. The percentage of unmarried people in their 30s reached 42.5 percent last year, u

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

Sejong University professor to join Engineering Structures editorial board

A professor from Sejong University has been picked to serve on the editorial board of an international research journal, the Seoul-based higher education institution announced Monday. Lee Jae-hong, a professor of architectural engineering at Sejong University, will serve as a member of the editorial board for Engineering Structures, a globally prestigious research journal in the field of structural engineering and structural mechanics communities. The biweekly journal, run by Netherlands-based

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae says inter-Korean communication lines should be back in operation first

The office of President Moon Jae-in said Monday North Korea needs to put its hotlines with South Korea back in operation first for consultations on ways to improve bilateral ties, including the possibility of another summit between their leaders. Park Soo-hyun, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication, described it as a method to confirm Pyongyang's "will" to hold dialogue. He was referring to a statement by Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, that her

PoliticsSept. 27, 2021

N. Korea remains unresponsive to Seoul's hotline calls after Kim Yo-jong's statement

North Korea remained unresponsive to South Korea's calls via liaison and military hotlines Monday despite cautious optimism created after the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the two Koreas could discuss improvements in long-strained relations. "North Korea did not answer our opening call through the South-North joint liaison office at 9 a.m.," a unification ministry official said. A military official also said a call via the military hotline went unanswered. Kim Yo-jong,

North KoreaSept. 27, 2021

N. Korea missile launches show serious threat: Pentagon official

North Korea's recent missile launches show the "seriousness of threat" posed to the United States and South Korea, a Pentagon official said Monday, amid a conciliatory gesture from Pyongyang after a series of weapons tests. Siddharth Mohandas, US deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, made the remark at the start of the biannual 20th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) in Seoul to discuss regional security situations and pending alliance issues. "North Korea'

North KoreaSept. 27, 2021

N. Korea to hold parliamentary session after expressing willingness to improve inter-Korean ties

North Korea is set to convene a session of its rubber-stamp legislature this week, drawing attention to whether any message to South Korea would come out of the meeting after the sister of leader Kim Jong-un expressed a willingness to improve inter-Korean relations. State media earlier reported a session of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) will be held Tuesday to discuss adopting laws on youth education and modifications to the national economic plan, as well as adopting the law on developing

North KoreaSept. 27, 2021

Male admissions for nursing schools exceed 20% for 1st time in S. Korea

Men have taken up more than 20 percent of admissions for nursing universities in South Korea for the first time this year, data showed Monday. According to Jongro Academy, one of the country's leading educational institutions for college admissions, 2,249 male students entered nursing universities in 2021, accounting for 20.5 percent of the total 10,993. The tally was up by 161, or 7.7 percent, compared to 2,088 enrollments last year. This marked the first time the proportion of male admissions

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

New cases in 2,000s for 2nd day amid jitters over further upticks

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases remained in the 2000s for a second day Monday amid concerns the daily caseload may sharply increase as more people get tested after the extended holiday. The country reported 2,383 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,356 local infections, bringing the total caseload to 303,553, 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. But health au

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2021

S. Korea, US hold regular defense talks amid conciliatory signals from N. Korea

South Korea and the United States were to begin two days of biannual defense talks in Seoul on Monday to discuss regional security situations and pending alliance issues, the defense ministry said. During the 20th Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), the two sides plan to discuss "major pending security issues," such as the assessment of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and the policy coordination on North Korea, according to the ministry. The meeting comes two da

DefenseSept. 27, 2021

PPP lawmaker offers to quit party over son's huge severance pay from controversial firm

  A lawmaker of the People Power Party (PPP) offered Sunday to leave the main opposition party amid mounting criticism over his son receiving a massive severance pay from a firm at the center of a controversial land development scandal. Rep. Kwak Sang-do submitted to a regional party chapter a document to end membership with the party, Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the party's floor leader, said, as his political opponents ramped up an offensive against Kwak over the severance pay. His son reporte

PoliticsSept. 26, 2021

[News Focus] Number of foreigners in Korea up for 1st time in 20 months

SEJONG -- The number of foreigners in South Korea climbed last month, in the first monthly increase since COVID-19 hit the nation in early 2020, immigration data showed. According to the Korea Immigration Service, the tally for foreign nationals -- both long-term and short-term visitors -- reached 1.976 million as of August, up 2,858 from a month earlier. This is the first time in 20 months that the tally has grown on-month. After peaking at 2.52 million in December 2019, the figure has decli

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2021

North Korea’s overture on talks is a test: experts

North Korea’s offer to reopen inter-Korean dialogue could be a test to see South Korea’s response and make it accountable for whatever actions Seoul takes in its dealings with Pyongyang later, experts said Sunday amid growing speculation for a thaw in ties. On Saturday, Kim Yo-jong, who handles propaganda affairs as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, said the regime would be open to talks on conditions, in response to President Moon Jae-in’s call at the UN la

North KoreaSept. 26, 2021