South Korea's agricultural ministry on Monday reported two additional cases of African swine fever (ASF) after it confirmed the first cases of the animal disease at a local farm in about three months on Aug. 8. The authorities found the two new cases in a pig farm in Inje, Gangwon Province, and began culling about 1,700 pigs at the farm, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. On Aug. 8, pigs at a farm in Goseong of the same province were infected with the disease, pr

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2021

President Moon Jae-in sent a condolence letter to Haiti's leader Monday over massive damage from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, Cheong Wa Dae said. In the message to Prime Minister Ariel Henry, Moon expressed his sympathy for the people of the Caribbean country and hope for an early recovery from the damage. He added that the South Korean government will take active part in the international community's efforts to provide emergency assistance, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-me

Foreign Affairs Aug. 16, 2021

President Moon Jae-in said it is very meaningful that the remains of Gen. Hong Beom-do, a legendary Korean independence fighter, have been repatriated to South Korea's soil, according to his office Monday. Moon conversed with the three members of his special delegation at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, the previous day. They traveled to Kazakhstan to bring Hong's remains home, 78 years after his death in the Central Asian country. Moon observed the arrival of the remains at th

Politics Aug. 16, 2021

The consortium formed by Doosan Heavy Industries's British unit and a British firm has received a 180 billion-won ($155 million) water treatment deal, Doosan said Monday. Doosan Heavy's wholly owned Doosan Enpure joined hands with BAM Nuttall to obtain the deal for the relocation of the Guildford sewage treatment facility from Thames Water, Britain's largest water and wastewater services company, the company said in a statement. "We will complete the construction of a new sewage treatme

Industry Aug. 16, 2021

President Moon Jae-in instructed his government Monday to do its best for the safe evacuation of South Korea's diplomatic officials and residents in Afghanistan. He told relevant authorities to make all-out efforts so that every single South Korean national there can be evacuated to safety, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. The president has been receiving real-time reports on recent security situations in the nation, where the Taliban has taken control, she added. Moon

Foreign Affairs Aug. 16, 2021

South Korea and the United States kicked off their annual joint military training Monday, undeterred by North Korea's strong protest and threats of a serious security crisis. The nine-day command post exercise staged on the peninsula is based largely on a computer simulation with no field training, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The drill is defensive in nature as usual, it stressed in a statement.The number of participating troops will be restricted in consideration o

Defense Aug. 16, 2021

Son Heung-min wasted little time making his mark on the new Premier League campaign, scoring Tottenham Hotspur's winning goal in their season-opening victory over Manchester City. Son's left-footed shot from outside the box in the 55th minute sealed Spurs' 1-0 win over the defending champion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). Son, now in his seventh season with Tottenham, also put his new boss, Nuno Espirito Santo, on a victorious start to his Tottenham tenure. Esp

Sports Aug. 16, 2021

LG Energy Solution Ltd., South Korea's leading battery company, said Monday it has signed a six-year deal with Australian Mines Ltd. for a stable supply of key battery materials. In the deal that will begin at the end of 2024, LG Energy Solution will receive 71,000 tons of nickel and 7,000 tons of cobalt from the Australian company over six years, the South Korean firm said in a statement. "Securing key raw materials and a responsible battery supply chain has become a critical element i

Industry Aug. 16, 2021

Public support for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has fallen after a two-week rise, a poll showed Monday amid a conflict between the party's two key figures -- Lee Jun-seok and Yoon Seok-youl. In the Realmeter survey on 2,512 people, aged 18 and older, nationwide from last Monday through Friday, the PPP's approval rating dipped 0.5 percentage point to 37.3 percent from a week earlier. The ruling Democratic Party's rating gained 1.4 percentage points to 33.5 percent. The PPP, in p

Politics Aug. 16, 2021

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the minor opposition People's Party, announced a no-deal end Monday to negotiations with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) over a proposed merger. "I am very sorry to say that the efforts to unify the two parties have come to a halt here," he said during the press conference at the National Assembly. Ahn described the negotiation process as the "hardest time" for him since he became a politician a decade ago. He apologized to those who h

Politics Aug. 16, 2021

  South Korea's daily new coronavirus fell back to the 1,500s due to fewer tests over the weekend but marked the highest daily figure reported on a Monday amid concerns over a spike in cases following the Liberation Day holiday. The country added 1,556 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,493 local infections, raising the total caseload to 225,481, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections fell from 1,817 on Sunday and 1,930 on Saturday, but the de

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2021

By notching their third straight victory at home over the weekend, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have made the battle for the South Korean football title more interesting than it should be. By beating FC Seoul 3-2 on Sunday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, Jeonbuk improved to 42 points after 22 matches. Thanks to Han Kyo-won's two-goal effort, Jeonbuk sit three points back of the K League-leading Ulsan Hyundai FC but also have two matches in hand. Ulsan only manag

Soccer Aug. 16, 2021

South Korea has decided to temporarily close its embassy in Afghanistan and evacuated most of its diplomatic staff to a third country in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said Sunday. The decision came as the Taliban militant group reportedly entered the Afghan capital of Kabul and sought a "peaceful transfer of power" over the weekend, just weeks before the US completes the pullout of its troops to end nearly 20 years of war. A few embassy personnel, including the ambassador, re

Foreign Affairs Aug. 16, 2021

The remains of Hong Beom-do, a historic Korean independence fighter, were brought home from Kazakhstan on Sunday, 78 years after his death in the Central Asian nation. 　President Moon Jae-in received and honored his remains at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, as Korea marked Liberation Day to commemorate the anniversary of its liberation from Japan‘s 1910-45 colonial rule. 　Hong, who served as general commander of Korea’s independence army, is a historic figure i

Social Affairs Aug. 15, 2021

South Korea is closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said Sunday, as Taliban fighters advanced to Kabul demanding the surrender of the central government, prompting citizens and foreigners to flee the city. 　“We still have staff stationed at the embassy. We are closely monitoring the situation,” a ministry official said on Sunday afternoon. 　Another official said the situation in Afghanistan is “very tense,” adding that they are &ldquo

Politics Aug. 15, 2021