Mobility, biohealth areas to be added to regulatory sandbox program: gov't

The government plans to expand its regulatory sandbox program to include testing of innovations in the areas of mobility and biohealth, and present innovative deregulation road maps for the autonomous shipping and bio industries, officials said Thursday. The government announced the plan to newly add the two areas into the regulatory sandbox program in an inter-agency state affairs review and coordination meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. The regulatory sandbox program, first int

PoliticsSept. 2, 2021

[News Focus] 70-somethings set to outnumber people up to 9

SEJONG -- South Koreans in their 70s are expected to outnumber those aged under 10 for the first time within the next year amid an aged society and record-low birthrates, government data showed. A decade ago in August 2011, the number of people aged between 70-79 was 2.72 million, which came to 57.9 percent of those aged up to 9, at 4.69 million, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. In August 2021, the ratio of those in their 70s to that of those under 10 surged to 96.7 perc

Social AffairsSept. 2, 2021

Court orders Tokyo to disclose assets in S. Korea by next March

A local court has ordered the Japanese government to disclose its assets in South Korea by next March to pay compensation to Korean victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, judicial sources said Thursday. The Seoul Central District Court issued the order for Tokyo to submit a full list of its assets in South Korea as part of efforts to secure reparations for 12 "comfort women" who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II, setting the deadline at 10 a.m

Diplomatic CircuitSept. 2, 2021

New cases under 2,000, eased virus curbs eyed for Chuseok

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 2,000 on ThursUS, as the country is planning to unveil revised distancing guidelines later this week that may potentially include allowing family gatherings during the Chuseok holiday. The country added 1,961 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,927 local infections, raising the total caseload to 255,401, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number marked a slight drop from the 2,025 tallied WednesUS. Dai

Social AffairsSept. 2, 2021

Health workers call off planned strike after last-minute deal with gov't

South Korea's unionized health workers called off their planned strike on Thursday, hours before the unionized workers were set to go on a nationwide strike. The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) said it reached an agreement with the government in their last-ditch talks held the day before. The decision to call off the planned strike came after midnight as union members took time to discuss the tentative agreement with the government. The sides were said to have agreed on the need

Social AffairsSept. 2, 2021

Central region suffers extensive property damage after heavy rain

  Over 200 millimeters of rain battered the central province of South Chungcheong on Wednesday, leaving eight people displaced and about 40 houses and commercial properties submerged.    According to the provincial government, 224 mm of rain fell in Hongseong, 157 kilometers south of Seoul, and adjacent Yesan for three to four hours beginning at 3 a.m.    In Asan, another South Chungcheong town, 74.5 mm of rain fell per hour between 2 and 3 a.m.    Casual

Social AffairsSept. 1, 2021

Moderna delays once again threaten Korea’s vaccine rollout

South Korea said Wednesday that any further delay in deliveries from Moderna could jeopardize the country’s goal to reach 70 percent first-shot rate by mid-September. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s head of vaccine planning committee, Hong Jeong-ik, told reporters in a closed-door briefing that without the additional supply from Moderna, vaccinating 70 percent of the Korean population with at least one dose of a vaccine by the Sept. 18 deadline “

Social AffairsSept. 1, 2021

Korea’s electronic travel authorization takes effect

Korea Electronic Travel Authorization, or K-ETA, became effective as of Wednesday, requiring passport holders from visa-exempt countries to obtain K-ETA approval to enter the country. Overseas visitors now need to fill out an online application on the website of K-ETA to submit personal and travel information at least 24 before boarding a flight or ship bound for Korea. Applicants need to pay 10,000 won ($8.60). Once the application is submitted and payment is complete, the result will be se

Foreign AffairsSept. 1, 2021

Korea becomes 14th in world to legislate carbon neutrality act

Korea became the 14th country in the world to legislate a carbon neutrality act after the National Assembly on Tuesday passed the related bill. The other countries that have legislated commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions include Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The bill, which requires the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by 35 percent or more from the 2018 levels, was approved with 109 lawmakers voting in favor and 4

Social AffairsSept. 1, 2021

NK rejects offer of 3m Sinovac vaccine doses

North Korea has asked for China’s Sinovac COVID-19 shots offered by COVAX to be redirected to other countries low on vaccines, UNICEF said Tuesday, referring to a global vaccine program. “The DPRK Ministry of Public Health has communicated that the 2.97 million doses being offered to the DPRK by COVAX may be relocated to severely affected countries in view of the limited global supply of COVID-19 vaccines and recurrent surge in some countries,” a UNICEF spokesperson told Voice

North KoreaSept. 1, 2021

Ministry seeks to expand foreign aid by 17%

 South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday the proposed 5.7 percent increase in its budget next year included a record amount set aside for foreign aid, as the country seeks to expand its role on the international stage.   　 The ministry sought an allocation of 3.02 trillion won ($2.61 billion) for 2022, up from this year’s 2.84 trillion won, in what would be a record high if approved by the National Assembly later this year.   　 It earmarked 1.11 trillion won,

Foreign AffairsSept. 1, 2021

Ruling party lawmaker tests positive for COVID-19

Rep. Lim Jong-seong of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the fourth sitting legislator to be infected with the virus, parliamentary officials said.  "Following Lim's positive results, we're conducting measures to disinfect assembly facilities and contact tracing," one of the officials told Yonhap News Agency by phone. Officials did not completely rule out the possibility of further infection cases inside the assembly connected

PoliticsSept. 1, 2021

Air Force officer tests positive for virus after return from Afghan mission

An Air Force officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus after taking part in a mission to evacuate Afghan people from the war-torn nation last month, officials said Wednesday. The officer, based in the southeastern city of Busan, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms while in quarantine, according to the defense ministry. South Korea carried out an emergency operation last week mobilizing military aircraft to evacuate those who worked at its embassy in K

DefenseSept. 1, 2021

S. Korea-US defense cost-sharing deal comes into effect

The new defense cost-sharing agreement between South Korea and the United States took effect Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, a day after the National Assembly ratified the deal on sharing the cost for the upkeep of American troops here. After Tuesday's parliamentary ratification, the two countries notified each other that all domestic procedures necessary for the agreement to go into effect have been completed, bringing the deal officially into force, the ministry said. The pact, known a

DefenseSept. 1, 2021

Remains of 1st Korean Catholic martyrs recovered 2 centuries after deaths

JEONJU -- The remains of three people known as the first Korean Catholic martyrs have been recovered in Wanju two centuries after their deaths, the Diocese of Jeonju said Wednesday. The remains were identified as those of Paul Yun Ji-chung and James Kwon Sang-yeon, who were beheaded in 1791, and Yun's younger brother Francis Yun Ji-heon, who was quartered in 1801, the diocese said during a press conference in Jeonju, 243 kilometers south of Seoul. They were found in March in Wanju, just outsid

Social AffairsSept. 1, 2021

1.5m doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Romania to land in S. Korea

South Korea said Wednesday 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will come from Romania starting this week as part of a vaccine cooperation program with the eastern European country. Romania will send 1.05 million Pfizer doses and 450,000 from Moderna, according to health authorities. The first shipment of 526,500 Pfizer doses will arrive Thursday, followed by the remaining half and the Moderna shots on Sept. 8. The government bought the Pfizer doses from Romania, and the Moderna shots will b

Social AffairsSept. 1, 2021

WHO chief welcomes S. Korea's push for regional cooperation forum against health crises

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday he welcomes President Moon Jae-in's initiative for a regional cooperation forum to tackle public health crises, like the coronavirus pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the remarks in his message for the Korean Global Forum for Peace, an annual forum organized by the unification ministry, calling on countries to "join hands across ideological divides." "We welcome the Northeast Asia Coopera

Foreign AffairsSept. 1, 2021

Prosecution busts biggest-ever drug smuggling attempt

BUSAN -- South Korean prosecutors said Wednesday they have busted the nation's largest-ever drug trafficking attempt with an arrest of a man in his 30s in the southern port city of Busan. The Busan District Prosecutors Office said it has arrested and indicted a 34-year-old man on charges of smuggling over 400 kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico. The prosecution said the volume of methamphetamine seized from the suspect totaled 404.23 kg, the largest amount in the nation's history of drug

Social AffairsSept. 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] A majority of Koreans support ban on raising dogs on short leash

Dogs living outside on a short leash are a common sight in Korea, but the majority of people here feel such practices should be banned by law, a survey shows. Private animal welfare research institute Aware recently published survey results on the public perception of animal welfare policies. It surveyed 2,000 adults in 17 cities nationwide on laws and awareness of animal protection. According to the survey, 82.5 percent of respondents agreed that raising animals tied to short ropes or locke

Social AffairsSept. 1, 2021

S. Korea alert against lambda variant, toughens measures against Peru, Chile arrivals

South Korea has adopted tougher measures to block the inflow of the lambda variant of the novel coronavirus as the country is struggling to contain the spread of variant cases amid the fourth wave of the pandemic, according to health authorities. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced Tuesday that arrivals from Peru and Chile will go through a mandatory seven-day quarantine at designated facilities starting Sept. 10. The arrivals from the two countries will receive th

Social AffairsSept. 1, 2021