More patients being diagnosed with COVID-19 twice

The number of people testing positive for the novel coronavirus for the second time after making a full recovery is growing, sparking fresh concern in the country’s fight against the pathogen. Health authorities are on high alert as seven staff and inpatients at a nursing hospital in North Gyeongsang Province were rediagnosed with COVID-19. The nursing hospital was closed after reporting nearly 70 confirmed virus cases, including seven deaths. This pushed the number of repeat patien

Social AffairsApril 5, 2020

Rival parties project victories in half of constituencies

The campaigns for the April 15 general elections are heating up, with the ruling and main opposition parties each hoping to secure the majority of constituencies. While there are only 253 constituencies up for grabs, both the ruling Democratic Party and the main opposition United Future Party are projecting victory in 123 to 130 constituencies. The Democratic Party considers its candidates to have the upper hand in 134 of the 253 constituencies, while the United Future Party considers victo

PoliticsApril 5, 2020

KT signs W24b deal to supply IPTV solutions to Thai firm

KT Corp., South Korea's leading telecommunications firm, said Sunday it has signed a 24 billion-won ($19.4 million) deal to supply internet protocol television (IPTV) solutions to a Thai firm. Under the deal with 3BB TV Co.., an affiliate of Thailand's telecommunications giant Jasmine Group, KT will provide its various IPTV-related solutions, including content delivery network technology and set-top box management ideas, to help the Thai IPTV operator start its commercial service in the second

TechnologyApril 5, 2020

[Newsmaker] US military uses Seoul lab to test troops outside Korea

A Seoul-based lab tested 72 American troops positive for COVID-19, but the US military in Korea said they belonged to soldiers stationed elsewhere, and not here, a local report said Sunday. 　 A US hospital at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, where the US military is headquartered, sent clinical specimens to the lab, which shared the results with the city in Gyeonggi Province, as it was bound by law to do so. The city pressed the US military for more details, but it came to confirm only the fact t

DefenseApril 5, 2020

[News Focus] SsangYong Motor back on the brink after Mahindra scraps investment plan

Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra has rejected a call for fresh funding for its cash-strapped Korean unit SsangYong Motor, leaving its future uncertain after 12 consecutive quarters of losses.  According to the board of directors of Mahindra, which has a 74.65 percent stake in Ssangyong, they held a special meeting in Mumbai on Friday and decided to reject SsangYong Motor’s request to invest 500 billion won ($404 million) over the next three years. Instead, it urged the Korean

MobilityApril 5, 2020

Church to face legal action for holding service against order

The Seoul city government said Sunday it will take legal action against a Protestant church for breaking the city's administrative order not to hold mass gatherings to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The city is going after Sarang Jeil Church, which pressed ahead with a service for the second consecutive Sunday. It had been banned by the city government from hosting mass events after it violated precautionary measures for containing COVID-19 during its service on March 22. The chur

Social AffairsApril 5, 2020

Military court issues warrant to arrest soldier over online sex crime case

A military court on Monday issued a warrant to arrest an Army soldier for his alleged involvement in a high-profile sexual blackmail case that has ignited public fury over the exploitation of women and girls through online group chat rooms. The private first class, whose identity has been withheld, is suspected of distributing content of women performing gruesome sex acts under coercion in collaboration with the so-called Nth room case's prime suspect, Cho Ju-bin. Following the general militar

Social AffairsApril 5, 2020

Casino operator GKL extends closure amid coronavirus spread

A South Korean casino operator said Sunday that it will extend its closure by two more weeks, joining a social distancing campaign here to help contain the new coronavirus outbreak. State-run casino operator Grand Korea Leisure Co. (GKL) said in late March that it had decided to close the establishments from Tuesday to April 6. But the casino operator said it will extend the closure by two more weeks. The company operates three foreigner-only casinos in Seoul and Busan under the brand name S

IndustryApril 5, 2020

Air passengers drop to record low in March amid virus woes

The number of air passengers in South Korea fell to a record low last month due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, data showed Sunday, as countries around the globe impose lockdowns and restrict travel and people shun travel. The number of air passengers stood at 1.74 million in March, according to industry data, marking the first time that the figure has fallen below 2 million since the country started to record such statistics from 1997. The passenger number was 10.62 million in January bu

MobilityApril 5, 2020

Majority of call center employees feel vulnerable to coronavirus: survey

A majority of employees at call centers in South Korea still feel their workplaces aren't properly protected from coronavirus infection, a survey showed Sunday, despite government guidelines announced last month in the wake of a cluster infection at a Seoul call center. In a survey by Workplace Gapjil 119 conducted on 622 call center employees from March 31-April 3, 59.2 percent, or 386, said they felt vulnerable to COVID-19. On March 12, with infections linked to a call center in Guro Distri

Social AffairsApril 5, 2020

‘Companion plants’ good company for young people living alone

As soon as Choi Seoul-gi, 26, gets home from work, she checks on the six plants she bought last summer: an orange jasmine, a Guiana chestnut tree, a Swiss cheese plant, an alocasia, a bird of paradise and another plant she can’t remember the name of. When she moved to a studio apartment last year, she was a bit lonely. That’s why she started bringing plants home, almost one every month. “As human beings, we have a desire to be loved, but the important thing is that we also ha

CultureApril 5, 2020

[News Focus] Will Korea return to apartment deregulation for stimulus?

SEJONG -- Over the past one or two months, many online commenters have raised the possibility that COVID-19 would pull down apartment prices in Seoul, pointing out that the Moon Jae-in administration had failed to do so. Some likened the current situation to a decade ago, when the real estate market was hit by the 2008 global financial crisis after continuing to spiral in the mid-2000s. Recent trading data showed that Seoul apartment prices stopped their 10-month continuous increase in the fi

EconomyApril 5, 2020

[Photo News] Job applicants sit for outdoor test amid COVID-19 fears

Job applicants took a written exam, while seated safe distances apart, at a football stadium in Ansan, south of Seoul, Saturday. The outdoor test was part of the recruitment process at city-run Ansan Urban Corp. The company decided to hold the test in order to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.  (Photos: Yonhap)

Social AffairsApril 5, 2020

Korea reports 81 new cases amid lingering concerns

South Korea reported 81 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, but concerns remain that cluster transmission and imported cases continued to hit Seoul and the surrounding areas. The country’s total cases reached 10,237 and the death toll rose by six to 183, with more than half of fatalities being patients aged 80 or older, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The number of patients who were recovered went up by 138, with the total standing at 6,463, the KCDC said. Seoul

Social AffairsApril 5, 2020

US flies spy plane over Korean Peninsula after NK missile launches

A US surveillance aircraft has flown over South Korea, an aviation tracker said Saturday, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea following its successive major weapons tests. The US Air Force's RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted in skies above Gyeonggi Province near the capital city of Seoul and the eastern province of Gangwon, Aircraft Spots tweeted. This type of aircraft has been detected often here, with the last known flight being made early last month, along with several other types

North KoreaApril 5, 2020

New infections again on decline; nearly half of new cases coming from overseas

South Korea saw a continued decline in new coronavirus cases Sunday, but Seoul and its surrounding areas reported a continued rise in virus infections due to cluster transmission and imported cases. The 81 new cases of COVID-19, detected Saturday, was slightly down from 94 new cases on Friday, brought the country's total cases to 10,237 and marked the 24th consecutive day that new infections have hovered around 100, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The

Social AffairsApril 5, 2020

Cluster transmission cases drop 70% after social distancing

Massive group transmission cases have been avoided thanks to nationwide efforts to practice social distancing and stamp out the novel coronavirus, the government said Saturday. The government announced that it will lengthen the period of its social distancing guidance for two weeks until April 19 to help curb the spread of the virus that has killed at least 177 here. “As a result of the social distancing campaign, it clearly proved its effectiveness in preventing the spread of infect

Social AffairsApril 4, 2020

[Eye Plus] Let’s enjoy yellow forsythia blossoms from afar

For many South Koreans, it feels like spring hasn’t arrived yet. Thanks to the novel coronavirus, school closures and social distancing mean many of us spend most of our time indoors. But many parts of the country are already in color, with seasonal flowers coming into bloom about a month earlier than usual. In Seoul, yellow forsythia bushes are usually one of the first signs of spring.   One of the popular places for spring festivals in the city is Eungbongsan in Seongdeong-

CultureApril 4, 2020

Some Koreans online criticize Vietnam‘s request for cooperation in virus fight

Critical comments online are accumulating after Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc proposed bilateral cooperation to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic with President Moon Jae-in on Friday. In phone talks with Moon, Phuc proposed coordination in efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Vietnamese leader told Moon that South Korea’s diagnostic testing on the coronavirus is drawing global attention as a model, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. Phuc also

Foreign AffairsApril 4, 2020

App deliveries, ready-to-eat foods fill tables amid #StayAtHome time

While #StayAtHome challenges have been trending around the world, perhaps one of the most challenging tasks at a time like this is preparing three meals a day at home. In response to the call to stay at home, people are flocking to online food delivery platforms, purchasing ready-to-eat foods. Orders on grocery delivery platform Market Kurly have skyrocketed in recent weeks. Market Kurly offers a wide range of groceries and merchandise for delivery by 7 a.m. the next day for orders placed

FoodApril 4, 2020