Moon says S. Korea at critical time in fight against coronavirus

President Moon Jae-in stressed the urgency Wednesday of curbing the spread of COVID-19 as South Korea's daily count of additional cases has exceeded 2,000 for the first time. It is "of great concern" that the number has surpassed 2,000 despite health authorities' efforts and the people's cooperation in social distancing, he said during a meeting with his Cheong Wa Dae aides. Earlier in the day, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that 2,223 new cases had

Aug. 11, 2021

All members of virus-hit Cheonghae unit fully recovered

The last two members of the virus-hit Cheonghae unit were to be released from a hospital Tuesday, marking the full recovery of all infected service members who had to cut short their anti-piracy missions in waters off Africa and return home following an unprecedented mass infection. All members of the 301-strong Cheonghae unit were airlifted home in July after 247 troops tested positive for COVID-19. Subsequent tests found 25 more cases, raising the total caseload to 272, or 90 percent of the t

Aug. 10, 2021

S. Korean consul general in Seattle under probe over 'inappropriate' remarks to staffer

South Korea's consul general in Seattle has been under a probe by the foreign ministry for making "inappropriate" remarks to at least one staffer at the diplomatic mission, sources said Tuesday. Kwon Won-jik, who took the post in December last year, has been working from home since June as part of the ministry's measure to separate him from the victim while the investigation is under way, according to the sources familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear what those "

Aug. 10, 2021

Rep. Park Jin urges government to protest China’s interference

Rep. Park Jin, a four-term lawmaker vying to become the People Power Party’s presidential candidate, has urged the government to protest what he called China’s interference in South Korea’s security sovereignty. At a videoconference at the ASEAN Regional Forum, held Friday, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed opposition to the Korea-US joint exercises and called for the easing of sanctions against North Korea. On Sunday Park wrote in his blog, “Wang Yi&rs

Aug. 9, 2021

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee in virtual tie with ex-Prosecutor General Yoon in presidential hopefuls' poll

Ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, the front-running opposition presidential contender, saw his approval rating lose ground to become on par with that of Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, a poll on prospective presidential hopefuls showed Monday. According to the survey conducted on 1,004 voters nationwide by the Korea Society Opinion Institute on Friday and Saturday, Yoon from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) garnered 28.3 percent of support, down 4 percentage points from a

Aug. 9, 2021

Ex-President Chun leaves for Gwangju to attend libel trial after two no-shows

Former President Chun Doo-hwan left for the southwestern city of Gwangju on Monday to attend an appellate court hearing on a defamation case after having failed to show up twice. The 90-year-old Chun, who served as president from 1980 to 1988, departed from his home in western Seoul at 8:25 a.m. to attend his hearing at the Gwangju District Court's appellate division in Gwangju, about 330 kilometers to the south, in the afternoon. He came out of his house in a gray suit, accompanied by his wif

Aug. 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi Gov. Lee outstrips ex-top prosecutor to claim lead in poll on presidential hopefuls

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung outstripped ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to seize the lead among presidential hopefuls, an opinion poll showed Friday. Lee garnered 25 percent of support in the survey conducted on 1,001 voters across the nation from Tuesday-Thursday by Gallup Korea for the most favored next leader of the country. The governor was ahead of Yoon, who had 19 percent, by a margin of six percentage points, which is within the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3.1

Aug. 6, 2021

Activists charged with espionage for allegedly taking N. Korean orders to stage anti-weapons protests

Four South Korean activists have been charged with espionage for allegedly taking orders from Pyongyang and staging a series of protests opposing Seoul's plan to procure US-built stealth fighter jets, sources said Friday. According to the sources, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the National Police Agency (NPA) recently requested a local court to issue warrants to arrest the activists who allegedly violated multiple articles of the National Security Act, including the so-called espi

Aug. 6, 2021

Korea vows own vaccine by next year

The Korean government on Thursday pledged to inject 2.2 trillion won ($1.92 billion) over the next five years into development and production of COVID-19 vaccines, designating vaccines one of the nation’s three key strategic technology areas along with semiconductors and batteries. The planned investment will be launched later this year with aims to debut the nation’s first locally developed COVID-19 vaccine by the first half of 2022 and to make the country one of the world’s

Aug. 5, 2021

Moon nominates new human rights watchdog chief

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday nominated Song Doo-hwan, a former Constitutional Court justice, as the new chief of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, Cheong Wa Dae said. Song, 70, a senior attorney at law firm Hankyul, has devoted himself to human rights issues throughout his career. He served in leadership positions at the Korea Bar Association and Minbyun, an association of lawyers fighting for democracy movements and human rights. Back in 2003, he also led a special counsel

Aug. 5, 2021

Calls for delaying allied military drills gain traction inside ruling party

Calls for postponing the regular joint summertime military drills between South Korea and the United States were gaining traction inside the ruling party Thursday amid growing hope for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue. "The atmosphere (here) is that postponing the military exercise might be inevitable despite some potential internal resistance," a high-profile source from the ruling party told Yonhap News Agency a day earlier. Talk of a possible delay or scale-down of the ann

Aug. 5, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lee Jun-seok says 'salute the rank, not the man'

Main opposition People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok warned the minor opposition People’s Party to not treat him like a kid as the two parties blamed each other for failing to discuss a merger. “I recommend to the People’s Party, ‘Salute the rank, not the man,’” Lee wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, quoting a line from the American war drama miniseries “Band of Brothers,” with a link to a scene in the series. “They (People’s Party) ca

Aug. 4, 2021

Ex-audit agency chief declares bid to run for president

Choe Jae-hyeong, former chief of the national audit agency, formally declared his presidential bid Wednesday, vowing to restore the principles of a free market economy and ensure fair job opportunities for young people. "As one of South Korea's citizens, I decided I can't just sit and watch the country crumble," Choe, the former chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), said, announcing his bid to run in the March 9 presidential election. The official presidential bid was

Aug. 4, 2021

Minor opposition party leader in self-quarantine after possible COVID-19 exposure

The head of the minor opposition People's Party (PP) entered voluntary quarantine Wednesday after a party official tested positive for COVID-19. The PP announced that chairman Ahn Cheol-soo and some other party officials were tested for the coronavirus after another official who worked in the same PP headquarters until Friday was confirmed as infected this morning. Ahn decided to remain in isolation until he receives his results, the party said. According to the party, Ahn did not have close

Aug. 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Funeral begins for world's 1st disabled climber to conquer 14 eight-thousanders

GWANGJU -- A five-day funeral process began here on Wednesday for South Korean mountaineer Kim Hong-bin, who went missing in mid-July soon after becoming the world's first person with a disability to ascend all 14 eight-thousanders in the Himalayas. Kim's funeral will be held at Yeomju Gymnasium in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, until Sunday, according to the city government. Kim's memorial altar was set up on the first floor of the gym for mourners, with his mountaineering equipment

Aug. 4, 2021

FM Chung calls for ASEAN's support for peninsula peace efforts

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has asked the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to back Seoul's efforts to foster a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula after the recent restoration of inter-Korean communication lines, his office said Wednesday. Chung made the remarks during Tuesday's virtual ASEAN Plus Three foreign ministerial meeting, which also involved China and Japan. Until Friday, the minister is set to join a series of virtual sessions led by the regional bloc, including t

Aug. 4, 2021

Govt. to decide Friday whether to adjust social distancing restrictions: PM

The government will closely monitor the COVID-19 situation to decide whether to adjust social distancing restrictions later this week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday. "(The government) will closely monitor the trends for one or two more days and decide the level of social distancing (guidelines) to be effective from next week during a Friday meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters," he said while chairing an interagency meeting on the coronav

Aug. 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi’s push for relief funds fuels infighting

The clash among the ruling Democratic Party’s presidential contenders is gaining renewed steam, despite the candidates’ vow to work as “one team.” The infighting resurged over Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung’s idea of providing cash handouts for all residents in the province, as it drew criticism from other presidential hopefuls. He first mentioned the idea Sunday, saying that he is considering an option to give COVID-19 disaster relief funds to the 12 perce

Aug. 3, 2021

Lee’s campaign spokesperson resigns over DUI comments

A spokesperson for Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung’s presidential campaign resigned from his post Monday after it was found he had made comments defending driving under the influence. The comment, likely made to defend the past criminal record of Lee, stirred controversy across political parties and again shone light on the presidential contender’s past criminal record, which could damage his campaign. Park sent a text message to reporters late Monday saying he was stepping do

Aug. 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Wall paintings in central Seoul whitewashed amid criticism of misogyny targeting wife of presidential contender

A pair of paintings disgracing the wife of leading conservative presidential hopeful Yoon Seok-youl have been whitewashed from the walls of a bookstore in central Seoul after they drew criticism of misogyny. Two paintings on the outer walls of the used bookstore in the district of Jongno were covered over in white paint Monday afternoon a few days after grabbing headlines for their disparaging depiction of Kim Keon-hee, wife of the former prosecutor general currently leading most presidential o

Aug. 3, 2021