Reserve training canceled on COVID-19 surges

South Korea is suspending training for its reserve forces for a second consecutive year, as the fourth wave of COVID-19 threatens to spiral out of control. The US provided Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine for South Korean troops and military workers, but the supply fell short of covering key demographic groups -- those aged between 20 and 30, who account for the majority of the reserve forces. “Those aged 30 and below will receive their shots in August at the earliest,

DefenseJuly 14, 2021

Uncertainty of extra budget grows amid conflicting views on emergency handouts

The fate of the extra state budget currently under review at the National Assembly is growing more and more uncertain amid a widening political rift among rival parties and the government over the direction and scope of COVID-19 relief handouts. In late June, the government proposed an extra budget of 33 trillion won ($28.9 billion) in an agreement with the ruling Democratic Party (DP) to finance the fifth round of COVID-19 aid packages. The handouts were set to be given to people in the bottom

PoliticsJuly 14, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae reports 1st coronavirus infection among its staffers

Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday that one of its officials has been diagnosed with COVID-19. The official tested positive for the virus earlier in the day while working from home due to their spouse's fever symptom, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. It is the first known coronavirus infection directly linked with the office of President Moon Jae-in. Park said the official holds the rank of assistant secretary to the president but stopped short of revealing personal informati

PoliticsJuly 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Air Force legal affairs chief booked for investigation over death of Air Force sexual abuse victim

The Air Force's chief legal affairs officer has been booked for investigation over allegations he failed to properly oversee an initial probe into sexual abuse of a female noncommissioned officer that led to the victim taking her own life, the defense ministry said Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Jeon Ik-soo was booked on charges of dereliction of duty on Tuesday, and his status has been switched to that of a suspect, 42 days after the defense ministry launched an investigation into why the noncommission

DefenseJuly 14, 2021

Justice ministry toughens stance against info leaks of ongoing cases to media

The Ministry of Justice announced a series of measures to reform "inappropriate" investigative practices by prosecutors Wednesday, with a focus on banning the unauthorized disclosure of information on ongoing probes to media. The ministry, among other things, specified conditions for the publication of allegations in criminal cases, in an effort to prevent investigators from revealing information about ongoing cases that could result in false reporting and human rights violations. As

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2021

US Strategic Commander reaffirms extended deterrence for S. Korea: defense ministry

The US Strategic Command is fully mission capable of providing extended deterrence to South Korea using its full range of capabilities, its commander Adm. Charles Richard was quoted as saying Wednesday. Richard made the remark when he paid a courtesy call on Defense Minister Suh Wook and discussed the regional security situation and their combined deterrence, the defense ministry said. During the meeting, Suh stressed the importance of close coordination between the two countries to deter nucl

Foreign AffairsJuly 14, 2021

Sculptor couple slam Japan for trying to distort history of war crimes

A South Korean artist couple, who has built about 100 "comfort women" statues worldwide in memory of Korean victims of Japanese military wartime sexual slavery, condemned Tokyo on Wednesday for attempting to reverse history through the distortion of memory. Sculptors Kim Eun-sung and Kim Seo-kyung said Japan has not repented for its war crimes and may be dreaming of another war considering its persistent efforts to obstruct the installation and exhibition of their statues. In a writt

Foreign AffairsJuly 14, 2021

NK propaganda outlets decry calls to abolish gender ministry, keeps mum on scrapping unification ministry

North Korean propaganda outlets slammed the head of South Korea's main opposition party Wednesday for calling for the abolition of the gender equality ministry but stayed mum on a more relevant issue of his call for scrapping the unification ministry. Earlier, Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the People Power Party, called for the abolishment of the gender equality and unification ministries, claiming they have outlived their lifespans or had no role to play from the beginning. Meari, a North Korean

North KoreaJuly 14, 2021

Moon says Korean New Deal investment to be expanded to W220tr

South Korea will increase its investment in the Korean-version New Deal project to 220 trillion won ($191 billion) by 2025, President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday. He announced the scheme to expand the scale of government-private investment from the originally planned 160 trillion won, marking the first anniversary of the launch of the campaign. It is aimed at creating a massive amount of jobs and spurring mid-to long-term economic growth with a focus on promoting the digital infrastructure and

PoliticsJuly 14, 2021

[Herald Interview] ‘Japan never admitted a thing’

On Wednesday, single-person protests took place in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul calling for an apology from the Japanese government and demanding it redress its colonial sexual slavery. Unlike the 1,400th demonstration that garnered thousands of people on site, due to the pandemic the 1,500th protest was held in the form of one-person protests -- still watched by thousands of people around the world online. The Wednesday protests first began on Jan. 8, 1992 and have been held every

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2021

N. Korea says its food production down to 10-year low in 2018

North Korea has reported to the United Nations that its food production dropped to the lowest level in 10 years in 2018 due to natural disasters, lack of farming materials and low levels of mechanization. According to its Voluntary National Review (VNR) report submitted to the UN, the North also admitted that it failed to achieve its national target of producing 7 million tons of food. VNR is a process through which to assess progress among member countries in their efforts to achieve the UN S

North KoreaJuly 14, 2021

S. Korea to toughen social distancing in regions outside greater Seoul amid virus flare-up

South Korea announced Wednesday it will elevate the social distancing scheme in regions outside the greater Seoul up one notch, as concerns of a fourth wave of new COVID-19 outbreaks over the summer grow stronger. The decision to implement Level 2 guidelines in regions outside Seoul, the western port city of Incheon and Gyeonggi Province on Thursday was announced in an interagency COVID-19 response meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum. Kim explained the decision was reached as the nu

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2021

Fully remote schooling starts in greater Seoul amid record-breaking virus surge

All schools in the greater Seoul area switched to online classes full-time Wednesday as the country has seen record-breaking coronavirus infections. The measure will remain effective until July 25 in Seoul, Incheon, 40 kilometers west of the capital, and Gyeonggi Province. By then, most schools will be closed for summer vacation. According to the Ministry of Education, 93.7 percent of elementary schools, 98.8 percent of middle schools and 99.1 percent of high schools will begin a one-month hol

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2021

[Graphic News] Value of household work up 36% in 2019 from 5 years earlier

　The value of household chores grew nearly 36 percent in 2019 from five years earlier, with men‘s participation in such work rising amid an increase in one-person households and double-income families, data showed. 　The value of household work, such as child care, meal preparations and cleaning, came to 490.9 trillion won ($433 billion) in 2019, compared to 361.5 trillion won in 2014, according to the data from Statistics Korea. 　The 2019 figure was equivalent to 25.5 percent of the

NationalJuly 14, 2021

US hopes for peaceful resolution of 'Dokdo' row between S. Korea, Japan

WASHINGTON -- The US State Department expressed hope Tuesday for a peaceful resolution of a row between South Korea and Japan over Tokyo's claims to the South's easternmost islets of Dokdo in the East Sea. "The United States does not take a position regarding the sovereignty of the Liancourt Rocks," the State Department official said, referring to Dokdo islets, called Takeshima in Japan. "The question of the sovereignty of these islands is for the ROK and Japan to resolve peacefu

Foreign AffairsJuly 14, 2021

New cases spike to fresh high of over 1,600, non-Seoul area also under toughened curbs

South Korea's daily virus cases hit yet another fresh high Wednesday as the country battles the fourth wave of the pandemic amid woes over rising delta variant cases and a slow vaccination process.    The country added 1,615 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,568 local infections, raising the total caseload to 171,911, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).    The daily figures have stayed above 1,000 for eight consecutive days.    Conc

Social AffairsJuly 14, 2021

Trump says he will 'blow up' Korea-US alliance if reelected: book

Former US President Donald Trump had indicated to his close aides that he would "blow up" the US-South Korea alliance in his second term as president, excerpts from an upcoming book showed Tuesday. The book, "I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year," alleges that Trump also wanted to withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). "In fact, Trump had privately indicated that he would seek to withdraw from NATO and to

Foreign AffairsJuly 14, 2021

Vaccination for US Forces Korea remains voluntary: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- Getting COVID-19 vaccine still remains voluntary for US forces, including those stationed in South Korea, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday, despite an ongoing surge in infection cases in South Korea. John Kirby also said there currently are no plans to require mandatory vaccination for any US troops. The spokesman said there was "no change to our policy on voluntary vaccinations" when asked if the Defense Department may enforce mandatory vaccination in light of a recen

Foreign AffairsJuly 14, 2021

No S. Korean casualties reported in South Africa riots: official

No South Korean casualties have been reported so far in riots that erupted in South Africa, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, following reports of damage to an LG Electronics Inc. factory. At least 10 people have been killed and around 500 arrested since recent protests triggered by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma turned into violent rioting as mobs and others began to ransack shops and buildings. An LG TV factory located in Durban has been destroyed after multiple looting and

Foreign AffairsJuly 13, 2021

‘Vaccine hopes shattered’: First day of sign-up ends in disappointment for many Koreans

Monday was a big day for 50-somethings in South Korea. The reservations for long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines finally opened up, to last until Saturday. Those who sign up would get their first doses of the vaccine made by Moderna later this month. But at around 2 p.m. the online and over-the-phone system for vaccine booking shut down altogether having opened at midnight. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, which oversees the vaccination campaign, said that they couldn’t tak

Social AffairsJuly 13, 2021