S. Korea refers to N. Korean military as 'our enemy' in troop education materials

South Korea's defense ministry has distributed troop education materials that refer to North Korea's military and its regime as "our enemy," officials said Monday, in a reflection of the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration's tough security stance. The preceding liberal Moon Jae-in administration avoided using the expression amid its push for inter-Korean dialogue. But the Yoon government has vowed to take a hard-line stance on the North's evolving nuclear and

May 30, 2022

S. Koreans to vote this week in local elections, parliamentary by-elections

South Koreans will vote this week in local elections and parliamentary elections amid expectations that the results will boost or weaken the mandate of the new government of President Yoon Suk-yeol. Up for grabs in Wednesday's elections are 17 metropolitan mayors and provincial governors, 226 lower-level council heads, as well as 779 seats in provincial and metropolitan councils, and 2,602 in lower-level local councils. Also at stake will be seven National Assembly seats in parliamentary by

May 30, 2022

Govt. to expand subsidies to diesel truck, taxi drivers next month

The government will provide more subsidies to cargo truck drivers and others using diesel vehicles as part of efforts to ease their burden from rising fuel costs, the transport ministry said Monday. The average retail price of diesel in South Korea soared to over 2,000 won ($1.59) per liter last week, up from around 1,364 won in January, due to tight supply caused by the war in Ukraine. It also outstripped gasoline prices for the first time in 14 years. Under the revision to oil subsidy regulati

May 30, 2022

End of an era: Korea’s pandemic leaders leave office after long battle

Last week South Korea saw its top health officials leave office after guiding the country through an unprecedented time. In February 2020, the first wave of infections gripped Daegu and its neighboring North Gyeongsang Province, making Korea one of the first countries in the world to be struck by COVID-19 after China. With no playbook to go by, these three health leaders worked from scratch to keep the country safer. Jeong Eun-kyeong Day one of Korea’s COVID-19 crisis was Jan. 20, 20

May 29, 2022

Over W100b embezzled by financial firms' officials over past 5 years: data

More than 170 employees from banks and other financial firms have embezzled more than a combined 100 billion won ($79.62 million) over the past five years, but about a mere 11 percent has been retrieved, data showed Sunday. Calls have grown recently for financial firms and authorities to strengthen overall management and supervision in the wake of a series of embezzlement cases, particularly after a Woori Bank employee was arrested last month for allegedly pocketing more than 60 billion won in c

May 29, 2022

Gathering for Herald retirees

Former and incumbent Herald Corp. senior managers met at Cheonggyesan, a mountain located in the district of Seocho-gu in Seoul, on May 28, to promote solidarity and harmony.  It was the first time the members of the Herald Retirees’ Club met in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was attended by about 40 members, including club Chairman Park Haeng-hwan, Honorary Chairman Yun Ik-han, Herald Corp. CEO Jeon Chang-hyeop and former CEO Kwon Chung-won.

May 29, 2022

New COVID-19 cases below 20,000 for 4th day as omicron wave recedes

New COVID-19 cases stayed below 20,000 for the fourth consecutive day Sunday, as the omicron-fueled spread of the virus has slowed down in recent weeks. The country added 12,654 new infections, including 26 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,080,323, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It marked the lowest in 18 weeks for any Sunday and came to about half the level logged two weeks earlier. The number of critically ill patients stood at 188, the lowes

May 29, 2022

Seoul to resume late-night subway service starting next month

    The labor union for the Seoul subway said Saturday it reached an agreement with the Seoul city government to extend public transportation operations past midnight, two years after they were scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.    Unionized workers of Seoul Metro, the operator of the Seoul subway system, said operation hours will be extended from midnight to 1 a.m. on weekdays starting as early as next month, with the exact dates varying depending on the subway line.

May 28, 2022

Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 20,000 for 3rd day as pandemic slows down

South Korea reported fewer than 20,000 COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day Saturday, with critical cases dropping to a 10-month low, amid the receding omicron wave.    The country added 14,398 new infections, including 45 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,067,669, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.    The number of critically ill patients stood at 196, dropping below 200 for the first time in around 10 months.  

May 28, 2022

Election for Seoul’s education head remains murky

The outlook of the election for Seoul’s education superintendent remains blurry for the conservative bloc, as candidates have failed to form a merger while continuing to attack each other. With less than a week left to the local elections, Cho Hee-yeon, the current superintendent of education for Seoul, and Kang Shin-man, who are considered liberal-leaning candidates, announced they have formed a merger Thursday. “Seeing some candidates demonize and assault certain groups for t

May 27, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 20,000 for 2nd day as omicron wave ebbs

South Korea reported fewer than 20,000 COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day Friday as the pandemic's grip on the country appears to be loosening. The country added 16,584 new infections, including 49 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,053,287, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally fell to a 17-week low for a Friday and declined around 34 percent from a week earlier, as the virus curve has turned downward since mid-March. So

May 27, 2022

[H.eco Forum ] ‘Without the oceans, no one will survive’

The third session of this year‘s H.eco Forum focused on plastic pollution in the oceans, as well as the ongoing efforts in the private sector to address this issue. In the session, Na Kyung-soo, CEO of SK Geo Centric, stressed the importance of business efforts to counter plastic pollution in the oceans. Na said that measures to counter plastic pollution should be taken immediately worldwide, and businesses should join the efforts. “Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the amo

May 26, 2022

[H.eco Forum] Humanity must step up to better protect marine ecosystems, experts say

At this year’s H.eco Forum, experts took a moment to highlight the ongoing and expected changes to marine ecosystems due to climate change and discuss what efforts are needed to protect the environment and prevent socioeconomic disasters and challenges from occurring. Chun Seung-soo, professor emeritus of Chonnam National University, started the session speaking about how the marine and coastal environments have been changing abruptly and discussed ways to mitigate and adapt to coastal di

May 26, 2022

[H.eco Forum] To stop climate change, save marine life

Climate crisis is an ocean crisis, said Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and National Geographic explorer-in-residence, during a forum Thursday in Seoul. “It took time for climate scientists to recognize the inextricable connection between the atmosphere and the ocean, between climate and the ocean, between Earth’s living systems and climate. Now we know that the climate crisis is an ocean crisis,” she said. Earle, who spent “thousands of hours” over five decades o

May 26, 2022

[H.eco Forum] Heed warnings of rising sea levels

Increasing temperatures and rapidly rising sea levels pose a grave threat to humanity, experts warned Thursday. Speaking during the first session of H.Eco Forum on rising sea levels, experts warned that the oceans are headed for irreparable damage. Professor Axel Timmermann, the director of the IBS Center for Climate Physics at Pusan National University, was the first speaker and gave a speech titled, “Using basic science to avert climate changes.”  Timmermann reviewed th

May 26, 2022

[H.eco Forum] Small island nations warn developed world: ‘Our present is your future’

Small island countries were on the front lines of climate change but the clock is now ticking for the developed world, former president of Kiribati, Anote Tong, said at the H.eco Forum in Seoul on Thursday. “Hurricane Katrina hit the southeastern US in 2005, at a time when many parts of the country were still in denial of climate change,” Tong said. “The scale of destruction caused by that hurricane left even the most economically developed country on the planet struggling.&r

May 26, 2022

[H.eco Forum] H.eco Forum highlights the dangers facing the ocean, humankind

The second edition of the H.eco Forum was held Thursday, shedding light on climate change and its effects on the marine environment. This year’s event was held under the theme of “Climate Crisis and the Ocean” on Nodeul Island – also known as Nodeulseom -- inviting environment scholars, activists and experts in and out of Korea. Some speakers from abroad gave their speeches online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “This year’s H.eco Forum focuses on ma

May 26, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 20,000 as pandemic slows down

South Korea reported fewer than 20,000 COVID-19 cases Thursday as the rapid spread of the omicron variant is under control. The country added 18,816 new infections, including 34 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,036,720, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally fell to a 17-week low for a Thursday and declined around 33 percent from a week earlier, as the virus curve has been trending downward since mid-March. South Korea's daily case

May 26, 2022

Supreme Court upholds 1 1/2-yr prison term for disgraced K-pop star Seungri

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 1 1/2-year prison term for Seungri, the disgraced former member of K-pop boy band BIGBANG, on prostitution mediation, overseas gambling and other charges. Upholding a lower court's ruling, the top court found the 32-year-old, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, guilty of all nine charges in a far-reaching sex and drug scandal surrounding Burning Sun, a nightclub in Seoul affiliated with him, which roiled the K-pop industry in 2019. He was found guilty o

May 26, 2022

Caution: Exchange students ‘may be restricted from entering the Hanyang Zone for safety reasons’

A group of exchange students at Hanyang University on Wednesday had to face an overtly discriminatory caution sign written in red when they arrived at the university to get tickets for the university’s annual festival. About a hundred foreign exchange students waited in line to get tickets to enter the festival’s main performances, featuring popular celebrities including Psy. However, they were told that they were barred from the “Hanyang Zone,” the area directly faci

May 25, 2022