Questionable vaccines administered to 140 people at Seoul hospital

As many as 140 people were given questionable Pfizer vaccines that had passed or were nearing the recommended inoculation deadline after thawing at a general hospital in Seoul last week, health officials said Saturday. According to the officials, Korea University Guro Hospital in southern Seoul used Pfizer vaccines that came close to or exceeded the inoculation deadline after thawing during its inoculation work conducted from Aug. 26-27. About 140 people received the questionable vaccines tha

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2021

1 more Afghan 'special contributor' arrives in S. Korea

One more Afghan, who was on South Korea's list of people to be evacuated from the war-torn Afghanistan, arrived here Saturday, the justice ministry said. The Afghan, whose identity was withheld, landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at around 8 a.m. The person flew in from India with help from Korean diplomats following a business trip there. The person is among hundreds of Afghans brought here by South Korea and labeled as "special contributors" for their contribu

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2021

Watchdog says law mandating higher education for foreign teachers discriminatory

The current law requiring only foreigners to have a higher education qualification to teach at local cram schools, or hagwon, is discriminatory, the state human rights watchdog said Saturday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said it is discriminatory for private teaching institutes to require foreign nationals aspiring to become hagwon instructors to have a college degree or higher, while only requiring their local counterparts to have a junior college degree or higher. T

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2021

New virus cases rise above 1,800 amid tight vigilance

  South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose above 1,800 on Saturday, though the country kept tight vigilance with the extension of stringent social distancing measures ahead of a major national holiday. The country added 1,804 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,776 local infections, raising the total caseload to 258,913, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally is up from 1,709 reported Friday. Daily cases have stayed above 1,000 for the la

Social AffairsSept. 4, 2021

Moon asks new parliament to support budget bill

President Moon Jae-in on Friday asked the parliament to support the bill to determine next year’s budget, during a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae with the National Assembly’s leaders and the chairs of its standing committees.  The meeting was arranged to congratulate the new deputy speaker and seven committee chairs, who are all from the main opposition People Power Party. “With it, the government is looking for a full recovery and a leap forward. I hope the National Assembly

PoliticsSept. 3, 2021

Three cases of mu variant found in Korea

Three cases of the new coronavirus variant mu have been found in South Korea, officials said Friday. The mu variant was first identified in Colombia in January and has since been detected in about 40 countries, including Peru, Chile and the US. It was added to the World Health Organization’s watchlist last month. The confirmed patients in Korea were immigrants from Mexico, the US and Colombia who arrived in May, June and July, respectively. There are no locally transmitted cases yet.

Social AffairsSept. 3, 2021

Military to resume search for Korean War dead

The military is resuming its search for the remains of Korean and UN soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday. The first search, from April 2019 to June 2021 near Arrowhead Hills inside the Demilitarized Zone, uncovered the remains of 424 people. It is expected that a similar number will be found at the second site to be searched, near White Horse Hills next to Arrowhead Hills. It is estimated that 1,000 soldiers died there in one of the war&rsqu

DefenseSept. 3, 2021

Gathering rules are slightly eased from Monday: PM

Slightly eased social distancing rules will take effect starting Monday to alleviate the difficulties of small-business owners and the self-employed hit hard by the prolonged pandemic. On Friday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said that business hours of restaurants and cafes in the Seoul metropolitan area will be extended by one hour to 10 p.m., starting next week and to last four weeks. The current social distancing rules -- Level 4 in Greater Seoul and Level 3 in most other areas -- will be e

Social AffairsSept. 3, 2021

S. Korean nuclear envoy returns home from US visit

South Korea's top nuclear envoy returned home Thursday after meeting with his US counterpart and other officials in Washington to discuss efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea.  Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for the Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, said he had "in-depth" talks with the US side and that the visit was a "fairly productive" one.    "We confirmed the US stance that it remains committed to resolving the North Kore

North KoreaSept. 2, 2021

Families of forced labor victims withdraw request to seize Mitsubishi Heavy assets

The families of four forced labor victims have withdrawn a request to seize what was believed to be assets of Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in South Korea, legal sources said Thursday. The families recently filed the withdrawal request with the Anyang branch of the Suwon District Court, just south of Seoul, through the law firms representing them, the sources said, after finding that the assets did not directly belong to the company. Last month, the families asked the court to seize bond

Social AffairsSept. 2, 2021

Probe ordered into allegation that Yoon's prosecution requested complaints filed against ruling party figures

Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo on Thursday ordered an investigation into allegations that a prosecutor asked the main opposition People Power Party to file a complaint against three ruling bloc figures when Kim's predecessor Yoon Seok-youl, now a leading opposition presidential contender, was in office. In a text message to reporters, the Supreme Prosecutors Office said Kim instructed its inspection department to look into the allegations. Earlier Thursday, online news outlet Newsverse rep

PoliticsSept. 2, 2021

S. Korea denounces Houthi rebels' drone attack on Saudi airport

South Korea strongly denounces the recent drone attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on an airport in Saudi Arabia and urges the militants to take part in UN-led peace talks, the foreign ministry said Thursday. "We strongly denounce the attack by Yemen's Houthi rebel forces on Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia," ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a commentary. "We reaffirm our support for international efforts toward peace and ending the civil war in Yemen, and u

Foreign AffairsSept. 2, 2021

Police reveal details of ex-con arrested for double murder

The personal information of Kang Yoon-sung, 56, the suspect in the murder of two women, was disclosed by police on Thursday. Under the law, police can disclose a suspect’s face, name and age online when there is enough evidence to believe it is in the public interest, and for the prevention of repeat crimes. Police said Kang caused social unrest by killing two victims within days using the same method. “We decided to disclose the suspect’s personal information for the pub

Social AffairsSept. 2, 2021

UN General Assembly: Moon’s next stage for peace efforts?

President Moon Jae-in is weighing whether to attend the UN General Assembly set to be held in New York later this month in his renewed push to resume stalled talks with North Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials. “This is a significant year that marks the 30th anniversary of South and North Korea becoming UN members together,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity. “It would be very meaningful for the two Koreas to send a unified peace message on such

North KoreaSept. 2, 2021

Military to build ‘Korean Iron Dome,’ enhance strike capability

The military said Thursday it will pursue a homegrown missile defense system and a greater strike capability as part of a 315 trillion-won ($271 billion), five-year plan starting next year. About 106 trillion won goes to bolstering defense capabilities to build weapons, such as anti-missile systems and ballistic missiles, while the rest is set aside to cover operating costs. “We will have ironclad defense against North Korean fire targeting Seoul and the surrounding areas,” the Mi

DefenseSept. 2, 2021

1m Moderna doses arrive Thursday

Some 1 million doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine arrived Thursday. But concerns remain that if more shipments do not come in on schedule, the nation’s vaccination plan could face setbacks ahead of the Chuseok holiday. Just over 1 million doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived at Incheon International Airport on Thursday, out of the 7.01 million doses that Moderna promised to supply by this week. Of the promised doses, 1.01 million arrived Aug. 23 and the remaining 4.98 million are

Social AffairsSept. 2, 2021

Groups call for reusable takeout containers

A civic group and labor union on Thursday called on food delivery platforms to allow users to choose reusable containers when they order takeout. “Food deliveries have soared in the past year and eight months, but there are no countermeasures against delivery waste,” Green Korea and Riders Union said during a press conference held in front of Baedal Minjok headquarters in Seoul. “Currently, the only way consumers can save disposable waste is by not receiving disposable spoon

Social AffairsSept. 2, 2021

S. Korea developing massive ballistic missile as powerful as tactical nuclear weapon

South Korea has been developing a massive ballistic missile as powerful as a tactical nuclear weapon, sources said Thursday, after the full lifting of US-imposed restrictions on missile development. The surface-to-surface missile, which can carry a warhead of up to 3 tons with a flight range of 350-400 kilometers, is in the last stage of development and the timing of its deployment will be determined after several test-firings, according to the sources. Unveiling its defense blueprint for 2022

DefenseSept. 2, 2021

Unification Ministry seeks to expand inter-Korean cooperation budget by 1.9%

The Unification Ministry on Thursday said it had proposed a 1.9 percent increase in its budget for cooperation projects with North Korea next year, despite escalated tensions and a stalemate in cross-border projects.   　 A total of 1.27 trillion won ($1.09 billion) has been earmarked for the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund next year, up from this year’s 1.24 trillion won, according to the ministry.   　 The fund, established in 1991 to facilitate humanitarian and economic exchange

North KoreaSept. 2, 2021

Trade union head arrested over rally as Oct. strike looms

Police on Thursday arrested the head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions for organizing a rally in Seoul in defiance of COVID-19 rules. Officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on early Thursday morning arrested Yang Kyung-soo, head of the KCTU, at the labor group’s office in Jung-gu, central Seoul. Dozens of officers were dispatched to the scene for the arrest, which took around 40 minutes. Some KCTU members attempted to block police when they entered the building, bu

Social AffairsSept. 2, 2021