The Korea Times

Korea, US agree to establish global health security office in Seoul

President Yoon Suk-yeol, right, shakes hands with U.S President Joe Biden ahead of their summit held at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Saturday. NewsisTwo countries set to enhance cooperation in health sectorBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea and the United States have agreed to establish a global health security (GHS) office in Seoul, which is expected to increase Korea's role in the US-led health security initiative.This decision was announced during a summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, on Saturday, where the two sides vowed to enhance their alliance in the health sector, a field which increasingly requires cross-country cooperation amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, among other areas.Through a joint statement, the two leaders announced that the cooperation between the countries will further expand beyond responding to the coronavirus pandemic, to preventing future health crises through early prevention and detection.To move towards this goal, Korea will increase its engagement in the global health security agenda (GHSA) steering gro

May 23, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea, US agree to establish global health security office in Seoul

Politics

Yoon acknowledges need for gender equality after query by US reporter

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden held after their summit, Saturday. YonhapYoon admits equal opportunities were not fully ensured for womenBy Lee Hyo-jin President Yoon Suk-yeol said he plans to ensure that more opportunities will be given to women, in response to a U.S. reporter's question about Yoon's male-dominated Cabinet and the administration's plans to improve gender equality in Korea. During a joint press conference held after the summit with his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, Saturday, Yoon received the question from Washington Post reporter Seungmin Kim, who pointed out the lack of gender diversity among the Cabinet members of the new administration. Currently, 16 out of the Yoon administration's 19 Cabinet members including the prime minister are males, mostly in their 50s or 60s. Among the 41 newly-appointed officials at the vice minister level, 39 are men.Kim also asked Yoon, who had pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family during his presidential campaign, about the government's plans to impro

May 22, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Yoon acknowledges need for gender equality after query by US reporter

Foreign Affairs

Korea, US to launch dialogue channel on economic security

Wang Yun-jong, presidential secretary in charge of economic security affairs / Joint Press CorpsBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea and the United States have agreed to launch a dialogue channel on economic security between the two presidential offices, with an aim to strengthen technology cooperation, according to Seoul's presidential office, Friday.The agreement was made during a phone talk held earlier in the day between Wang Yun-jong, presidential secretary in charge of economic security affairs, and Tarun Chhabra, U.S. National Security Council (NSC) senior director for technology and national security. “Through the dialogue channel, the two sides will cooperate frequently and on a regular basis on economic security issues,” the presidential office said in a statement released to the media. “The launch of the channel is meaningful in that the two countries will be able to coordinate closely and respond jointly to key issues regarding cooperation in technologies such as semiconductors, secondary batteries and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as the establishment of supply

May 20, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea, US to launch dialogue channel on economic security

Foreign Affairs

NASA Artemis mission draws attention as Korea, US seek cooperation in space

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, left, and U.S. President Joe Biden / Korea Times fileTwo nations to bolster cooperation in moon landing missionBy Lee Hyo-jin Space cooperation is expected to be one of the key agenda items at the upcoming summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and his U.S. counterpart, President Joe Biden, on Saturday, as the two leaders will likely discuss plans on how to bolster collaboration in the Artemis program, a U.S.-led future moon landing project.Biden is set to arrive in Seoul on Friday afternoon for a three-day visit, marking his first visit to Korea since his inauguration in January 2021. The first bilateral summit between the two leaders will be held the following day. The meeting will focus on reaffirming the Seoul-Washington alliance, prioritizing close cooperation via the economic alliance and on national security, including space development, according to Seoul's presidential office.Talks on space cooperation between the two leaders come after Korea became the 10th country to sign the Artemis Accords ― a shared vision of principles between gove

May 20, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

NASA Artemis mission draws attention as Korea, US seek cooperation in space

North Korea

North Korea wary of COVID-19-driven social unrest

Employees of Songyo Knitwear Factory wearing face masks work to produce knitted goods in Songyo District in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday. AP-YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jinThe North Korean regime has called for its people to stay united against the COVID-19 pandemic, assuring them that the virus situation can be maintained at a manageable level, in what appears to be a move to relieve public fear and anxiety stoked by the unprecedented health crisis.State-run media outlets have reported that the government is making all-out efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, while praising North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's leadership in the battle against the virus. Pyongyang added 262,270 new patients with “fever” on Wednesday, with one added death, increasing the total number of fatalities to 63, according to North Korea's emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. The aggregate number of suspected cases of the coronavirus now stands at 1,978,230. Among them, about 1,238,000 people have recovered, with 740,160 undergoing treatment. North Korea has a total population of 26 million.Af

May 19, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

North Korea wary of COVID-19-driven social unrest

Global Community

Koryoin restaurant owner receives immigrant award

By Lee Hyo-jin Jeon Olga, a restaurant owner in the “Koryoin Village”neighborhood of the southwestern city of Gwangju, will be honored with the Prime Minister's Commendation, recognized for her yearslong dedication to supporting fellow ethnic Koreans from former Soviet Union states as they adapt to Korean society.Jeon, 36, who owns a restaurant serving Russian and Central Asian dishes in Gwangsan District, has been making numerous donations to help Koryoin immigrants settle there, according to the “Korean Cooperative,” a support center for Koryoin residents in Gwangju.“Koryoin” refers to approximately 500,000 ethnic Koreans who reside in the post-Soviet states, including descendants of those who immigrated to Russia in the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as of those who were forcibly deported from the Russian Far East to Central Asia by former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in the late 1930s.Jeon Olga/ Courtesy of the Korean Cooperative, a support center for Koryoin residents in GwangjuJeon, who came to Korea in 2011, settled in Wolgok-dong,

May 19, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Koryoin restaurant owner receives immigrant award

Health

Why doctors oppose Nursing Act legislation

Members of the Korea Nurses Association and the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union stage a rally in Jongno District, Seoul, May 12, calling for legislation of the Nursing Act. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon Nurses demand separate law stipulating their roles and dutiesBy Lee Hyo-jin The legislation of a new law called the Nursing Act, to specify the roles of nurses, has emerged as a hot-button issue in the medical community. Nurses and doctors are sharply divided over the bill, and the standoff between the two groups is escalating. The Korea Medical Association (KMA) and the Korea Nurses Association (KNA) are each staging multiple rallies, with the former attempting to block lawmakers from enacting the law, and the latter calling for swift legislation.What is the Nursing Act?The Nursing Act, proposed by Rep. Kim Min-seok of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, along with two other similar bills, proposed by Rep. Seo Jeong-suk and Rep. Choi Yeon-su

May 19, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Why doctors oppose Nursing Act legislation

Global Community

Immigrant voter turnout declines in local elections

Residents in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, hold a campaign in front of a support center for foreign residents, May 15, encouraging immigrant voters to participate in the June 1 local elections. NewsisExperts call for measures to encourage foreigners to voteBy Lee Hyo-jinA record-high 120,000 foreign residents are expected to be eligible to vote in the upcoming June 1 local elections. As a result, the turnout of these voters has drawn the attention of both political parties and candidates.The local elections are the only chance for non-Korean nationals to express their opinions on issues by voting, but previous turnouts show that such voters are becoming less enthusiastic about casting their ballots, according to government data.Following the revision to the Public Official Election Act in August 2005, foreign nationals who have resided in Korea for three or more years after obtaining permanent residency were given the right to vote in local elections. As a result, Korea became the first country in Asia to grant voting rights to non-citizen residents.Foreign nationals, however, are not al

May 17, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Immigrant voter turnout declines in local elections

North Korea

North Korea wrestles with worst health crisis

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a pharmacy in Pyongyang as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Sunday. KCNA-YonhapKim Jong-un orders military to stabilize medicine suppliesBy Lee Hyo-jin The situation in North Korea has gone from bad to worse since the reclusive country confirmed its first official case of BA.2, the “stealth” variant of Omicron, on May 12. The country added 392,920 new cases of fever on Sunday, with eight new deaths. The aggregate number of suspected cases of the coronavirus now stands at 1,213,550, with 50 deaths, according to North Korea's emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued an order mobilizing military resources to stabilize medicine supplies, three days after declaring the implementation of a “maximum emergency prevention system.” Kim reportedly criticized officials of the public health sector that the medicines procured by the state are not reaching people in a timely and accurate manner. But the current wav

May 16, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Health

Korea's next step in COVID response remains uncertain amid absence of health minister

A COVID-19 screening center near Seoul Station is empty, Sunday, as the country continues to see a downward trend in infections. YonhapGov't set to decide whether to lift 7-day isolation rule for COVID-19 patientsBy Lee Hyo-jin The government's next step toward a return to normalcy from the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain with the appointment of a new health minister still in limbo. The cabinet vacuum is feared to hinder President Yoon Suk-yeol administration's plan to implement a new pandemic management framework and achieve the smooth implementation of response measures.As of Sunday, Yoon has appointed 14 out of 18 ministers, but it is uncertain as to whether scandal-ridden Health Minister nominee Chung Ho-young will take the helm or not, as the parliamentary confirmation hearing reports of the nominee have not been approved yet.Chung has been mired in controversies involving his children's admissions to medical school as well as his son's exemption from mandatory military service. He allegedly used his influence when he was the head of Kyungpook National University Hospital to

May 15, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Lee Hyo-jin

Read more

Korea, US agree to establish global health security office in Seoul

Yoon acknowledges need for gender equality after query by US reporter

Korea, US to launch dialogue channel on economic security

NASA Artemis mission draws attention as Korea, US seek cooperation in space

North Korea wary of COVID-19-driven social unrest

Koryoin restaurant owner receives immigrant award

Why doctors oppose Nursing Act legislation

Immigrant voter turnout declines in local elections

North Korea wrestles with worst health crisis

Korea's next step in COVID response remains uncertain amid absence of health minister

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