Moon marks S. Korea's feat against Japan's industrial material export control

President Moon Jae-in attended an event Friday to commemorate South Korea's successful response so far to Japan's unilateral export curbs. He described Tokyo's measure, launched in early July 2019, as tantamount to a "surprise attack." It restricted exports of three key industrial materials -- photoresist, etching gas and fluorinated polyimide -- to South Korea, apparently in protest against its handling of diplomatic issues related to shared history. The Moon administration soon opt

PoliticsJuly 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Prosecutors seek 5-yr prison term for disgraced K-pop star Seungri in sex, gambling scandal

YONGIN -- Military prosecutors have demanded five-year imprisonment for Seungri, the disgraced former member of K-pop boy band BIGBANG, on charges including prostitution mediation and overseas gambling. The prosecutors on Thursday asked the general military court in Yongin, south of Seoul, to sentence the scandal-ridden celebrity, whose legal name is Lee Seung-hyun, to five years in prison and a fine of 20 million won ($17,600). The singer is under trial at the military court because he enlis

Social AffairsJuly 2, 2021

N. Korea's No. 2 leader keeps his seat in recent reshuffle, holds key party meeting

North Korea's No. 2 leader Choe Ryong-hae presided over a key Workers' Party meeting, state media said Friday, confirming that he survived a recent reshuffle carried out to sack officials responsible for causing a "crucial case" in the country's fight against the coronavirus. Choe, president of the presidium of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), convened the 15th plenary meeting of the standing committee at the Mansudae Assembly Hall, the official Korean Central News Agenc

North KoreaJuly 2, 2021

New cases at nearly 6-month high, greater Seoul on verge of another wave of pandemic

South Korea's daily new virus cases soared to a nearly six-month high Friday as infections in the greater Seoul area continued to spike amid woes over a potential surge in variant cases. The country reported 826 more COVID-19 cases, including 765 local infections, raising the total caseload to 158,549, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload marks the largest since Jan. 7 when it reached 869. The latest figure is sharply up from 762 cases a day earlier

Social AffairsJuly 2, 2021

US awaits constructive response from Pyongyang for dialogue: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States hopes for a constructive response from North Korea as it remains willing to engage with the reclusive nation anytime and anywhere, a State Department spokesman said Thursday. The remarks from spokesman Ned Price come after the US special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, said his country is ready to meet with the North "anytime, anywhere without preconditions." "Ambassador Kim, our special envoy for the DPRK, has recently been in the Republic of Ko

Foreign AffairsJuly 2, 2021

US shortlists N. Korea among worst nations in trafficking of humans

WASHINGTON -- The United States has again shortlisted North Korea as a nation complicit in human trafficking and forced labor, an annual US report said Thursday. The North Korean regime is one of 11 governments with a "policy or pattern" of human trafficking, according to the Trafficking in Persons Report. North Korea was put on the shortlist of 12 countries in 2020 and again this year with 11 nations. "The 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report includes the following 11 government

Foreign AffairsJuly 2, 2021

test - REFILE-FOCUS-Qualcomm's new CEO eyes dominance in the laptop markets

REFILE-FOCUS-Qualcomm's new CEO eyes dominance in the laptop markets (Adds missing words in paragraph 19) By Stephen Nellis July 1 (Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc's new chief thinks that by next year his company will have just the chip for laptop makers wondering how they can compete with Apple Inc, which last year introduced laptops using a custom-designed central processor chip that boasts longer battery life. Longtime processor suppliers Intel Corp and Advanced Micro Devices have no chip

Social AffairsJuly 2, 2021

Agriculture ministry decides to recommend termination of KRA head over abuse allegation

The agriculture ministry on Thursday reached a decision to recommend the dismissal of Kim Woo-nam, head of the Korea Racing Authority (KRA), after wrapping up an audit into alleged verbal abuse. Kim, a former three-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party, is accused of having verbally abused an employee for refusing to hire one of his former National Assembly aides. KRA is a state-run corporation tasked with promoting the country's racehorse industry. According to government sources famil

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2021

South’s key defense firms hacked by N. Korea: lawmaker

North Korea hacked key South Korean defense firms, including Korea Aerospace Industries, which is building the country’s first homegrown fighter jet, Rep. Ha Tae-keung of the main opposition People Power Party said Thursday. “The arms procurement agency essentially said that there had been cyberattacks on more defense companies,” he said, adding the agency had told him it could not reveal the names of companies breached because of privacy concerns. The previous day, the lawm

DefenseJuly 1, 2021

Seoul delays easing of outdoor rally restrictions due to COVID-19 surge

The current ban on outdoor rallies of 10 or more people in Seoul will remain in place until next week, the metropolitan government said Thursday, scrapping its earlier plan to ease the restrictions at the beginning of this month. Earlier this week, the Seoul city government announced a decision to lift its ban on rallies of 10 or more and allow rallies of fewer than 50 people throughout the capital, effective Thursday, in line with the central government's eased social distancing rules against

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul education chief admits 'naeronambul'

Seoul’s Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon admitted hypocrisy in pushing to get rid of elite private high schools while having sent his own kids to such schools. “(I) admit it was ‘naeronambul’ to have sent my children to foreign language high schools while calling for the abolishment of autonomous private high schools,” Cho told the city council on Wednesday, referring to a popular term that translates into “If I do it, it’s romance. If you do it, i

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae trapped in ‘one house’ rule

Issues surrounding real estate continue to plague President Moon Jae-in, with yet another property speculation scandal adding a new name to the growing string of top aides who have resigned from their positions. On Sunday, Kim Gi-pyo, Moon’s anti-corruption secretary, offered his resignation, just two days after allegations were raised over his recent property declaration involving loans worth billions of won. According to the declaration, he owns assets worth 9.12 billion won ($8.05 mi

PoliticsJuly 1, 2021

Korea will not give AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to people under 50

South Korea’s top health agency said Thursday that effective immediately, people under 50 will be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, raised by 20 years from the current cutoff of 30, due to a rare but possible risk of serious blood clots. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong told a news briefing that for people in their 50s and above, the benefits of receiving an AstraZeneca vaccine were “clearly greater&rd

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2021

Ex-prosecutor general does not rule out joining main opposition party

Yoon Seok-youl, a former top prosecutor and leading presidential hopeful, has said he may join the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) if it is deemed necessary for the opposition block's win in next year's presidential election. "It is possible (for me) to ally with the PPP, and even enter the party if necessary for a change of government," Yoon said during a TV interview Wednesday. Lacking powerful presidential contenders, the conservative party has urged the former prosecutor

PoliticsJuly 1, 2021

Labor group sticks to large-scale rally plan despite authorities' ban

South Korea's largest labor group said Thursday it will push ahead with a large-scale rally in Seoul this weekend in disregard of a ban issued by police and the metropolitan government. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a militant labor umbrella group with about 1 million members, said it will organize the National Workers Rally in Yeouido on Saturday as scheduled, despite objections raised by police and the Seoul city government due to fears over the spread of COVID-19. The KCT

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2021

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung announces presidential bid

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung officially announced his presidential bid Thursday, vowing to ensure fairness and to turn a crisis into an opportunity with powerful economic policies. Using a prerecorded video released via social media channels including YouTube and Facebook, Lee signaled the beginning of his presidential campaign by reading Article 1 of the Constitution. “The Republic of Korea shall be a democratic republic. The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea shall reside in

PoliticsJuly 1, 2021

NK leader appears to have reshuffled top officials at recent politburo meeting: official

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have carried out a reshuffle of top officials at a recent politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, a unification ministry official said Thursday. State media earlier reported that Kim discussed "an organizational issue," including the election of new politburo members and a secretary of the party's Central Committee, at the extended politburo meeting of the party on Tuesday. It did not provide details on those newly elected. "The

North KoreaJuly 1, 2021

Military reports 1st breakthrough infection

A fully vaccinated Navy officer has tested positive for the new coronavirus, marking the first breakthrough infection reported in the military, officials said Thursday. The officer, based in the southeastern city of Busan, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms despite having received two doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine in April and early June, according to the officials. A breakthrough case refers to when a person is diagnosed with the virus two weeks after being a

Social AffairsJuly 1, 2021

Army to test-run advanced armored vehicle Redback for possible deployment

The Army plans to test-run a prototype of the newly developed Redback armored vehicle next year to check its performance for a possible deployment in the future, officials said Thursday. The new model, developed by Hanwha Defense Co., a South Korean defense manufacturer, is now under review by Australia after being shortlisted for Canberra's $4.6 billion project to buy new infantry fighting vehicles. Australia will select the successful bidder by next year. According to Hanwha, it plans to len

DefenseJuly 1, 2021

New autonomous police system takes effect to offer community-oriented services

An autonomous police system went into effect nationwide Thursday in what appears to be the biggest organizational change since the inauguration of the country's police 76 years ago. The system was designed to disperse power within the police after President Moon Jae-in's reform of the prosecution service led to more investigative authority for the police. It is also aimed at providing people with more community-oriented policing services. It came into being in accordance with the new act intro

PoliticsJuly 1, 2021