‘Different wave, same problems’

South Korea’s front-line medical workers and experts say the way the fourth COVID-19 wave has unfolded here is largely a repeat of previous waves, and that the country has landed itself in a preventable mess by failing to learn from past mistakes. “Lessons are going unlearned,” infectious disease specialist Dr. Eom Joong-sik at Gachon University Medical Center, which has been designated by the government for serious COVID-19 cases in Incheon since February last ye

Social AffairsJuly 12, 2021

Five injured after Army helicopter crash-lands

SEOUL/POCHEON -- Five people were injured after an Army ambulance helicopter crash-landed at a military base Monday, authorities said. The helicopter made an emergency landing on the airstrip at an Army aviation battalion in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of Seoul, at 10:35 a.m. while on its way to pick up a patient there, according to the Army and the local fire department. Five crewmembers were injured, two seriously, and were moved to a nearby hospital. None of them are in a life-threatening

DefenseJuly 12, 2021

South Korean missionary couple abducted in Haiti freed

A South Korean missionary couple kidnapped by an unidentified group in Haiti were released over the weekend, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. 　 The two Korean nationals were freed at around noon on Saturday, local time, after being held captive for 17 days. They left the country on Sunday and are to return home via a third country. The couple remain in good health, the ministry said. 　 The two were abducted by a gang on the outskirts of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince on June 24 while m

Foreign AffairsJuly 12, 2021

Opposition chief doubles down on call for gender, unification ministries' abolition

The head of the main opposition People Power Party on Monday reiterated his call for the abolishment of the gender equality and unification ministries, claiming they have outlived their lifespans as special missions ministries or had no roles from the outset. "The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Unification are given special missions, and it is time to evaluate the missions as more than 20 years have passed since their establishments," Lee Jun-seok, chairman

PoliticsJuly 12, 2021

Employment insurance subscribers increase fastest in 19 months

The number of employment insurance subscribers posted the largest year-on-year increase in 19 months in June in a sign of recovery of the pandemic-hit job market, government data showed Monday. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, there were 14.33 million subscribers to the state insurance plan last month, up 462,000 from June 2020. The increase was the biggest since November 2019, when the number jumped by 477,000 on-year. The ministry said the increase is attributable to stron

Social AffairsJuly 12, 2021

Preliminary candidate registration opens for presidential election

Registration for preliminary presidential candidates opened Monday, kicking off what appears to be one of the most crowded presidential races in the nation's history. The National Election Commission (NEC) began the seven-month early registration period for candidates hoping to run in the March 9 election to pick a successor to President Moon Jae-in, whose term ends on May 9. Registrants are allowed to conduct limited campaign activities ahead of an official registration set for mid-February.

PoliticsJuly 12, 2021

Pope awaiting invitation to visit North Korea

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s second in command, said Pope Francis wants to visit North Korea and is waiting for an official invitation. He conveyed the message during talks with National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, who visited last week, officials said Monday. Park met with Parolin at the Vatican Apostolic Palace on Friday, the last day of his 10-day visit to Greece and Italy, according to the statement released by the National Assembly. During the talks with Parolin,

PoliticsJuly 12, 2021

4 more soldiers at Army boot camp test positive for COVID-19

Four more newly enlisted soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total of recent infections at an Army boot camp to 88, the defense ministry said Monday. The enlistees at the Korea Army Training Center have been in isolation since last week after the center reported a cluster infection amid a new wave of COVID-19 infections across the country. The authorities have conducted virus tests on all camp members and carried out contact tracing, according to the ministry.

DefenseJuly 12, 2021

[Newsmaker] Moon's approval rebounds back to above 40% for 1st time since early March: poll

President Moon Jae-in's job approval rating climbed back to above 40 percent for the first time in 18 weeks, thanks to increased support from 30-something voters and independents, a poll showed Monday. In the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,519 people over the age of 18 from July 5-9, Moon's job approval rating was recorded at 41.1 percent, up 3.1 percentage points from the previous week. The result marked Moon's highest performance in public polls since the 40.1 percent figure in the first

PoliticsJuly 12, 2021

South Korean missionary couple abducted in Haiti have been released: foreign ministry

A South Korean missionary couple, who were abducted by an unidentified group in Haiti, have been released over the weekend after 17 days in captivity, the foreign ministry said Monday. The two Korean citizens were set free at 12:06 p.m. on Saturday (Haiti time) and left the country the following day to return home via a third country, the ministry said. They remain in good shape. Soon after learning that the couple were kidnapped on the outskirts of Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince on June 24

Foreign AffairsJuly 12, 2021

New infections above 1,000 for 6th day, cases start to rise in non-capital areas

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose by more than 1,000 for the sixth consecutive day Monday despite fewer tests over the weekend, as the greater Seoul area, the hotbed for the recent spike in new infections, is placed under the toughest social distancing measures. The country added 1,100 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,063 local infections, raising the total caseload to 169,146, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally compares with 1,324 tallied

Social AffairsJuly 12, 2021

NK foreign ministry accuses US of using humanitarian aid for 'sinister purpose'

North Korea's foreign ministry on Monday accused the United States of using humanitarian aid as a political tool for interfering in internal affairs and taking issue with human rights. Kang Hyon-chol, a senior researcher at the Association for the Promotion of International Economic and Technological Exchange, made the case in an article published on the website of the North's foreign ministry. "In actual practice, many countries have undergone bitter tastes as a result of pinning much ho

North KoreaJuly 12, 2021

Korea, 30th of 36 OECD members in female employment

SEJONG -- The hiring market for women has been relatively tough in South Korea, compared to Western countries. This could also be seen in global comparison data. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Korea posted a 56.7 percent employment rate for women in the working age population of 15-64 in 2020. Korea placed No. 30 among the 36 OECD members for the female employment rate. Of the total 37 members, last year’s figure for Mexico has yet to be compiled.

Social AffairsJuly 12, 2021

DP narrows field of presidential contenders down to six in 1st-stage primary

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Sunday narrowed its lineup of presidential contenders down to six in the first round of the party primary to pick its candidate in next year's presidential election. The DP declared Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, ex-DP chief Lee Nak-yon, ex-Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, ex-Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and two others as the six final winners of the first-stage presidential primary. The results are based on opinion polls conducted from Friday-Sunday on party

PoliticsJuly 11, 2021

Seoul reasserts fruitful Korea-Japan summit as prerequisite for Moon's visit to Tokyo

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae reiterated Sunday that the decision on President Moon Jae-in's potential attendance at the opening ceremony of the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games depends on whether the visit would guarantee a fruitful summit meeting between the two countries' leaders. Cheong Wa Dae has left the door open for Moon's possible attendance at the opening ceremony set for July 23 and a summit meeting between Moon and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on that occasion. The possibil

Foreign AffairsJuly 11, 2021

Call to scrap Unification Ministry stirs debate

Debate over the Unification Ministry, which oversees inter-Korean affairs, further heightened Sunday after remarks from the main opposition party leader drew backlash from the minister and ruling party lawmakers. People Power Party chief Lee Jun-seok had floated the idea of scrapping the ministry altogether, a notion his critics called “regrettable” and “unreasonable.” 　 Lee suggested doing away with the ministry during an interview with a local radio station Friday. Whi

North KoreaJuly 11, 2021

Stiffest distancing measures take effect in Greater Seoul

Starting Monday, the most restrictive social distancing measures are taking effect in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi Province and Incheon for the next two weeks to control the surging number of COVID-19 cases in the country. The number of newly confirmed cases recorded 1,324 in the 24 hours ending Saturday at midnight, marking the third day in a row that the figure had stayed in the 1,300s. On Friday the country set a record for the highest number of new infections reported in one day, with 1,378 p

Social AffairsJuly 11, 2021

Donations roll in for candidates as presidential race heats up

As candidates officially register themselves for next year’s presidential election, donations have started rolling in, giving a preliminary glance at the public support for each candidate and party. Attention toward the upcoming election is believed to be much more heated than before, with hundreds of millions of won pouring in for candidates even on the first day of them opening accounts to receive donations. The campaign office for Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung said Saturday tha

PoliticsJuly 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul to start towing illegally parked e-scooters Thursday

Seoul will start towing illegally parked electric scooters, as the city asks service providers to take responsibility by preventing their products from disrupting traffic and causing inconvenience. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Sunday that it will start towing illegally parked e-scooters Thursday in six of its districts, before going on to do so in the remaining 19 districts. The city plans to levy a 40,000 won ($35) towing fee for each scooter and a 700 won storage fee for every 30 mi

Social AffairsJuly 11, 2021

[Newsmaker] Court to begin trials Friday for ex-YG chief in whistleblower blackmail case

A Seoul court will this week begin trials for Yang Hyun-suk, former CEO of K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment, on charges of attempting to cover up a drug scandal involving a singer-rapper, judicial officials said Sunday. According to the officials, the Seoul Central District Court is to hold its first hearing Friday for Yang, who was indicted last month for having threatened and coerced an informant who testified to police about drug suspicions surrounding B.I, the former songwriting leader of

Social AffairsJuly 11, 2021