N. Korea might seek to improve cross-border ties to strengthen leverage over Washington: think tank
North KoreaDec 1, 2020
North Korea could try to improve its currently chilled relations with South Korea next year so as to strengthen its leverage in future nuclear negotiations with the United States, a state-run think tank said Tuesday. The Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification also said that the May-September period will be a "golden time" to make progress in stalled nuclear talks and inter-Korean ties as the Tokyo Summer Olympics could serve as a platform for resuming talks. The North i
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Military becomes more tolerant of tattoos, obesityDefenseDec 1, 2020Heavily tattooed South Korean men will no longer be able to avoid active-duty military service. Under the current rules, those bearing many tattoos or who upset other people by having tattoos on certain body parts can get grade four, for non-active duty, or supplemental service, on their physical exams. This has led some to get tattoos to avoid active duty, which is for men who get grades one through three on the physical exams. Instead of serving in the military, non-active-duty personnel wo -
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[Newsmaker] Ex-CIA official suggests Biden administration propose working-level talks with N. KoreaNorth KoreaDec 1, 2020A proposal by the incoming US administration of President-elect Joe Biden to hold working-level talks with North Korea can be a "good starting point" to resume the long-stalled nuclear negotiations, a former US intelligence official said Tuesday. Andrew Kim, who retired as the chief of the Central Intelligence Agency's Korea Mission Center in 2018, made the remark during a webinar on the South Korea-US alliance, saying the North appears to be waiting to see what the Biden camp will sa
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4 more military members test positive for new coronavirusSocial affairsDec 1, 2020The military reported four new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, the latest in a series of infections at barracks across the country. An Army officer stationed in the city of Chuncheon, northeast of Seoul, tested positive for COVID-19 after coming into contact with a civilian patient, prompting the authorities to carry out tests for around 180 members of his unit, according to the ministry. A civilian worker for the Navy in the southern city of Jinhae was confirmed to have been infected upo -
S. Korea, US are not just allies but family: Ambassador HarrisForeign affairsDec 1, 2020South Korea and the United States are not just mere friends or allies but "family," and their alliance will remain ironclad based on their deeply shared values, US Ambassador Harry Harris said Tuesday. Harris made the remarks during a peace conference held in Seoul and via video link to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, saying the alliance between the two countries has only grown stronger since the war. "The US and other sending states came to -
IHO finalizes agreement on marking global sea areas in numbers amid East Sea naming rowForeign affairsDec 1, 2020The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) has officially adopted new guidelines to identify seas by numbers instead of names, officials said Tuesday, a decision expected to help ease a long-running row over what to call the body of water between South Korea and Japan. IHO member states had reached a consensus during last month's General Assembly on the proposal to adopt a new digital dataset, known as S-130, as a standard for a world map of oceans. Under the proposal, the current standa -
Infection tally in 400s for 3rd day, virus-prone facilities under further curbsSocial affairsDec 1, 2020The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed in the 400 range for the third day in a row Tuesday, despite tightened antivirus curbs, such as shutdowns of virus-prone facilities, being in place in the greater Seoul area amid the deepening worries over the third infection wave. The country added 451 more COVID-19 cases, including 420 local infections, raising the total caseload to 34,652, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It reported no additi -
S. Korea, US hold first defense cost talks since US electionForeign affairsDec 1, 2020South Korea and the United States held defense cost talks for the first time since the US presidential election and reaffirmed their principle to seek a fair and mutually acceptable deal, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. During the video talks held Monday night (Korea time), South Korea's chief negotiator Jeong Eun-bo and his US counterpart Donna Welton agreed to "closely work together to swiftly reach an agreement that is fair and mutually acceptable," the ministry said. The nego -
Court not to decide Monday on top prosecutor's suspensionPoliticsNov 30, 2020A Seoul court said that it will not make a decision on Monday on a crucial injunction case that could affect the fate of South Korea's top prosecutor amid an escalating standoff with the justice minister. Last week, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae suspended Prosecutor General Yoon Seoul-youl from duty as she sought a disciplinary measure against him over six counts of alleged misdeeds, including collecting personal information of justices in charge of cases related to a former justice minister and -
Ex-president Chun found guilty of defaming 1980 massacre witnessPoliticsNov 30, 2020A court on Monday found former President Chun Doo-hwan guilty of defaming a late activist who testified to having witnessed Chun's troops shooting from helicopters on pro-democracy demonstrators in Gwangju. The Gwangju District Court endorsed the claims of late priest Cho Pius that there were shootings at civilians from helicopters during the 1980 Gwangju Uprising. With the conviction, the court sentenced Chun to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. The former president was also -
Govt. to launch winter season fine dust management program next monthSocial affairsNov 30, 2020The government announced Monday that it will launch a national winter season fine dust management program next month centered around reducing the amount of air pollutants during the season. The environment ministry said the program will run from December to March of next year and will center around the reduction of vehicle traffic in and around Seoul, cuts in industrial emissions and suspensions of power generation by coal plants. The government first adopted the program last year to lower th -
World’s largest anti-corruption forum to highlight the power of integritySocial affairsNov 30, 2020South Korea will host the world’s largest global forum on anti-corruption this week, bringing together world leaders via virtual link to discuss international cooperation to fight corruption. Under the theme of “Designing 2030: Truth, Trust and Transparency,” the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, the country’s anti-corruption policy control tower, will host the 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference from Tuesday to Friday at a studio located in Coex, -
Justice minister, top prosecutor continue battle in courtPoliticsNov 30, 2020A hearing on Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl’s suit to suspend Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae’s order removing him from duty was held Monday, kicking off the legal and procedural battle between the two. The court’s decision was expected late Thursday or early Friday. On Nov. 24, Choo announced her decision to remove Yoon from duty, citing the results of a Justice Ministry audit. According to the ministry, the audit found a number of irregularities in Yoon’s conduct s -
Daily case count could surge to 1,000 in a week or two: KDCA chiefSocial affairsNov 30, 2020Number of isolated COVID-19 patients soars to first-wave levels -
13 more USFK-affiliated individuals infected with coronavirusSocial affairsNov 30, 2020Eleven American service members and two dependents have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival in South Korea this month, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday. Four service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights, while the others arrived here on commercial flights via Incheon International Airport, west of the capital, according to the US military. Seven of them tested positive on their first mandatory COVID-19 test
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01Abusive curling coaches, officials banned for life
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03Infection tally in 400s for 3rd day, virus-prone facilities under further curbs
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05Netflix becomes major Hallyu medium
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09[Newsmaker] Ex-President Chun found guilty of libel for denying civilians were shot from helicopters during Gwangju Uprising
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