NK leader's sister says US has 'wrong' expectation about dialogue

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Tuesday that the United States has "wrong" expectations after US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Kim's comments about dialogue with the US an "interesting signal." The statement from Kim Yo-jong also came a day after US Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim said the US has offered to meet with the North "anywhere, anytime without preconditions" and looks forward to Pyongyang responding posi

North KoreaJune 22, 2021

Virus worries remain on S. Korea’s plan to return to full in-person classes in fall

Education workers have raised concerns over South Korea’s plans to resume in-person classes from fall, as COVID-19 continues to spread and authorities have not clarified how they would deal with a virus outbreak in a classroom setting. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said Sunday that students from all grades would be allowed to fully attend in-person classes starting next semester while daily number of new COVID-19 cases remains below 1,000. The attendance cap is set at two-thirds for mid

Social AffairsJune 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Culture minister implies no boycott of Tokyo Olympics amid Dokdo spat

South Korea's culture minister said sports should be separated from politics regarding calls for a boycott of the Tokyo Olympics amid a renewed territorial spat over the East Sea islets of Dokdo between the two countries. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee made the remark during a parliamentary committee's general meeting held Monday evening, implying that the ministry is not considering boycotting the upcoming Olympics, only a month away. Calls for such a measure emerged among th

PoliticsJune 22, 2021

[Contribution] Standing out in the crowd? The CV-X from a European perspective

With its February 2021 decision to start work on building a light aircraft carrier, the CV-X, South Korea is set to join an exclusive club of countries that operate such vessels. The decision has proved controversial. Opponents argue that given the threats the country faces, a costly carrier is not what South Korea needs. Proponents counter that a light aircraft carrier is not only useful for countering the threat from North Korea, but also important for the ability of South Korea to protect its

DefenseJune 22, 2021

Moon says S. Korea to keep expanding role on key global issues

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday his government will continue efforts to broaden South Korea's role and responsibility regarding major pending international issues. He was talking about the results of his participation in a Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Britain and ensuing state visits to Austria and Spain earlier this month. Moon said he was able to "again confirm the changed national status" of South Korea through the weeklong trip. "The Republic of Korea will play a key r

PoliticsJune 22, 2021

80% of troops aged under 30 receive 1st doses of Pfizer's vaccine

About 80 percent of service members aged under 30 have received their first doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine since the vaccination campaign for younger soldiers began earlier this month, the defense ministry said Tuesday. A total of 332,384 troops in their 20s, or 80 percent of the age group, had received their first doses as of Monday, according to the ministry. Soldiers aged 30 and older were given AstraZeneca's vaccine, with 88 percent, or 116,900 members, agreeing to take their first

DefenseJune 22, 2021

Foreign ministry to work for stable management of relations with China after G-7 summit

South Korea will continue efforts to "stably manage" relations with China while taking into account the outcome of a Group of Seven (G-7) summit earlier this month, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The ministry made the statement in a report submitted to the National Assembly amid speculation that South Korea's participation in the G-7 summit as a guest makes the country look like it has chimed in with the G-7 countries on their unified front against an assertive China. Seoul offic

Foreign AffairsJune 22, 2021

NK leader urges support for women in letter to major union of housewives

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged support for women in a message to the country's major organization consisting of housewives, state media said Tuesday. The Socialist Women's Union of Korea (SWUK) held its seventh congress meeting from Sunday to Monday and read out Kim's letter praising the union as the "great pride" of the ruling Workers' Party, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Kim called on the party to show support and love for women, saying that respecting

North KoreaJune 22, 2021

As ex-Prosecutor General Yoon 'falters,' new opposition presidential hopefuls rise

As former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a leading presidential hopeful for the opposition bloc, faces challenges even before he declares his bid, new hopefuls are emerging as possible conservative runners with about eight months left before the election. Having led a majority of public opinion polls for presidential hopefuls since late last year, Yoon saw a major setback in his yet-to-be-declared presidential bid this week from the sudden resignation of his chief spokesman and a dossier al

PoliticsJune 22, 2021

Biden extends sanctions on N. Korea amid US outreach

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden said Monday he decided to extend US sanctions on North Korea for another year, a move that follows the latest US outreach to the reclusive nation for dialogue at any time and place. In a letter to the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Biden said the North's fissile material as well as its pursuit of nuclear and missile programs "continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of

Foreign AffairsJune 22, 2021

Military deploys anti-drone jamming system for pilot operation

The military on Tuesday began a pilot operation of a drone detection and jamming system to better respond to growing threats by small unmanned aerial vehicles, the arms procurement agency said. For the next six months, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force will operate the radar system capable of detecting drones as small as the size of a baseball within 8 kilometers of distance and incapacitating them with jammers when identified as an unauthorized vehicle, according to the Defense Acquisition

DefenseJune 22, 2021

New infections in 300s for 2nd day, variants remain worry

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 300s for the second consecutive day Tuesday amid a vaccination drive, but the potential spread of COVID-19 variants remains worrisome ahead of eased distancing rules starting July. The country reported 395 new cases, including 351 local infections, raising the total caseload to 151,901, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added two COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 2,006. The fatality rate ca

Social AffairsJune 22, 2021

[Graphic News] One-person households make up 30.4% of homes in 2020

　The portion of single-member households in South Korea surpassed 30 percent last year, a government survey showed, amid an increase in diverse forms of families. 　One-person households accounted for 30.4 percent of the total in 2020, according to a survey conducted of 11,000 households by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family every five years. 　The percentage was 21.3 percent in 2015 and 15.8 percent in 2010. 　At the same time, the portion of households composed of parents and unma

NationalJune 22, 2021

S. Korea, US agree to consider ending 'working group' forum on N. Korea policy

South Korea and the United States have agreed to consider terminating their "working group" forum on North Korea policy, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, in what appears to be a conciliatory gesture to Pyongyang that has decried the forum as a hurdle to inter-Korean ties. Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and his US counterpart, Sung Kim, reached the agreement during their talks in Seoul on Monday, as they sought a coordinated strategy to resume nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyan

Foreign AffairsJune 22, 2021

Joint military exercise must be properly scaled to meet threats: Pentagon spokesman

WASHINGTON -- The United States constantly reviews its joint military exercises with South Korea to make sure their forces are properly trained and prepared to meet threats, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. "We always say that we know we have to, our forces have got to be ready to fight tonight and we are constantly looking at the training events to make sure that they are appropriate and they are properly scaled to the threats and the challenges," the spokesman, John Kirby, said at

Foreign AffairsJune 22, 2021

US hopes N. Korea will respond to US outreach for dialogue: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is willing to hold dialogue with North Korea at any time and any place, a State Department spokesman said Monday, also reiterating the latest US overture to meet without any preconditions, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday. The remarks from the department spokesman come after the special US envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, expressed hope that the North will respond positively to US outreach. "We certainly hope the DPRK will respond positively

Foreign AffairsJune 22, 2021

Unification minister calls for active, agile efforts to bring N. Korea back to dialogue

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Tuesday called for "active" and "agile" cooperation between South Korea and the United States to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table as he met with the new US special envoy for Pyongyang. Ambassador Sung Kim, the US special representative, responded that the two countries "are very closely aligned on all important aspects" of their North Korea policy and expressed support for "meaningful inter-Korean dialogue, c

North KoreaJune 22, 2021

Are you essential? Korea’s vaccine priority list questioned

Korea’s COVID-19 vaccinations primarily proceed in the order of age and vulnerability, but priority vaccine status is also granted to people in essential jobs. In the country’s rollout plan for the third quarter unveiled Thursday, the pandemic’s less visible essential workers -- in delivery chains, transportation networks, service sectors -- still facing COVID-19 risks have been sidelined in priority vaccinations. Instead the plan included “intracompany vaccina

Social AffairsJune 21, 2021

14 embassies in S. Korea co-host KF’s 30th anniversary, hold World Cinema Week together

World Cinema Week is being held in Seoul through July 1, hosted by the Korea Foundation and the embassies of Bulgaria, Argentina, Brazil, France, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Paraguay, Peru, Sweden,Thailand and Turkey . World Cinema Week is held annually in cooperation with the Korea Foundation and diplomatic missions in South Korea to introduce films from countries not easily accessible to Koreans. This year’s World Cinema Week presents recent films f

Foreign AffairsJune 21, 2021

S. Korea and Israel launch logo design contest to mark 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties

The Embassy of Israel in Korea and the Embassy of Korea in Israel have launched a joint logo design contest to create a graphic emblem capturing the dynamic spirit of the deepening engagement between the two countries and peoples.  The year 2021 is significant because Israel and South Korea signed a free trade agreement -- Israel’s first with an Asian country and South Korea’s first in the Middle East -- showing the two countries‘ deepening ties.  The contest was l

Foreign AffairsJune 21, 2021