Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min will begin his three-week military training this week at a Marine Corps boot camp on the southern island of Jeju to fulfill his minimum military duty after he was given an exemption from mandatory military service. Son, 28, will join the 9th Brigade of the Marine Corps on Monday and undergo training until May 8. He earned his exemption from the military service by winning the gold medal for South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games. Instead of serving around

Soccer April 19, 2020

South Korea will host an online seminar for several South American countries early next week to share its experience and know-how in tackling the coronavirus, Seoul's foreign ministry said Sunday. The video presentation is the second of its kind to take place following a similar one held earlier this month. The last session was attended by health officials and medical experts from 13 countries including the United States, Mexico and Italy. Next week's video seminar, slated for Tuesday, is exp

Foreign Affairs April 19, 2020

An Air Force trainee has tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing to 40 the total number of virus-infected patients in the military, military officials said Sunday. The trainee from an Air Force unit in Jinju, about 430 km south of Seoul, had already been under isolation since he entered the service early this month because he had contracted the virus before and had been treated. He tested negative in the first test he took right after he entered the service early this month, but the A

Defense April 19, 2020

President Moon Jae-in declared a bid Sunday for the inscription of documentary heritage related to South Korea's historic pro-democracy movement in 1960 on UNESCO's global Memory of the World Register. Speaking at a national ceremony to mark the movement's 60th anniversary, he said the bid is meant to "specially commemorate" the spirit of the April 19 Revolution and leave its spirit to mankind, . "The April 19 Revolution was the first democracy movement in a newly independent c

Politics April 19, 2020

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Saturday he recently received a "nice note" from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and insisted their relationship remains good. The two countries have failed to make progress in denuclearization negotiations since a February 2019 summit between Trump and Kim ended without a deal. But the leaders have maintained their personal correspondence, with Trump sending a letter to Kim last month to offer US assistance with the coronavirus pandemic.

Foreign Affairs April 19, 2020

JTBC 금토드라마 '부부의 세계'가 여성을 향한 괴한의 폭행을 범죄자 시점에서 연출하면서 시청자들 비난이 일고 있다. 18일 방송된 '부부의 세계' 8회는 지선우(김희애 분) 집에 정체를 알 수 없는 남성이 유리창을 깨고 침입, 위협하는 내용이 담겼다. 이 과정에서 카메라는 마치 슈팅 게임을 하는 것처럼 괴한의 1인칭 시점으로 수차례 전환됐다. 검은 가죽장갑을 낀 이 남성이 지선우를 내동댕이치고 발로 차기도 하고, 끝내 목을 조르는 모습까지 가해자 시점으로 가감 없이 담겼다. 시청자들은 불편하다는 반응을 내보였다. JTBC '부부의 세계' 시청자게시판에선 15세 시청가에 맞지 않게 연출이 자극적이고 폭력적이라는 원성이 쏟아졌다. 아이디 '소***'는 "김희애를 때리는 장면이 게임VR처럼 가해자 입장에서 묘사되는 게 역겹다"며 "이렇게 폭력적인 장면이 19세(시청가)도 아닌데 방송에 그대로 송출된다는 것도 소름이 끼치고, 해당 장면이 굳이 그런 식

한국어판 April 19, 2020

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump agreed Saturday to continue cooperation in response to the coronavirus and reaffirmed a push for humanitarian assistance for North Korea with regard to the pandemic, Cheong Wa Dae said. In phone talks that lasted half an hour, Trump called South Korea's handling of COVID-19 the "best model," noting that it successfully held national elections earlier this week. He then congratulated Moon on his party

Politics April 19, 2020

Tens of thousands of South Koreans have signed a petition calling for the mandatory construction of residential flats for North Korean defectors in the ritzy district of Gangnam, southern Seoul, following a high-profile defector's election in the constituency. In apparent derision of the Gangnam residents who elected Tae Ku-min in Wednesday's legislative election, an anonymous petition was filed on the website of the presidential office on Thursday, demanding the government oblige builders to

Politics April 18, 2020

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called on the people Saturday to minimize outdoor activities during upcoming holidays and adhere to social distancing guidance to stem the coronavirus. "I am worried that the social distancing campaign that we've carried out very well could be jeopardized later this month," Chung said, pointing to planned holidays set to begin at the end of this month. South Korea is to mark Buddha's birthday on April 30, which will be followed by Labor Day, and Childr

Social Affairs April 18, 2020

South Korean stocks are expected to continue to build up gains next week, buoyed by hopes for the reopening of the US economy and the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, analysts said Saturday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 1,914.53 points on Friday, compared with 1,860.70 points from a week ago. The KOSPI started off on a weak note on Monday by dropping nearly 2 percent on COVID-19 woes before rebounding on Tuesday and Thursday. The market was closed on Wedn

Market April 18, 2020

North Korea's imports of refined petroleum products exceeded the annual limit imposed by the United Nations by up to eight times in the first 10 months of last year, a UN panel of experts said in a new report cited by foreign media Friday. The 267-page report for the UN Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee also said the communist country continued to enhance its illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programs in violation of Security Council resolutions. The annual report by the

North Korea April 18, 2020

K-pop star Park Yoo-chun appears to be preparing to resume his show business career, in defiance of a retirement pledge he made last year amid a drug scandal. In a message on his Instagram account Thursday, the former JYJ member announced a plan to officially open a website for fans, called Blue Cielo, next week, apparently taking one step toward resuming his entertainment career. "Park Yoo-chun's official fan site, Blue Cielo, is scheduled to open at 6 p.m. on Monday. We ask for your hi

Social Affairs April 18, 2020

The top diplomats of 12 countries, including South Korea, France, Italy and Brazil, have held a video conference and called for a coordinated anti-virus response to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the global economy and multilateral systems, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Saturday. Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha joined her counterparts from 11 countries, which also included Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, Turkey and Britain, on Friday as "the Ministe

Foreign Affairs April 18, 2020

North Korea continued nuclear activities last year in violation of its commitments to abandon all nuclear programs, the US State Department has said. In a summarized report to Congress Wednesday, the department also said North Korea has likely had a biological warfare program since at least the 1960s. The report discusses US and other nations' compliance last year with various arms control and nonproliferation agreements. "North Korea's continuing nuclear activities make clear that it

North Korea April 18, 2020

As a new proportional representation system, introduced for Wednesday's parliamentary elections, failed to fulfill its purpose, newly-elected lawmakers are now expected to address the problem during their four-year term that begins in early June. The mixed-member proportional representation system was introduced under an electoral reform bill that passed the National Assembly in December to better reflect votes cast for parties. It was expected to work favorably for minor parties by distributi

Politics April 18, 2020