The Security Council’s programme for January features a ministerial-level open debate on the promotion and strengthening of the rule of law, as well as an open debate on investment in people to enhance resilience against complex challenges for peacebuilding and sustaining peace, its President for the month told a Headquarters press conference today. Kimihiro Ishikane … Read more
China objected Tuesday to new COVID-19 testing requirements for Chinese travelers that has been put in place by a number of countries, saying the measures “lack scientific basis.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters at a briefing that China could institute “countermeasures based on the principle of reciprocity.” China has seen a surge … Read more
The United States plans to hold table-top drills and expand other areas of defense cooperation with South Korea, but is not considering joint nuclear exercises with Seoul, according to a senior U.S. administration official. The U.S. announcement came after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in an interview Monday the United States and South … Read more
Walter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from the first successful crewed space mission in NASA’s Apollo program, died Tuesday in Houston. He was 90. NASA confirmed Cunningham’s death in a statement but did not include its cause. Spokespersons for the agency and Cunningham’s wife, Dot Cunningham, did not immediately respond to questions. Cunningham was one … Read more
SEOUL– Seoul’s education office plans to spend about 80 billion won (US$62.9 million) this year to help make up for students’ learning loss caused by COVID-19, its chief said Tuesday. Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, said that wearing a mask for a long time may have caused developmental retardation … Read more
SEOUL– Subway workers blocked a group of disability rights activists from staging a subway protest during the morning rush hour on Tuesday, a day after authorities used force for the first time to deter their yearlong protest. Since late last year, the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) has staged subway-riding protests at major stations … Read more
SEOUL– The de facto owner of the operator of South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb was acquitted Tuesday on charges of defrauding a businessman. The Seoul Central District Court delivered a not guilty verdict for the owner, only identified by his surname Lee, saying the prosecution’s evidence does not show that he had purposely … Read more
SEOUL– SsangYong Motor Co. said Tuesday its sales rose 3.9 percent last month from a year earlier, helped by robust overseas demand for its SUV models. SsangYong Motor sold 9,094 vehicles in December, up from 8,755 units a year earlier despite an extended global chip shortage, the company said in a statement. Domestic … Read more