Gyeonggi governor takes lead in presidential polls

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is leading the polls among the four major candidates for next year’s presidential election, a survey showed Friday. According to a poll conducted by Gallup Korea, Lee is in the lead, with 34 percent of survey respondents saying they have favorable sentiment toward the Gyeonggi governor. Lee was followed by former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl at 30 percent and Rep. Hong Joon-pyo at 28 percent. Both Yoon and Hong are vying to become the president

PoliticsSept. 21, 2021

S. Korea, Britain discuss vaccine swap in summit

The leaders of South Korea and Britain had discussions Monday on setting up a bilateral COVID-19 vaccine swap during their summit talks here, Cheong Wa Dae said. 　Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed progress in consultations on the issue. President Moon Jae-in also said it demonstrates friendly ties between the two sides, as they met each other on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. 　The president expressed hope that the

PoliticsSept. 21, 2021

New cases slightly over 1,700; concerns grow over further spread after Chuseok holiday

South Korea‘s daily coronavirus cases increased to over 1,700 on Tuesday despite fewer tests over the weekend, adding to woes that infections could further increase after the Chuseok holiday in the wider capital area. 　The country reported an additional 1,729 COVID-19 cases, including 1,697 local infections, raising the total caseload to 289,263, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). 　It was the third straight day the daily caseload fell under 2,000, but t

Social AffairsSept. 21, 2021

Ruling party leader says Biden vague on NK

Rep. Song Young-gil, leader of the ruling Democratic Party, blamed a flare-up in inter-Korean tensions on the uncertainty of US policy on North Korea, in comments delivered Sunday US time. Song, who is visiting the US to discuss North Korea’s denuclearization with key White House officials and members of Congress, was referring to Pyongyang’s recent missile tests. The North revealed a new railway-borne missile system and launched ballistic missiles from a train in violation of UN re

North KoreaSept. 20, 2021

Moon to meet Pfizer CEO in New York

President Moon Jae-in will hold a meeting with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourlar in New York on Tuesday, during his five-day trip to the US for the UN General Assembly, Cheong Wa Dae said. During the meeting, the president is expected to express his gratitude toward the US vaccine maker’s COVID-19 vaccine supply and ask support for future partnership. Moon has held a series of meetings with leaders of global vaccine makers, including Moderna, AstraZeneca and Curevac, in recent months as part of

Foreign AffairsSept. 20, 2021

From vaccination reminders to relief aid info: Virtual assistant helps over 12m residents

Over 12 million residents have subscribed to the Korean government’s virtual assistant service for the public, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Thursday. The virtual assistant service named “GoodPy” provides various information on vaccine appointments, traffic fines, as well as reminders for driving license renewal and regular medical checkups. GoodPy sends notifications to its subscribers via popular mobile applications Naver, KakaoTalk and Toss. Last month, th

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2021

N. Korea downplays S. Korea’s SLBM test

North Korea said Monday that the submarine-launched ballistic missile South Korea test-fired last week was primitive and not a threat. Pyongyang is seen as trying to discredit Seoul’s missile capabilities because South Korea is the first non-nuclear state to have tested an SLBM. Previously, SLBMs had been developed by only six countries: China, France, India, Russia, the UK and the US. “South Korea’s SLBM will not be effective in war. No strategic or tactical value there,&rdq

North KoreaSept. 20, 2021

2.2 magnitude quake hits southwestern South Korea, no damage reported

A 2.2 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern South Korea early Monday, but no damage was reported, the weather agency said. The quake hit some 20 kilometers northeast of Boseong County in South Jeolla Province, some 395 kilometers from Seoul, at 6:58 a.m. from a depth of 8 km, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was located at a latitude of 34.88 degrees north and a longitude of 127.25 degrees east. The maximum seismic intensity scale was 3, which means

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2021

New cases slightly over 1,600; concerns grow over further spread after Chuseok holiday

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell to around 1,600 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but concerns have grown further over a surge in infections after the Chuseok holiday amid the fast spread of the virus in the greater Seoul area, officials said. The country reported an additional 1,605 COVID-19 cases, including 1,577 local infections, raising the total caseload to 287,536, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It was the second straight day

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2021

[Photo News] Children make ‘songpyeon’ for Chuseok

“Songpyeon” are traditional Korean rice cakes that are usually made at home and eaten with family before Chuseok. The Namdo Local Food Museum in Gwangju hosted a songpyeon-making experience Sept. 14 for the upcoming Chuseok holiday. Children from a day care center within Gwangju’s Buk-gu Office participated along with their teachers. 

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2021

Moon, first lady give regional specialties as Chuseok gifts

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook sent out regional specialties as Chuseok gifts for about 15,000 people, including front-line health care workers fighting COVID-19, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday. The presidential couple favors locally produced foods when giving official gifts for major holidays. This year’s gift boxes consisted of rice from Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province; Yanggu, Gangwon Province; Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province; Yesan, South Chungcheong Provi

PoliticsSept. 19, 2021

Lawmaker’s son booked for refusing field sobriety test after car crash

The son of lawmaker Rep. Chang Je-won was booked by police for refusing a field sobriety test after a car accident occurred in southern Seoul on Saturday. Chang Yong-jun, 21, was involved in a car crash at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. According to police, the son of the three-term conservative lawmaker headbutt a police officer who requested Chang take a field test to see if he was driving under the influence. The car crash reportedly caused no injuries. Chang, who is a rapper that performs un

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2021

BTS heads to New York for UN event as special presidential envoy

K-pop sensation BTS flew to New York on Saturday to attend a United Nations event as a special presidential envoy. The chart-topping group is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony for the Sustainable Development Goals Moment of the Decade of Action event in New York on Monday (US local time), along with President Moon Jae-in. The president appointed the seven-member group as a "special presidential envoy for future generations and culture" Tuesday. BTS will give a speech in New Yo

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2021

New cases fall below 2,000 amid concerns about spike in outbreaks after Chuseok holiday

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 2,000 on Sunday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but concerns linger over a spike in transmissions after the Chuseok holiday, when millions of people usually travel across the country to meet relatives. The country reported an additional 1,910 COVID-19 cases, including 1,871 local infections, raising the total caseload to 285,931, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The country added 10 more deaths from COVID-19, r

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2021

Moon in New York for UN speech during Chuseok holiday in Korea

South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in New York on Sunday to attend an annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. He plans to deliver a keynote speech on Korean peace and Seoul's role in resolving global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis, according to his office. His five-day visit to the US, which will also take him to Hawaii for an alliance event, comes as Korean people celebrate Chuseok, one of their biggest and most important traditional hol

PoliticsSept. 18, 2021

[Weekender] Netflix series about abuse in military emboldens calls for change

A hit Netflix series exploring the culture of abuse among South Korea’s enlisted soldiers is fueling calls for the military to get tougher on rights violations, just as a military task force in charge of reform is set to wrap up its work. “D.P.,” short for Deserter Pursuit, aired Aug. 27 and is one of the top shows in Korea. It looks at the country’s mandatory conscription system, and physical and mental abuse in the military take center stage. Most of this abuse takes

DefenseSept. 18, 2021

Major highways see congestion on 1st day of Chuseok holiday

Many sections of major highways in South Korea remained congested with heavy traffic Saturday morning as millions of people headed to their hometowns to celebrate the Chuseok holiday with their families. According to the Korea Expressway Corp (KEC), cars moved at a slow pace in some sections of the major highway linking Seoul to the country's second-largest southern port city of Busan as of 8:10 a.m. Traffic congestion was also spotted on the western highway along the country's western coast

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2021

New cases over 2,000 for 2 straight days amid upsurge worries after Chuseok holiday

  South Korea's daily coronavirus cases exceeded 2,000 for two consecutive days Saturday amid worries about a possible upsurge after a major holiday when people are expected to travel across the country in droves. The country reported an additional 2,087 COVID-19 cases, including 2,047 local infections, raising the total caseload to 284,022, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country added five more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,3

Social AffairsSept. 18, 2021

‘Don’t come,’ rest of Korea tells holiday travelers from Seoul

Most Koreans remain just partly vaccinated as the nation heads into Chuseok, for which many will have time off from Saturday to Wednesday. As Greater Seoul, which has been Korea’s COVID-19 epicenter since spring last year, continues to report the highest numbers of new cases by far, municipalities are wary of visitors from the capital area bringing the virus with them over the holiday. “The long weekend could prove a catalyst for a surge, once again,” acting

Social AffairsSept. 17, 2021

Moon to attend Major Economies Forum on climate

President Moon Jae-in will attend a virtual meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate on Friday to discuss global warming ahead of the UN climate summit, known as COP26, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in October. The MEF is a US-led initiative that aims to ramp up supplies of clean energy while reducing carbon emissions. US President Joe Biden will convene the Friday meeting to strengthen the climate ambitions of the 17 members, including Australia, Canada, China, the EU and

PoliticsSept. 17, 2021