SEOUL– South Korea’s first vice foreign minister left for London on Sunday for talks with British officials on bilateral relations, the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual interest, his office said.The weeklong trip b…
Day: October 17, 2021
New infections fall to 1,400s; eased virus curbs ahead
SEOUL– South Korea’s daily new COVID-19 cases fell to the 1,400s on Sunday, as health authorities plan to apply eased distancing rules for a gradual return to normal life.The country added 1,420 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,403 local infections, r…
K-pop album market bullish despite pandemic
SEOUL– The local pop culture market has suffered a heavy blow from the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, but the K-pop industry remains less affected thanks to the strongest sales of physical albums in a decade.”Noeasy,” the second full-length album by bo…
S. Korea to release promotional tourism video featuring Son Heung-min
SEOUL– A video featuring football star Son Heung-min promoting South Korea as a tourist destination will be unveiled this week, the culture ministry said Sunday.The 80-second video with Son of Tottenham Hotspur is aimed at allowing viewers to feel Sou…
CHINA SURPRISES U.S. WITH HYPERSONIC MISSILE TEST, FT REPORTS
China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August, showing a capability that caught U.S. intelligence by surprise, the Financial Times reported, citing five unnamed sources.The report late on Saturday said the Chinese military launched a rock…
Japan PM Says Fukushima Wastewater Release Can’t Be Delayed
Japan’s new prime minister on Sunday said the planned mass disposal of wastewater stored at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant cannot be delayed, despite concerns from local residents.Speaking at his first visit to the facility since taking of…
S. Korean farmers struggle from labor shortage as pandemic disrupts migrant work system
ANSEONG, South Korea– Koh Jin-taek is proud of having built a small but stable farming business in Anseong, 77 kilometers south of Seoul, over the past two decades producing primarily lettuce, chicory and other types of leafy vegetables.He currently o…
S. Korea’s nuclear envoy pins hope on end-of-war declaration to resume talks with North
WASHINGTON– South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy said Saturday that a formal declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War could pave the way for resuming the stalled denuclearization talks with North Korea.Noh Kyu-duk made the remark ahead of his meet…
IAEA chief vows close consultations with S. Korea over Japan’s Fukushima water release plan
SEOUL– The chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog has vowed to continue close consultations with South Korea and other nations over Japan’s plan to discharge radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, Seoul’s foreign…
Kishida sends offering to controversial Yasukuni Shrine: report
SEOUL– Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday sent his first ritual offering to a controversial war shrine since taking office earlier this month, a news report said.Kishida sent a “masakaki” tree to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo to celebrate …