[Newsmaker] UNICEF to spend $22.7 million on North Korean aid in 2021

UNICEF will direct $22.7 million in 2021 to aid projects in North Korea, where socioeconomic conditions are thought to be worsening due to the coronavirus pandemic, a report showed Friday. According to the Humanitarian Action for Children 2021-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea report released Wednesday, UNICEF calculated it would need a greater amount than this year’s $19.5 million initial budget for North Korea when physical access is again possible next year. UNICEF originall

North KoreaNov. 20, 2020

[Newsmaker] Virus cases top 30,000 in 10 months, tough battle in store amid resurgence

South Korea's total virus caseload topped 30,000 on Friday, 10 months after its first confirmed case in late January, and its virus fight is facing another potential wave of outbreaks amid the nearing winter season. The country reported 363 new COVID-19 cases Friday, including 320 local infections, raising the total to 30,017, according to health authorities. It marked the third straight day that daily virus cases rose by over 300. Since the first case was reported on Jan. 20, the total number

Social AffairsNov. 20, 2020

[Newsmaker] UN committee passes NK human rights resolution

A UN committee adopted a North Korean human rights resolution on Wednesday in the US for the 16th consecutive year. For the second consecutive year, South Korea participated in the resolution’s consensus passage but did not co-sponsor the resolution. The resolution, adopted by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, is expected to be put to the General Assembly next month. The resolution, drafted by the European Union, highlights human rights violations in North Korea, saying

North KoreaNov. 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] Tougher distancing regulations take effect, limiting crowds at public facilities

As a tougher social distancing scheme took effect on Thursday in the greater Seoul area and some other areas where COVID-19 infections have soared recently, high-risk multiuse facilities, such as restaurants and movie theaters, face restrictions in operation. The South Korean government earlier decided to raise the five-tier social distancing scheme by one notch to Level 1.5 in the capital city; the surrounding Gyeonggi Province; Incheon; Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul; and a regio

Social AffairsNov. 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] ‘CIA took North Korea leader’s nephew’

The US Central Intelligence Agency took the family of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after Kim Jong-nam was murdered in February 2017, although it is unclear where the family resides now, said a Korean American writer. The activist group that helped the bereaved family get out of Macao shortly after Kim Jong-nam was killed in Kuala Lumpur reportedly lost them to people who identified themselves as CIA officers at the Taipei airport. In an article in the New

North KoreaNov. 18, 2020

[Newsmaker] US successfully destroys ICBM with sea-launched interceptor in test: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- The United States has successfully intercepted and destroyed a mock intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its latest test of a sea-based missile defense system, the Defense Department said Tuesday. The field test involved a threat-representative ICBM, launched from a US missile test site in the Marshall Islands early Tuesday morning (Washington time). A Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile launched from a US destroyer out in the sea intercepted and destroyed the tar

Foreign AffairsNov. 18, 2020

[Newsmaker] IHO to identify seas with numerical codes amid East Sea naming dispute

The International Hydrographic Organization has reached a consensus to adopt a new way of identifying seas by number, rather than by name, a move that could put an end to the long-standing dispute between Seoul and Tokyo over what the body of water between two countries should be called, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. 　 During a virtual General Assembly of the international organization on maritime data on Monday, the 65 member states agreed to revise the existing standard for a world map

Foreign AffairsNov. 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] Ven. Haemin ceases all public activities following real estate controversy

Bestselling author and popular Zen Buddhist teacher the Ven. Haemin announced late Sunday night that he was ceasing all activities and returning to a meditation center. The announcement came upon criticisms concerning his lifestyle and alleged profiteering from a real estate transaction. The Harvard- and Princeton-educated author of “The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down” and “Love for Imperfect Things” appeared on Nov. 7 on tvN entertainment show “On &am

PeopleNov. 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] 42 nabbed in Busan for alleged drug trafficking, purchases over dark web

BUSAN -- Over 40 people have been booked in the southeastern port city of Busan for allegedly trading narcotics online or using them, the local police said Monday. The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said 12 people have been booked for allegedly selling narcotics such as marijuana and methamphetamine online, while 30 others have been formally accused of buying or using them in violation of the Narcotics Control Act. According to the police, the 12 drug dealers used the dark web, accessible o

Social AffairsNov. 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] S. Korea to heighten alert ahead of college entrance exam

The South Korean government on Sunday unveiled a plan to tighten monitoring of cram schools and study facilities ahead of the first national college entrance scheduled to take place during the new coronavirus pandemic. The exam, held annually in November, was postponed as school schedules were affected by the unprecedented virus outbreak. It was eventually scheduled for Dec. 3. Under the plan, the education ministry and provincial governments will inspect whether cram schools and study cafes a

Social AffairsNov. 15, 2020

[Newsmaker] N. Korea unusually quiet after Biden elected president

North Korea has yet to address the outcome of the US election, let alone engage in anti-US rhetoric, more than a week after Joe Biden became president-elect on Nov. 7. Its silence stands in sharp contrast with its quick responses to past US elections. Previously Pyongyang has responded within a week, except in 2000 when it released a statement only after the US Supreme Court handed former President George W. Bush victory over former Vice President Al Gore in a vote recount dispute. Speculation

North KoreaNov. 15, 2020

[Newsmaker] 3 missing, 2 rescued in fishing boat capsizing near border island

INCHEON -- A fishing boat capsized in waters near a northwestern border island Saturday, leaving three crew members missing, the Coast Guard said. The 12-ton vessel was overturned in waters 43 kilometers from the border island of Soyeonpyeong at 6:07 p.m., the authorities said. The cause of the capsizing was not immediately known. Three crew members, including the 63-year-old captain, went missing, while two others were rescued. One of the rescued remains unconscious, officials said. Prime Mi

Social AffairsNov. 15, 2020

[Newsmaker] Unions all over S. Korea to demonstrate against ‘regressive’ labor reforms

Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather across South Korea on Saturday to protest labor reforms and to call for enhanced labor rights protections. Han Sang-jin, the spokesperson for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said Saturday’s demonstrations are intended to “highlight unfair labor practices that are perpetuating through the pandemic” as well as to honor the anniversary of labor rights activist Chun Tae-il’s death. “Industrial disaster

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] S. Koreans urged to wear masks or face new fine

South Koreans taking the bus or subway to work Friday morning were greeted by public officials warning them of a 100,000 won ($90) fine should they fail to wear a mask in public. In a country that has received widespread praise for its response to the coronavirus pandemic, most people were already wearing a mask and did not need to be told to do so. But for the few who chose not to wear a mask, or did not put it on properly, the officials were there to remind them of a new law that would make

Social AffairsNov. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] S. Korea rolls out measures to shorten couriers’ work hours

The government said Thursday that it would work to ensure shorter working hours for delivery workers following a recent series of courier deaths, allegedly from overwork, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Labor Ministry and the Transport Ministry announced in a joint press briefing that the government will consult with logistics companies, push for legislative revisions and introduce improved workplace guidelines to protect couriers. “A limit to quantitative growth (of the e-commerce and

Social AffairsNov. 12, 2020

[Newsmaker] Top prosecutor surges to No. 1 in presidential poll

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl emerged as the favorite to win the next presidential election, outpacing two seasoned politicians from the ruling party who had dominated similar surveys, a poll showed Wednesday. The outspoken top prosecutor’s favorability rating stood at 24.7 percent in the survey conducted by pollster Hangil Research. It was the first time that Yoon, who was appointed by liberal President Moon Jae-in but is widely supported by conservatives after feuding with the in

PoliticsNov. 11, 2020

[Newsmaker] Pfizer: COVID-19 vaccine looking 90% effective

Pfizer Inc. said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine may be a remarkable 90 percent effective, based on early and incomplete test results that nevertheless brought a big burst of optimism to a world desperate for the means to finally bring the catastrophic outbreak under control. The announcement came less than a week after an election seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump's handling of the scourge, which has killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide, including almost a quarter-m

World NewsNov. 10, 2020

[Newsmaker] Jill Biden: Chance to transform first lady's role

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Jill Biden is no stranger to the glare of the political spotlight. Her husband has been a Washington insider since they wed in 1977, and she was America's second lady for eight years. But now that Joe Biden has won the White House, his 69-year-old wife will have the opportunity to push the role of first lady into the 21st century -- by keeping her full-time job as a professor. "Most American women have both a work life and a family life, but first ladies have never bee

World NewsNov. 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] Election officials worried by threats and protesters

Election officials in several states said Thursday they are worried about the safety of their staffs amid a stream of threats and gatherings of angry protesters outside their doors, drawn by President Donald Trump's baseless claims of widespread fraud in the race for the White House. "I can tell you that my wife and my mother are very concerned for me," said Joe Gloria, the registrar in Clark County, Nevada, which includes Las Vegas. He said his staff was bolstering security and trac

World NewsNov. 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] Trump sues in 3 states, laying ground for contesting outcome

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump's campaign filed lawsuits Wednesday in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, laying the groundwork for contesting battleground states as he slipped behind Democrat Joe Biden in the hunt for the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. The new filings, joining existing Republican legal challenges in Pennsylvania and Nevada, demand better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots are being processed and counted, and raise ab

World NewsNov. 5, 2020