[Weekender] Make room for us: 5060 generation redefines aging

Yoo Seo-kyung turns 56 this year, but she doesn’t mind getting older. Yoo is excited about the year ahead as she just got into graduate school and now has a chance to delve more deeply into her handicraft hobby. Several years ago, Yoo retired from the private math academy she ran for 10 years. Running the place had become more difficult as she found herself facing an ever-widening generation gap with her teenage students. After retirement, Yoo took an interest in the craft of “ji

IndustryApril 18, 2020

[Digital Simplicity] Unprecedented experiment with remote learning

South Korea is implementing an unprecedented educational experiment for remote learning due to the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the entire world. The question is whether the country can get something positive out of its massive experiment, instead of losing hope in the face of loud complaints about the still fledgling virtual learning environment. On Wednesday, some 3.12 million students across the nation started the new semester through online learning. They were the second group

ViewpointsApril 18, 2020

[Photo News] Cherry blossom ending

Early morning spring rain accompanied by gusts of wind, thunder and lightning brought the end of this year’s cherry blossoms. 　 Cherry blossom petals lay on the ground alongside the Seongnae Stream in Songpa-gu on Friday. 　 With no time to say goodbye, people hurried by on their way to work.  (Photos: Yonhap) (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Social AffairsApril 18, 2020

Tokyo Games won't provide much economic stimulus for Japan

TOKYO (AP) -- IOC member John Coates, who oversees planning for next year's Tokyo Olympics, has claimed the postponed games could help "kick start" Japan's economy. Japan has been devastated like many countries by the coronavirus pandemic and could be in a recession when the Olympics are to open on July 23, 2021. "These games are a very positive opportunity for an economic stimulus," Coates said in a teleconference on Thursday with the Tokyo organizing committee. "T

InternationalApril 17, 2020

FM holds phone talks with Ecuadorian counterpart on anti-virus efforts

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha spoke by phone with her Ecuadorian counterpart Friday to discuss ways to cooperate to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, her office said. During the talks with Ecuador's Foreign Minister Jose Valencia, Kang explained that South Korea's virus situation has improved, with fewer daily confirmed infection cases, thanks to the aggressive social distancing practices under way, but also stressed that it is too early to relax any measures. In response, Valencia said

Foreign AffairsApril 17, 2020

Govt. vows continued push for reform for 'smaller yet stronger military'

The defense ministry vowed Friday to expedite ongoing reform projects to make the military smaller and stronger and to better deal with nontraditional security threats, such as terrorism and viruses. During a meeting presided over by Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, military leaders and arms experts assessed the progress of a total of 42 ongoing projects under its Defense Reform 2.0 initiative launched by the Moon Jae-in administration in 2018. The ministry vowed to complete the three-month reducti

DefenseApril 17, 2020

USFK dependant tests positive for coronavirus; total infections at 25

A family member of a US Forces Korea service member stationed in the southeastern city of Daegu tested positive for the coronavirus Friday, bringing the total number of infections among its population to 25. The spouse of the American soldier returned from the US on April 4, and had been in mandatory quarantine at her off-base residence since her arrival. She is currently being transported to Camp Humphreys barracks designated for isolation, located in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of

Social AffairsApril 17, 2020

S. Korea mulls extending ‘social distancing’

The South Korean government is mulling over whether to extend its social distancing campaign to fight COVID-19, amid concerns over community spread following Wednesday’s parliamentary elections and the Easter weekend. The campaign was scheduled to end Sunday. Despite the country’s tally of new cases of the novel coronavirus hovering around 20 for the fifth straight day, health authorities are on alert over a possible spike in new infections due to people’s increased movements

Social AffairsApril 17, 2020

[Clara Ferreira Marques] Poorer nations need their own pandemic toolkit

With death rates beginning to peak in Western countries, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus crisis is moving toward the developing world. Yet bare hospitals, armies of informal workers and sprawling slums mean the poorest nations have struggled to pull down the shutters. Experiences in Asia and elsewhere suggest that limiting chaotic mass migration to rural areas can be a start. Throw in cash handouts and a concerted effort to educate and inform, and efforts to contain the virus begin to loo

ViewpointsApril 17, 2020

What S. Korea knows so far about recurring COVID-19 cases

A total of 163 patients previously declared cured of COVID-19 have tested positive again in South Korea as of Friday, up 22 from a day earlier, giving the government a fresh headache in its fight against the virus. The recurring cases account for 2.1 percent of the 7,829 people released from quarantine after recovering. Studies are underway to find out why, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  It took 13.5 days on average for these patients to test positive

Social AffairsApril 17, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

24-hour stay at JW Marriott Dongdaemun JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul is running a Stay & Relax package that allows guests to check-in at desired hours and stay for a maximum of 24 hours. The deal includes a one night-stay at Deluxe Room or Executive Suite, breakfast for two adults and two children under 12 at the executive lounge and a voucher credit worth 40,000 won that can be used at the hotel’s restaurants. Also, a Barbie doll will be gifted per room. Prices start at 29

FoodApril 17, 2020

NPS hints at expanding local stock purchases for market stability

Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, who chairs a fund management committee under the state-run National Pension Service, said Friday that the pension operator could take part in the domestic stock market more actively, if needed, to support market stability. “The NPS’ active intervention last month has helped stabilize the stock market,” said the health and welfare minister at a meeting in Seoul in the morning with members of the committee. “The pension fun

MarketApril 17, 2020

Kospi recovers past 1,900-mark on foreign investors‘ return

Korea’s benchmark Kospi rose 3.1 percent, recovering past the 1,900 mark Friday as investors went mining higher-risk stocks on hope of curving the peak of the novel coronavirus with a drug developed for ebola virus treatment.  The local currency closed at 1,217.90 won against the US dollar, strengthening 10.80 won from the previous session’s close.  The benchmark bourse Kospi opened slightly up, at 1,893.31 -- rising 44.15 points, or 2.38 percent, from the previous sess

MarketApril 17, 2020

‘BOK’s latest loan program to help brokerages avoid worst-case scenario’

South Korea’s central bank’s unprecedented decision to extend loans to brokerages and other nonbanking institutions will help them avoid the worst amid an economic crisis brought on by the novel coronavirus, experts said Friday. The Bank of Korea announced Thursday that it planned to launch a special loan program worth 10 trillion won ($8.1 billion), which would allow local banks, brokerages and insurers to borrow funds for up to six months against collateral from the central bank

EconomyApril 17, 2020

USFK contractor barred from access to bases for 2 years for quarantine violations

An American contractor working at US Forces Korea's Camp Humphreys was barred from all USFK installations for two years for visiting the base in violation of a self-isolation order imposed after coming into contact with a coronavirus patient. It is the first disciplinary action by USFK against a non-uniformed individual, as the US military has been on high alert to stem the COVID-19 virus. The contractor at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was instructed to qua

DefenseApril 17, 2020

KOCIS releases video on Korea’s experience battling COVID-19

The Korean Culture and Information Service on Friday posted “A Letter From Wonderland,” a video on South Korea’s response to COVID-19. “Foreign media are praising Korea’s success in battling the virus. To connect this image to the general image of Korea, we created this video, sharing our success stories and delivering a message to work together to move forward,” KOCIS official Park Byeong-gyu said in a statement. The clip can be watched on KOCIS’

CultureApril 17, 2020

Coronavirus relapse cases continue to rise in S. Korea

South Korea's health authorities vowed Friday to better monitor people who retested positive for the novel coronavirus, as relapse cases of the disease are rising steadily in the country. The number of people who tested positive again for COVID-19 after making full recoveries has reached 163 since the first such case was identified on April 8, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The latest figure accounts for 2.1 percent of those cured of COVID-19 and rel

Social AffairsApril 17, 2020

Govt. to announce measures to prop up sluggish job market

With the real economy facing the full impact of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the South Korean government is rolling up its sleeves to boost the nation’s job market. At a meeting with economy-related ministers, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Friday that the government would roll out a set of support measures for the job market next week. “The government will announce a package of measures to stabilize employment in South Korea after talking closely with related ministries and

MarketApril 17, 2020

Former DB Group chief gets suspended sentence over sex offenses

A former South Korean conglomerate chairman was given a suspended prison sentence Friday for sexually assaulting two women. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kim Jun-ki, former chairman of DB Group, to an imprisonment of 2 1/2 years, suspended for four years, after finding him guilty of raping his housemaid and sexually assaulting his secretary. It also ordered the 75-year-old Kim to undergo 40 hours of sex offender treatment and barred him from employment at child, youth and disable

Social AffairsApril 17, 2020

North Korea calls for vigilance, tighter coronavirus quarantine

North Korea on Friday called for heightened vigilance against the novel coronavirus pandemic, and to continuously step-up national quarantine measures, even when the country insists it is totally free of the virus.  “Nothing is more precious than the safety of peoples’ lives,” said North’s state newspaper the Rodong Sinmun. “That is a major reason why national countermeasure against the global pandemic was discussed as the first agenda during the Politburo me

North KoreaApril 17, 2020