Korean Air offers voluntary leave program amid virus fallout

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's national flag carrier, has offered a voluntary leave program to its employees, sources here said Tuesday, as the company suffers a sharp drop in travel demand amid growing angst over the novel coronavirus. Korean Air's flight attendants who have worked for the company for at least two years can take up to three months of voluntary leave starting this month, according to sources. This is the second time that the air carrier has offered such a program to its

MobilityMarch 10, 2020

Dozens of foreign diplomats flee Pyongyang amid coronavirus fears

Dozens of diplomats posted in Pyongyang, North Korea shuttered offices and left the country Monday, following weeks of the country’s tight quarantine restrictions on diplomatic missions to contain the novel coronavirus. The North, which has not reported a single infection, is enforcing strong quarantine measures, closing borders with China, where the epidemic started, and confining foreign nationals, including diplomats, to their own premises. Pyongyang lifted the monthlong quarantine on

North KoreaMarch 10, 2020

K-pop singer Chungha signs with US talent agency

Successful K-pop singer Chungha has signed a contract with ICM Partners, a major American talent agency, as she gears up for a US debut, her local agency said Tuesday. "Chungha recently signed an agreement with ICM Partners, one of the top three global agencies in the US, and is moving to make inroads into the US market," MNH Entertainment said. Headquartered in Los Angeles, ICM Partners is a talent and literary agency and represents or has represented Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Khalid

K-popMarch 10, 2020

Pro baseball league postpones start of regular season over coronavirus

The South Korean professional baseball league decided to push back the start of the regular season indefinitely on Tuesday, amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus. Following a meeting with club presidents, the Korea Baseball Organization said the 2020 season will begin sometime in April, instead of March 28 as originally scheduled. It marks the first delay of the KBO regular season since the league's inception in 1982. The league said it had consulted with health experts befo

BaseballMarch 10, 2020

Art world comes up with creative ways to survive virus

With the spread of COVID-19 continuing for more than 50 days, museums and galleries have begun to seek ways to provide cultural experiences for people who are isolating themselves at home and minimizing social activities. The National Museum of Korea, which is temporarily closed due to the spread of the new coronavirus, said Monday that it would stream its special exhibition, “10,000 Years of Design - Man, Matter, Metamorphosis” at 7 p.m. on Friday through Naver TV, at https://tv.

Arts & DesignMarch 10, 2020

China to send first batch of coronavirus relief items to S. Korea

China will send the first batch of face masks and other coronavirus-related relief items to South Korea this week to help the neighboring country fight the viral disease, a foreign ministry official in Seoul said Tuesday. About 80,000 N95 respirator masks and 10,000 items of protective clothing will arrive here via a flight on Wednesday, the ministry official told reporters. Two more batches, including 20,000 masks of the same type and another 1 million surgical masks, will be delivered on Th

Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2020

Faithful flock to screens for Sunday service

Changes to how the faithful worship were inevitable as many churches went online for Sunday services due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Churchgoers sat in front of laptops and TV screens to watch the service, some alone, others with their families. According to Sarang Church in Seoul, one of the several megachurches in South Korea, over 40,000 people viewed the online stream last Sunday through its website and YouTube channel. “Having Sunday service online reminds us how preci

CultureMarch 10, 2020

[Newsmaker] Basic income scheme of W51tr spurs controversy

With the novel coronavirus outbreak dealing a major blow to South Korea’s economy, a far-reaching welfare measure to give every citizen 1 million won ($839,00) is igniting a heated debate. Suggested as a temporary scheme, primarily designed to support citizens financially crippled by the rapid spread of COVID-19, politicians and liberal-leaning opinion leaders claim it could also stimulate the sluggish economy. There are mixed responses, with some questioning who the beneficiaries sho

EconomyMarch 10, 2020

Govt. to conduct fever checks this week on passengers traveling to US

The government will begin fever checks and other health examinations this week on passengers heading to the United States, an official said Tuesday, amid rising concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus in America. Starting at midnight Wednesday, government officials will undertake the examinations, which have so far been conducted by airlines, to ensure they will proceed "in earnest and in a more systematic manner," the foreign ministry official said. It plans to install thre

Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2020

First azalea blooming this spring observed on Jeju

The first blossoming of azaleas this spring was observed on the southern island of Jeju last week, nearly one month earlier than average due to warmer weather, the state weather agency said Tuesday. The observation was made on March 3, the earliest since the nation began to track the pattern nationwide in 1973, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. It was 28 days earlier than the average date of March 31 and three days earlier than the previous record of March 6 set in 2013.

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2020

Hyosung ITX to implement quarterly dividend system

Hyosung ITX, an information technology affiliate of Hyosung, will strengthen its shareholder return policy by increasing dividends and buying treasury shares, the firm said on Tuesday. The company said it would implement a quarterly dividend system -- from the current one-time dividend per year -- starting this year and increase dividend payments by 30 percent. It also plans to increase shareholder value by purchasing its treasury shares and encouraging the electronic voting system. Hyosung

IndustryMarch 10, 2020

Seoul raises travel warning on Italy over coronavirus

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry raised the travel alert for two additional regions of Italy effective Monday, amid the fast-rising number of COVID-19 cases.  Seoul issued a “yellow warning,” which calls for travel restraint and is the third-highest in the country’s four-notch warning system, for Piedmont and Marche in Italy’s northwest and central east, respectively.  There are now five provinces in Italy with a “yellow warning,” including Lo

Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2020

[Herald Interview] Sokcho mayor stresses new development paradigm for future

Sokcho Mayor Kim Chul-soo is a self-made man who started off as a grade 9 civil servant and was elected as Sokcho deputy mayor, to reach where he is today. Not everyone in the civil service can dream of achieving what he has. Kim’s perseverance earned him the nickname “chariot on fire.” The name proved to suit him well as he declared a “war against water shortage,” the city’s long-existed problem, and successfully resolved it as soon as he was elected in 20

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2020

Sokcho City aims to attract tourists from around the globe

Sokcho, a city of about 81,000 residents located in the eastern part of Gangwon Province along the east coast of South Korea, is getting very popular as a tourist destination with millions of visitors every year. Although small in size, its splendors and fun-packed tourist sights are more than enough reasons to fall in love with the city. Many also visit the place in hopes for reunification since it is closer to the heavily fortified border with North Korea. This did not just happen overnig

TravelMarch 10, 2020

Passenger traffic at Korea’s gateway airport drops 80%

The number of passengers using Incheon International Airport in the first week of March dropped by 80 percent on-year, the lowest since 2003, according to the airport operator Tuesday. Incheon International Airport Corp. said that from March 1-8 the number of passengers who transited South Korea’s gateway airport came at 298,307, less than one-fifth of 1,536,594 last year.  During the first week of March, an average number of passengers using Incheon airport was around 37,000. 

MobilityMarch 10, 2020

Get the latest COVID-19 updates in English and Chinese from TBS eFM

South Korea’s English radio channel TBS eFM said on March 10 that it has launched a special daily COVID-19 program to help foreigners here remain updated about the outbreak. The radio station said it is offering <COVID-19 Live Updates> in English and Chinese from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The special program provides the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, the government’s countermeasure plans and precautionary measures that foreign residents and visitors of Korea should t

Social AffairsMarch 10, 2020

Despite worsened ties, Korea, Japan hold talks on export controls

South Korean and Japanese government officials held a video conference Tuesday to discuss issues related to Tokyo’s export regulations on local firms -- the first in three months amid worsened bilateral relations. The meeting was aimed at resolving the restrictions imposed in July on three key materials of chips and display panels made against Korea last year, as well excluding the country from its export control whitelist, according to the Trade Ministry. The Trade Ministry’s t

IndustryMarch 10, 2020

Shinhan Card to buy Hyundai Capital’s W500b assets for rental car biz

Shinhan Card said Tuesday it is poised to buy parts of Hyundai Capital’s assets related to its long-term car rental services for around 500 billion won ($417.3 million). The assets will be composed of vehicles under the South Korean carmaker -- Hyundai, Kia and Genesis -- which Hyundai Capital rents to consumers, as well as rental consumers. The final acquisition price will differ depending on shareholder approval. The two companies signed the deal Monday for the transaction scheduled

MarketMarch 10, 2020

As demand soars, Yuhan-Clorox offers disinfection tips

South Korean pharmaceutical and chemical company Yuhan-Clorox said Monday that it had posted information on its website about how to use its bleach as a household disinfectant. The company said the tips on “sterilization and disinfection methods to prevent infectious disease” -- posted on March 2 -- were available on the Yuhan-Clorox website in response to an increasing number of customers inquiring about the efficacy of household disinfectants amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The K

IndustryMarch 10, 2020

Moon orders diplomatic consultations over special entry for Korean businessmen

President Moon Jae-in ordered officials Tuesday to seek diplomatic consultations with countries imposing entry bans on South Koreans amid coronavirus concerns over ways to permit Korean businesspeople with health documents to be granted exceptions for entrance. The possession of a health condition report means that the outcome of COVID-19 tests is negative, according to Kang Min-seok, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman. The instruction came as a series of entry bans on people from South Korea makes it d

Foreign AffairsMarch 10, 2020