S. Korea's COVID-19 cases soar to 82 amid fears of community spread

South Korea reported 31 new cases of the new coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total number of infections here to 82, with most new cases centered on the southeastern city of Daegu.   This week's surge in the number of infected people, increasing the nation's total infections by more than 50, came as the health authorities declared that the virus has begun spreading locally.   Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kim Kang-lip told reporters that, "At this stage, (the gov

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2020

China's virus center vows no patient unchecked as cases fall

BEIJING (AP) -- Inspectors in protective suits went door-to-door Wednesday in the epicenter of China's viral outbreak to try to find every infected person in an epidemic that is showing signs of waning as new cases fell for a second straight day. The city of Wuhan, where the new form of coronavirus emerged, was in the final day of a campaign to root out anyone with symptoms whom authorities may have missed so far. "This must be taken seriously," said Wang Zhonglin, the city's n

Social AffairsFeb. 20, 2020

China revokes 3 Wall Street Journal reporters' credentials

BEIJING (AP) -- China revoked the press credentials of three reporters for The Wall Street Journal over a headline for an opinion column the government said Wednesday was racist. The expulsions come after the Trump administration on Tuesday designated five state-run Chinese news outlets that operate in the United States as "foreign missions," requiring them to register their properties and employees in the US China said it reserves the right to respond to what it called a mistaken p

World NewsFeb. 20, 2020

Mourinho sees no bright side for Spurs without Son and Kane

LONDON (AFP) -- Jose Mourinho fears his side's season is running out of gas after an injury-hit Spurs slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. Spurs could be without the talismanic duo of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min for the rest of the season through injury and looked toothless against the Bundesliga contenders.  "We are in a very difficult situation," said Mourinho. "What worries me is this is going to be the

SoccerFeb. 20, 2020

Kang, diplomats in China discuss measures to protect S. Koreans from new coronavirus

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday instructed the heads of South Korea's missions in China to take active measures to protect nationals from the spread of the new coronavirus. In a video conference call, Minister Kang, Ambassador Jang Ha-sung and other diplomats and consulate officials examined the COVID-19 outbreak in the country and its impacts on South Korean residents and business operations, the ministry said in a release after the meeting. Kang called for their best efforts to

Foreign AffairsFeb. 20, 2020

US says to adjust S. Korean workers' services if no defense cost deal

WASHINGTON -- The United States will adjust the services provided by South Korean workers on its military bases on the peninsula if the two countries fail to reach a cost-sharing deal in the coming weeks, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Nearly 9,000 South Korean workers face a furlough in April if the allies fail to renew their agreement on sharing the cost for the stationing of 28,500 American troops on the peninsula. "Nine thousand workers, that's pretty significant," Rear Adm. Willi

DefenseFeb. 20, 2020

US Senate panel to hold hearing on N. Korea policy

WASHINGTON -- A US Senate subcommittee will hold a hearing next week with former US government officials to discuss North Korea policy, the panel's website showed Wednesday. The hearing, titled "North Korea Policy One Year After Hanoi," will be held Tuesday by the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy. The witnesses are Robert King, who served as special envoy for North Korean human rights issues from 2009-2017; Bruce

North KoreaFeb. 20, 2020

At least eight killed in shootings in Germany: police

HANAU (AFP) -- At least eight people were killed in two shootings at shisha bars in Germany, with an unknown number of attackers still at large, police and media said. The shootings late Wednesday targeted bars in Hanau, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Frankfurt, according to local media, where police launched a huge manhunt for the gunmen. The first attack occurred at the "Midnight" bar in the centre of the city around 10pm (2100 GMT), police and reports said. Witnesses reporte

World NewsFeb. 20, 2020

[Graphic News] COVID-19 death toll surpasses that of SARS

　The new coronavirus that emerged in central China at the end of last year has now killed more than 2,000 people and spread around the world. 　The latest figures from China show there were more than 74,185 people infected in the country as of Wednesday. 　SARS was also a coronavirus, and that outbreak started in a wet market too. It infected 8,098 people and killed 774 between November 2002 and July 2003.

TechnologyFeb. 19, 2020

Korea in for a long fight against virus: experts

A series of novel coronavirus cases without epidemiological ties to previous patients have been reported in Korea in the past four days, with one believed to be linked to at least 15 others. A Korean woman, 61, who started having symptoms as early as Feb. 7, continued with her daily tasks until she was found to be infected Tuesday.  Over the 11 intervening days, authorities say she came into close contact with at least 166 people -- 49 of them health workers -- all of whom are now quaran

TechnologyFeb. 19, 2020

Bong Joon-ho continues commenting on social issues

After a 10-month journey that kicked off at the Cannes Film Festival last year, the “Parasite” team is back in Seoul -- with four Oscars in tow. “It’s been almost a year since we held our preview press conference here. ‘Parasite’ has been around the globe with such strong vitality and we’re glad that we can be back here after all that. It feels very strange,” director Bong Joon-ho said during the film’s final official press conference held

FilmFeb. 19, 2020

Hyundai Motor chairman steps down as board chair

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo will step down as the chair of the board, as he was not reappointed as an internal director at the firm’s board meeting, the automaker said Wednesday. Chung, who had been the board chair since 1999, will retain the positions of Hyundai Motor’s unregistered executive and Hyundai Mobis’ registered director. He has been stepping away from day-to-day management and has not attended board meetings since 2018. Upon the departure of Chu

MobilityFeb. 19, 2020

Lotte declares green campaign for affiliates

Retail and travel giant Lotte said Wednesday it has prepared a new environment friendly campaign for all of its affiliates, under a five-year plan to reduce food waste, minimize packaging and reuse resources. Lotte Holdings, and four of its business units -- food, retail, chemical/construction/manufacturing and tourism/service/finance -- will take part in the project. Lotte has three main action plans: establishing a plastic recycling system; expanding the use of environment friendly materia

IndustryFeb. 19, 2020

Wearing face masks, people go makeup free, change style

After Kim Se-han, 30, a research scientist at a dairy company, was notified last month to wear a face mask in the office to prevent spread of the novel coronavirus, she started to feel a sense of freedom from a troublesome routine: wearing makeup every day. “I used to feel pressure every morning to wear makeup, but now my colleagues and I do not put much makeup on as we started to wear masks at work,” Kim said. “This is really comfortable because I do not have to care abo

CultureFeb. 19, 2020

Iran warns Korean tech firms: reports

South Korean tech giants including Samsung Electronics may face punitive measures by Iran in relation to business decisions that may have been influenced by US sanctions, reports and industry watchers said Tuesday. According to news reports, Iran could refuse entry of Samsung executives and staff and impose a partial ban on registration of Samsung phones with the Iranian mobile network, according to Mohammad Jafar Na’nakar, head of the legal department of the Iranian Ministry of Informati

TechnologyFeb. 19, 2020

[Elizabeth Drew] Who can beat Trump?

The US presidential election in November is the most consequential in modern history. Whether the increasingly authoritarian, vindictive and dangerous Donald Trump wins another four years in power could define the US for a long time to come. This year’s election will be no typical struggle between two parties that differ more in degree than in kind. But first, the Democrats must select their candidate, and this time that contest is exceptionally fluid. Former Vice President Joe Biden&rs

ViewpointsFeb. 19, 2020

[Chew on IT] Samsung chips vs. SK hynix chips: How do they fare against each other?

Most South Koreans are well aware that the country has the world’s two biggest memory chip giants -- Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. As of the third quarter of last year, the combined market share of the two Korean chipmakers for DRAM, worldwide, stood at 74.4 percent, according to data from market researcher TrendForce. For NAND flash, together they accounted for 45.2 percent of the global market. But not everyone has a clear understanding of the product details that enabled these K

TechnologyFeb. 19, 2020

[Faye Flam] Coronavirus complacency arrives ahead of schedule

Scientific models show a reasonably high probability that the Wuhan coronavirus will accelerate in its spread outside of China. That’s concerning, to say the least. But even as the news gets darker, the tone of news coverage is swinging the wrong way, offering too much false reassurance. It’s extremely unlikely to turn into a nightmare scenario ripped from movies like “Contagion.” It isn’t an immediate threat to most people’s lives. But if it spreads widely a

ViewpointsFeb. 19, 2020

20 new COVID-19 cases reported, 14 linked to church

The government said Wednesday that it plans to carry out a full-scale investigation into a church in the southern city of Daegu, which has emerged as the largest cluster of the new coronavirus disease with 14 cases. South Korea reported 20 new cases of COVID-19 the same day, increasing the total to 51. According to the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the new cases, 18 were in Daegu, the third-largest city in the country, and nearby North Gyeongsang Province. Fifteen a

Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2020