Dispute grows in S. Korea over Afghan refugees

A heated debate is brewing in South Korea over whether the country has to accept Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover amid a report the United States is considering using its military bases in the country and others to house Afghan evacuees. Since the Taliban took over Kabul earlier this month, some progressive politicians here have openly expressed support for taking in Afghan refugees. "As the first Asian country that legislated the Refugee Act, the Republic of Korea has a role to play,

Foreign AffairsAug. 23, 2021

[Contribution] Korea’s journey toward objective, scientific weather forecasts

I am quite sure that most people have the experience of being surprised by a sudden downpour in the middle of a sunny day. Due to the advancement of technology, the predictability of the rapid changes in weather phenomena has improved significantly, but is still not perfect. Why are weather forecasts not always accurate, even in the modern era? Weather predictions do not seem that difficult considering the fact that we can predict solar or lunar eclipse with a great deal of accuracy. Believe

Social AffairsAug. 23, 2021

Vice unification minister to hold high-level consultations with US nuclear envoy

Vice Unification Minister Choi Young-jun will meet with the visiting US nuclear envoy later Monday to discuss a coordinated approach to North Korea, the ministry said. Unification Minister Lee In-young will also hold a breakfast meeting with the US envoy, Amb. Sung Kim, Tuesday to discuss ways for bilateral cooperation on denuclearization and improving inter-Korean relations, according to the ministry. Kim's visit here comes amid chilled inter-Korean relations after the North has rejected call

Foreign AffairsAug. 23, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul subway workers to launch strike next month to protest restructuring plan

Seoul’s subway workers on Monday warned of a full strike next month to protest Seoul Metro’s massive restructuring plan, the company’s response to continuing financial losses. Unionized workers at Seoul Metro said at a press conference Monday that they will stage a full-scale walkout on Sept. 14 unless the central government and the Seoul Metropolitan Government withdraw the restructuring plan and devote the funds to improving the corporation’s financial standing. The u

Social AffairsAug. 23, 2021

Rival parties on collision course ahead of plenary vote on controversial media arbitration bill

A partisan showdown loomed large at the National Assembly on Monday, as the ruling Democratic Party (DP) with a controlling number of parliamentary seats was set to railroad a controversial media bill this week fiercely contested by opposition parties and media industry trade groups. The revision of the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, Etc. for Damage Caused by Press Reports, which was passed by parliament's culture committee last week, is expected to be put to a final vote during the N

PoliticsAug. 23, 2021

Moon urges thorough measures to minimize damage from Typhoon Omais

President Moon Jae-in instructed the government Monday to maintain a firm emergency response system, as Typhoon Omais is expected to make landfall on the Korean Peninsula later in the day, his office said. Moon instructed relevant authorities to prepare for carrying out a "special response" and asked the people to pay keen attention as well, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The president called for thorough measures against flooding damage and landslides, as we

PoliticsAug. 23, 2021

[Newsmaker] Rival parties' leading contenders in tight race for president, poll shows

Two leading contenders in South Korea's presidential race -- Yoon Seok-youl and Lee Jae-myung -- are still neck and neck, with the election less than seven months away, a survey showed Monday. In the two-day poll on 1,007 voters nationwide through last Saturday by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), former Prosecutor General Yoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) had 29.8 percent of support, down 0.8 percentage point from a week earlier. Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee of the

PoliticsAug. 23, 2021

S. Korea's manufacturing workforce aging fast over past decade: report

South Korea's manufacturing workforce has been aging fast over the past 10 years, stoking concerns that it may undercut the country's growth potential drastically down the road, a report said Monday. People aged 50 and older accounted for 30.1 percent of the country's total manufacturing workers in 2020, up from 15.7 percent 10 years earlier, according to the report from the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI). In contrast, the ratio of manufacturing workers in their 30s fell to 27.8 perc

Social AffairsAug. 23, 2021

N. Korea's main paper urges people to prioritize socialist ideology

North Korea's official newspaper called Monday for putting socialist ideology ahead of anything else, stressing that ideologically arming people should be the basis for moving science and technology and other areas forward. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, made the appeal in an editorial, saying that emphasizing the economy while being negligent in ideological education will only result in the collapse of the foundation of socialism. "We must maintain

North KoreaAug. 23, 2021

New COVID-19 cases fall below 1,500, toughest virus curbs extended

South Korea's daily new coronavirus fell below 1,500 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, as health authorities extended the toughest virus curbs for another two weeks to battle the worst wave of the pandemic. The country added 1,418 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,370 local infections, raising the total caseload to 237,782, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Monday's tally was down from 2,052 on Friday, 1,880 on Saturday and 1,628 on Sunday. But t

Social AffairsAug. 23, 2021

Downpours, strong winds forecast in Jeju, southern coastal areas, as typhoon expected to make landfall

The southern coastal region is forecast to be hit by heavy downpours and strong winds Monday, as Typhoon Omais is projected to make landfall there later at night, the national weather agency said. The typhoon was located at some 500 kilometers southwest off Jeju as of 9 a.m. and advancing slowly toward the Korean Peninsula at 31 kph, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. It is projected to pass the southern resort island of Jeju at night and be downgraded to an extratropical cycl

Social AffairsAug. 23, 2021

N. Korea develops real-time PCR equipment to test for coronavirus: state media

North Korea has developed real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) coronavirus testing equipment on its own, state media said Monday, as the country continues to fight against the global pandemic. Scientists and workers at the 111 Factory in Pyongyang have developed the equipment, which meets global standards, for the first time in the country, the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party, said. Many countries currently use PCR as a standard test for COVID-19 that works b

North KoreaAug. 23, 2021

Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US discuss humanitarian aid to N. Korea

South Korea and the United States on Monday discussed humanitarian aid to North Korea, the US nuclear envoy said after talks with his counterpart in Seoul amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's angry protest against military exercises between the South and the US Amb. Sung Kim also said the US does not have a hostile intent to the North, stressing that the ongoing South Korea-US military exercise is "purely defensive" in nature and renewing his offer to "meet with my North Kore

Foreign AffairsAug. 23, 2021

Moderna to supply S. Korea with 7m doses of vaccines over next 2 weeks: PM

US pharmaceutical company Moderna plans to provide South Korea with 7 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in the coming two weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday, following a supply disruption due to a production issue at the company. "Moderna has notified the government that it will provide a total of 7 million vaccine doses over the next two weeks," Kim said during a daily interagency meeting on the government's coronavirus response. The announcement was made following a

Social AffairsAug. 22, 2021

Assembly speaker seeks support for Korean businesses in Turkey, Azerbaijan

National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug met with the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan during a nine-day visit that ended Saturday, officials said Sunday. During those meetings the leaders of both nations agreed to deepen economic and diplomatic ties with Korea. Park stressed the significance of bilateral economic cooperation and asked them to support the efforts of Korean companies to take part in major projects there, according to a statement released by the speaker’s office. P

PoliticsAug. 22, 2021

Govt. raises typhoon advisory to 'caution' as Tropical Storm Omais poised to hit southern areas

The government on Sunday raised the typhoon advisory by one notch to "caution" as Tropical Storm Omais was soon expected to land in the country's southern regions. The interior ministry issued the second-tier warning against Omais, forecast to enter the waters south of Jeju Island early Monday, up one notch from the previous entry-level "attention" warning. Weather authorities predict Omais to land near the southern coastal region near Gwangju late Monday and make its path

Social AffairsAug. 22, 2021

US, Russian nuclear envoys in Seoul to discuss North Korea

The top nuclear envoys from Russia and the US are in Seoul to hold talks with their South Korean counterpart on the stalled nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang amid fresh tension over ongoing US-South Korea military exercises. 　 Sung Kim, the US special representative for North Korea, arrived here Saturday for a four-day visit, days after Pyongyang warned of a “security crisis” over the joint military drills that are due to end Thursday. 　 “I’m looking forward to very clo

Foreign AffairsAug. 22, 2021

Moderna to supply 7m doses of vaccines to Korea by early Sept.

South Korea will receive 7 million vaccine doses from Moderna over the next two weeks, officials said Sunday, a move to further boost the nation’s ongoing vaccination efforts. “Moderna informed us Saturday that it would supply 7.01 million doses by the first week of September,” said Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae in a press briefing. About 1.01 million doses of the Moderna vaccine are scheduled to arrive at Incheon Airport on Monday. The remaining 6 million doses w

Social AffairsAug. 22, 2021

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee pledges to meet with Biden, Kim Jong-un to broker denuclearization deal

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner in the ruling Democratic Party's presidential primary race, pledged Sunday to meet with US. President Joe Biden and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to broker a step-by-step deal to resolve the North Korea nuclear issue. In a press conference on his Korean Peninsula peace policy, Lee said it was "realistic" and "practical" for both Pyongyang and Washington to "seek an agreement and implementation of denuclearization

PoliticsAug. 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul’s riverside parks to have cleaner restrooms, more women’s toilets

Seoul will upgrade the restrooms at its riverside parks and install new ones over the next four years to make the parks more inviting for visitors. The city government said Sunday that it will make investments starting this year to improve the ventilation of the restrooms at Seoul’s riverside parks and increase the number of toilets for women. Some public restrooms at the parks have been criticized over the years for being run-down and unhygienic. “As the number of visitors at riv

Social AffairsAug. 22, 2021