New infections dip to 1,300s on fewer tests, post-holiday resurgence worried

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to the 1,300s on Tuesday due to fewer tests over the extended weekend amid concerns over a potential upsurge down the road. The country added 1,373 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,323 local infections, raising the total caseload to 226,854, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections fell from 1,556 on Monday, 1,817 on Sunday and 1,930 on Saturday, but the decline was attributable to fewer tests over

Social AffairsAug. 17, 2021

Vice FM Choi meets Moroccan FM on bilateral cooperation

First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun has met Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation in trade, development, health and other areas during his trip to the African country, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Choi was in Morocco on Sunday and Monday in the first leg of his Africa trip, which includes Senegal and Nigeria, to cement the two countries' partnership ahead of the 60th anniversary next year of the establishment of bilateral relations. Dur

Foreign AffairsAug. 17, 2021

Kazakh president arrives in S. Korea to become first foreign leader to visit amid pandemic

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in South Korea on Monday, becoming the first foreign leader to visit here in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He embarked on the two-day state trip at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in, during which they are scheduled to hold summit talks. He was greeted by South Korea's Commerce Minister Moon Sung-wook at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul. He is the first Kazhak president to travel to South Korea in five years. In their s

Foreign AffairsAug. 16, 2021

Bangladesh embassy observes National Mourning Day 2021

The Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul observed National Mourning Day 2021 to mark the 46th martyrdom anniversary of Bangladesh’s first president, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is known as the “father of the nation,” Sunday. As part of the program, Bangladesh Ambassador Abida Islam and embassy officials lowered Bangladesh’s national flag to half-mast, wearing black badges as they paid homage to Bangabandhu. The ambassador unveiled the compilation of Bangabandhu&rsqu

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 16, 2021

Indian Embassy celebrates Independence Day

INDEPENDENCE DAY -- Indian Ambassador to South Korea Sripriya Ranganathan delivers Indian President Ram Kovind’s Independence Day message for the 75th anniversary of the nation on Sunday. India gained independence from the United Kingdom on Aug. 15, 1947. (Embassy of India)

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 16, 2021

S. Korea protests Japan's repeated claims to Dokdo in defense white paper for children

South Korea strongly protested Japan's renewed claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo in its newly created defense white paper for elementary and junior high school students, the foreign ministry said Monday. Lee Sang-ryeol, the director-general for Asia Pacific affairs, and Kim Yong-gil, minister at the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo, lodged a protest to Naoki Kumagai, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and Taisuke Mibae, deputy director-general of the Japan

Foreign AffairsAug. 16, 2021

S. Korea reports 2 additional ASF cases

South Korea's agricultural ministry on Monday reported two additional cases of African swine fever (ASF) after it confirmed the first cases of the animal disease at a local farm in about three months on Aug. 8. The authorities found the two new cases in a pig farm in Inje, Gangwon Province, and began culling about 1,700 pigs at the farm, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. On Aug. 8, pigs at a farm in Goseong of the same province were infected with the disease, pr

Social AffairsAug. 16, 2021

Moon sends condolences to earthquake-hit Haiti

President Moon Jae-in sent a condolence letter to Haiti's leader Monday over massive damage from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, Cheong Wa Dae said. In the message to Prime Minister Ariel Henry, Moon expressed his sympathy for the people of the Caribbean country and hope for an early recovery from the damage. He added that the South Korean government will take active part in the international community's efforts to provide emergency assistance, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-me

Foreign AffairsAug. 16, 2021

South Korea temporarily closes embassy in Afghanistan and evacuates staff

South Korea temporarily shut its embassy in Afghanistan on Sunday and evacuated most of its diplomatic personnel to a third country in the Middle East, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.   　 The decision was made amid surging chaos and uncertainty, as Taliban forces entered the capital city Kabul and effectively took control of Afghanistan on Sunday, after US-backed President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Many countries have temporarily closed diplomatic missions and have been scrambling

Foreign AffairsAug. 16, 2021

Moon says return of Korean independence fighter's remains very meaningful

President Moon Jae-in said it is very meaningful that the remains of Gen. Hong Beom-do, a legendary Korean independence fighter, have been repatriated to South Korea's soil, according to his office Monday. Moon conversed with the three members of his special delegation at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, the previous day. They traveled to Kazakhstan to bring Hong's remains home, 78 years after his death in the Central Asian country. Moon observed the arrival of the remains at th

PoliticsAug. 16, 2021

Moon leaves door open for dialogue with Japan

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday reiterated Korea was open to dialogue with Japan but no specific offers were made, signaling no immediate breakthrough in the strained relationship between the two neighbors. “Our government has always kept the door open for dialogue to jointly respond not only to our two countries’ pending issues but also threats facing the world, including COVID-19 and the climate crisis,” the president said in a speech marking the 76th anniversary of Korea&rs

Foreign AffairsAug. 16, 2021

US envoy for N. Korea expected to visit Seoul this week

Sung Kim, the US special representative for North Korea, is expected to visit Seoul later this week, fanning speculations of a possible trilateral session among Seoul, Washington and Moscow.  Kim is expected to arrive here on Saturday for a four-day stay, about two months after his first visit in June, local media outlets reported on Monday.  During Kim’s stay, Russia’s nuclear envoy, Igor Morgulov, could also visit Seoul, raising possibility of a trilateral session with

Foreign AffairsAug. 16, 2021

Warrant issued for KCTU head, but arrest remains challenge for police

An arrest warrant for an umbrella union head has been issued, but resistance from the union is likely to present tougher challenges for police. On Friday, a local court issued an arrest warrant for Yang Kyung-soo, head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, on charges of violating COVID-19 rules by organizing a large rally last month. Despite repeated requests from authorities and restrictions implemented as part of Level 4 social distancing rules, the KCTU held a rally with 4,701 of i

Social AffairsAug. 16, 2021

Danish Embassy launches ‘Meet Denmark’ campaign

The Danish Embassy in South Korea and the pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk co-launched the “Meet Denmark” campaign Thursday. With the slogan “Aspiring life, Danish life,” the campaign offers a glimpse into a healthy, sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle that is unique to Northern Europe, the embassy said. At a time when travel is difficult due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the embassy said, the campaign will showcase tourist attractions in Copenhagen, Danish tr

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon orders all-out efforts for safe evacuation of Koreans from Afghanistan

President Moon Jae-in instructed his government Monday to do its best for the safe evacuation of South Korea's diplomatic officials and residents in Afghanistan. He told relevant authorities to make all-out efforts so that every single South Korean national there can be evacuated to safety, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The president has been receiving real-time reports on recent security situations in the nation, where the Taliban has taken control, she added. Moon

Foreign AffairsAug. 16, 2021

As infections rise, concerns emerge over collapse of medical system

There are fears that the medical system could collapse under the weight of the fourth wave of COVID-19, with some hospitals reporting bed shortages and a woman dying at a treatment center while waiting for care. As of Sunday at midnight, the daily number of newly confirmed cases was 1,556, the highest Sunday figure ever recorded in South Korea. The number of confirmed cases now stands at 225,481. Of the newly confirmed cases, 1,493 were locally transmitted and 63 were imported, with 857 of t

Social AffairsAug. 16, 2021

S. Korea, US start joint training amid N. Korea's protest

South Korea and the United States kicked off their annual joint military training Monday, undeterred by North Korea's strong protest and threats of a serious security crisis. The nine-day command post exercise staged on the peninsula is based largely on a computer simulation with no field training, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The drill is defensive in nature as usual, it stressed in a statement.The number of participating troops will be restricted in consideration o

DefenseAug. 16, 2021

Main opposition's approval rating drops again amid rift between heavyweights

Public support for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has fallen after a two-week rise, a poll showed Monday amid a conflict between the party's two key figures -- Lee Jun-seok and Yoon Seok-youl. In the Realmeter survey on 2,512 people, aged 18 and older, nationwide from last Monday through Friday, the PPP's approval rating dipped 0.5 percentage point to 37.3 percent from a week earlier. The ruling Democratic Party's rating gained 1.4 percentage points to 33.5 percent. The PPP, in p

PoliticsAug. 16, 2021

Opposition parties' merger talks end in failure: Ahn

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the minor opposition People's Party, announced a no-deal end Monday to negotiations with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) over a proposed merger. "I am very sorry to say that the efforts to unify the two parties have come to a halt here," he said during the press conference at the National Assembly. Ahn described the negotiation process as the "hardest time" for him since he became a politician a decade ago. He apologized to those who h

PoliticsAug. 16, 2021

New infections dip to 1,500s amid concerns over post-holiday surge

  South Korea's daily new coronavirus fell back to the 1,500s due to fewer tests over the weekend but marked the highest daily figure reported on a Monday amid concerns over a spike in cases following the Liberation Day holiday. The country added 1,556 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,493 local infections, raising the total caseload to 225,481, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections fell from 1,817 on Sunday and 1,930 on Saturday, but the de

Social AffairsAug. 16, 2021