[News Focus] Gyeonggi’s sole expansion likely to hamper ‘national balance’

SEJONG -- South Korea’s demographic figures suggest that the government’s policies for a “balanced national development” via population distribution might be lacking effectiveness, at least so far. This can be seen from the continuous renewal of Gyeonggi Province’s record-high population. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the population of Gyeonggi surpassed 13.5 million in June for the first time in history. More than 1 in 4 Koreans were residing

Social AffairsJuly 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] ‘Yoon shouldn’t run for president’

Former prime minister and presidential hopeful of the ruling party Rep. Lee Nak-yon said on Thursday it doesn’t make sense that former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is running for president given what he said earlier about his convicted mother-in-law. “When he was in the prosecution, (the prosecution) did not indict his mother-in-law, and he told Parliament that he will obviously have to step down as prosecutor general if she is guilty,” Lee said in a radio interview Thurs

PoliticsJuly 8, 2021

Majority of PPP supporters back Yoon Seok-youl as president

Some 6 in 10 supporters of the main opposition People Power Party think Yoon Seok-youl is fit to be the next president of South Korea, dwarfing support for the established politicians of the party, a recent poll showed Thursday. The survey was conducted with 1,006 eligible voters by Realmeter and commissioned by OhmyNews, a left-leaning internet news outlet. According to survey results, the ex-prosecutor general received a 58 percent support rating among 383 respondents who said they suppor

PoliticsJuly 8, 2021

Key NK military official ousted from top ruling body

Ri Pyong-chol, who has led North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, appears to have been ousted from the presidium of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, according to a photo released by the North’s state media on Thursday. 　 A picture released by the Korea Central News Agency showed Ri, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, missing from the front row alongside four other presidium members at the Kumsusan Pal

North KoreaJuly 8, 2021

South Korea expresses condolences over death of Haiti's president

The foreign ministry expressed "deep condolences" Thursday over the death of Haiti's President Jovenel Moise, pledging to support efforts to restore political and social stability in the country. Moise was killed during an attack at his private residence on Wednesday morning, creating political turmoil when the country struggles with poverty. First lady Martine Moise was also attacked and is under treatment, according to reports. "We express deep condolences to the bereaved fam

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae piles pressure on Japan over summit talks

Cheong Wa Dae is upping pressure on Japan over summit talks as it has started discussions about President Moon Jae-in’s possible attendance at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics later this month. Until last week, the presidential office had remained mum about the president’s Tokyo visit amid a flurry of news reports from Japan. But this week there has been a shift in tone as Moon’s key aides are starting to speak out that the ball is in Japan’s court. “We

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2021

[Herald Interview] ‘Mind education can change a lot’

The International Youth Fellowship has grown into a global youth organization that has opened nearly 100 branches worldwide since it was founded as a non-governmental organization in 2001. “There was a problem with a student (who was participating in illegal activities, such as drugs) in LA and his mother asked me to help him,” the Rev. Park Ock-soo, founder of the IYF, said during a recent interview with The Korea Herald at the IYF headquarters in southern Seoul. “But how c

Social AffairsJuly 8, 2021

N. Korea's paper reports on coronavirus situations in S. Korea

North Korea's official newspaper on Thursday ran detailed reports about recent spikes in coronavirus infections in South Korea. In an article with a headline mentioning South Korea's coronavirus conditions, a rarity, the Rodong Sinmun provided information on the latest COVID-19 confirmed cases in the South. "Reports show that a huge stir is being caused as the number of new coronavirus infections in South Korea has spiked," the paper said, mentioning the number of confirmed cases h

North KoreaJuly 8, 2021

Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, US hold phone talks

South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, Noh Kyu-duk, spoke by phone with his US counterpart, Sung Kim, on Thursday and discussed efforts to advance the peace process on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. During the phone call, Noh and Kim discussed how to work together to swiftly implement agreements reached between President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden at their May 21 summit and to make substantive progress in efforts to realize complete denuclearization on the penins

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2021

Senior diplomat meets top DR Congo officials to discuss bilateral cooperation

Ham Sang-wook, deputy foreign minister for multilateral affairs, has met top officials of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to discuss bilateral ties and exchanges during his trip to the country, the foreign ministry said Thursday. Ham paid courtesy calls on President Felix Tshisekedi and Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula Apala Pen'Apala during his trip to Kinshasa from Monday through Thursday -- the first such visit by a senior Seoul official since the peaceful transfer of power in DR C

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2021

Top court upholds prison terms for 3 ex-spy chiefs in illegal NIS funds case

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld rulings for three former National Intelligence Service (NIS) chiefs convicted of providing illegal funds to the office of then President Park Geun-hye. The three chiefs -- Nam Jae-joon, Lee Byung-kee and Lee Byong-ho -- were indicted on charges of sending 3.5 billion won ($3.1 million) from the agency's special activities funds to Cheong Wa Dae on a monthly basis while in office. The top court confirmed the rulings handed down to them in a retrial in Januar

Social AffairsJuly 8, 2021

8 more soldiers at Army boot camp test positive for virus

Eight more newly enlisted soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total of recent infections at an Army boot camp to 61, the defense ministry said Thursday, as South Korea braces for another wave of infections. The conscripts at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after 53 others were found to be infected the previous day, according to the ministry. "We are trying to confirm the source and rout

DefenseJuly 8, 2021

Ruins of advanced public toilet uncovered at Joseon Dynasty palace in Seoul

The remains of a public toilet with an advanced purification facility, presumed to be built about 150 years ago, were discovered at a Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) palace in Seoul, a government agency said Thursday. The toilet ruins, which have the form of a rectangular stone pit measuring 10.4 meters in length, 1.4 meters in width and 1.8 meters in height, were uncovered at Gyeongbok Palace in the heart of the capital, according to the Ganghwa National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage. Th

Social AffairsJuly 8, 2021

New virus cases most since pandemic hit, tougher curbs eyed in greater Seoul

South Korea reported the highest daily COVID-19 cases since the pandemic hit the nation early last year on Thursday as the country braces for another wave of the pandemic, prompting authorities to consider imposing tougher virus curbs. The country recorded 1,275 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,227 local infections, raising the total caseload to 164,028, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It marked the highest number since Jan. 20 last year, when the nation reported i

Social AffairsJuly 8, 2021

NK leader visits mausoleum to mark late grandfather's death anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a mausoleum for his late grandfather and national founder Kim Il-sung to mark the anniversary of his death, state media reported Thursday, dismissing rumors about his health. Kim paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where Kim Il-sung's body lies in state, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, a day after rumors surfaced in South Korea that Kim fell unconscious after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage and his uncle Kim Pyong-il had forced him

North KoreaJuly 8, 2021

Competition with China already requires Cold War era measures: US intelligence officer

WASHINGTON -- Growing US competition with China may lead to a second Cold War, a US military intelligence officer said Wednesday. Rear Adm. Mike Studeman, director for intelligence at the US Indo-Pacific Command, also argued other US adversaries such as North Korea consider every day a war with the US for the upper hand. "You can avoid the word 'Cold War' and that's fine, but the degree of action that we need to take is of the magnitude of what we applied in the previous century," St

Foreign AffairsJuly 8, 2021

Over 600 cyber attacks against unification ministry detected last year: data

Over 600 hacking attempts against South Korea's unification ministry were detected last year, government data showed Wednesday. According to the data released by the ministry, 633 cyber attacks against the ministry were detected last year, including 46 hacking attempts through the website. The number of cyber attacks against the ministry, which stood at 336 in 2017, jumped to 630 in 2018 and to 767 in 2019 and slightly fell to 633 last year. Web hacking attempts against the ministry increa

DefenseJuly 7, 2021

DP pushing for legislation to curb fake, false news

  The ruling Democratic Party (DP) is pushing for a bill aimed at dramatically increasing the media's burden of responsibility for false or fake news, sources said Wednesday. According to the political sources, a subcommittee of the parliamentary Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on Tuesday tabled a bill to revise the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, Etc. for Damage Caused by Press Reports, at the initiative of the ruling party. The subcommittee meeting, however, ended shortly,

PoliticsJuly 7, 2021

53 newly enlisted soldiers at Army boot camp test positive for COVID-19

More than 50 newly enlisted soldiers at an Army boot camp have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, amid fears of a fourth wave of infections across the country. After one conscript at the Korea Army Training Center in the central city of Nonsan was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, 35 others who had contact with him were also found to be infected as of 10 a.m., according to the ministry. The ministry announced 16 more cases were confirmed as 6

Social AffairsJuly 7, 2021

Labor group leader grilled by police over alleged illegalities during rallies

The head of South Korea's largest labor umbrella group was summoned by police on Wednesday for questioning over alleged illegalities during rallies that took place in Seoul between May and June amid COVID-19-related warnings by health authorities. According to officials at Seoul's Yeongdeungpo Police Station, Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), was grilled as a suspect for about four hours, beginning at 10 a.m., in connection with alleged violations of t

Social AffairsJuly 7, 2021