SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities believe North Korea is ready to roll out a new 3,000-ton submarine, only waiting for the right timing, sources said Sunday. The assessment comes after a U.S. think tank said the North has moved a submersible missile test barge at its missile test site to a different position, possibly indicating an upcoming test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). "Both South Korea and U.S. intelligence authorities made the assessment that North Korea has already finished building the 3,000-ton submarine unveiled in July 2019," according to sources. "The authorities assess that North Korea is reviewing the right timing to roll out the submarine for a strategic effect, including maximizing pressure against the United States," a source said. The source added that the North could reveal the submarine at a launching ceremony and actually roll out an SLBM, such as the Pukguksong-3. Last month, 38 North

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GUMI, South Korea, April 5 (Yonhap) -- The mysterious disappearance and death of two 3-year-old girls in the southeastern city of Gumi that made headlines in South Korea for months have led to the indictments of two women. Prosecutors said Monday a 48-year-old woman surnamed Seok was indicted on charges of attempting to abandon the body of her 3-year-old daughter this year and abducting her granddaughter of the same age years ago. The case dates back to Feb. 10, when the mummified body of Seok's young daughter, who died apparently of starvation six months earlier, was discovered at a multi-unit house of her 22-year-old daughter, surnamed Kim, in Gumi, a quiet industrial city about 260 kilometers southeast of Seoul. At that time, the dead girl was believed to be a daughter born to Kim, who was accused of moving out of her home alone last August to remarry and was later arrested and indicted for murder and other charges. But the case took a bizarre twist in early March

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(ATTN: ADDS EMA's statement in paras 8-10) SEOUL, April 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea decided Wednesday to suspend a AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination program for people younger than 60 due to concerns related to blood clots. Set to start on Thursday, AstraZeneca vaccination programs for special education instructors and teachers at kindergarten, elementary, middle and high schools, about 70,000 in total, will also be suspended. The decision came as the European Medicine Agency (EMA), the European Union's medicines regulator, is set to hold a meeting this week to review cases of blood clots found in people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine. With the disruption in the vaccination schedule, South Korea may be hard pressed to achieve herd immunity by November. "We made this pre-emptive decision to put the safety of people receiving COVID-19 vaccines above all else," said Jeong Eun-kyeong, head of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. "Based on the EMA's findings

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SEOUL, April 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's drug safety agency on Wednesday approved the COVID-19 vaccine by Johnson & Johnson's Janssen as it showed around 66 percent efficacy against the new coronavirus, becoming the third vaccine approved here. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety authorized the use of Janssen's one-shot regimen as the vaccine is effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 infections among adults aged 18 and older. It marked the third COVID-19 vaccine approved by South Korean authorities following those by British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University and by Pfizer Inc. The country signed a contract with Janssen for 6 million bottles for its vaccine rollout. The bottles are scheduled to be provided in the third quarter. Since South Korea began its vaccination campaign on Feb. 26, a total of 1.03 million people, or 1.99 percent of the 52 million population, have received their first shots. AstraZeneca's vaccine has been

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SEOUL, April 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has moved a submersible missile test stand barge at a shipyard on its east coast, a U.S. think tank said Wednesday, noting the move could be part of preparations for a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test or for maintenance. Citing satellite imagery collected Tuesday, Beyond Parallel, a project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, revealed the activity, warning the "implied threat" of SLBM testing would pose "significant challenges" to both Seoul and Washington. The barge located at the Sinpo South Shipyard has left the secure boat basin to the floating dry dock, but it does not indicate an imminent missile test given that no missile canister was visible onboard the barge, the think tank said. "Probable reasons for this movement include: preparations for a forthcoming submarine launched ballistic missile test. Movement of the test stand for maintenance, repairs or installation of equipment," it

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(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with final vote count) By Park Boram and Chang Dong-woo SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Democratic Party (DP) suffered a crushing defeat in mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan Wednesday, seen as a critical bellwether for next year's presidential poll. Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) defeated his rival from the DP, Park Young-sun, 57.5 percent to 39 percent to claim the Seoul mayoral seat, according to the final vote tally released by the National Election Commission. The mayoral seat in Busan, the country's second-largest city, also went to the PPP, with Park Heong-joon beating DP rival Kim Young-choon 63 percent to 34 percent. The PPP also swept 13 of 19 other local posts up for grabs in the elections. The polls, especially in Seoul, home to nearly 10 million of the country's 52 million population, are seen as harbingers of public opinions ahead of the presidential election set for March 2022. Presid

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SEOUL, April 5 (Yonhap) -- The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Monday revealed the identity of a suspect in the grisly murders of a mother and two adult daughters last month. Kim Tae-hyun, 24, is accused of killing a woman whom he had allegedly stalked, her mother and younger sister at their home in northeastern Seoul on March 23. The police held a committee meeting, comprising three internal officials and four outside experts, on Monday afternoon to conclude that the disclosure of the man's personal information, including his photo and name, worked in the best interest of the public given the gravity of his crime and high public interest in the case. The man "meticulously premeditated the crime" and "admitted to the killings," and there is plenty of damning evidence against him, the committee said. In line with the decision, he will not be allowed to cover his face whenever he appears in public or is covered by media. According to police, Kim was caught at th

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(ATTN: ADDS details throughout) SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hit the highest in three months Thursday amid rising concerns that the country's vaccination campaign may hit a snag due to safety concerns over AstraZeneca jabs, possibly making the targeted herd immunity by November elusive. The country reported 700 more COVID-19 cases, including 674 local infections, raising the total caseload to 107,598, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It marked the highest level since 870 cases on Jan. 7 and a rise from 668 on Wednesday. The country added two more deaths from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,758. The fatality rate came to 1.63 percent. Authorities have been grappling with the rising number of new cases sparked by increased spring travel and loosened vigilance against the virus and warned that enhanced virus curbs may be adopted to flatten the curve. On Friday, health authorities plan to decide wheth

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SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for selling marijuana he smuggled in from the United States using an unmanned parcel locker, judicial sources said Sunday. According to the sources, the Seoul Central District Court recently handed down the prison term to a 29-year-old man, whose identity has been withheld, on charges of violating the Narcotics Act. He is accused of buying marijuana from U.S.-based drug dealers he met on the dark web, an area of the internet that is not accessible through regular search engines and selling some of it. The dealers hid the cannabis, which is classified as an illegal drug in South Korea, in shampoo bottles and shipped them internationally to an unmanned parcel locker here, according to the prosecution. Prosecutors charged the man with buying a total of 600 grams of marijuana over three occasions in 2019, although police said they seized more than 1 kilogram of the drug when they apprehended him.

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By Kim Eun-jung SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- SK Group said Tuesday it will make a strategic investment in VinCommerce, Vietnam's largest retail group, to tap into the fast-growing e-commerce segment in the Southeast Asian market. SK said its Southeast Asian investment arm signed a deal to buy a 16.3 percent share in VinCommerce for 460 billion won (US$410 million). VinCommerce, a retail subsidiary of Masan Group, operates about 2,300 convenience stores and supermarkets in Vietnam, taking about 50 percent of the nation's retail sector. In December 2019, Masan Group took over a 83.7 percent stake in VinCommerce from Vingroup, Vietnam's biggest private conglomerate. SK said it will collaborate with Masan Group to invest in retail, logistics and electronic payment systems to expand VinCommerce's online channels to target the fast-growing e-commerce segment in Vietnam. Established in 2018, SK Southeast Asia Investment Ltd. bought a 9.6 percent stake in Masan Group in Octobe

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