N. Korean state media outlets step up anti-US sentiment, indoctrination

Special attention is being paid to whether Korea-US currency swap will be discussed

Second COVID-19 booster shots for people aged 50 and older began Monday as the country battles a resurgence in cases. The second boosters are also available for those aged 18 and older who have underlying health conditions, along with patients and workers at some facilities considered vulnerable to disease transmission, such as senior care centers. For people aged 50 and older, the government will send out text messages to inform them that they are eligible for booster shots. The governme

Seoul city is offering transport subsidies for pregnant women, but the measure is limited to Korean residents, casting questions on the inclusiveness of the city’s policies. The Seoul city government has been offering pregnant women living in the city 700,000 won ($538) each in transportation vouchers since July 1. However, depending on their residency status, some pregnant mothers may not receive the voucher, even if they are bearing a child of South Korean nationality. According to t

Yoon silent to reporters on Monday while his secretaries step up

The National Police Agency announced that it has issued two Purple Notices related to new drug smuggling methods via airplane or ship components, which were shared with 195 member countries of the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, Monday.　 Interpol Notices are “international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information” according to the official Interpol website. The Purple Notice is one of

Negotiations have stalled without progress since late May

People Power Party policy chief says income, real estate taxes priority targets

A member of the Seoul city council filed a petition Monday asking the state rights watchdog to get to the bottom of the previous administration's 2019 repatriation of two North Korean fishermen against their will. Lee Jong-bae, a ruling People Power Party-affiliated member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, denounced the repatriation as human rights violations as he filed the petition with the National Human Rights Commission. In November 2019, the North Koreans were captured near the sea b

South Korea's new coronavirus cases more than doubled Monday from a week earlier amid a resurgence of infections and the fast spread of a highly contagious new omicron subvariant. The country reported 26,299 new COVID-19 infections, including 319 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,788,056, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's figure fell from 41,310 cases Saturday and 40,342 on Sunday, but it more than doubled from 12,681 cases logged a we

Two lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), considered closest confidants of President Yoon Suk-yeol, clashed Monday over the controversial hiring of a presidential office employee, with one of them warning the other to watch his mouth. Rep. Chang Je-won opened fire on PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong after Kweon said he "pressured" Chang to have a person from his constituency in the eastern city of Gangneung hired at the presidential office when Chang was chief of staff for

The South Korean Air Force's aerobatic flight team received two top awards at the world's largest military air show in Britain over the weekend, the armed service said Monday. The Black Eagles team clinched the King Hussein Memorial Sword for the best overall flying demonstration and the As the Crow Flies Trophy at the three-day Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at Fairford, Gloucestershire, which closed Sunday. At the same air show a decade ago, the team won the same awards for it

Indonesian President Joko Widodo plans to visit South Korea late this month for summit talks with President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to Yoon's office on Monday. South Korea and Indonesia have been in consultations about the summit's agenda and the itinerary of Widodo's planned visit to Seoul, according to the presidential office. Yoon and Widodo are expected to hold in-depth discussions about economic security, defense industry and other issues. Widodo, current chair of the G-20,

South Korea and the United States have been conducting combined military drills, involving a high-tech training system, Seoul official said Monday, amid the allies' stepped-up efforts to sharpen deterrence against North Korea's evolving security threats. The 11-day training got under way at the Army's Korea Combat Training Center (KCTC) in Inje, 165 kilometers east of Seoul, on July 11. It involved 4,300 South Korean troops from the 51st Brigade of the 12th Division and 81st Briga

Lured by ‘high-paying jobs,’ young Koreans tricked into working for phishing syndicates