Opposition heaps criticism on Moon, health minister

The conservative opposition on Thursday slammed the Moon Jae-in administration for gross “incompetence and negligence” in tackling the coronavirus outbreak. “Running away from the responsibility and turning a blind eye to what experts have to say about COVID-19 is evidence the Moon government is just unfit to govern,” said Shim Jae-cheol, floor leader of the United Future Party. Shim urged Health Minister Park Neung-hoo to step down over his remarks that Koreans, not

PoliticsFeb. 27, 2020

Big Protestant churches have no plan to cancel services despite outbreak

Many big Protestant churches in Seoul have still remained reluctant to suspend their Sunday services this coming weekend, raising concerns over possible mass infections of the coronavirus. Yeouido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, the biggest Christian church in South Korea with 560,000 followers, has stopped holding weekday public events and gatherings of its worshipers other than the authorized services. It said the upcoming service Sunday will take place as scheduled, asking its worshipers to w

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2020

New virus has infected 82,000 globally, caused 2,800 deaths

A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 82,000 people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. The latest figures reported by each government's health authority as of Thursday in Beijing: Mainland China: 2,744 deaths among 78,497 cases, mostly in the central province of Hubei Hong Kong: 81 cases, 2 deaths Macao: 10 cases South Korea: 1,595 cases, 13 deaths Japan:

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2020

Bungled mask supply scheme irks citizens fretting over coronavirus

Many South Koreans, increasingly concerned over the fast-spreading new coronavirus, are queuing and nimbly logging on to online shopping malls to purchase protective masks, but they are being frustrated by a hastily-orchestrated state scheme. Many citizens expected to buy state-supplied face masks from Thursday at designated outlets, but most selected mask sellers apparently were not supplied with enough facial masks. South Korea on Wednesday announced that some 3.5 million face masks will b

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2020

S. Korea offers to bear 50% of rent discounts amid coronavirus fallout

South Korea’s government announced Thursday that it will share the cost burden of landlords who voluntarily offer a rental discount to tenants amid the new coronavirus fallout, according to the top fiscal policymaker. “For landlords who reduce the rental fees for their small business owner tenants during the first six months of this year, (the government) will reduce 50 percent of the (lease) reduction amount from (their) income tax or corporate tax, regardless of their total in

EconomyFeb. 27, 2020

Mirae Asset Group donates W2b to support fight against coronavirus

Mirae Asset Financial Group has donated 2 billion won ($1.64 million) to the Hope Bridge Association of the National Disaster Relief to support medical personnel and provide relief goods amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The donation was made to provide items needed for medical and relief aid, such as protective outfits and masks, and daily necessities, especially for people in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the company said. Mirae Asset has been helping its cooperative firms by making paym

MarketFeb. 27, 2020

Serbian basketball player leaves S. Korean league over coronavirus fears

A Serbian basketball player has decided to leave the South Korean league over fears of the fast-spreading novel coronavirus in the country, becoming the second foreign athlete in as many days to make the jump. The Goyang Orion of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) said Thursday that their center Boris Savovic told them he'd like to leave South Korea to be with his pregnant wife. He joins KT Sonicboom player Allen Durham in what could turn out to be an exodus of foreign athletes from South Kor

More SportsFeb. 27, 2020

[David Fickling] Coronavirus complacency is worse than panic

Don’t think about a white bear. What did you just see in your mind’s eye? If the answer was “a white bear,” you’ll have grasped one of the problems facing public health officials in talking about the risks from the Covid-19 coronavirus. The message most experts will want to convey is, naturally, “Don’t panic.” But it’s almost impossible for humans to hear that instruction without its alarming echo: “Panic.” If Covid-19 turns in

ViewpointsFeb. 27, 2020

[Jean Pisani-Ferry] A radical way out of the EU budget maze

In 2003, I co-authored a report on the future of the European Union -- the Sapir report -- in which we observed that the expenditures, revenues, and procedures of the EU budget were all inconsistent with the EU’s objectives. We therefore advocated a radical restructuring of what had become a “historical relic.” Seventeen years later, little has changed. Two years ago, when negotiations on the budget for 2021-2027 started, I pointed out that the outcome would reveal what the EU

ViewpointsFeb. 27, 2020

Deutsche Telekom to test-run SKT’s 5G tech in Germany

Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-mobile, will start testing the 5G radio frequency repeater that it co-developed with SK Telecom during the second quarter of this year, according to a statement released by the South Korean mobile carrier on Thursday. SK Telecom’s 5G radio frequency repeater is a wireless device that receives 5G signals from outside and transmits it to users inside buildings and tunnels and on basement floors. In the second quarter of this year, Deutsche Telekom

TechnologyFeb. 27, 2020

ROK-US military drills delayed amid virus concerns

South Korea and the US postponed their annual joint military exercises Thursday, following a coronavirus outbreak that has sickened about 1,800 and killed 13 people in Korea, as of Thursday afternoon. The drills scheduled for March were put off until further notice for the safety of all service members, according to the joint statement from Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and United States Forces Korea on Thursday. It was the first time the annual war game was postponed over an infectious d

DefenseFeb. 27, 2020

Faced with mask shortages, some look for DIY alternatives

Demand for face masks and hand sanitizers has been going through the roof, as the number of COVID-19 infections continues to surge here, prompting some customers to take matters into their own hands -- with DIY hygiene products. A vast majority of pharmacies, retail stores and online shopping malls have sold out of masks and hand sanitizer, while the stock available on the market often comes at a hefty price, as the most sought-after necessities amid the virus outbreak. “As you may wel

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2020

Nearly 500 medical professionals volunteer for Daegu

Nearly 500 medical professionals and administrative officials from the private sector have volunteered to serve in Daegu, the government announced Thursday. “Having recruited medical professionals to volunteer to work in Daegu area from 24th this month, 490 have volunteered as of 9 a.m. today,” Kim Gang-lip, vice health minister said Thursday. Kim also serves on the government’s central response team. By profession, the volunteers consist of 24 doctors, 167 nurses, 157 nur

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2020

Daegu battles shortage of hospital beds, medical personnel

South Korea’s southeastern city of Daegu, the epicenter of the coronavirus spread here, faces a lack of hospital beds and medical personnel as the country saw another spike in infections Thursday.  　 A 73-year-old man, the 13th casualty from the coronavirus, died while waiting to be hospitalized after having tested positive Tuesday, raising alarm that a shortage of hospital beds could lead to more deaths. 　 Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin called for voluntary work from doctors and nurses

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2020

[News Focus] Employment falls in almost all age groups

SEJONG -- The tight hiring market has been a point of contention over the past two or three years, though the Moon Jae-in administration has continued to express a strong commitment to job creation as often as possible. Recent data from a government agency showed that people are still having difficulty holding jobs, which particularly has been witnessed among almost entire generations. According to Statistics Korea, the number of employed people fell for the second consecutive month -- from 2

EconomyFeb. 27, 2020

Moon calls for parliament’s cooperation in real estate measures

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called on the National Assembly to process proposed revisions to comprehensive real estate and income taxes, saying the changes are necessary to shore up the government’s real estate market stabilization measures. Speaking at the annual joint briefing session by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Moon also urged the ministries to implement policies as planned, saying their operations are closely conc

PoliticsFeb. 27, 2020

Nationwide rush to identify infections among Shincheonji followers

Local provinces and cities on Thursday scrambled to check followers of a secretive religious sect residing in their jurisdictions for potential COVID-19 infection. From Seoul to Jeju Island, public servants were mobilized to contact all those on the membership list of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, earlier provided by the church, to ask whether they have shown any symptoms. According to the sect’s Daegu branch, 8 in 10 followers who underwent the virus test have been confirmed to b

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2020

[Serendipity] Do not let virus destroy us

  The entire country, and increasingly the world, is gripped by the fear of a possible viral pandemic. In South Korea, what seemed at first controllable is now virtually out of control, with new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infections growing by the hundreds every day and the number of deaths -- most of patients already in poor health with preexisting conditions -- climbing as well. The government has been releasing information on the infected, providing a timeline of their wherea

ViewpointsFeb. 27, 2020

BOK freezes rate despite coronavirus, lowers growth outlook

Despite the economic fallout of the new coronavirus, South Korea’s central bank on Thursday froze its policy rate, but chose to cut the growth outlook, reflecting heightened uncertainties. Instead of taking immediate monetary easing decisions, it decided to focus on microscopic actions such as expanding financial support for affected industries. The Bank of Korea’s rate-setting Monetary Policy Board held its second meeting for this year and decided to keep the nation’s ba

EconomyFeb. 27, 2020