Seoul expands travel advisory to all countries

South Korea's foreign ministry said Wednesday it has issued a travel advisory for all countries previously not affected by its travel warnings prompted by the global spread of the new coronavirus. Under the unprecedented move, all South Koreans are advised to take caution when visiting any foreign country, the ministry said, adding that the level-1 travel advisory will be effective as of Thursday. "All those planning an overseas trip are advised to carefully consider the need and possibl

Foreign AffairsMarch 18, 2020

Over 5,800 apply for new family care leave amid extended school closures

With school closures set to drag on into April, a growing number of working parents are turning to the new family care leave -- short-term, paid time off introduced for those with children, aged parents or a sick spouse to care for. The Labor Ministry reported Wednesday an influx of 5,861 applications in two days this week from workers seeking to make use of the new support scheme, which entails a daily allowance of 50,000 won ($40) per person for up to five days. Monday was the first day for

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2020

Opposition leader Hwang shows softer side

Hwang Kyo-ahn, chief of the conservative opposition United Future Party, gave his first-ever solo broadcast on YouTube and sang a song he wrote as a teenager. He also told viewers how he proposed to his wife many years ago. During the 30-minute show, livestreamed on his YouTube channel Tuesday night, the 62-year-old judge-turned-politician reached out to viewers and answered their questions. “I didn’t do any romantic marriage proposal. I think I just said something like, ‘S

PoliticsMarch 18, 2020

Ruling camp floats 2nd extra budget, supports anti-virus cash transfers

A day after the parliament endorsed a 11.7-trillion-won supplementary budget, the ruling Democratic Party on Wednesday started official preparations for another extra budget, as the country fights a double whammy of a deadly virus and economic recession. It also said it was desirable that some local governments were seeking to provide something similar to basic income for disaster relief. “What the local governments are doing can help the central government prepare,” Lee Nak-yon

PoliticsMarch 18, 2020

Ministry advises 4-cup daily coffee limit

Adults should refrain from drinking more than four cups of coffee, the recommended maximum daily caffeine intake, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Wednesday. For adolescents, two cans of energy drinks can exceed the maximum daily caffeine intake. According to the ministry, drinking beyond the recommended amount of caffeine can trigger side effects such as anxiety and insomnia. A research on 883 items by an agency affiliated with the MFDS showed the average caffeine content per por

TechnologyMarch 18, 2020

S. Korea holds meeting with WHO for COVID-19 data sharing

Health authorities and experts on Wednesday held a meeting with the World Health Organization for research on South Korean cases of COVID-19. On Tuesday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the UN agency would be joining the COVID-19 cohort studies led by researchers here. The Wednesday meeting, organized by the National Medical Center, was attended by four officials from the Korea National Institute of Health -- including its director, Kwon Jun-wook -- as well as four i

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2020

[Graphic News] COVID-19 most seriously affects older people

　The World Health Organization called for countries to test suspected cases of COVID-19, as the rest of the world registered more infections and deaths in the pandemic than China. 　The worst affected countries in terms of fatalities are mainland China, with more than 3,200 deaths, Italy with more than 2,000 deaths, over 853 in Iran and above 300 in Spain. 　The death rate is highest among more elderly groups and poses a higher risk to people with preexisting health conditions, such as diabe

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2020

S. Korea investigating potential first teen death from COVID-19

South Korea’s health authorities said Wednesday that they were looking into the death of a 17-year-old at a hospital in Daegu for a possible link to the novel coronavirus. If COVID-19 turns out to be a factor, it will mark the country’s first teen death from the disease. The patient died of multiple organ failure at 11:15 a.m. at Yeungnam University Hospital in the city’s Nam-gu district, where he was receiving treatment for pneumonia. The hospital’s official said th

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2020

[Economy in Pandemic 2] South Korea likely to undergo temporary recession

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews and analyses on the looming threat to the domestic economy from COVID-19. This is the second installment. -- Ed. The impact of the fast-spreading novel coronavirus on the global economy is far harder than projected, greater than the previous pandemics in the modern era. The latest virus outbreak is likely to trigger an economic recession globally -- more so in South Korea, which is heavily dependent on exports for its growth. Market watche

EconomyMarch 18, 2020

[Pankaj Mishra] Get ready, a bigger disruption is coming

As global supply chains break, airlines slash flights, borders rise within nation-states, stock exchanges convulse with fear, and recession looms over economies, from China to Germany, Australia to the United States, we can no longer doubt that we are living through extraordinary times. What remains in question, however, is our ability to comprehend them while using a vocabulary derived from decades when globalization seemed a fact of nature, like air and wind. For the coronavirus signals a rad

ViewpointsMarch 18, 2020

[Lionel Laurent] Europe freezes economy to fight coronavirus

Like the eye of a hurricane, the epicenter of coronavirus disease COVID-19 has shifted from Asia to Europe, bringing with it a rising toll of infections, deaths and economic damage. After a messy few weeks in which the region’s leaders seemed incapable of hitting on a common response to the crisis -- which has hit health care, consumer confidence and financial markets all at once -- last weekend marked a turning point. France and Spain announced draconian steps, similar to those seen in v

ViewpointsMarch 18, 2020

Viva Republica inches closer to launching brokerage service

Fintech platform operator Viva Republica said Wednesday that it has received preliminary approval to run a stock trading business from the nation’s financial watchdog, the Financial Services Commission. In order to run the stock business in a safe and stable manner, the company, which runs peer-to-peer money transfer app Toss, will beef up workforce and upgrade systems in the coming months before receiving final approval from the financial authority, the Seoul-based financial technolog

MarketMarch 18, 2020

US Embassy to suspend visa interviews as precaution against coronavirus

The US Embassy in Seoul said Wednesday that it will suspend all routine visa interviews this week in line with a State Department measure to respond to the new coronavirus outbreaks. The measure, set to take effect on Thursday, will not affect the visa waiver program for Korean citizens or services for US citizens, the embassy said. "The US Embassy to the Republic of Korea will cancel all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments as of March 19, 2020," the embassy said in

Foreign AffairsMarch 18, 2020

Kospi dips below 1,600-point mark, lowest since May 2010

South Korean stocks crashed further Wednesday, hitting the lowest point in a decade, as the novel coronavirus panic spread despite stimulus packages released around the globe. The benchmark Kospi opened slightly higher at 1,686.12 -- up 13.68 points, or 0.82 percent, from the previous session. The index, however, slipped throughout the day and suddenly plunged in the afternoon, closing at 1,591.2. It marked the lowest closing price since May 26, 2010, at 1,582.12 points. Offshore investors o

MarketMarch 18, 2020

National fencing player tests positive for coronavirus

A national fencing player has tested positive for the novel coronavirus after participating in a competition in Europe, the sport's governing body said Wednesday. The Korean Fencing Federation said it received the COVID-19 test result of the 25-year-old female fencer of the national squad, whose identity is being withheld, early in the day. She returned to South Korea on Sunday after participating in a contest in Hungary. The fencer, who complained of a sore throat during her stay in Hungary,

More SportsMarch 18, 2020

Chung Euisun reelected as Hyundai Mobis’ internal director

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun was reelected as Hyundai Mobis’ in-house director Wednesday during a shareholders meeting, after overcoming objections. Chung’s term was extended until 2022. The same day, the shareholders passed resolutions approving the financial statements and appointing two outside directors, Young&Co’s CEO Chang Young-woo and former Opel Chief Executive Karl-Thomas Neumann. Prior to the shareholders meeting, some overseas

IndustryMarch 18, 2020

Gyeonggi issues quarantine order for internet cafes, karaoke rooms, clubs

Public-use businesses in Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, were ordered on Wednesday to thoroughly observe a set of guidelines for preventing the coronavirus outbreak. Issuing a rare administrative order, the provincial government instructed internet cafes, karaoke rooms, clubs and other places of business frequented by the public to abide by seven quarantine requirements, including regular disinfection and ventilation, until April 6 to help curb the spread of COVID-19. The government

Social AffairsMarch 18, 2020

Invitation to the world of salon music

It is said that Frederic Chopin loved to play at small venues for small audiences, and meaningful musical interactions for Chopin usually happened at salons. Though more than two centuries have passed and large concert halls now dominate the classical music scene, there are musicians who perform in intimate salon settings for the sheer joy it brings.  Going against the conventional grammar of classical music -- formal attire, absolute stillness and silence -- salons allow the audience t

PerformanceMarch 18, 2020

Moon calls for business, unions’ support in reducing COVID-19 economic impact

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday called for the support of businesses, labor unions and financial institutions in minimizing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the government’s efforts alone would be insufficient. Speaking at a meeting with leaders of business, financial and labor organizations, Moon said that the country’s economy is facing an unprecedented crisis. “COVID-19 is impacting both supply and demand, and causing a compound crisis of real (ec

PoliticsMarch 18, 2020