The number of South Korean students at high risk of addiction to smartphones and the internet increased last year on extended online classes at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a government survey showed Sunday. According to the annual survey of 1.27 million fourth, seventh and 10th graders nationwide by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a total of 229,000 students were found to be in danger of overdependence on smartphones or the internet, nearly unchanged from a year earlier. Among

Social Affairs May 23, 2021

South Korea held a ceremony Sunday to commemorate former President Roh Moo-hyun, marking the 12th year of his death. It took place at Bongha Village in Gimhae, Roh's hometown located 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, bringing together a number of key government and political figures. They included Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum; Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP); Kim Gi-hyeon, acting chief and floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP); and Lee Cheol-hee,

Politics May 23, 2021

The volume of container cargo processed at South Korea's seaports rose 5.7 percent on-year in April amid hope for global recovery from the economic fallout of the new coronavirus pandemic, the country's oceans ministry said Sunday. Container cargo processed at the seaports reached 2.58 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in April, compared with 2.44 million TEUs, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Processed export-import container cargo jumped 6.3 percent on-year to re

Economy May 23, 2021

Stock manipulators will face confiscations of not only illegal gains but also their seed money under a revised capital market law that seeks to raise the integrity of the market. The National Assembly on Friday approved a partial revision to the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act aimed at improving investor protection and preventing market manipulation. The updated law newly allows the confiscation of the assets used or offered to be used in stock manipulation schemes. Un

Market May 23, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 600 again on Sunday due to fewer tests over the weekend amid increased sporadic cluster infections, as the country's vaccination scheme is set to gather pace again. The country reported 585 more COVID-19 cases, including 570 local infections, raising the total caseload to 135,929, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. South Korea reported 666 cases on Saturday and 561 on Friday. There were five additional virus deaths

Social Affairs May 23, 2021

KT Corp., a major South Korean telecom operator, said Sunday it signed an agreement with the country's top science and technology university to establish a research institute for artificial intelligence (AI) and software development. Under the agreement, KT will work with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to build the research institute in the central city of Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, by the end of this year. KT said the institute will house around 20

Industry May 23, 2021

Another batch of the new coronavirus vaccine by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., enough to inoculate 219,000 people, arrived in South Korea on Sunday, as the country aims to speed up its inoculation program. South Korea and Pfizer earlier signed a direct contract to secure 66 million doses that can vaccinate 33 million people. A total of 3.75 million doses of two-dose Pfizer jabs have been shipped in as of Sunday, with another batch of 3.25 million doses set to arrive here by the end of Ju

Social Affairs May 23, 2021

South Korea, the United States and Japan are rearranging trilateral defense talks after they were forced to cancel a meeting slated for June in Singapore due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said Sunday. Defense Minister Suh Wook and his US and Japanese counterparts -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Minister Nobuo Kishi -- had initially planned to hold talks on the sidelines of the security forum of the Shangri-La Dialogue, set to take place in the Southeast Asian country on June 4-5.

Foreign Affairs May 23, 2021

K-pop dynamo BTS has topped more than 100 regional iTunes chart with its latest single "Butter," its management agency said Saturday. The vibrant pop-dance number, released at 1 p.m. on Friday here, debuted at No. 1 on iTunes Top Songs chart in 101 regions, including the United States, Canada, Britain and Germany, according to Big Hit Music. The music video for the song has also made a splash around the world. It broke 10 million views on the septet's official YouTube channel in just

K-pop May 22, 2021

US President Joe Biden has demonstrated a clear commitment to engaging with North Korea by appointing a special envoy to specifically deal with North Korea issues, but whether the North will come to the table in the near future remains to be seen, US experts said Friday. In a joint press conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Biden announced his appointment of Acting Assistant Secretary of State Sung Kim as "US special envoy for the DPRK" to "help drive all these eff

Foreign Affairs May 22, 2021

Lifting of US missile restrictions signifies Seoul's missile sovereignty, Washington's China strategy: experts The full lifting of US restrictions on South Korean missiles is expected to beef up Seoul's defense capabilities by allowing it to secure longer-range missiles that can fly beyond the Korean Peninsula, experts said Saturday. The decision is also seen as part of the US strategy to counter China, and South Korea's deployment of longer-range missiles could bring the country further into

North Korea May 22, 2021

This week's summit agreement between South Korea and the United States on COVID-19 vaccines, tech supply chains, climate change and other non-security issues underscored a broadening of their alliance amid heightened Sino-US rivalry, analysts said Saturday. During their first in-person summit in Washington on Friday, Presidents Moon Jae-in and Joe Biden agreed on broad-based cooperation, as the US seeks to rally its democratic allies to confront shared challenges such as an assertive China and

Foreign Affairs May 22, 2021

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday he has agreed with US President Joe Biden on the importance of dialogue with North Korea. The most pressing common task for the allies is to achieve the complete denuclearization of Korea and permanent peace, Moon stressed during a joint press conference with the US leader following their summit talks at the White House. Moon said he and Biden have confirmed that it is vital to have dialogue, based on promises, between Washington and Pyongyang as

North Korea May 22, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose back to above 600 on Saturday, health authorities said, as the fourth wave of the virus continued with sporadic cluster infections and variant cases. The country reported 666 more COVID-19 cases, including 633 local infections, raising the total caseload to 135,344, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Saturday's daily caseload compares with 561 on Friday, 646 on Thursday and 554 on Wednesday. There were four additional virus d

Social Affairs May 22, 2021

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- In a noticeable shift since his last meeting with a foreign leader, US President Joe Biden did not wear a mask during his first face-to-face with President Moon Jae-in in Washington on Friday. Moon is only the second foreign leader to visit Biden at the White House since the US president took office in January. The first leader was Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga last month. Whereas in meeting Suga on April 16, Biden wore a double mask as an extra precaution against

Politics May 22, 2021