Samsung, Apple scurry to meet new phone launch schedules

The world’s two biggest smartphone makers Samsung Electronics and Apple are working on new products with the aim of meeting initially set launch schedules, despite rumors that tech companies are delaying plans amid the global coronavirus pandemic. According to industry sources on Wednesday, Samsung has begun to prepare for the launch event for its Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2 planned for August. Samsung was lucky to hold a flashy event to unveil its Galaxy S20 series and Galaxy Z

TechnologyApril 8, 2020

S. Korea to rev up quarantine on nursing hospitals, churches to stem cluster infections

South Korea's health authorities said Wednesday they will step up quarantine on facilities that pose higher risk of cluster transmissions of the novel coronavirus, such as nursing hospitals and churches. Under the measure, nursing hospitals, closed wards of mental institutions, sanatoriums and churches will be designated as a "high-risk group" of being infected with COVID-19 and will be subject to intensive monitoring. "There are more seniors or people with underlying diseases

Social AffairsApril 8, 2020

USFK reports coronavirus case from Camp Casey, total at 21

US Forces Korea (USFK) reported a coronavirus case from Camp Casey, north of Seoul, on Wednesday, bringing the total number of USFK-related infections to 21. It is the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus from the base in the city of Dongducheon, around 40 kilometers north of Seoul. Other details were not immediately available. "Contact tracing and thorough cleaning are occurring now," USFK said in a Facebook post. USFK has kept the coronavirus risk level at "high"

DefenseApril 8, 2020

Antenna to hold relay live stream, ‘Everything is OK’

Musicians of Antenna Music will hold a live stream concert for fans stuck at home due to the spread of COVID-19. Antenna music posted an official poster for the event on its social media page Sunday announcing the line-up for the event. “Everything is OK, with Antenna” will be held for four days on April 11, 12, 18 and 19 starting at 8 p.m. on its official YouTube channel. The online music festival will feature all 11 artists of Antenna starting with Toy (Yoo Hee-yeol) and Lee Jin

PerformanceApril 8, 2020

3 out of 4 Koreans dissatisfied with political situation: poll

Three out of 4 South Koreans said they were dissatisfied with the country’s political situation, according to the results of a survey summarized in a recent report. The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and Seoul National University’s Center for Social Welfare conducted the poll of 6,331 households between February and May last year. The topics were political participation, political orientation and perception of welfare. Of the respondents, 74.88 percent said they wer

PoliticsApril 8, 2020

COVID-19 deaths surpass 200; 53 more infections reported

South Korea’s death toll from the novel coronavirus rose above 200 on Wednesday, with patients aged 80 or older making up the largest proportion of the deceased. After seeing fewer than 50 new infections for two consecutive days, new cases inched up 53 from the previous day, bringing the total to 10,384 as of Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., according to figures from the Korea Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. There were 202 virus-related deaths as of Wednesday morning, including the

Social AffairsApril 8, 2020

Sunscreen sales on the rise, despite face masks

With the weather warming up in South Korea, sunscreen sales are on the rise -- despite the “new normal” of wearing face masks due to the COVID-19 outbreak, industry sources said Tuesday. According to CJ Olive Young, a health and beauty store chain here, sales of sunblock jumped 81 percent from March 30 to Sunday, compared with the same period a month earlier (March 2 to 8). Among them, organic or carbon-based sunscreen products were the most popular, witnessing a 132 percent incre

ConsumerApril 8, 2020

‘Slowdown in US, China, Japan can lower Korea’s economic growth by 2%’

A slowdown in major economies following the global coronavirus pandemic could cut South Korea’ economic growth rate by as much as 2 percentage points, according to a local business research center Wednesday. The Korea Economic Research Institute analyzed the impact of the growth rate of three countries -- the US, China and Japan -- on the growth rate of Korea based on data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It found that if the growth rate of the three cou

IndustryApril 8, 2020

58% in poll say everyone should get disaster relief

Six out of 10 Koreans think the government should pay emergency disaster relief money to everyone, not just the bottom 70 percent income bracket as planned to help fight COVID-19, a recent survey showed. In a poll of 500 Koreans nationwide conducted on Tuesday by Realmeter, 58.2 percent said they are for universal payout of the disaster relief, while 36.6 percent said they are against it, the pollster said on Wednesday. “Approvals (of universal payout) outnumbered disapprovals in most r

Social AffairsApril 8, 2020

Gold exports climb to 7-year high in Feb. on price hikes

South Korea's exports of gold surged to over a seven-year high in February as demand for safer assets increased amid a market rout triggered by the new coronavirus, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Wednesday. Outbound shipments of gold for non-monetary use came to some $290 million in the month, the highest since $327 million posted in September 2012, according to the BOK. In terms of volume, outbound shipments of gold amounted to 5.8 tons in February, sharply up from 3.5 tons shipped the same mo

EconomyApril 8, 2020

Insurance fraud hits fresh high in 2019

Fraudulent insurance claims shot up more than 10 percent in 2019 from a year earlier to hit a new record, the financial watchdog said Wednesday. Insurance fraud scammers obtained 880 billion won ($720 million) through wrongful filings in 2019, compared with 798 billion won tallied a year earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The watchdog said it has detected 92,538 suspects last year, rising from 79,179 disclosed in 2018. The figures translate into 254 suspects fili

EconomyApril 8, 2020

Households' excess funds up sharply in 2019

Excess funds held by South Korean households jumped sharply from a year earlier in 2019, central bank data showed Wednesday, possibly due to government efforts to curb real estate speculation. Net financial funds held by households, including nonprofit organizations, came to 91.8 trillion won ($75.3 billion) as of end-2019, up from 52.7 trillion won tallied a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The BOK did not offer any reasons for the increase, but it ea

EconomyApril 8, 2020

Poll finds widespread support for social distancing

Most South Koreans support the social distancing campaign to fend off the coronavirus, though three in 10 feel its side effects, a poll showed Wednesday. The survey by the Asian Citizen's Center for Environment and Health, a nongovernmental organization, also found citizens in an overwhelming number are positive toward the unveiling of private information of patients despite concerns of privacy violation. The survey was conducted on 1,000 adults across the country between Monday and Tuesday.

Social AffairsApril 8, 2020

‘Phantom of Opera’ extends show suspension to April 22

The Seoul run of the musical “The Phantom of the Opera” will be suspended until April 22. After a Canadian female ensemble cast member was confirmed with COVID-19 infection on March 31, the show was halted through Tuesday. Another COVID-19 case involving a male cast member led to the organizers putting the show on hold until April 22.  The rest of the 128-member team tested negative for COVID-19. The crew, however, remains in self-quarantine at a serviced residence in Jongn

PerformanceApril 8, 2020

Old or young, most workers feel generation gap: survey

Six out of 10 South Korean workers experience a generation gap in their workplace with the older generation feeling wider disparity, a report showed Wednesday. The Korea Chamber of Commerce ＆Industry released a survey of the generation conflict in Korean companies among around 13,000 office workers from 30 large and midsized companies. The survey showed 63.9 percent of the respondents feel the generation gap. By age, 69.4 percent of those in their 40s and 67.3 percent of those in their 50

IndustryApril 8, 2020

Top nuke envoys of S. Korea, Japan hold phone talks over NK denuclearization

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and Japan held phone talks Wednesday over the North Korean nuclear issue and security situation on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. The conversation between Lee Do-hoon and his Japanese counterpart, Shigeki Takizaki, came amid concerns that the global fight against the new coronavirus could overshadow the efforts to denuclearize North Korea and lay the groundwork for lasting peace on the peninsula. "The two sides agreed to continue cl

North KoreaApril 8, 2020

Hotel Shilla closes $121m deal to buy stake in 3Sixty Duty Free

Hotel Shilla, a South Korean operator of luxury hotels and duty-free shops, has closed a $121 million transaction to buy a 44 percent stake in US duty-free shop operator Travel Retail Group Holdings, known for the in-flight retailing service 3Sixty Duty Free, a filing showed Wednesday. The deal, closed Tuesday, allowed the hotel and duty-free unit under Samsung to become the second-largest shareholder after 3Sixty Chairman Bernard Klepach. It marks Hotel Shilla’s first investment in a No

MarketApril 8, 2020

Army to conduct massive field training amid coronavirus concerns

The Army plans to hold a two-week field training involving some 4,500 service members this month, officials said Wednesday, amid lingering concerns over the new coronavirus. The exercise will kick off at the Korea Combat Training Center in the eastern county of Inje on April 20, the military said. The training comes as South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases stayed at around 50 for the third straight day Wednesday. The country's social distancing campaign is set to expire on April 19. Health a

DefenseApril 8, 2020

Moon vows another massive stimulus package against coronavirus

President Moon Jae-in unveiled plans Wednesday for another economic relief package aimed at stimulating exports and domestic demand stifled by the coronavirus pandemic. The government will provide South Korea's exporting companies with at least 36 trillion won ($29.5 billion) of trade finance for their credit and capital liquidity, he said during the fourth emergency economic council session at Cheong Wa Dae. It's meant to support exporters suffering a heavy blow due to the collapse of global

EconomyApril 8, 2020

Why African Americans are dying at higher rates from COVID-19

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The new coronavirus isn’t biased about whom it infects -- so why does data emerging from some states suggest that African Americans are bearing the brunt of the pandemic in the US? Experts say blacks are disproportionately impacted by underlying health conditions linked to poverty, face discrimination in medical care, and are more likely to work jobs that require them to leave their homes. “We know that blacks are more likely to have diabetes, heart disease, lu

World NewsApril 8, 2020