Blinken reaffirms US commitment to denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored his country's commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a regional forum attended by the top diplomats of 17 other countries, including South Korea, the State Department said Wednesday. The top US diplomat also reaffirmed US support for the countries in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. "He pledged continued US support for a free and open Mekong subregion and reaffirmed US commitment to the complete

Foreign AffairsAug. 5, 2021

[Contribution] Revisiting ASEAN-Korea relations on the 54th ASEAN Day

This coming Sunday, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations celebrates the 54th ASEAN Day. For over half a century, ASEAN member states have promoted multilateral dialogue and cooperation. Embracing globalization, many countries in the region enjoyed explosive economic growth and have collectively emerged as the fifth-largest economy in the world. Unfortunately, since the global financial crisis of 2008, globalization has slowly lost traction. The onset of COVID-19 has further amplified thi

Foreign AffairsAug. 5, 2021

Top diplomats of South Korea, Israel hold phone talks on trade, COVID-19

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, held phone talks on Wednesday to discuss bilateral ties, trade and the COVID-19 pandemic, the foreign ministry said. During their first talks since the Israeli minister took office in June, Chung called for Lapid to maintain close communication to enhance relations between the two countries, the ministry said. The two ministers agreed to continue cooperation in their response to the pandemic, as Chung noted the two countr

Foreign AffairsAug. 4, 2021

Moon urges caution in planning South Korea-US military drills

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday instructed the defense minister to discuss the S. Korea-US military drills “carefully” by taking into consideration multiple factors, a hint the annual exercises could see some change this year. According to the presidential office, Moon told Defense Minister Suh Wook to prepare for the joint drills while looking at “factors including the pandemic.” Moon’s comment comes just a day after the country’s spy agency told la

North KoreaAug. 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lee Jun-seok says 'salute the rank, not the man'

Main opposition People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok warned the minor opposition People’s Party to not treat him like a kid as the two parties blamed each other for failing to discuss a merger. “I recommend to the People’s Party, ‘Salute the rank, not the man,’” Lee wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, quoting a line from the American war drama miniseries “Band of Brothers,” with a link to a scene in the series. “They (People’s Party) ca

PoliticsAug. 4, 2021

Ex-audit agency chief declares bid to run for president

Choe Jae-hyeong, former chief of the national audit agency, formally declared his presidential bid Wednesday, vowing to restore the principles of a free market economy and ensure fair job opportunities for young people. "As one of South Korea's citizens, I decided I can't just sit and watch the country crumble," Choe, the former chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), said, announcing his bid to run in the March 9 presidential election. The official presidential bid was

PoliticsAug. 4, 2021

'MZ generation' accounts for 35.5% of Seoul's population

The "MZ generation," a Korean term referring to millennials and Generation Z, accounted for 35.5 percent of Seoul's population last year, the city government said Wednesday. The cohort of people born between 1980 and 1994 (millennials) and between 1995 and 2004 (Generation Z) numbered 3.43 million, the largest of all age groups, according to a study by the city government. Compared with the general population, the MZ generation appeared to put less priority on getting married and hav

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2021

272 members of Cheonghae unit presumed to have contracted delta variant: authorities

All of the 272 service members of the anti-piracy Cheonghae unit who contracted the coronavirus are presumed to have come down with the highly transmissible delta variant, as the unit was conducting missions in waters off Africa, health authorities said Wednesday. The members of the 301-strong Cheonghae unit were airlifted home last month, cutting short their missions in Africa after 271 of them tested positive for COVID-19. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 64 of the

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2021

Minor opposition party leader in self-quarantine after possible COVID-19 exposure

The head of the minor opposition People's Party (PP) entered voluntary quarantine Wednesday after a party official tested positive for COVID-19. The PP announced that chairman Ahn Cheol-soo and some other party officials were tested for the coronavirus after another official who worked in the same PP headquarters until Friday was confirmed as infected this morning. Ahn decided to remain in isolation until he receives his results, the party said. According to the party, Ahn did not have close

PoliticsAug. 4, 2021

In wake of vulgar remarks, Japan’s No. 2 diplomat in Korea returns home

Japan’s No. 2 diplomat in South Korea has returned home after causing a stir with remarks disparaging President Moon Jae-in’s efforts to improve relations between the bickering neighbors, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. Hirohisa Soma, deputy chief of mission at the embassy, has been criticized both in Seoul and Tokyo after telling a Korean reporter last month that Moon’s reconciliatory efforts were unrequited, likening the overtures to “masturbat

Foreign AffairsAug. 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Funeral begins for world's 1st disabled climber to conquer 14 eight-thousanders

GWANGJU -- A five-day funeral process began here on Wednesday for South Korean mountaineer Kim Hong-bin, who went missing in mid-July soon after becoming the world's first person with a disability to ascend all 14 eight-thousanders in the Himalayas. Kim's funeral will be held at Yeomju Gymnasium in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, until Sunday, according to the city government. Kim's memorial altar was set up on the first floor of the gym for mourners, with his mountaineering equipment

PoliticsAug. 4, 2021

DP chief says reopening Kaesong complex will help build trust among 2 Koreas, US

South Korea's ruling party chairman suggested Wednesday reopening the long-shuttered inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea's border town of Kaesong will help build trust among the two Koreas and the United States, and ease tension on the Korean Peninsula. "Reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex is very critical to building trust between the US, South Korea and North Korea," Rep. Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), said during a session of the Aspen Sec

North KoreaAug. 4, 2021

Level 4 rules could stay in place for Seoul as COVID-19 stays strong

South Korea could maintain the strictest level of social distancing in the greater capital region throughout August, as the fourth wave of infections shows little signs of subsiding. The country on Wednesday reported 1,725 new COVID-19 cases, 1,664 locally transmitted and 61 imported from overseas, raising the cumulative total to 203,926, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The latest addition is sharply up from 1,200 cases reported a day earlier and 1,218 cases repo

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2021

FM Chung calls for ASEAN's support for peninsula peace efforts

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has asked the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to back Seoul's efforts to foster a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula after the recent restoration of inter-Korean communication lines, his office said Wednesday. Chung made the remarks during Tuesday's virtual ASEAN Plus Three foreign ministerial meeting, which also involved China and Japan. Until Friday, the minister is set to join a series of virtual sessions led by the regional bloc, including t

PoliticsAug. 4, 2021

Govt. to decide Friday whether to adjust social distancing restrictions: PM

The government will closely monitor the COVID-19 situation to decide whether to adjust social distancing restrictions later this week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday. "(The government) will closely monitor the trends for one or two more days and decide the level of social distancing (guidelines) to be effective from next week during a Friday meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters," he said while chairing an interagency meeting on the coronav

PoliticsAug. 4, 2021

2 in 5 job seekers indebted as pandemic drags on: survey

The amount of debt held by job seekers in South Korea has surged as COVID-19 pandemic remains strong and affects employment landscape, data showed Wednesday. According to a survey of 1,498 job seekers from local human resources service Saramin released Wednesday, 40.5 percent of respondents said they have outstanding debt to pay back. Their average amount reached 32.87 million won, up 2.68 million won from the same survey done a year earlier. The surveyed amount for this year is up by more tha

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2021

Military reports 3 COVID-19 cases

Two Army cadets and an Air Force civilian employee have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The Air Force official based in Seongnam, south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after a family member tested positive, according to the ministry. One cadet in Seoul was found to have been infected on vacation, while the other in the central county of Goesan tested positive during a summer training. The latest cases raised the total number of

DefenseAug. 4, 2021

New cases spike to over 1,700; almost 40% of population gets 1st jabs

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases sharply bounced back to the 1,700s on Wednesday as the highly transmissible delta variant weighs on the country's virus fight during the summer vacation season. The country added 1,725 COVID-19 cases, including 1,664 local infections, raising the total caseload to 203,926, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally marked a sharp rise from 1,218 cases Monday and 1,200 cases Tuesday. Daily cases usually fall o

Social AffairsAug. 4, 2021

NK officials attend Russian Embassy's exhibition, resume in-person diplomacy

North Korean officials attended a photo exhibition held by the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang and highlighted their cooperative ties, state media showed Wednesday, signaling Pyongyang's resumption of in-person diplomacy suspended due to the coronavirus. The photo exhibition was held Tuesday "to mark the 20th anniversary of Chairman Kim Jong-il's historic visit to Russia and the 10th anniversary of his visit to the Siberian and the Far Eastern regions," according to the Korean Central Ne

North KoreaAug. 4, 2021

US will not accept nuclear N. Korea despite N. Korean ambitions: US official

WASHINGTON -- The United States will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea despite the latter's apparent ambition to become a nuclear state, a ranking US intelligence official said Tuesday. Sydney Seiler, national intelligence officer for North Korea at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, argued the North's true intention, at least for the time being, may be to be accepted as a nuclear state. "We have made clear in all of our negotiations -- what it is we expect from t

Foreign AffairsAug. 4, 2021