LG Uplus to supply 5G VR content to Hong Kong's top telco

LG Uplus Corp., South Korea's No. 3 mobile carrier, said Sunday it will supply 5G virtual reality (VR) content to Hong Kong's largest telecommunication firm. LG Uplus' VR content will be also available on Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Ltd.'s 5G service starting next month, the company said. This is the second time that LG Uplus has exported its 5G content to a foreign company. Last year, LG Uplus signed a deal with China Telecom Corp. to supply its 5G content and solutions. HKT, an af

TechnologyMarch 22, 2020

S. Korea tightens quarantine on arrivals from Europe, new virus cases dip below 100 again

South Korea recorded fewer than 100 new daily virus cases again on Sunday, but health authorities remained on high alert over new cluster infections and imported cases, mainly from Europe. The 98 new COVID-19 cases, which were detected Saturday, brought the nation's total number of infections to 8,897, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The daily infection rate had been in the double digits last week, except for the 152 new cases reported on Wednesday and

Social AffairsMarch 22, 2020

Hyundai Mobis develops sensing system to prevent hot car deaths

Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea's biggest auto parts maker, said Sunday it has developed a radar-based in-cabin sensing system meant to prevent hot car deaths. The radar-based rear occupant alert (ROA) system alerts a driver to check the vehicle's back seat in case the presence of a child is detected. Hyundai Mobis said it had "preemptively" developed the ROA system as carmakers should adopt such an in-cabin safety alert in their vehicles in Europe from 2022. "The radar-based R

EconomyMarch 22, 2020

S. Korea begins coronavirus tests on all flying from Europe

South Korea recorded fewer than 100 new daily virus cases again on Sunday, but health authorities remained on high alert over new cluster infections and imported cases, mainly from Europe. The 98 new COVID-19 cases, which were detected Saturday, brought the nation's total number of infections to 8,897, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The daily infection rate had been in the double digits last week, except for the 152 new cases reported on Wednesday and

Foreign AffairsMarch 22, 2020

N. Korea says leader Kim oversaw test of newly developed tactical guided weapon

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a test of a newly developed "tactical guided weapon," state media reported Sunday, a day after South Korea said the communist nation fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday that the North conducted the launches from areas near its western county of Sonchon in North Pyongan Province, and the missiles flew around 410 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitud

North KoreaMarch 22, 2020

Trump sent letter to Kim offering help on virus outbreak: Kim's sister

US President Donald Trump has sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, offering help with the communist nation's fight against the coronavirus, Kim's sister said Sunday. The letter is a "a good example showing the special and firm personal relations" between Trump and Kim, said Kim Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the North's Workers' Party, in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. "We regard it as a good jud

North KoreaMarch 22, 2020

Prime minister urges suspending public facilities to stem COVID-19

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Saturday urged South Koreans to refrain from visiting public facilities – such as restaurants, bars, indoor gyms and religious gatherings – in the next two weeks to curb the spread of COVID-19. “Stronger self-isolation is unavoidable to contain the virus and to restore peaceful everyday life to our children,” Chung said in a statement, noting the government will force noncompliant facility operators to close down their shops

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2020

Additional financial measures to come next week to revive virus-battered economy

The South Korean government will unveil an additional package of financial measures in detail next week to placate staggering financial markets roiled by the spread of the novel coronavirus. According to financial authorities, the upcoming announcement will include follow-up measures related to the massive 50 trillion-won ($39.8 billion) financial support program that was already introduced Thursday. The aid package, which aimed at supporting small and medium-sized firms and people with low

EconomyMarch 21, 2020

US expert refutes N. Korea’s zero COVID claims

A US public health expert has refuted North Korea’s repeated claims of zero COVID-19 infections, saying that Pyongyang could potentially be dealing with domestic transmission. “It’s really not very conceivable that they aren’t having transmission in North Korea,” epidemiologist Jonathan Mayer from the University of Washington told Voice of America on Thursday. The North could not have blocked the transmission, especially if the virus was circulating in China, he ad

North KoreaMarch 21, 2020

Eastar Jet to shut down all flights over novel coronavirus

South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar Jet Co. will shut down all of its flights, company officials said Saturday, amid a travel slump triggered by the novel coronavirus pandemic.    Eastar Jet will halt operation of its domestic flights from Tuesday to April 25, according to the officials. The budget carrier already suspended all of its international flights earlier this month.    Eastar Jet will be the first South Korean airline to close all of its air services due to the

MobilityMarch 21, 2020

Samsung reports another virus-infected worker at Gumi plant, production unaffected

Samsung Electronics on Saturday reported a novel coronavirus-infected worker at its smartphone plant in South Korea, but its production lines will operate as normal.    The world's largest smartphone vendor said one employee at its plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, tested positive for the new coronavirus. However, the company said there will be no shutdown of the plant.    "The virus-infected worker had been under self-isolation since Feb. 28," a Samsung

TechnologyMarch 21, 2020

N. Korea to hold parliamentary meeting in April amid coronavirus fears

North Korea's parliament will convene a plenary session in Pyongyang next month, state media said Saturday, amid the country's nationwide efforts to block an outbreak of the new coronavirus on its soil.    The presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) on Friday released its decision to convene the third session of the 14th SPA on April 10, according to the Korean Central News Agency.    North Korea usually holds such a meeting once in April every year to address the

North KoreaMarch 21, 2020

S. Korea reports 147 new cases on emerging cluster infections

 South Korea saw another climb in novel coronavirus cases on Friday, as new clusters of infection have been detected at nursing homes in Daegu, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak here, and increasing cases from overseas are being confirmed, officials said Saturday.    A total of 147 new cases were reported, bringing the nation’s total infections to 8,799, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The daily tally saw an uptick from the previous d

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2020

PM says disaster management funds can be used for small businesses, vulnerable people

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Saturday that the government will allow state disaster management funds to be used to help small businesses and support those socially vulnerable in regards to the novel coronavirus crisis. "We are now facing an unprecedented situation, so we need to use all possible means to handle the situation," Chung said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in Seoul.    Under a current law, sta

PoliticsMarch 21, 2020

‘Financial authorities need flexibility to help virus-hit economy’

A top financial regulatory body urged authorities Friday not to panic and keep funds flowing during the coronavirus pandemic. The Financial Stability Board, which coordinates the work of national authorities around the world, said in a recent statement that the global financial system is in a better position to cope with the severe market shock from COVID-19, than it was for the global financial crisis in 2008. However, it called on authorities to take action to support market functions by ens

EconomyMarch 21, 2020

NK fires projectiles in third weapons test this month

North Korea fired what appeared to be two ballistic short-range missiles into the East Sea on Saturday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have overseen the third weapons test this month after previous rounds on March 2 and 9. The missiles flew approximately 410 kilometers and reached a peak altitude of 50 kilometers from Sonchon, along the North’s western coast. The North is suspected of firing variants of the US surfac

North KoreaMarch 21, 2020

New virus infections up again; cluster outbreaks, imported cases in focus

South Korea saw a slight uptick in daily new infections of the novel coronavirus on Saturday as the country braced for sporadic cluster infections and a rise in imported cases.    The 147 new cases, which were detected Friday, brought the nation's total infections to 8,799, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It was so far the second highest number of new cases this week following 152 new cases identified on Wednesday. The country's death toll ha

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2020

Italy's virus toll tops 4,000 after new one-day record

ROME(AFP) -- Italy reported a record 627 new coronavirus deaths Friday and saw its world-topping toll surpass 4,000, despite government efforts to stem the pandemic's spread.    The Mediterranean country's daily rate of fatalities is now higher than that officially reported by China at the peak of its outbreak around Wuhan's Hubei province.    But Matteo Bassetti of Italy's prestigious San Martino clinic in Genoa said the government probably had no idea how many people rea

World NewsMarch 21, 2020

WHO warns young people: ‘You’re not invincible’

GENEVA(AP) -- The head of the World Health Organization has sent a message to young people about the new coronavirus: "You're not invincible."    WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says health officials are continuing to learn about the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. He said older people are hardest hit but "younger people are not spared."    He said data from many countries shows people aged 50 and under make up a "significant pr

World NewsMarch 21, 2020

N. Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS

North Korea on Saturday fired two projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, the latest in a series of such launches this month.    They were fired from areas in its western province of North Pyongan earlier in the day, the JCS said, without providing more details.    "Our military is monitoring the situation in case there are additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture,&q

NationalMarch 21, 2020