N. Korea stresses cooperation with international Red Cross organizations amid global virus pandemic

North Korea held a Red Cross meeting and stressed the importance of cooperation with international aid organizations amid the global coronavirus pandemic, state media said Thursday. During the meeting held Tuesday and Wednesday, the North highlighted the need to closely cooperate with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other international organizations to achieve its "strategic goals," according

North KoreaJune 10, 2021

New virus cases in 600s for 2nd day; virus curbs likely to be extended again

South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed over 600 for the second straight day Thursday as the current distancing rules are likely to be again extended without clear signs of letup in the coronavirus pandemic. The country reported 611 more COVID-19 cases, including 594 local infections, raising the total caseload to 146,303 the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily virus cases stayed in the 400s on Monday and Tuesday due to fewer tests over the weekend but spiked to t

Social AffairsJune 10, 2021

S. Korea logs record high number of drug offenders in 2020: report

South Korea saw the annual number of drug offenders shoot up to a record high level last year, driven in part by an increase in juvenile and foreign drug criminals, a judicial report showed Thursday. According to the 2020 juridical yearbook, published recently by the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO), a total of 18,050 people were nabbed for drug-related crimes last year, up 12.5 percent from a year before. The 2020 figure marks the highest yearly number of drug offenders ever since the SPO beg

Social AffairsJune 10, 2021

USFK reports 1 local COVID-19 case, 11 cases among new arrivals

An American service member stationed at a US military base near Seoul has tested positive for the new coronavirus while an additional 11 service members were confirmed to have contracted the virus following their arrival here, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. A soldier at US Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was found to be infected with COVID-19 on Wednesday after showing symptoms, according to the US military. The patient last visited the base Tuesda

DefenseJune 10, 2021

S. Korea, US launch expert group on vaccine partnership under summit accord

South Korea and the United States have established a senior-level expert group to follow up on their summit deal on their "vaccine partnership," Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. The inaugural session of the task force was held via video link the previous night with government officials of the two sides in attendance, it said in a press release. They included a dozen representatives from the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the US International Development Fin

PoliticsJune 10, 2021

US seeks to make progress with N. Korea through diplomacy: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States seeks to engage with North Korea diplomatically to make progress toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a State Department spokesman said Wednesday. Ned Price also said the newly appointed special US representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, will continue to work toward that end. "So the policy that we have spoken to calls for what we have deemed a calibrated, practical approach, that explores diplomacy, that is predicated on diplomacy with th

Foreign AffairsJune 10, 2021

FM Chung voices hope for 'stable' Sino-US ties in phone talks with Chinese counterpart

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong expressed hope Wednesday that relations bewteen the United States and China will develop in a "stable" manner during phone talks with his Chinese counterpart, stressing the importance of cooperation in tackling global challenges. The phone talks between Chung and Wang Yi came as President Moon Jae-in prepares to attend the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in Britain, where US President Joe Biden is expected to rally major democracies against an asser

Foreign AffairsJune 10, 2021

Natl. football team pays tribute to fallen star Yoo Sang-chul

The South Korean men's national football team paid respect to the late star Yoo Sang-chul before a World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday. Yoo died of cancer on Monday at age 49. The former midfielder was instrumental in South Korea's stunning march to the semifinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and was named to the All-Star Team after the tournament. He appeared in 128 international matches. Before South Korea's kickoff against Sri Lanka in the second round of the Asian qualifying for the 202

Social AffairsJune 9, 2021

Building collapse in Gwangju leaves at least 9 dead

GWANGJU -- A building collapsed during demolition in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Wednesday, leaving at least nine people dead and eight others seriously injured, fire officials said. They received a report at 4:22 p.m. that the 5-story building had collapsed and fell onto a bus that was stopped at a station near the construction site. As of 8:40 p.m., nine people were confirmed dead and eight others were seriously injured and taken to nearby hospitals. All of them are bus passengers.

Social AffairsJune 9, 2021

‘Take the bandages off BTS’: pro-tattoo lawmaker

Rep. Ryu Ho-jeong of the minor progressive Justice Party posted photos of BTS member Jungkook on Tuesday to gain support for a bill that would legalize and regulate tattooing in South Korea. Jungkook has tattoos on his hands and arms, but he covers them with bandages when he appears on national television because of a Korea Communications Commission rule against showing tattoos on TV.  In lengthy Facebook and Instagram posts, which contained photographs of Jungkook with bandages covering

PoliticsJune 9, 2021

S. Korea names 26 more overseas Korean-language institutes

South Korea has designated 26 new state-funded Korean language institutes abroad, the culture ministry said Wednesday, as part of efforts to help more people learn about the Korean culture and language. The 26 new institutes are located in 18 countries, including Bolivia, Morocco, Nepal, Slovenia and Tanzania, where such institutes will first open, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Some 85 organizations in 43 countries had applied to be selected as a King Sejong Institu

Social AffairsJune 9, 2021

No evidence of external influence found in mishandling of ex-vice minister's assault case: police

Police announced Wednesday they have found no evidence of undue external influence in a botched investigation of an assault incident involving former Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu, following a monthslong review of the police's handling of the high-profile case. Police have been investigating the circumstances and their response surrounding Lee's alleged assault of a taxi driver in November. Lee, who was then a private attorney, allegedly hurled insults at the driver and grabbed him by the c

Social AffairsJune 9, 2021

Jeju records nation's highest COVID-19 incidence rate over past week

Jeju Island, South Korea's most popular holiday destination, registered the highest rate of incidence of coronavirus cases over the recent week among local regions, authorities said Wednesday. Jeju's provincial government said 102 people tested positive for COVID-19 on the southern resort island during the past seven days, posting a weekly incidence rate of 20.9 people per 1 million. The weekly incidence rate is an indicator of how many people are infected per day per 1 million in the area dur

Social AffairsJune 9, 2021

[#WeFACE] H.eco Forum ready to discuss climate solutions

If emissions continue at the current rate, the Earth has about six years and 235 days before the effects of global warming become irreversible. That is what the Climate Clock installed on the roof of Herald Corp. headquarters shows as of June. To turn back the Climate Clock, Herald Corp., which owns South Korea’s two major news outlets -- The Korea Herald and The Herald Business -- holds its first H.eco Forum on Thursday in Seoul. To give an overview of where we stand in terms of climate

Social AffairsJune 9, 2021

Parliament to review petition to retain National Security Act

A petition against abolishing the National Security Act received the consent of over 100,000 South Koreans, meeting the condition for the parliament to review it. The National Assembly said Wednesday that the online petition, which was posted May 13 in opposition to another petition calling for the abolition of the National Security Act, had garnered over 100,000 signatures. The petitioner wrote that Koreans had never been more worried about national security, and that he felt as if his life w

Social AffairsJune 9, 2021

Videos of child abuse disclosed at court

Video clips of a couple making their 10-year-old niece swallow dog feces and forcing her head underwater during weeks of abuse that led to the girl’s death were disclosed during a court trial on Wednesday. A shaman surnamed Lee, 34, and her 33-year-old husband, a Korean classical musician, are on trial for the murder of their niece, who they believed was possessed by the devil. During Wednesday’s trial at the Suwon District Court, prosecutors played video clips of child abuse from

Social AffairsJune 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Defense chief vows strict punishment in sex crime probe

Defense Minister Suh Wook on Wednesday promised strict punishment of anyone who helped bury a sex crime investigation whose handling is believed to have led to the suicide of an Air Force master sergeant. The Air Force is accused of sitting on the case and engaging in a systematic cover-up. “I express my sincere apologies to the bereaved family and to fellow citizens … the investigation will be thorough and bring everyone involved in the cover-up to justice, regardless of rank,&r

DefenseJune 9, 2021

Ruling bloc seeks to ratify Panmunjom Declaration

The ruling Democratic Party and the government agreed Wednesday to push for the ratification of a 2018 inter-Korean summit agreement in hopes of reviving the stalled peace process on the Korean Peninsula, and to strengthen coordination with the US on the implementation of its North Korea policy. 　 During the policy consultation session between the Democratic Party and the government, ministers and lawmakers discussed follow-up measures to last month’s South Korea-US summit. They also tal

North KoreaJune 9, 2021

Moon set for weeklong visits to Britain, Austria, Spain from Friday

President Moon Jae-in will make a trip to Britain for the Group of Seven (G-7) summit this weekend followed by state visits to Austria and Spain for talks on bilateral ties, Cheong Wa Dae announced Wednesday. Moon plans to leave for the British coastal county of Cornwall on Friday to attend the G-7 session as a guest at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's invitation. It will be Moon's first attendance at the G-7's annual summit. He was invited to last year's meeting, which was supposed to be hosted

PoliticsJune 9, 2021

Calls grow in S. Korea for Olympic boycott over Dokdo

Calls are growing for Seoul to boycott the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics in protest against the Japanese government’s marking of Dokdo as its territory on its Olympics website. The Korean government recently found that Dokdo remains on the Japanese territorial map on its Olympics website as a faint dot when the screen is zoomed in. Earlier, Japan had made the island unseen on the map after Korea’s protest. The Korean government recently protested again to remove the island, but th

PoliticsJune 9, 2021