Concern grows over recurring cases of COVID-19

Amid a dose of optimism Thursday after counting the lowest number of new infections in a single day, South Korean health authorities are growing uneasy over a steady increase in the number of patients who have tested positive twice. As of Thursday at 12:01 a.m., Korea had 74 recovered patients who tested positive for the virus for a second time, up nine from the previous day, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reactivation of the virus is the most probable expl

Social AffairsApril 9, 2020

3 Vietnamese students likely to be deported for violating self-quarantine rules

The Justice Ministry said Thursday that it is considering deporting three Vietnamese students from South Korea for violating self-quarantine rules. The students, who have been in two-week self-isolation, allegedly went to a park in Gunsan, around 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on April 3 and stayed there for five hours, according to the ministry. They left their mobile phones at their residences to avoid GPS tracking by local health authorities. But officials found out about their absence

Foreign AffairsApril 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] US ambassador to South Korea is discussing plans to resign: sources

US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris has said privately that he does not plan to stay on beyond the November US presidential election, regardless of whether President Donald Trump wins another term, five sources told Reuters. Harris, a 40-year veteran of the US Navy who started in Seoul in 2018 after Trump appointed him, has expressed increasing frustration with the tensions and drama of his tenure, the sources said, all speaking on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensiti

Foreign AffairsApril 9, 2020

Dummy missile test suspected at NK shipyard: report

North Korea may have tested dummy missiles at its Sinpo South Shipyard along its east coast recently, Washington-based website 38 North said Wednesday, citing commercial satellite images. The group monitors North Korea. Four unidentified objects were lined up next to the ejection pad, and the service tower on the pad looked operational, with vehicles lined up next to it. The images suggested the North tested dummy missiles, the group said. But the group was unsure whether Pyongyang had c

North KoreaApril 9, 2020

UNICEF raises NK aid budget by $3m to $22.5m

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said it has set this year's budget for North Korea aid projects at $22.5 million, up about $3 million from last year. "Prolonged dry spells, flooding and limited agricultural inputs, which led to increased food insecurity in 2019, will likely persist in 2020," UNICEF said in its "Humanitarian Action for Children 2020" report, calling for further external aid to assist North Koreans. The report said 10.4 million people in North Ko

North KoreaApril 9, 2020

(G)I-dle partners with Republic Records for US push

K-pop girl group (G)I-dle has partnered with Republic Records to officially enter the North American market, the band’s agency said Thursday. Republic Records is a major US music label under Universal Music Group, home to high-profile artists including Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. It is making a big push into K-pop more recently, having established partnerships with K-pop groups Twice and TXT. “We are excited to be teaming up with the multi-talented girl group (G)I-DLE as they

K-popApril 9, 2020

Commercial paper sales jump 34% in March

Sales of commercial papers (CP) in South Korea surged more than 34 percent on-month in March as brokerages rushed to secure cash to brace for the fallout from the novel coronavirus outbreak, data showed Thursday. The country's CP issuance came to 21.2 trillion won ($17.4 billion) last month, up 34.2 percent from the previous month's 15.8 trillion won, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository. Securities companies led the sharp increase in March sales of CP, a short-term debt

EconomyApril 9, 2020

Moon vows W210b funds for COVID-19 vaccine R&D

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday pledged 210 billion won ($172 million) for the development of medicines and vaccines, including one for the novel coronavirus, saying he wants the country to lead the world not just in virus control but also in the prevention and cure of COVID-19. Presiding over a meeting of five related parties -- the government, academia, research institutions, hospitals and pharmaceutical firms -- Moon promised to cut the red tape to expedite clinical trials. “Wit

PoliticsApril 9, 2020

N. Korea's main paper highlights late leader Kim Jong-il's achievements on anniversary

North Korea's main newspaper highlighted the accomplishments of late leader Kim Jong-il on the 27th anniversary of his 1993 assumption of power Thursday, urging people to build on such feats to make the communist nation more powerful and prosperous. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party, carried the message in an editorial, saying the late father of the current leader Kim Jong-un contributed greatly to advancing the country's self-reliant defense industry. "Com

North KoreaApril 9, 2020

LG offers sneak peek of ‘raindrop’ camera phone

LG Electronics on Thursday unveiled a render image of its upcoming flagship smartphone that is expected to be more focused on design, after more than a monthlong delay in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The released image highlights the design of the rear triple camera module that evokes the image of falling raindrops. The company has nicknamed it as “raindrop” camera, and will be released next month in South Korea. The main camera sits slightly above the surface while

TechnologyApril 9, 2020

Economic, health issues likely to take center stage at NK parliamentary meeting amid virus fight: experts

Economic and domestic issues are expected to take center stage at North Korea's major parliamentary meeting this week, amid the ongoing fight against the new coronavirus and concerns over the fallout from the pandemic, experts said Thursday. The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), the North's rubber-stamp parliament, is to meet on Friday. It usually holds a plenary session every April, mostly to deal with the state budget and Cabinet reshuffle. Such meetings have been closely monitored abroad fo

North KoreaApril 9, 2020

S. Korea finds no genetic mutation in new coronavirus: KCDC

South Korea's health authorities said Thursday they have not found a genetic mutation in the new coronavirus so far, evidence that they cited to dismiss concerns over possible errors in diagnostic testing. The result came after a genetic analysis of 73 genes from coronavirus patients, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement. The KCDC said gene mutation could lead to higher infectiousness or toxicity, and could even raise concerns over possible errors in

Social AffairsApril 9, 2020

Coronavirus testing time to shorten from 6 hours to 20 minutes: DGIST

South Korean scientists in Daegu have developed a diagnostic kit that will cut down the COVID-19 testing time from previous six hours to 20 minutes. This diagnostic agent has been transferred to a diagnostic kit maker called Mmonitor, whose website crashed due to heavy traffic as of 11 a.m., Thursday, upon the announcement by Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology. According to DGIST, its new diagnostic agent makes it possible to amplify genetic information of the coronavir

IndustryApril 9, 2020

Togo Comm. to hire new employees through online interviews

Togo Communication, a local PR agency based in Seoul, will hire new employees by conducting video interviews online as part of efforts to participate in nationwide campaign to contain COVID-19 virus, the company said Thursday. The agency will continue so-called “untact” job interviews with applicants for internships and accountant executive posts, until the government declares an end of the pandemic. “Even though we face the danger of COVID-19, we decided to conduct untact j

MarketApril 9, 2020

Information on Silla’s Wolseong Palace made available in 3 languages

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Wednesday announced that it has created material about the site of Wolseong, also known as Moon Palace, in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in three foreign languages -- English, Chinese, Japanese. Wolseong was a royal dwelling of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935), and stood until the kingdom collapsed. An archaeological dig by the CHA in 2017 led to the discovery of bones of two people under the west walls of Wolseong Palace, suggesting that the

CultureApril 9, 2020

8 in 10 people support electronic wristbands for self-isolators

Nearly 8 in 10 South Koreans agree to the use of electronic wristbands to monitor people under self-quarantine as recently proposed by the government to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, a poll showed Thursday. The poll of 500 adults nationwide, conducted Wednesday by Seoul-based pollster Realmeter, found 77.8 percent supported the proposal of requiring all people subject to two-week self-isolation, including new entrants from abroad, to wear electronic wristbands. Only 16.5 percent opp

Social AffairsApril 9, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘Materials key to stepping up flexible displays’

South Korea has secured flexible displays that are durable enough for partial commercialization. But the current level of technologies can improve durability and expand diversity in display types by applying new cutting-edge materials, according to a top academic expert. “The weakness of up-to-date flexible displays is the lacking of durability and variety,” said Han Chang-soo, professor of mechanical engineering at Korea University, in a recent email interview with The Korea Hera

TechnologyApril 9, 2020

2-day early voting for April parliamentary elections to kick off Saturday

South Korea's election watchdog said Thursday the country will begin two days of early voting for the April 15 parliamentary elections the following day in the midst of the fight against the new coronavirus outbreak. Eligible voters will be able to cast ballots at 3,508 polling stations nationwide from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. between Friday and Saturday, according to the National Election Commission (NEC). The parliamentary elections that occur every four years will be held in the midst of the battl

PoliticsApril 9, 2020

Seoul extends expiring visas as pandemic continues

South Korea has extended visas for foreigners set to expire soon to prevent them from visiting immigration offices amid the coronavirus pandemic, the justice ministry said Thursday. Under the move, visas for around 60,000 registered foreign nationals that are set to expire by May 31 have been automatically extended by three months, the ministry said in a press release. The ministry said it expects the visa extension to help reduce the number of visitors at immigration offices and prevent trip

Foreign AffairsApril 9, 2020

Tourism sector reels from new coronavirus outbreak in February: data

South Korea's tourism industry took a big hit from the novel coronavirus in February due to a reduction in both inbound and outbound tourism, industry data showed Thursday. Asia's fourth-largest economy registered a tourism deficit of $365.2 million in February, down from $927.6 million the previous month, according to the data from the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. February's deficit, however, is the lowest in 10 months as the range of decrease in spending by outbound travelers was bi

EconomyApril 9, 2020