[Video] Online education now the new normal due to coronavirus pandemic

As the start of the spring semester has been postponed over the coronavirus outbreak and online classes are encouraged to minimize infections in the classrooms, teachers are trying to adapt to remote teaching. The majority of universities in South Korea started to provide online classes. This comes as social distancing is the most effective way to prevent the cluster infections of COVID-19. Professors are notified that they should conduct their classes via online solutions through the end of

Social AffairsMarch 19, 2020

US Embassy in Seoul halts routine visa services

The US Embassy in South Korea suspended routine visa services as part of efforts to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, the embassy said Thursday. According to the embassy, the measure is in line with the US State Department’s decision to halt nonimmigrant and immigrant services in countries with level 2, 3 or 4 travel advisories. The State Department has issued a level 4 travel advisory for virus-hit Daegu, with the rest of South Korea at level 3.  The suspension, however, does not af

Diplomatic CircuitMarch 19, 2020

S. Korean teen death not linked to virus: officials

A teenage pneumonia patient who died Wednesday morning in Daegu was coronavirus-negative, health officials said Thursday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a briefing the 17-year-old’s death was not linked to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. 　 Medics at the Daegu hospital had tested him for COVID-19 several times, as his chest imaging showed signs of a possible infection. The seven rounds of tests yielded mixed results, the hospital said.

Social AffairsMarch 19, 2020

Lotte head Shin Dong-bin to lead Japanese holding firm

Lotte Group announced Wednesday that Chairman Shin Dong-bin will head the holding firm in Japan, securing leadership of operations in South Korea and Japan, ending a six-year dispute with his elder brother Shin Dong-joo,. The Lotte Holdings board of directors in Japan decided to appoint him as chairman effective April 1. Lotte Holdings had operated under the leaderships of Lotte’s late founder Shin Kyuk-ho and Vice Chairman Dong-bin. The post was vacant since the founder was named hon

IndustryMarch 19, 2020

Christians worry that COVID-19 outbreaks at churches could feed anti-Christian hostility

As several COVID-19 infection clusters have emerged at churches, bringing religious institutions to the public’s attention as potential sources of contagion, some Christians worry that these incidents could feed hostility against Christianity. After the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, considered a cult by mainstream Protestant churches, became the epicenter of the outbreak in South Korea, cases have emerged at a number of other churches across the country. Criticism of churches escalated

CultureMarch 19, 2020

Why do Sunday services continue service despite coronavirus spread?

As cluster infections of the novel coronavirus among those attending church worship services increase in Korea, public concerns about the issue are also on the rise. This week saw at least 66 coronavirus cases related to River of Grace Community Church in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. In response to rising concerns, the government of Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday issued an administrative order that imposes strict conditions on church worship services. The Gyeonggi Province government started

CultureMarch 19, 2020

[Weekender] Hyundai or Mercedes-Benz: Why is Korea’s car market so polarised?

It is not an exaggeration to say that out of every 10 cars you encounter on the roads of South Korea, six or seven of them are Hyundai or Mercedes-Benz. Although car brands and models have diversified over the years in a country where a car is owned by every 2.4 people, the brand everyone thinks of when it comes to domestic cars is Hyundai. In the case of imported cars, Mercedes-Benz maintains the largest share of the pie. Despite the latest coronavirus pandemic, sales of imported vehicles co

MobilityMarch 19, 2020

Shilla Duty Free also closes its doors at Gimpo Airport

Hit by a sharp drop in the number of passengers flying in and out of Gimpo International Airport amid COVID-19 concerns, Shilla Duty Free said Thursday that it will temporarily close its store at Gimpo International Airport until March 28.  This follows another duty free operator Lotte Duty Free’s decision last week to close its store at Gimpo International Airport amid dwindling sales.  Industry sources said that Lotte saw its sales plummet from daily sales of 200 to 300 mill

IndustryMarch 19, 2020

S. Korea to extend antidumping duty on Japanese steel plates

South Korea's trade watchdog said Thursday it will extend its existing antidumping duty on Japanese stainless steel plates, citing substantial damage to the local industry. The Korea Trade Commission said Seoul will continue to apply the 13.17 percent antidumping tariff on the Japanese products for the next five years. South Korea has been imposing the tariff on the Japanese plates since April 2011. The plates are widely used in different industries including the petrochemical, shipbuilding an

EconomyMarch 19, 2020

Hanwha Defense beefs up online effort to win Australian defense deal

The Australian subsidiary of South Korean defense company Hanwha Defense has launched a web portal as part of an effort to supply military land systems to the Australian Defense Force. Recently, Hanwha Defense Australia opened Australian Industry Portal as foreign defense contractors are required to outline how they would contribute to Australia’s defense activities and how they would cooperate with local companies, according to Hanwha Defense. The AIP is expected to support Hanwha&rs

IndustryMarch 19, 2020

Airlines halt more flights as coronavirus spreads

South Korean airlines are halting more flights as countries increasingly imposed entry restrictions in their fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus. Korean Air Lines Co., the country's biggest airline and national flag carrier, said Thursday it will begin reducing the number of flights to three per week from seven on the Incheon-Paris route. The latest move comes as European countries close their borders and restrict movement in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Korean Air

MobilityMarch 19, 2020

170 countries, territories restricting entry from S. Korea over coronavirus fears

A total of 170 countries and territories were restricting entry or imposing stricter quarantine procedures for people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns on Thursday. Of them, 114 countries and territories were imposing an entry ban on people who have been in South Korea in at least the past two weeks, including 50 countries that have temporarily closed their borders to all foreigners over the virus outbreak, the foreign ministry said. The number marks a sharp rise from Monday's 75 n

Foreign AffairsMarch 19, 2020

Social distancing waning? Public transport usage up slightly in Seoul

Vehicle traffic and public transport ridership in Seoul inched up in the second week of March despite campaigns to continue with social distancing to contain the novel coronavirus. According to the Seoul City government, nearly 3.75 million people took the subway, and 3.87 million took buses on daily average between March 9 and 12, up from 3.67 million and 3.81 million, respectively, between March 2 and 6. Private vehicle traffic recorded close to 5.83 million units on daily average in March

Social AffairsMarch 19, 2020

Sharp dip in oil prices weighs on Korean firms

The sudden plunge in oil prices -- following the coronavirus outbreak -- is taking a toll on the South Korean economy, denting many key industries. The hardest hit are the oil refining, construction, shipbuilding, steel and consumer goods sectors. Low oil prices, once considered a boon for the transport industry, are no longer beneficial amid falling consumption and travel restrictions. In recent months, oil prices have dropped, mainly due to the global economic slowdown caused by the pan

IndustryMarch 19, 2020

Samsung releases 2020 QLED TVs

Samsung Electronics launched nine models of 2020 quantum-dot light-emitting diode TVs on Thursday. The company said it has expanded its QLED 8K models by twofold from before, to increase consumer options and its dominance in the 8K TV market. The 2020 QLED 8K from Samsung Electronics are categorized by series names QT970S, QT900S and QT800, offered in screen sizes ranging from 55 to 85 inches. The smallest 55-inch model will launch within the first half of the year, Samsung said. The most

IndustryMarch 19, 2020

Three weeks into telecommuting, I called a psychiatrist

As a journalist, my job is to get around. The ideal rut of this job is to be constantly on foot, meet people, glean information, fact-check, and package the story in a way you, reader, would find relevant and stay to read to the end. But truth be told, like many others in South Korea right now, I haven’t been getting around much. Not since the COVID-19 outbreak here took a serious turn for the worse. It will soon be a month since I started telecommuting and social distancing. I’m

IndustryMarch 19, 2020

Diageo Korea donates W200m for vulnerable people affected by virus

Diageo Korea said Thursday it had donated 200 million won ($154,700) to the Korea Red Cross to support culnerable people facing difficulties amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The South Korean branch of British liquor firm said it delivered the fund on Wednesday, to support households, old people and children that are affected either directly or indirectly by the epidemic crisis. The fund is to be used in providing hygiene products and daily necessities, the company said. The liquor maker also del

IndustryMarch 19, 2020

US suspends routine visa services: State Department

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States is suspending routine visa services in most countries because of the coronavirus pandemic, the State Department announced late Wednesday. It said embassies and consulates in "most countries worldwide... will cancel all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments as of March 18, 2020." It did not specify which countries would be exempted from the suspension, which was in response to "worldwide challenges" related to the deadly

Foreign AffairsMarch 19, 2020

Esports find opportunity online

The novel coronavirus pandemic is having an impact on all sports globally, but esports remains among few areas that have been relatively less scathed. As matches go online, changes in lifestyle brought about by the new coronavirus are turning into an opportunity for esports. At first, esports matches played in stadiums without an audience. However, concerns for player safety led to the postponement of leagues throughout the world as COVID-19 spread quickly across borders. But then matches resu

CultureMarch 19, 2020

S. Korea ups virus checks on arrivals to curb imported cases

South Korea is instituting amplified checks on arrivals at its air and sea ports to monitor infections coming in from abroad. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that of 64,497 arrivals at the Incheon and Gimhae international airports in the past week, 17 had tested positive for the virus. So far, 79 returnees and travelers were later found to be infected after their viral status went undetected upon arrival. For tightened virus checks on returnees as well as tr

Social AffairsMarch 19, 2020