South Korea's state intelligence agency on Monday warned of possible terrorist attacks during the upcoming year-end holiday season, stressing that terrorism is increasingly becoming an "actually existing threat" in the country. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said anti-vaccine protests in Europe and other countries could turn violent or become a target for a terrorist attack, and South Korea is no longer free from such threats. A total of 489 materials instigating or propagan

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2021

Slightly over 70 percent of South Koreans approve of toughened social distancing measures to stem the resurgence of COVID-19, a poll showed Monday. In the poll of 1,000 adults nationwide organized by multiple civic groups, 71.3 percent supported the government's decision to halt the "living with COVID-19" scheme this past Saturday for two weeks and restore stricter social distancing measures. Under the new policy, the maximum number of people at private gatherings was reduced to four

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2021

Former President Park Geun-hye, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, will stay in hospital until February for multiple illnesses, the justice ministry said Monday. When admitted to a hospital in southern Seoul on Nov. 22, Park had planned to stay there for about a month, but doctors now say that she needs at least six more weeks for treatment of back, shoulder and other ailments, according to the ministry. This year, the 69-year-old Park was hospitalized three times due to

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2021

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, on Monday vowed to double war veterans' allowances and improve welfare for service members as he targeted military voters ahead of the March 9 election. "I will improve disability criteria so that veterans who sacrificed themselves for the country do not feel disappointed," Yoon said in a Facebook post, referring to veterans of the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Yoon added that he will reform the

Politics Dec. 20, 2021

South Korean shipbuilding giant Hyundai Heavy Industries Group said Monday that it will showcase its latest and next-generation mobility technologies at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES), making its debut at the major tech trade show. The tech fair, better known as CES, is set to run for four days from Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas. Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and its affiliates will offer a glimpse into the future of shipping mobility, with focus on autonomous navigation. They will also

Industry Dec. 20, 2021

South Korea's unification ministry responded cautiously Monday to reports of a possible change in the stature of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, days after she was seen standing alongside members of the powerful politburo of the North's ruling party during a memorial event last week. Kim Yo-jong, apparently influential in the secretive regime, was spotted between members and alternate members of the politburo during a memorial event for her father and late North Korean leader Kim Jong

North Korea Dec. 20, 2021

South Korea was the world's 9th-largest arms exporter in the 2016-2020 period, accounting for 2.7 percent of the world's total defense exports, an annual government report showed Monday. According to the Global Defense Market Yearbook 2021 released by the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement (KRIT), South Korea's arms export ranking rose from 10th place in the 2015-2019 period. The Asian country's share in the global arms export market jumped to 2.7 percent

Defense Dec. 20, 2021

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has extended his goal scoring streak to three matches, helping his club eke out a draw against Liverpool in a return from a lengthy COVID-19 layoff. Son netted a 74th-minute equalizer for a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). It was Son's seventh goal in the Premier League this season and eighth goal in all competitions. He leads Tottenham in that category. This was Tottenham's first match

Soccer Dec. 20, 2021

INCHEON -- Two equestrian horses that had escaped from their stable in Incheon were caught on a nearby overpass Monday after being on the loose apparently for hours, police said. Police said they received a sighting report of the two horses roaming free on the overpass in Namdong Ward of Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, at around 5:30 a.m. apparently headed toward a nearby highway. Authorities closed off part of the overpass and captured the horses after about two hours. The horses report

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2021

South Korea on Monday held an annual ceremony enshrining the remains of 370 fallen troops that its excavation team recovered from key battle sites of the 1950-53 Korean War this year. The defense ministry's team and troops from the Army and the Marine Corps recovered the remains of the troops, including 281 South Koreans, in 41 locations, including border counties of Cherwon and Inje, during their excavation work from March to November While most remains have yet to be identified, 24 of the 37

Defense Dec. 20, 2021

South Korea's military on Monday reported 30 additional COVID-19 cases, including 26 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,963. Of the new cases, 22 are from the Army, two from the Navy, two from the Marine Corps, three from the Air Force and one from a unit under the direct control of the defense ministry, the ministry said. Currently, 348 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,184 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

Defense Dec. 20, 2021

A 31-year-old feminist politician joined the campaign of main opposition presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday in a surprise move expected to widen the conservative candidate's appeal among young female voters. Shin Ji-ye, a vocal feminist who currently heads the non-profit Korean Women's Political Network, was named senior deputy chair of the Saesidae Preparatory Committee, an organization that works directly under Yoon to woo moderates and liberals with an affinity for the conservative

Politics Dec. 20, 2021

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 6,000 for the first time in six days Monday due partly to less testing over the weekend, but the number of new critically ill patients was at almost 1,000. The country added 5,318 more COVID-19 cases, including 5,258 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 570,414, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The number of new critically ill patients came to 997, slightly down from an all-time high of 1,025 on Sunday and

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2021

Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and his main opposition rival Yoon Suk-yeol are in an increasingly tight race, with one opinion poll putting Lee ahead of Yoon and another survey showing contrary results. In a Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) survey of 1,008 adults, Lee led with 40.3 percent against Yoon's 37.4 percent, though the gap was within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. But a Realmeter poll of 3,043 pe

Politics Dec. 20, 2021

"Spider-Man: No Way Home," Marvel's latest Spider-Man series film, is smashing the South Korean box office to become the most-watched movie in the first week since the pandemic, data showed Monday. The blockbuster attracted 1.74 million people from Friday-Sunday, bringing its cumulative total to 2.27 million in the five days following its release, according to the data by the Korea Film Council. It is the largest five-day record by a film released since the COVID-19 pandemic started

Film Dec. 20, 2021