S. Korea committed to homegrown COVID-19 vaccine development: minister

South Korea remains committed to developing homegrown COVID-19 vaccines, the country's science minister said Monday, although local pharmaceutical companies face difficulties in conducting advanced stages of clinical trials. Lim Hye-sook, the minister of science and ICT, said her ministry will continue to support companies in research and development to help them speed up the development of their COVID-19 vaccine candidates and treatments. The country will also open the Korea Virus Research In

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2021

Rival parties to pass COVID-19 response extra budget bill by late July

Rival parties agreed Monday to advance the latest COVID-19 response extra budget bill through the National Assembly by late July. The agreement was made during a meeting earlier in the day between Rep. Han Byung-do and Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, deputy floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition People Power Party, respectively. Under the agreement, the parties will work toward approving the supplementary budget bill in a plenary parliamentary meeting by July 23 and host a re

PoliticsJuly 5, 2021

Former ruling party leader Lee Nak-yon runs for president

Former Democratic Party leader Rep. Lee Nak-yon announced his presidential bid Monday. With Lee’s announcement, the race among the ruling bloc’s “Big Three” -- the others being Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun -- began in earnest. In a video clip released on YouTube at 10 a.m., the former prime minister and Democratic Party leader presented a five-point policy blueprint for South Korea that consisted of a new approach to social welf

PoliticsJuly 5, 2021

Navy joins US-led four-nation maritime exercise in Pacific

The Navy has joined a US-led multinational maritime exercise in Australian waters to hone cooperative operation skills at sea, officials said Monday. The navies of South Korea, the United States, Japan and Australia kicked off the Pacific Vanguard maritime exercise off Australia's east coast Monday, which is to continue through Saturday, according to the officials. The Korean Navy dispatched the 4,400-ton Wang Geon destroyer, involving 200 crew members to engage in a range of drills, including

DefenseJuly 5, 2021

S. Korea, Netherlands to hold virtual summit talks Wednesday

The leaders of South Korea and the Netherlands will hold virtual summit talks this week on bilateral ties and global issues, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday. President Moon Jae-in plans to have the summit with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The summit, the first between the two sides in three years, comes amid an increasing need for them to cooperate, especially on semiconductors, renewable energy and other future industries

PoliticsJuly 5, 2021

Labor group slams police probe into weekend mass rally

A major umbrella labor union slammed the government on Monday for launching an investigation into an illegal mass rally it held over the weekend. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) took to the streets of Seoul's central Jongno Ward on Saturday to demand better working conditions and a higher minimum wage. The rally, which defied bans by the Seoul metropolitan government and the police, drew an estimated 8,000 people at a time when the capital area has seen a sharp increase in the

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2021

S. Korea excluded from Italy’s quarantine-free travel scheme

It may take more time for South Korean people to travel to Italy without a 10-day quarantine requirement as the nation has been excluded from an initial list of countries that are subject to the Italian government’s new quarantine-free travel scheme, called certificazione verde, or green pass. Starting this month, quarantine-free travel is allowed in Italy for people from the US, Canada, Israel and Japan as well as those from EU countries if they present a digital health certificate that

Foreign AffairsJuly 5, 2021

Moon says his govt. should maintain political neutrality amid presidential election race

President Moon Jae-in stressed the need Monday for his administration to maintain political neutrality, as South Korea's political parties have effectively entered the presidential election season, according to his office. The president issued the message during a meeting with his Cheong Wa Dae aides, according to his spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Moon was quoted as saying that Cheong Wa Dae and the government should "thoroughly" maintain political neutrality. He called on them to co

PoliticsJuly 5, 2021

N. Korea hit recently with greater volatility in prices, exchange rate: ministry

North Korea is faced with greater volatility in foreign exchange rates and prices of goods, the unification ministry said Monday, amid economic challenges fueled by the protracted coronavirus pandemic. "The government is keeping an eye on the volatility of major economic indices, including the prices of goods and currency exchange," Lee Jong-joo, the ministry's spokesperson, told a regular press briefing. "We believe that such indices have become more volatile recently," sh

North KoreaJuly 5, 2021

Two Army members, airman test positive for COVID-19

One Army officer, an enlisted soldier and an airman tested positive for the new coronavirus over the weekend, the defense ministry said Monday. The officer was confirmed to have been infected after showing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, and the soldier and the airman tested positive following their recent vacation, according to the ministry. The three service members did not receive COVID-19 vaccines, it added. The latest cases raised the total number of infections reported among the mili

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2021

Discussions under way on upcoming S. Korea-US combined exercise: defense ministry

South Korea and the United States are discussing when and how to stage their annual summertime military exercise, the defense ministry said Monday, amid concerns the maneuvers could affect efforts to resume talks with North Korea. The two sides usually hold the summertime drill in August. Sources said this year's exercise is expected to kick off around Aug. 10 for a three-week run and take the form of a computer-simulated command post exercise (CPX) without outdoor drills. Whether and how to g

DefenseJuly 5, 2021

Defense chief calls for close cooperation with USFK for swift OPCON transfer

Defense Minister Suh Wook called for speeding up South Korea's envisioned takeover of wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from the United States after new US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Paul LaCamera took office last week, his office said Monday. During a meeting to check on progress in efforts to retake OPCON, Suh "called for various consultations between top USFK officials, including its new commander, and the defense and military authorities to expedite the OPCON transfer

DefenseJuly 5, 2021

Ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon declares presidential bid

Ex-Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon officially launched his presidential bid Monday, pledging to recover the country's dwindling middle class. Lee, also a former five-term lawmaker and ex-chief of the ruling Democratic Party, announced that he will join the race to win the party's ticket to run in the March 9 presidential election. With the slogan of "a country that safeguards my life," Lee focused his campaign message on his pledges to relieve the country's growing economic disparity and

PoliticsJuly 5, 2021

[Graphic News] 6 in 10 S. Koreans oppose Moon’s visit to Japan during Tokyo Olympics: poll

　Over 60 percent of South Koreans are opposed to President Moon Jae-in’s possible visit to Japan during the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, a poll showed. 　In a survey of 500 people aged 18 and older conducted by Realmeter on June 25, 60.2 percent of respondents said they object to Moon’s visit during the games scheduled to open July 23, while 33.2 percent approved of his visit and the remaining 6.6 percent were undecided. 　Japanese media have reported the two governments have been

NationalJuly 5, 2021

New cases over 700 for 3rd day as delta variant shows signs of spreading

South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed in the 700s for the third day in a row Monday, as health authorities warned against the spread of the more contagious delta coronavirus variant. The country reported 711 more COVID-19 cases, including 644 local infections, raising the total caseload to 160,795, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest figure is down from 826 on Friday, 794 on Saturday and 743 on Sunday, and a nearly six-month high due to the sharp spike

Social AffairsJuly 5, 2021

Hydrogen key collaboration opportunity for S. Korea, Australia: Ambassador

  Hydrogen is at the forefront of collaboration opportunities between S. Korea and Australia, Australian Ambassador Catherine Raper said during an event co-hosted by the Global Green Growth Institute and the Australian Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday. “There is very much global momentum to develop the hydrogen economy- momentum that’s been created by global agreement on the need to address climate change,” Raper said. “So, as advanced and industrialized nations, Austr

Foreign AffairsJuly 5, 2021

Korea’s push to reopen is already backfiring

Korean plans for a more normal summer appear to be dashed by a likely resurgence -- as delta, the latest alarming variant of COVID-19, gains traction globally. Seoul and nearby cities were excluded from the nationwide reopening Thursday, despite health officials vouching less than a week ago that the country was ready for it. Ahead of the weekend, Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom, alongside the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong, issued a special addr

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2021

Moon’s Europe trip ushers Korean diplomacy into new era

President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Europe last month ushered in a pivotal moment for South Korea: His debut at the Group of Seven meeting signaled the country’s elevated status, on a par with the world’s wealthiest democracies. It also heralded the return of in-person diplomacy since the coronavirus pandemic forced the leaders to communicate virtually for more than a year. It was Moon’s second overseas trip since the pandemic, following his brief visit to Washington for a

Foreign AffairsJuly 4, 2021

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee ahead of ex-prosecution chief Yoon in latest poll

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung garnered more support than former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl in the latest poll on prospective presidential contenders released Sunday. In the survey by Global Research, Lee received 44.7 percent of support, while Yoon had 36.7 percent in a hypothetical one-on-one battle. The gap was larger than the poll's margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. It was conducted from last Wednesday to Friday on 1,000 people aged 18 and older and had a 95 percent co

PoliticsJuly 4, 2021

[News Focus] Korea, 2nd-highest in portion of temporary workers in OECD

SEJONG -- There is a high possibility that South Korea will receive the undesirable top spot in the proportion of temporary workers among major economies worldwide in the coming years, global comparison data has shown. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Korea ranked second in the portion of temporary workers of the total salaried jobs in 2020, with 26.1 percent. This was an increase from ranking fourth among 35 OECD members in 2019 (with 24.4 percent) and

Social AffairsJuly 4, 2021