S. Korea's virus cases near 7,500, but pace of new infections slows

South Korea's coronavirus caseload approached 7,500 on Monday, but the pace of new infections slowed after the extensive testing of members of a religious sect at the center of the disease's rapid spread was completed. Still, health authorities remained on high alert over new clusters of infections. The 96 new cases, which were identified between midnight Sunday and 4 p.m., brought the nation's total number of infections to 7,478, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) sai

Social AffairsMarch 9, 2020

S. Korea, Japan enforce mutual entry restrictions, casting clouds over bilateral ties

South Korea and Japan began enforcing entry restrictions against each other's citizens ostensibly over new coronavirus concerns Monday, casting a pall over their relations already frayed by a protracted row over trade and wartime history. Tokyo suspended its visa waiver program for South Koreans and started asking them to stay at designated facilities for two weeks and refraining from using public transportation. Moreover, it allows flights from Korea to land only in Narita Airport near Tokyo

Foreign AffairsMarch 9, 2020

BTS ranks No. 3 on Billboard 200 in its second week on the chart

"Map of the Soul: 7," the new album by K-pop superstars BTS, ranked No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for this week following its No. 1 debut a week earlier, the US music magazine said on Monday. "BTS' 'Map of the Soul: 7' falls from No. 1 to No. 3 in its second week, earning 84,000 equivalent album units, down 80 percent from its opening week of 422,000," Billboard said on its website, announcing the result of the albums chart dated March 14. It is the BTS album's

K-popMarch 9, 2020

106 countries, territories restricting entry from virus-hit S. Korea

Two more countries have joined the list of countries and territories imposing entry restrictions or tougher quarantine procedures on people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns, putting the tally at 106, foreign ministry data showed Monday. As of 2 p.m., Grenada and Barbados, island nations in the Caribbean, were added to the list of 47 countries and territories requiring or recommending self-quarantine and imposing stricter immigration controls for people who have been in Korea at lea

Foreign AffairsMarch 9, 2020

Persistent virus outbreak to further hurt Korea's growth: reports

The outbreak of the new coronavirus here may further undermine South Korea's economic growth if it is lasts for a significant amount of time, reports suggested Monday, while some said the virus may already have nearly halved the country's economic growth. "Household spending in Japan and Korea are set to weaken further and slower growth in the US and Europe will add to external headwinds," S&P Global Ratings said in an article titled "COVID-19 Now Threatens More Damage to As

EconomyMarch 9, 2020

US Army restricts travel to, from S. Korea over new coronavirus

The US Department of the Army has ordered its soldiers and their families to stop movement to and from South Korea amid concerns over the new coronavirus, according to US Forces Korea (USFK). The order, which will be in effect until May 6 or until further notice, currently applies only to 8th Army soldiers currently on permanent change of station orders or attending professional military education scheduled in the United States, USFK said in a statement. "USFK is analyzing the impacts th

DefenseMarch 9, 2020

PM casts cautious optimism about containment of new coronavirus

South Korea's prime minister raised cautious optimism about the containment of the new coronavirus Monday, saying the pace of growth in infections has slowed for the third straight day. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also vowed efforts for the smooth operation in a new rationing system for face masks amid public anger over the bungled supply scheme. "It is still too cautious, but I can see some hope that we may approach an inflection point in the near future through cooperation of the cen

PoliticsMarch 9, 2020

S. Korean Im Sung-jae rises to No. 1 in FedEx Cup points after finishing 3rd at Bay Hill

What sophomore slump? Im Sung-jae, the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, climbed to the top of the FedEx Cup points standings following a third-place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday (local time). The 21-year-old South Korean picked up his first PGA Tour victory the previous week at the Honda Classic. He was trying to become the first player since David Duval in 1997 to win his first two career titles in consecutive weeks, but finished two strokes be

GolfMarch 9, 2020

US coronavirus cases pass 500 as defiant Trump praises response

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- The number of confirmed US coronavirus cases soared past 500 Sunday, including two further deaths, as President Donald Trump defended his administration's "perfectly coordinated" response to the epidemic. The virus has reached some 30 US states, with Oregon the latest to declare an emergency, and 60 million people in California and New York are under crisis measures. Two more deaths were reported in Washington state -- both linked to a virus-hit care home near S

World NewsMarch 9, 2020

Oil plunges 20% as another virus-fueled trading week begins

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices are plunging amid worries that an OPEC dispute will lead an economy weakened by COVID-19 to be awash in an oversupply of crude. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $8.77, or 19.3 percent, to $36.50, as of 7:23 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday after earlier touching its lowest price since early 2016. Benchmark US crude fell $8.11 to $33.17. The dramatic losses follow a 10.1 percent drop for US oil on Friday, which was its biggest loss in more than fiv

World NewsMarch 9, 2020

15 Korean pharmas, 4 state institutes research coronavirus

South Korea’s state-run research institutes and pharmaceutical firms are working hard to find a cure for the new coronavirus, according to news reports Monday. Around 15 firms and four institutes here are burning the midnight oil to get an effective cure, according to Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association. KPBMA Chairman Won Hee-mok emphasized the synergies between private and public research bodies in yielding a faster outcome. The association identified Korean

IndustryMarch 9, 2020

Fire breaks out at Samsung chip plant, production unaffected

HWASEONG -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday a fire at its semiconductor plant in South Korea will not affect its chip production. A fire broke out at Samsung's chip plant in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, late Sunday night and was completely extinguished early Monday morning, according to fire authorities. No casualties have been reported so far. The fire apparently broke out at a wastewater treatment deodorizer facility at the plant, according to a Samsung official, but didn't damage its pr

Social AffairsMarch 9, 2020

Under virus uncertainty, foreign players for S. Korean baseball clubs to train in home countries

With a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the start of the professional baseball season in virus-hit South Korea, teams' foreign players will train in their home countries for the time being. The Korea Baseball Organization clubs have been scrambling to close their overseas training camps in the past week or so, with more and more countries applying travel restrictions on South Koreans following the COVID-19 outbreak. The Samsung Lions and the LG Twins have returned from Japan. The KT Wiz and

BaseballMarch 9, 2020

N. Korea fires 3 short-range projectiles toward East Sea: JCS

North Korea fired three short-range projectiles into the East Sea on Monday in what was believed to be part of a joint strike exercise, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The projectiles were fired northeastward from areas near its eastern town of Sondok in South Hamgyong Province at around 7:36 a.m, the JCS said, adding that they flew around 200 kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of around 50 km. The launches came a week after the North conducted similar firings on March 2. &quo

North KoreaMarch 9, 2020

S. Korea reports 5 more African swine fever cases in wild boars

An environment agency said Sunday it has found five more wild boars infected with the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus in areas near the inter-Korean border. The discoveries raised the number of wild boar infections in the country to 325. The five carcasses were found in border areas, including in the counties of Paju, Gunnae, and Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, according to a research institute affiliated with the environment ministry. South Korea confirmed its first-ev

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2020

Lotte unit offers voluntary retirement

Lotte Himart Co., South Korea's leading home appliance store chain, said Sunday it will offer a voluntary retirement program to its employees due to deepening losses. Some 80 employees who have worked for the company for more than 25 years and are aged 50 or older are eligible for the voluntary retirement schemes, a Lotte Himart spokesman said. The company plans to provide those who agree to retire early with severance pay according to their overall working years, a sizable compensation and

IndustryMarch 8, 2020

China quarantine hotel collapse kills 10

BEIJING (AFP) -- At least ten people were killed in the collapse of a hotel used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in eastern China, authorities said Sunday. Rescuers retrieved 48 people from the rubble, of whom 38 are still alive, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on social media. The building in the coastal city of Quanzhou had been repurposed to house people who recently had contact with patients confirmed with COVID-19, the state-run People's Daily newspaper reported. The city

World NewsMarch 8, 2020

[Graphic News] 74% of women face discrimination: survey

　The overwhelming majority of working women in South Korea say they have experienced some form of gender discrimination, including sexual harassment and wage discrimination, according to a local survey. 　The Korean Women Workers Association said the survey of 404 women that took place from Jan. 16 to Feb. 25 indicates most respondents, - 74 percent - experience some form of discrimination. 　Respondents said they are victims of a gender wage gap, 54.5 percent said they have been unable to b

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2020

Firms extend remote work with creativity amid prolonged virus outbreak

Amid the prolonged outbreak of the COVID-19, South Korean businesses are extending telecommuting and flexible work hours for employees in various forms to prevent further spread. While the companies are putting such measures temporarily in support of the so-called “social distancing” campaign promoted by the government to keep people from gathering in large crowds, some companies are taking it as an opportunity to seriously consider plans to build virtual and smart work systems.

IndustryMarch 8, 2020

[Clara Ferreira Marques] Coronavirus is human credit crunch

It is the flow of people, as much as money, that keeps the global economy ticking over. It follows that a sudden halt to the movement of workers, shoppers and tourists should worry us just as much as the drying up of credit during the global financial crisis in 2008. With fewer obvious quick fixes, the virus outbreak should perhaps concern us even more. A little over a decade ago, it was the US housing market that soured. Investors lost confidence after years of unbridled lending and poor regul

ViewpointsMarch 8, 2020