Seoul sees first decline in number of tourist hotels due to COVID-19

The number of tourist hotels in Seoul decreased for the first time last year due to the outbreaks of COVID-19, government data showed Wednesday. As of the end of 2020, there were 331 tourist hotels in Seoul, down two from a year ago, according to the data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It was the first such decline in the capital since records began in 2008. The figure had steadily increased in the previous years, rising from 125 in 2008 to 151 in 2012, 211 in 2014, 308 in 2

Social AffairsMay 26, 2021

NK paper calls for competition among regional governments for balanced growth

North Korea's official newspaper called Wednesday for competition among cities and counties to promote a balanced economic growth across the country. "In order to achieve a balanced and simultaneous growth in accordance with the party's initiatives and intentions, we need socialism competition in a fiercer way among cities and counties," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the ruling Workers' Party, said. "For the development of cities and counties, competition among them is a ver

North KoreaMay 26, 2021

[From the Scene] Itaewon, Myeong-dong still struggling as COVID-19 deters visitors

Itaewon, once a bustling neighborhood in Seoul crowded with locals and foreigners, has lost so many visitors that more than a third of its shops have had to close their doors. The area, long known for its vibrant nightlife and international flair, had already grown quieter since the United States military started relocating to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, but the situation got much worse with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The district lost much of its appeal as a tourist attraction in

Social AffairsMay 26, 2021

Sung Kim begins work as special representative with call to Japanese counterpart

The new US special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, spoke by phone with his Japanese counterpart and the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the State Department said Tuesday. US President Joe Biden announced Kim's appointment last week after summit talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Kim, a career diplomat, has served as ambassador to South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia as well as a special envoy for six-party t

Foreign AffairsMay 26, 2021

US supports Tokyo Olympics but only limited people will travel to Japan: Psaki

WASHINGTON -- The United States supports the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games, but only "very limited" categories of Americans, including athletes, will travel to the host nation, a White House spokeswoman said Tuesday. Jen Psaki also said US athletes and other visitors will follow a very strict set of safety protocols while taking part in the quadrennial sporting event that has already been delayed by a year. "Our position has not changed on the Olympics. We respected the decision

Foreign AffairsMay 26, 2021

People given first dose of coronavirus vaccine can go maskless outdoors starting in July: govt.

South Korea announced Wednesday that people who have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be required to wear masks outdoors starting in July, as part of incentives for those participating in the public vaccine campaign. The incentive program announced at a daily interagency coronavirus response meeting also included a plan to lift the gathering ban for direct family members who have had their first vaccine dose. South Korea launched its two-dose vaccination regimen campa

Social AffairsMay 26, 2021

New cases spike above 700, vaccine takers to be exempt from certain curbs

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases sharply bounced back to a nearly two-week high Wednesday as sporadic cluster infections, along with more transmissible variant cases, continued to pop up across the country. The health authorities said those who are vaccinated will be partly exempted from wearing masks and other virus restrictions in an effort to encourage more people to get COVID-19 jabs. The country reported 707 more COVID-19 cases, including 684 local infections, raising the total c

Social AffairsMay 26, 2021

S. Korea to ramp up investment in Green New Deal projects: finance minister

South Korea plans to invest about 73 trillion won ($65.4 billion) in its signature green energy projects by 2025 as it seeks to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the finance minister said Tuesday. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the country is working to attain the goal of going carbon neutral in a bid to transform the country‘s fossil-fuel reliant economy into an eco-friendly one. “We plan to invest 3.8 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025 in Green New Deal proj

PoliticsMay 25, 2021

Only half of Koreans in their 60s sign up for vaccinations

South Koreans in their 60s to early 70s, for whom AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine becomes available Thursday, are reluctant to get vaccinated, the latest figures suggest. So far only 55 percent of people aged between 60 and 74 have made an appointment, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. There have been some notable age-related disparities in the vaccine appointment rates so far, according to Lee Jin-sook, the director of a public health center in Ch

Social AffairsMay 25, 2021

[#WeFACE] P4G to show Korea’s aspiration to lead global climate action

After decades of refusing to face up to climate change and focusing on economic growth at the expense of the Earth, this year could be a turning point in the global fight against global warming. The coronavirus pandemic was a huge wake-up call for humanity to rethink the way we live, creating an unprecedented opportunity to “build back better and greener.” “This year, we are finally at a starting point of acting on climate change. After 30 years of discussion, gaps on how we

Foreign AffairsMay 25, 2021

Maskless summit in the pandemic era

Friday’s mask-free summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Joe Biden not only upgraded the 70-year Seoul-Washington alliance but also demonstrated how far the two nations have come in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Cheong Wa Dae sources on Tuesday, going maskless was almost unthinkable when Seoul’s presidential office was preparing for the leaders’ first face-to-face meeting, as they also took reference to an earlier summit between Biden and Japanese Prime Min

PoliticsMay 25, 2021

‘Special relationship’ with Beijing behind Seoul’s silence on Chinese rights issues

South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on Tuesday said Seoul refrained from touching on Chinese human rights issues in the joint summit statement with Washington in light of its special relations with Beijing.  “In regards to Chinese (human rights) issue, it’s true that there have been various discussions within the international community,” Chung told reporters during a briefing on the outcome of the summit in Washington between President Moon Jae-in and his US co

Foreign AffairsMay 25, 2021

75% of Americans think denuclearization deal with NK important: poll

Three out of 4 Americans think it is “very important” or “important” for the US to reach an agreement with North Korea on dismantling the North’s nuclear weapons, a survey of 1,000 American adults conducted earlier this month showed. Responses were consistent across political lines, with both Republicans (84 percent) and Democrats (79 percent) favoring an agreement, according to the poll conducted May 6 through 10 by the Korea Economic Institute of America, a Washi

Foreign AffairsMay 25, 2021

[News Focus] Jobless rate for female NK defectors surges to record high

SEJONG -- The pandemic has worsened hiring conditions for female defectors from North Korea, who already faced higher unemployment rates than male defectors and South Korean women who were born here. According to the Korea Hana Foundation and Statistics Korea, the jobless rate for female North Korean defectors reached an all-time high of 11.4 percent in 2020. Though unemployment had been relatively high among female North Korean defectors for years, until last year the rate never exceeded 8 p

Social AffairsMay 25, 2021

NK paper urges all-out efforts to finish planting rice within optimal period

North Korea's official newspaper on Tuesday called for all-out efforts to promptly finish planting rice within the optimal period at all costs amid concerns unexpected rainfall could hamper rice planting. Ri Jae-hyon, department director at the North's agriculture ministry, made the appeal in a contributory piece carried by the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party. "Rice planting may not go as planned due to unfavorable farming conditions," Ri said, urging of

North KoreaMay 25, 2021

52 S. Koreans flown from India test positive for COVID-19

A total of 52 South Koreans who arrived from India this month on special flights have tested positive for the new coronavirus, health authorities said Tuesday. Of 1,718 people who returned home from the pandemic-ravaged country, 3 percent were confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). South Korea has airlifted its nationals from India 10 times via special flights since May 4 after the South Asian country became a virus h

Social AffairsMay 25, 2021

S. Korea has refrained from comments on China's internal affairs: FM

South Korea has refrained from specific comments about China's internal affairs and that stance was reflected in last week's joint summit statement with the United States, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said Tuesday. Chung made the remarks during a briefing on the outcome of the summit between President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden in response to a question why their joint statement, which calls for improvement in North Korea's human rights situation, made no mention of human rights

Foreign AffairsMay 25, 2021

S. Korea confirms 3 more 'breakthrough' COVID-19 infection cases

South Korea on Tuesday confirmed three more cases of so-called breakthrough COVID-19 infections, bringing the total caseload here to four. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the four people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus even after receiving two doses of a vaccine.   A "breakthrough case" is when a person tests positive form COVID-19 between their first and second doses of a two-dose regimen or a person tests positive after full vac

Social AffairsMay 25, 2021

S. Korea reports no additional bird flu cases for nearly 2 months

South Korea has reported no additional highly pathogenic bird flu cases for nearly two months, the environment ministry said Tuesday, indicating the latest wave of the animal disease has virtually come to an end. No additional cases of the H5N8 strain of bird flu have been reported among wild birds since April 1, according to the Ministry of Environment. There have been no new cases traced to poultry farms since April 6 as well. The alert level for the animal disease was already lowered to &q

Social AffairsMay 25, 2021

1 in 3 young S. Koreans picks COVID-19 pandemic as No. 1 social anxiety factor

About 1 in 3 young South Koreans picked the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic as the biggest source of social anxiety last year, a poll showed Tuesday. The survey by Statistics Korea showed 32.2 percent of Koreans aged between 13 and 24 said they viewed the outbreak of the pandemic as the biggest threat to society. This marked a rise of 29.9 percentage points from 2.3 percent tallied two years earlier. Crimes ranked second with 22.6 percent, followed by unstable economic situations with 10.1 perc

Social AffairsMay 25, 2021