All air travelers required to wear masks from Wednesday
Social affairsMay 27, 2020
South Korea on Wednesday started requiring all air travelers to wear face masks to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Following a mandate from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of Wednesday the government is requiring all travelers on domestic and international routes to wear masks. Those without masks will be denied boarding. The measure came as increasing numbers of people were ignoring the government’s recommendations on masks amid warmer sprin
-
S. Korea shares K-quarantine info with Latin American countries via online seminarForeign affairsMay 27, 2020South Korea shared its experience and quarantine process in tackling the novel coronavirus pandemic with Latin American countries through an online seminar Wednesday. The Special Webinar on COVID-19 for Policy and Technology event, hosted by the International Quarantine Cooperation task force, comes as many countries in Central and South America have reported a large number of COVID-19 cases and related deaths. These countries have expressed interest in South Korea's handling of the virus outb -
Seoul to fund $4.9m in UNESCAP aid for North KoreaNorth KoreaMay 27, 2020The Unification Ministry on Wednesday said it will provide North Korea with $4.9 million in aid through a UN agency, to support enhancing the country’s statistics program. The decision to fund the project by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific was made during a civilian-government committee on inter-Korean exchanges. The project will last six years, and Seoul has set aside $720,000 for this year. It will pay the amount each year in installment
-
Prosecutors arrest Ulsan mayor’s election camp chiefSocial affairsMay 27, 2020The prosecution arrested Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho’s former election campaign manager over suspicions that he accepted illegal campaign funds from a local used car dealer in 2018. Prosecutors are investigating allegations that the presidential office helped Song, a longtime friend of President Moon Jae-in, win the 2018 mayoral race by pressuring police to investigate his rival to sway public opinion. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office is questioning the former aide to -
UNC says it is in talks with S. Korea over resumption of DMZ visitsDefenseMay 27, 2020The United Nations Command (UNC) said Wednesday it is in talks with South Korea about resuming tours to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas suspended last year in the wake of the African swine fever outbreak. The US-led command, which administers the DMZ, said it facilitated the environment ministry's survey on African swine fever inside the Joint Security Area and other locations inside the buffer zone Monday. "These #DMZ sites remain closed to tours, but UNC & R -
New virus cases spike on steady rise in club-linked infections, another looming clusterSocial affairsMay 27, 2020South Korea's new virus cases spiked by the most in nearly two months on Wednesday as the country grapples with a steady rise in club-linked transmission and yet another cluster infection looms. The country reported 40 new cases, including 37 local infections, raising the total coronavirus caseload to 11,265, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The daily new virus cases marks the largest in 49 days. South Korea was on the verge of fully controlling the C -
US nuclear forces are ready and deter all adversaries, including N. Korea: Pentagon officialForeign affairsMay 27, 2020WASHINGTON -- The United States' nuclear forces are ready and deter all adversaries, including potentially North Korea, a Pentagon official said Tuesday after the communist nation vowed to build its nuclear deterrence. Drew Walter, currently performing the duties of deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear matters, said the US is aware of the size of North Korea's nuclear stockpile and it is not as large as those of other nuclear-armed nations. "I think the Department (of Defens -
S. Korea to develop close-in weapon system for warshipsDefenseMay 26, 2020South Korea decided Tuesday to develop an indigenous close-in weapon system (CIWS) for its warships by 2030. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the defense project promotion committee approved the 350 billion-won ($283.51 million) project that will be launched next year. The CIWS is designed to detect and destroy short range anti-ship missiles and aircraft that have penetrated outer defenses. Currently, South Korea uses the US CIWS system. The new weapon is expected t -
China shares info on proposed Hong Kong security law with S. Korea: embassy officialForeign affairsMay 26, 2020China has shared information with South Korea on its push for a controversial security law for Hong Kong, a Chinese Embassy official said Tuesday, in an apparent move to seek Seoul's backing for the proposal. The proposed law, seen as a bid to tighten Beijing's control over the semiautonomous territory, has triggered fears from Washington and democracy advocates that the legislation would erode Hong Kong's autonomy and civil liberties. "(China) has shared information related to the -
Both Koreas violated armistice agreement: UN CommandNorth KoreaMay 26, 2020Both Koreas breached their armistice agreement when they exchanged gunfire at the border on May 3, the United National Command said Tuesday. It also said it could not “definitely” determine whether North Korea opened fire on a South Korean guard post intentionally or by mistake. The UN Command, which administers the demilitarized zone separating both Koreas and enforces the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, came to that conclusion after a weeklong investigation by it -
More students return to school in S. KoreaSocial affairsMay 26, 2020Despite lingering concerns over coronavirus, South Korea will take another step toward normalizing life Wednesday, sending some 2.37 million pupils across the country back to classrooms. In the second phase of the country’s staged school reopening, which began a week ago with high school seniors, in-person classes will resume for students in kindergarten, second year of high school, third year of middle school and first two years of elementary school. About 200 schools in high-risk ar -
UNC says it cannot determine whether N.K. started border gunfire accidentallyNorth KoreaMay 26, 2020The United Nations Command (UNC) said Tuesday that it could not "definitively" determine whether North Korea started a recent exchange of gunfire with South Korea intentionally or by mistake but found that both sides violated the armistice agreement. The US-led command, which administers the DMZ and enforces the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, came to the conclusion after a weekslong investigation into the May 3 incident, where four bullets from the North hit a South Ko -
Four more one-stop service centers for immigrants in the worksSocial affairsMay 26, 2020Amid a steady rise in the number of foreigners residing in Korea, four additional centers for immigrants are to open for one-stop services, the government said Tuesday. The new “Multicultural Immigrants Centers” will be established in different areas with a relatively large population of multinational residents -- one each in North Chungcheong Province and South Jeolla Province and two in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. “Among the four areas, Eumseo -
Seoul city miscalculates relief fund beneficiaries, to inject $188m moreSocial affairsMay 26, 2020The Seoul Metropolitan Government looks set to inject an additional 232.8 billion won ($188.4 million) into its emergency disaster relief fund after failing to accurately predict the number of beneficiaries. The city’s budget for the project, aimed at helping low-income citizens to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, will increase to 560 billion won, up 71.2 percent from the initial 327.1 billion won. To secure the extra funds, the city plans to submit another supplementary budget to the c -
Seoul seeks to ease regulations on inter-Korean exchangeNorth KoreaMay 26, 2020The government will push to ease regulations on inter-Korean exchange and contact with North Koreans, the Ministry of Unification said Tuesday. The changes, which will be included in the revision of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, are thought to be aimed at aiding the Moon Jae-in administration’s plans to lay the foundations for inter-Korean projects. The revision, which will be submitted to the National Assembly within the year, will allow South Koreans to contact North K
MOST POPULAR
-
01Mysterious children’s illness with potential links to COVID-19 arrives in S. Korea
-
More students return to school in S. Korea02
-
03New virus cases spike on steady rise in club-linked infections, another looming cluster
-
[Newsmaker] Man gets jail for breaking quarantine04
-
05Korea to introduce major change to resident ID card system
-
Prosecutors summon Samsung heir over controversial 2015 merger06
-
07Club-linked virus cases still on rise ahead of further school reopenings
-
[News Focus] International air routes relaunch, but worries linger08
-
09‘Wave’ on Coex digital billboard grabs international attention
-
Big Hit acquires Pledis in push for expansion10