ROME -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in asked the outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel to pay attention to peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula and bilateral relations between the two countries after she steps down. Moon and Merkel, who will soon step down after 16 years in office, met one-on-one on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in the Italian capital. Moon thanked Merkel for her efforts to improve bilateral relations since 2005, saying that bilateral ties between South Korea and Ge

Politics Nov. 1, 2021

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday pledged that South Korea will compete the phaseout of coal-fired power generation by 2050 and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality on a global level.  Moon made the remarks as the leaders of the Group of 20 countries gathered for the second day of the Rome summit, their first in-person gathering since the COVID-19 pandemic, with attention focused on whether they will reach a meaningful agreement on how to fight global warming.  "In line with

Foreign Affairs Oct. 31, 2021

South Korea and the United States have been discussing the latter's nuclear policy review on "various occasions," a Seoul official said Sunday, amid reports that Washington is mulling a policy shift feared to weaken military deterrence. The Financial Times reported Saturday that US allies have been lobbying President Joe Biden not to alter America's policy on the use of nuclear weapons, amid speculation he is considering a "no-first-use" approach that critics say could embol

Foreign Affairs Oct. 31, 2021

The seven-year wait is over. The KT Wiz, once a perennial doormat in South Korean baseball, are now headed to the championship series for the first time. The Wiz shut out the Samsung Lions 1-0 in a tiebreaker game on Sunday to capture the regular season crown in the Korea Baseball Organization. As the pennant winners, the Wiz earned a bye to the best-of-seven Korean Series, which begins on Nov. 14. Starter William Cuevas tossed seven shutout innings and struck out eight on two days' rest, and

Baseball Oct. 31, 2021

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday it is time for "warm consumption," noting difficulties faced by small business owners amid COVID-19, as South Korea is set to enforce a phased scheme for a gradual return to normal life this week. Kim made the remarks in a Facebook post after he attended an online opening ceremony of the Korea Sale FESTA, an annual nationwide shopping festival, which will kick off its 15-day run on Monday.  "It's time when there is a need for warm con

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2021

North Korea accused the South Korean entertainment industry on Sunday of working in favor of US companies, such as Netflix, through "unfair" deals. The North's propaganda outlet, Meari, said South Korean entertainment firms have turned to Netflix to improve their margins amid a business slump caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It did not mention the South Korean-made hit Netflix series "Squid Game," but the article follows recent controversy in South Korea over the way the US

North Korea Oct. 31, 2021

The portion of female directors at local financial companies stood at 4.1 percent as of the end of last year, lower than that of overall listed companies in South Korea, a report said Sunday. Among 209 outside directors at 13 banks, 27 brokerage houses and 12 insurance companies, only 12 were female, a report by Korea Insurance Research Institute said. Of 129 internal directors at the companies, only two were female, the report said. The portion of female directors at the financial companies

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2021

The US Central Intelligence Agency ran a previously undisclosed office in Seoul until last year, legal sources said Sunday. The existence of the office, which was used to collect open-source intelligence on South Korea as part of the CIA's Open Source Enterprise, became known after three former employees sued the US government for firing them, according to the sources. The plaintiffs, all South Koreans, were hired between 2005 and 2009 and laid off around February and March of last year. They

Foreign Affairs Oct. 31, 2021

Unification Minister Lee In-young held meetings with the chief of the World Food Program (WFP) and a senior Vatican official during a trip to Rome and discussed issues related to North Korea, the ministry said Sunday. The meetings with David Beasley, executive director of the U.N. food agency, and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, the first Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, took place Saturday as Lee was in Rome to accompany President Moon Jae-in. Dur

North Korea Oct. 31, 2021

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party, has said that, if elected, he will launch a real estate supervisory service in an effort to root out corruption in the property market. Lee made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Friday, saying he would give the service powers to conduct investigations into any irregularities that arise in the real estate market. The pledge comes as Lee has been accused of involvement in a massive corruption scandal

Politics Oct. 31, 2021

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the minor opposition People's Party, will declare his third presidential run this week, the party said Sunday, shaping next March's election as a four-way race. Ahn will hold a ceremony at the National Assembly on Monday to declare his bid, the party said. It will be the third time for the former medical doctor and software entrepreneur to run for president. In November 2012, Ahn withdrew from the race less than a month before the election, giving his support for Moon

Politics Oct. 31, 2021

Jamie Romak, one of the most successful foreign hitters in South Korean baseball history, has announced his retirement after spending his final five seasons here. The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said Sunday the Canadian slugger decided to call it a career following the end of the 2021 season the previous evening. Romak, 36, batted .273 with 155 home runs and 409 RBIs in 626 games for the Landers, formerly known as the SK Wyverns under the previous ownership during Roma

Baseball Oct. 31, 2021

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases surpassed 2,000 for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday, deepening health authorities' worries over a possible resurgence of virus infections ahead of the implementation of measures to get back to normalcy. The country added 2,061 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,052 local infections, raising the total caseload to 364,700, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily cases dropped to 1,190 on Monday, but resurged from Wednesday and re

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2021

Two Seoul-based rivals will square off on Monday in the first postseason game in South Korean baseball this year. The Doosan Bears will host the Kiwoom Heroes for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) wild card game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, with the first pitch at 6:30 p.m. Monday. The Bears finished fourth in the regular season at 71-65-8 (wins-losses-ties), and the Heroes ended 1.5 games back in fifth place at 70-67-7. As the higher seed, the Bears will advance to the next stage

Baseball Oct. 31, 2021

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed Saturday to step up efforts to boost the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to developing nations, the presidential office said. Moon met with the European Union leader on the sidelines of this year's summit of the Group of 20 major economies that opened in the Italian capital on Saturday for a two-day run. The two leaders agreed to jointly take steps to increase the supply of vaccines to developing natio

Foreign Affairs Oct. 31, 2021