Virus-hit apartment under isolation, most cases linked to Shincheonji

Daegu -- A virus-hit apartment tower here has been under tight control as a third of its residents were infected with the new coronavirus, city officials said Saturday. According to the city's health authorities, 46 out 141 residents at the apartment block were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19. The city put the residential complex under group isolation. The city authorities said 94 of the residents were members of the Shincheonji church, which is largely responsible for the virus outbre

Social AffairsMarch 7, 2020

In countermeasure, Korea to halt visa-free entry program for Japan

South Korea said Friday it will halt a visa-free entry program for Japan and take other countermeasures in response to Tokyo's decision to impose new restrictions for South Korean visitors over coronavirus fears. First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young announced the measures, hours after the foreign ministry voiced "extreme regrets" over Japan's immigration control plan, which it chastised as "unreasonable, unscientific and unfriendly." "Our government once again ex

Foreign AffairsMarch 6, 2020

US-bound passengers from S. Korea required to undergo health screening

Starting next week, all US-bound air travelers from South Korea will be required to undergo coronavirus screenings. In a joint statement with other government agencies, the justice ministry announced Friday that the mandatory health screenings will take effect Tuesday at all airports, as South Korea seeks to curb the spread of COVID-19. All travelers headed to the United States, regardless of their nationality, will be subject to the procedures. A three-step fever check system will also be pu

Social AffairsMarch 6, 2020

USFK reports 1st coronavirus case at Camp Humphreys, total at 7

A South Korean employee of US Forces Korea has tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of USFK-related infection cases to seven, the military said Friday. The seventh patient marks the first coronavirus case reported at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, where the USFK headquarters is located. She is now in isolation at her off-base residence in the central city of Cheonan, according to USFK. She visited a cafe and a post exchange in the base on Feb. 26 a

DefenseMarch 6, 2020

Samsung temporarily shuts down Gumi smartphone factory again over virus case

Samsung temporarily moves smartphone production to Vietnam over virus case Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it will temporarily move some of its smartphone production to Vietnam, after shutting down a local factory following a positive coronavirus test there. Samsung shut down the factory in the southeastern city of Gumi after a worker tested positive for the new coronavirus. Samsung said the plant will be closed through Saturday, while the floor where the employee worked will be shuttered

IndustryMarch 6, 2020

Officials find link between Zumba and coronavirus cases

South Korean officials tracking transmission routes of coronavirus patients have found a potential link in some cases reported in different cities: fitness dance Zumba. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, some 90 percent of 92 total cases in Cheonan and Asan, both in South Chungcheong Province, are connected by Zumba. The patients were either instructors, practitioners, their family members or close contacts. “It is still early to confirm, but

Social AffairsMarch 6, 2020

Asiana suspends all Japanese routes, first in 30 years

Asiana Airlines said it will suspend all flights to Japan until the end of this month, the first in 30 years since it started services amid Japan’s new entry restrictions against South Koreans. The airliner, which had downsized its Japanese routes to eight routes, six cities, said it will stop flying to Japan starting Monday through March. 31 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak shock. This is the first time the airliner has halted every routes to Japan since it initiated flight

IndustryMarch 6, 2020

Protestant churches ask government to investigate Shincheonji

Mainstream Protestant church groups -- the National Council of Churches in Korea and the United Christian Churches of Korea -- on Friday asked the government to investigate leaders of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus here. “The government should clarify facts about the spread of the infectious disease and arrest Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee and the leaders of its 12 tribes to investigate them,” the two Christian groups said in a joint statement. The groups stated that Shincheonj

CultureMarch 6, 2020

S. Korea’s coronavirus cases total 6,593

South Korea’s reported coronavirus cases mounted to 6,284 with total deaths at 42 on Friday, amid growing concerns over the emerging new clusters of infections. 　 The latest mass transmission cases were reported at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. It was closed after nine people were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19. In the country of Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang Province, 51 people at a nursing home, or 44 percent of staff members and inpatients, tested posit

Social AffairsMarch 6, 2020

First political party of NK defectors launched

North Korean defectors launched a political party in South Korea for the first time Friday, vowing to work toward "liberating" people in their homeland from autocratic rule and promoting the rights of defectors. "Although we are few in number I feel that we have great potential ... just two months ago I, myself, was skeptical as to whether or not we would be able to launch the party but a miracle happened today thanks to everyone here," Thae Yong-ho, a former No. 2 diplomat

PoliticsMarch 6, 2020

Warm temperatures forecast for Sunday

South Korea is to greet the warmest day of this year -- so far -- on Sunday, with daytime high temperatures in Seoul forecast to reach 17 degrees Celsius. Warm temperatures are expected in most parts of the country this weekend, due to wind blowing from the southeast and migratory high-pressure systems, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. On Saturday, the daily low is expected to hover around minus 3 C to 6 C, with temperatures during the day expected to be as high as 14 C

Social AffairsMarch 6, 2020

Moon urges maximum mask output

President Moon Jae-in on Friday urged mask producers to increase output as much as possible, and again promised the government would purchase surplus masks when demand falls, to reduce impact on the industry. Speaking at Wooil C&Tech, a mask producer in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Moon said that while government measures to improve mask supplies are being rolled out, production output must be increased to address the issue fundamentally. “The most important thing is to quickly

Social AffairsMarch 6, 2020

Tokyo Olympics hold test event without fans, top athletes

TOKYO (AP) -- Despite the spreading virus, Tokyo Olympic organizers have finally held a test event. The recent outbreak of the coronavirus has forced them to cancel or postpone several. But they allowed a sport climbing event on Friday to go ahead, with a few restrictions: no fans and no top athletes. Instead they used amateurs to test the climbing facility. Almost all sports events and large gatherings have been shut down in Japan. Preseason baseball is being played without fans, the socce

Olympic GamesMarch 6, 2020

Govt. urges 'hagwon' to close, join anti-virus fight

In its latest tactic to combat the new coronavirus, South Korea on Friday again asked private sector cram schools to temporarily suspend classes to prevent group transmissions. The move comes in line with the government's recent decision to push back the new school year by three weeks to March 23 to prevent COVID-19 infections in schools and communities. South Korea has so far reported 6,284 cases, the largest outside of China, where the virus first emerged. Most of the cases trace to mass

Social AffairsMarch 6, 2020

NPS likely to intervene in Hanjin KAL’s governance issues

South Korea’s state pension fund said Friday that it would exercise its voting rights at Hanjin KAL, the holding firm of logistics conglomerate Hanjin Group, an apparent move to intervene in an ongoing leadership feud among the founding family members. “The National Pension Service has decided to exercise its voting rights at Hanjin KAL and GIIR on its own after retrieving them from its proxy agents,” said the state-run pension fund operator after a meeting among its commit

MarketMarch 6, 2020

Seoul warns of countermeasures to Tokyo’s entry restriction on Koreans

South Korea on Friday expressed “extreme regret” over Japan’s entry restrictions imposed on its citizens over the novel coronavirus, and warned of “corresponding measures.”  　 Japan on Thursday announced that all arrivals from Korea will be put into two-week quarantine at designated facilities, while it has invalidated some visas already issued to travelers from here. It is also suspending a visa-waiver program for short stays, all effective from Monday. 　 It

Foreign AffairsMarch 6, 2020

Coronavirus outbreak boosts gold transactions

As the deadly coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) is sparking fears of a global pandemic, investors in South Korea are flocking to safe haven assets, gold in particular, according to data Friday. The accumulative transactions of gold in the first two months of this year at the Korea Gold Exchange, a private gold exchange here, stood at 27,243, up 192 percent from the same period last year. The exchange said investors’ increasing preference toward safe haven assets is behind the drastic gro

MarketMarch 6, 2020

Celebrities use livestreaming to communicate with fans

Many celebrities are turning to online fan meetings and concerts as ways to communicate with fans without physical contact to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Comedians Song Eun-yi and Kim Sook went live online on Feb. 29 in celebration of the fourth anniversary of Vivo TV, a podcast by the two comedians. The 1,200 seats for both Feb. 28 and Feb. 29 concerts sold out in less than three minutes but the events were canceled due to the spread of the new coronavirus. The comedians decided to h

PerformanceMarch 6, 2020

Samsung’s compliance committee to address corporate succession, labor issues

Samsung Group’s seven-member compliance committee on Thursday announced three major agendas after its first meeting. The newly established committee addressed issues related to corporate succession, labor unions and communication with the local society. The committee said it will deliver detailed proposals to Samsung’s de facto leader Lee Jae-yong, all Samsung affiliates and press outlets as soon as possible. Led by former Supreme Court Justice Kim Ji-hyung, the committee added

IndustryMarch 6, 2020

Watcha Play to provide free service for coronavirus patients

OTT service provider Watcha Play on Friday announced that it is discussing with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety about providing a free service for a month to COVID-19 patients and those under self-quarantine. The company explained that it is providing the service to support those who are having a hard time due to the outbreak of the virus. “We reached out to the government first with the idea. The ministry agreed to provide the service with us,” a Watcha Play spokesperson

TelevisionMarch 6, 2020