[News Focus] Unemployment benefits surge among youth, women, self-employed

SEJONG -- The pandemic was found to have dealt tougher blows to young workers, women and the self-employed in South Korea in terms of job security, a state agency data showed. According to the Korea Employment Information Service, the number of recipients of unemployment benefits among men in their 20s reached 41,814 last month. This marked a 98.6 percent surge from 21,051 in December 2019, a month before COVID-19 initially hit the nation. The situation was similar among women in their 20s: a

Social AffairsJuly 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Opposition leader urges Yoon, Ahn to join primary next month

  South Korea’s main opposition party leader said Thursday that if former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl does not join the party next month, party members who have joined his camp will be expelled. People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok said that as the party has finalized the primary in late August, he expects Yoon to join the PPP in August. “The No. 1 opposition party’s primary is like a public good. A celebrity can’t stop the bus. That’s not going to

PoliticsJuly 29, 2021

Students from 26 countries advised to travel to Korea after 70% first-dose vaccination rate

In preparation for an influx of students coming for the fall semester, the Education Ministry has come up with a separate set of guidelines for students from 26 countries where there has been a higher risk of the spread of virus variants, including the highly contagious delta variant. The government has designated 26 countries where COVID-19 variants are spreading fast. The countries are South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Brazil, Suriname, Paraguay, Chil

Social AffairsJuly 29, 2021

Relatives, spouses of employers punishable for workplace harassment from October: Labor Ministry

Close relatives and spouses of employers could face legal action for workplace bullying starting October, as the South Korean government looks to continue its work on improving workplace culture. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Thursday that it will expand the range of people punishable for workplace bullying in accordance with the Labor Standards Act from those directly in the workplace with those harassed. At the moment, no legislative clause is in place to directly levy punishment

Social AffairsJuly 29, 2021

N. Korea's trade down 73.4% in 2020: KOTRA

North Korea's annual trade plunged a whopping 73.4 percent in 2020 from a year earlier, as the country shut down its border amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Thursday. The combined amount of North Korea's trade came to $863 million in 2020, compared with $3.24 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). "The decrease came as both exports and imports lost ground after North Korea closed down its bord

North KoreaJuly 29, 2021

Military reports 2 new COVID-19 cases

A Navy officer and a civilian worker for the military tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday. The officer in the southern city of Changwon was confirmed to have been infected while in quarantine, and the civilian worker in Seoul tested positive after one of his family members recently contracted the virus, according to the ministry. The latest cases brought the total caseload among the military population to 1,497, with 305 of them under treatment, it added

DefenseJuly 29, 2021

Inter-Korean military hotlines back to normal operation: defense ministry

Direct military communication lines between South and North Korea are back to normal operation Thursday after technical problems with one of the lines were fixed, the defense ministry said. On Tuesday, the two sides reopened all cross-border communication lines, 13 months after Pyongyang cut them off in protest over anti-regime propaganda leaflets flying in from the South. Of the two cross-border military hotlines, the western channel worked well from the first day, but the other one, known as

North KoreaJuly 29, 2021

[Graphic News] Seoul reports largest population drop in 5 years: data

　Seoul has suffered its largest population decline in five years, with the soaring housing prices likely driving people out of the capital city, data showed. 　According to figures compiled by the Ministry of Interior and Safety and provided to People Power Party Rep. Tae Young-ho, Seoul had a population of just over 9.56 million as of June. Compared to a year ago, that represented a drop of 154,856, or 1.59 percent. It is the largest annual drop in five years. 　Seoul had almost 9.99 million p

NationalJuly 29, 2021

5 USFK members test positive for COVID-19

Four American service members and a family member of an American worker for the US military tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arrival here from the United States, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. One of the service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on a US government-chartered flight, and three service members and a USFK contractor's family member arrived on international commercial flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seo

DefenseJuly 29, 2021

Daily virus cases dip as authorities mull stronger virus curbs

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell slightly Thursday after reaching a record high the previous day as health authorities weigh implementing more virus restrictions to slow down the spread of the delta variant and growing infections outside the greater Seoul area. The country added 1,674 COVID-19 cases, including 1,632 local infections, raising the total caseload to 195,099, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally is a fall from a record

Social AffairsJuly 29, 2021

NK leader says 'kindred ties' with China will last for generations

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed that "kindred ties" with China will carry on generation after generation as he visited a monument symbolizing friendly relations between the two countries, state media said Thursday. On Wednesday, Kim visited the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang, which was erected to commemorate China's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, and sent a wreath to mark the 68th anniversary of the armistice that ended the war, the Korean Central News Agency said.

North KoreaJuly 29, 2021

FM Chung calls inter-Korean hotline restoration leaders' commitment to restore trust, improve ties

This week's restoration of inter-Korean communication lines underscores the commitments by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to restore mutual trust and improve bilateral ties, Seoul's top diplomat said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong made the remarks, after the two Koreas reactivated communication lines on Tuesday, 13 months after North Korea severed them in anger over activists having sent anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border into the North. The react

Foreign AffairsJuly 28, 2021

18th Import Goods Fair

Foreign AffairsJuly 28, 2021

Korea says Moderna will resume shipments next week

Korea said Wednesday that Moderna was set to make up for the shortfall in the July delivery of its COVID-19 vaccine to the country with shipments resuming in August. “As a result of a teleconference with Moderna officials held Tuesday evening, shipments will return starting next week,” said Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum.  A day earlier, he said the pharmaceutical company had reported production issues with its vaccine and consequent delays in delivery in a July 23 exchange wi

Social AffairsJuly 28, 2021

[Newsmaker] Foreign population in Korea shrinks to lowest level in 5.5 years

The number of foreigners in South Korea decreased for a consecutive 19 months amid the pandemic to its lowest in five years and six months in June, according to statistics released by the Korea Immigration Service under the Justice Ministry. The foreign population in Korea stood at about 1.98 million in June, 0.3 percent less compared to May, and the lowest since December 2015 (1.89 million). The number peaked at 2.52 million in December 2019, but plunged by nearly 100,000 in January 2020 as C

Social AffairsJuly 28, 2021

US welcomes restored inter-Korean hotlines

The US welcomed the reopening of the inter-Korean hotlines that had been severed for more than a year, calling it a “positive step,” sparking conjecture on whether the development could lead to another round of summits or progress in stalled nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington. 　 “The US supports inter-Korean dialogue and engagement, and of course welcomes today’s announcement of restoration of inter-Korean communication lines, and we certainly believe that t

Foreign AffairsJuly 28, 2021

Presidential hopefuls vying to win support of pet lovers

Presidential contenders from the ruling and opposition blocs have added a new approach to their widening campaigns to win voters at next year's presidential election: reaching out to cats and dogs. Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and Rep. Lee Nak-yon, the top two presidential hopefuls from the ruling Democratic Party (DP), have been stepping up the promotion of their presidential campaign pledges dedicated to pets and, ultimately, pet and animal lovers. Gov. Lee is not a pet owner himself

PoliticsJuly 28, 2021

S. Korea's childbirths at fresh low in May

The number of babies born in South Korea dropped to a new record low in May, data showed Wednesday, in the latest sign that underscores the country's gloomy demographic situation. A total of 22,052 babies were born in May, down 3.5 percent from the previous year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest for any May since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. South Korea is struggling with a sustained fall in childbirths as many young pe

Social AffairsJuly 28, 2021

Inter-Korean talks going virtual?

Cheong Wa Dae is considering setting up a virtual meeting system for inter-Korean talks, signaling that working-level talks could start soon following Tuesday’s restoration of the hotlines between the two Koreas after a 13-month hiatus. “The direct hotlines may not be enough for intensive talks and negotiations,” President Moon Jae-in’s senior secretary for public communication, Park Soo-hyun, said during a radio interview on Wednesday. “Building a virtual meeti

North KoreaJuly 28, 2021

Military reports 4 more COVID-19 cases across nation

Three soldiers and a civilian worker for the Army tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said, the latest in a series of confirmed cases across the country amid a new wave of the pandemic. Two soldiers -- one in the central city of Nonsan and the other in the border city of Paju -- tested positive while being in isolation after recently joining the military, according to the ministry. The remaining soldier in Siheung, south of Seoul, and a civilian worker in the eastern

DefenseJuly 28, 2021