The elimination of North Korea's chemical weapons could serve as a confidence-building step to convince the communist nation to eventually give up its nuclear power, an American expert said Wednesday. Siegfried Hecker, a Stanford University professor known for his direct experience with Pyongyang's nuclear program, made the remarks during a Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) workshop, stressing that the North will be more likely to agree to remove its chemical weapons before agreeing

North Korea Sept. 15, 2021

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday eliminated three contenders from its primary for next year's presidential election, paving the way for the opening of long-awaited primary debates to be aired or livestreamed. The remaining eight contenders include former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl and Rep. Hong Joon-pyo. The others are former lawmaker Yoo Seong-min, Choe Jae-hyeong, former chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection, former Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong, Rep. Ha Tae-ke

Politics Sept. 15, 2021

Three Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 1,665, the defense ministry said Wednesday. One soldier in Ansan, south of Seoul, and another in the western city of Incheon were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms, while one in the central county of Jincheon was found to have been infected after a family member tested positive, according to the ministry. Nationwide, South Korea re

Defense Sept. 15, 2021

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases surpassed 2,000 Wednesday as infections in the capital area surged to a record high ahead of a major holiday. The country added 2,080 COVID-19 cases, including 2,057 local infections, raising the total caseload to 277,989, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was sharply up from 1,497 cases the previous day and topped the 2,000 mark for the first time in six days. It is also the fourth-largest daily figur

Social Affairs Sept. 15, 2021

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed South Korea's commitment Wednesday to stronger international cooperation in the campaign to protect the ocean. He delivered the message via his social media accounts on the occasion of the International Coastal Cleanup Day. "It takes 450 years for plastic to break down after being used for a moment," he pointed out. "Micro plastics threaten not only marine life but also our health." The president stressed South Korea will cut the amount of

Politics Sept. 15, 2021

South Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong is back in the minor leagues for the Texas Rangers. Before hosting the Houston Astros in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday (local time), the Rangers announced that they have optioned Yang to their Triple-A club, the Round Rock Express. Another pitcher, Wes Benjamin, was also sent to Round Rock, while pitcher Drew Anderson and infielder Brock Holt were activated from the injured list. Yang is 0-3 with a 5.60 ERA in 12 appearances, including four starts. Yang h

Baseball Sept. 15, 2021

A North Korean state media outlet on Wednesday denounced the United States for meddling in Taiwan issues and voiced its support for Beijing's "One China policy" amid the deepening Sino-US rivalry. The Korean Central News Agency issued the criticism in an opinion piece attributed to an individual writer as South Korea's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, were set to hold talks in Seoul on Wednesday. "Recently the US has openly intervened in the

North Korea Sept. 15, 2021

Daegu FC crashed out of Asia's top club football competition on Tuesday, as their first trip to the knockout stage lasted just one match. Daegu fell to Nagoya Grampus 4-2 at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, in the round of 16 at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League. Jakub Swierczok scored a hat trick for the winning side, with Shinnosuke Nakatani scoring the other goal for the Japanese club. For Daegu FC, Cesinha and Edgar had a goal apiece. This was Daegu's first appearance in

Soccer Sept. 14, 2021

South Korea's statistics agency said Tuesday it has launched the English service of the data platform on the country's progress in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs data platform will help international users understand South Korea's efforts to meet the SDGs on a real-time basis, and have easy access to the country's related data, according to Statistics Korea. The SDGs were adopted at the UN General Assembly in 2015 as17 policy goals aimed at ending poverty and promoting su

Social Affairs Sept. 14, 2021

South Korean stocks advanced for the third straight session Tuesday as investors await the release of US consumer price data, seeking more clues about the Federal Reserve's tapering timeline. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 20.97 points, or 0.67 percent, to close at 3,148.83 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 700 million shares worth some 15.4 trillion won ($13.2 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 607 to

Market Sept. 14, 2021

Samsung Group on Tuesday promised to create 30,000 new youth jobs in South Korea in three years by expanding its corporate social responsibility initiatives (CSR), the government said. The plan to create 10,000 new youth jobs annually for three consecutive years was revealed during a partnership announcement event between Samsung Group and the prime minister's office (PMO) on the government's youth job and education support program titled Youth Hope ON held in Seoul, according to the PMO. The ev

Economy Sept. 14, 2021

The unification ministry said it will continue efforts to resume operations of the inter-Korean liaison office as it marked the third anniversary of the office, an official said Tuesday. This year's anniversary comes as the North blew up the liaison office building in June last year in anger over the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets by activists in the South. The North also remains unresponsive to calls from South Korea via liaison and military hotlines after they were restored late July follo

North Korea Sept. 14, 2021

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday South Korea will be able to achieve the goal of offering at least the first COVID-19 vaccine shot to 36 million people ahead of the Chuseok holiday next week. "The first dose of vaccine inoculation for 36 million people in advance of Chuseok will be achieved this week as (the government) has promised," he said during a weekly Cabinet meeting. Vaccinations will further pick up speed, going forward, to get 80 percent of all South Koreans, totaling 52 mi

Social Affairs Sept. 14, 2021

The United States is prepared to work with North Korea to address its humanitarian concerns "regardless of progress on denuclearization," Washington's point man on Pyongyang said Tuesday. Ambassador Sung Kim made the remarks after holding three-way talks with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Noh Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, in Tokyo to discuss humanitarian aid and other incentives to resume dialogue with the North. The talks came amid renewed security concer

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 14, 2021

Foreign currency deposits at banks in South Korea gained in August from a month earlier as exporters increased dollar holdings, central bank data showed Tuesday. Residents' outstanding foreign currency-denominated deposits stood at $92.6 billion as of end-August, up $470 million from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The country's foreign exchange deposits swung to an upturn for the first time in five months. In July, they were down $910 million from June. Residents in

Economy Sept. 14, 2021