A vocal North Korean defector and activist known for flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the North by balloon was questioned by police on Monday over his recent claim to have sent leaflets, in the first violation of South Korea's anti-leaflet law that took effect in March. Park Sang-hak, the head of Fighters for a Free North Korea, a North Korean defectors' group, arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency around 2 p.m. to be grilled as a suspect about his April 30 claim that his organizat

North Korea May 10, 2021

Police said Monday they have sought an arrest warrant for a man suspected of abusing his 2-year-old adopted daughter to the point she fell unconscious with bleeding in her brain. The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency said the suspect, who is in his 30s, admitted to hitting the child with his hands on Saturday morning because she "kept whining." According to the man, the girl then fell asleep, but when she didn't wake up several hours later, he took her to a hospital near his home in Hwase

Social Affairs May 10, 2021

Five-term legislator and ex-South Gyeongsang Province Governor Rep. Hong Joon-pyo said Monday he will take steps to return to the main opposition party. "I think it's time to return to the (People Power) Party," Hong, currently an independent based in the southern city of Daegu, said in a press conference at the National Assembly. The lawmaker said he will soon submit an application for party membership and take other necessary steps. Last year, Hong defected from the main oppositi

Politics May 10, 2021

South Korea strongly denounces last week's bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed at least 68 people and wounded over 160, mostly young schoolgirls, the foreign ministry said Monday. "Our government strongly denounces the attack that occurred near a school in the Afghan capital of Kabul on May 8. We also extend our deepest condolences to the victims and their bereaved families," ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a commentary. The car bombing came amid escalating tensions

Foreign Affairs May 10, 2021

Bond issuance in South Korea rose sharply in April from the previous month due mainly to a surge in corporate debt sales, data showed Monday. The value of bonds sold in Asia's fourth-largest economy came to 83 trillion won ($74.1 billion) last month, up 9.3 trillion won from a month earlier, according to the data from the Korea Financial Investment Association. April's jump represents a drastic turnaround from an on-month decline of some 720 billion won in March. Sales of corporate bonds surg

Economy May 10, 2021

The South Korean economy is on a modest recovery track despite spiking coronavirus cases as the manufacturing sector has continued to improve on robust exports, a state-run think tank said Monday. The country's exports and facility investment logged accelerated growth amid continued improvement in external demand, according to a monthly economic assessment report by the Korea Development Institute (KDI). "As retail sales, exports, and equipment investment all improved, the manufacturing i

Economy May 10, 2021

The defense ministry said Monday it will look into 21 officials over suspected real estate speculation amid public fury in the wake of massive speculation cases involving employees of the state land developing firm. The ministry has been looking into thousands of employees since late March after some of its officials were suspected of exploiting undisclosed information related to the relocation or development plans of military bases for their personal real estate transactions. After looking i

Defense May 10, 2021

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has seen a slight rebound from last week's record-low figure according to a poll released Monday, the fourth anniversary of his inauguration. In a four-day weekday poll by Realmeter on 2,015 voters nationwide conducted last week except on the Children's Day holiday, Moon gained support from 36 percent of respondents, up 3 percentage points from the all-time low of 33 percent recorded the previous week. Moon's disapproval rating fell 2.3 percentage point

Politics May 10, 2021

President Moon Jae-in on Monday agreed to modify some of his real estate policies, calling them a main reason for voters' "severe punishment" for his party in recent local by-elections. "(My government) has failed to achieve the aim of stabilizing property prices and (the party) received a severe punishment for that," Moon said during a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae held to mark the fourth anniversary of his inauguration. He picked the real estate problem when asked by

Politics May 10, 2021

South Korea is seeking to develop an advanced robot to conduct surveillance missions in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and other risky regions, the arms procurement agency said Monday. The Defense Acquisition Administration (DAPA) began receiving applications from companies and research institutes for advanced technologies and ideas to build a small surveillance robot, agency officials said. The new platform will be designed to be capable of conducting surveillance missions in areas where troops

Defense May 10, 2021

A South Korean panel of experts said Monday that the vaccine for the novel coronavirus by US pharmaceutical company Moderna Inc. showed more than a 94 percent efficacy rate and is eligible for use. The advisory board consisting of outside experts announced its review on the efficacy and safety of the Moderna vaccine, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The panel's review is the first step of three separate independent evaluations before the ministry gives final approval. The p

Social Affairs May 10, 2021

Two more Army soldiers have tested positive for the new coronavirus, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 837, the defense ministry said Monday. A soldier based in the central city of Sejong was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after virus cases were reported at his unit, while another soldier in Dongducheon, north of Seoul, was found to be infected after coming into contact with a civilian patient while away from his base, according to the ministry. As of

Defense May 10, 2021

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose by the smallest number in a week on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but health authorities remained worried over a potential spike amid spreading variant cases. The country reported 463 more COVID-19 cases, including 436 local infections, raising the total caseload to 127,772, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's figure fell from 564 Sunday and 701 Saturday as fewer people took virus tests over the week

Social Affairs May 10, 2021

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday on strong advances by bio and chemical shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 23.87 points, or 0.75 percent, to 3,221.07 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The KOSPI got off to a solid start after increasing in the past three sessions. Investor sentiment remained high despite increased valuation pressure as disappointing US jobs data eased concerns about earlier-than-expected inflation. Top cap Samsung Electronics

Market May 10, 2021

South Korean cities from Suwon to Busan are lining up to host a possible new museum for late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's vast art collection, with many claiming to be the ideal spot because of their special ties to the Lee family. Samsung and the culture ministry announced April 28 that Lee's family would donate some 23,000 pieces from his art collection, including masterpieces by Korean and Western artists, such as Kim Whan-ki, Claude Monet and Salvador Dali. Lee died in October. The Natio

Arts & Design May 10, 2021