Parliament rejects revision bill on internet-only banks

The National Assembly on Thursday voted down a bill intended to loosen the eligibility requirement for the largest shareholder of an internet-only bank. A revision of the Act on Special Cases Concerning Establishment and Operation of Internet-only Banks failed to pass in parliament, as 82 of 184 lawmakers on hand in the plenary session voted against it. Only 75 lawmakers voted for the bill while 27 abstained. The revision bill calls for removing a record of antitrust and taxation law violatio

TechnologyMarch 5, 2020

Passengers to undergo temperature checks at Incheon airport

South Korea will conduct pre-boarding temperature checks on all outbound passengers at the country's main gateway starting next week to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading further, the transport ministry said Thursday. The Incheon International Airport Corp., the operator of the Incheon International Airport, will conduct passenger temperature checks for all flights departing from Incheon, just west of Seoul, beginning Monday to make the main gateway a "COVID-19 Free Airport,&quo

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2020

Japan to quarantine arrivals from South Korea, China over coronavirus

Japan decided Thursday to tighten entry restrictions on arrivals from South Korea and China starting next week amid concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced after a government meeting that those flying in from the two virus-hit neighboring countries will be quarantined at a designated place for two weeks. The new measure will be effective from next Monday through the end of this month. Tokyo's has already imposed an entry ban on people

Foreign AffairsMarch 5, 2020

Citibank, KDB reject watchdog’s compensation plan over KIKO

Citibank Korea and Korea Development Bank will not accomodate financial authorities’ earlier arbitrary recommendation concerning compensation for disputed currency-linked derivatives sold several years ago, officials of the respective banks said Thursday. “After extensive internal discussions and consultations with the board of directors, Citibank does not propose to proceed as recommended (by the FSS),” the Korean subsidiary of the New York-based bank said in a release. &

MarketMarch 5, 2020

[Graphic News] Poll finds improved foreign sentiment toward Korean cultural content

　Foreign sentiment toward South Korean cultural content marked an overall improvement last year on the strength of the continued popularity of the Korean Wave, according to a poll released by a government agency. 　The survey of 8,000 people in 17 countries who had experienced Korean cultural content, conducted by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, showed that foreigners’ favorability toward Korean TV dramas rose to 76 percent in 2019, compared to 73.4 percent f

EntertainmentMarch 5, 2020

National Ballet under fire for members’ inappropriate behavior

The Korean National Ballet is mired in controversy over inappropriate behavior by some of its members while they were under home quarantine for COVID-19. The national ballet company told all members to go into self-quarantine Feb. 24-28, after the performance of “Swan Lake” at the Daegu Opera House from Feb. 14-15.  Though none of them showed signs of COVID-19 infection, the decision was made over concerns about the rapid increase in cases in Daegu and neighboring North Gye

PerformanceMarch 5, 2020

S. Korea's coronavirus cases soar past 6,000

South Korea’s coronavirus cases surged past 6,000 with 41 deaths Thursday, as the government shifted its focus to minor clusters of coronavirus infections, so far overshadowed by the massive number related to Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Nearly 70 percent of Korea’s coronavirus cases are classified as cluster infection cases, while 30.6 percent are sporadic with their exact infection routes being scrutinized, health authorities said. The latest mass transmission cases were found

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2020

[팟캐스트] (342) 자가격리 우울증 대처법 / 한국엔 왜 여성 확진자가 더 많나

진행자: 임정요, Kevin Lee Selzer 1. Cabin fever sets in for those in isolation for coronavirus 아이튠즈(아이폰): https://itunes.apple.com/kr/podcast/koliaheleoldeu-paskaeseuteu/id686406253?mt=2 팟빵 (안드로이드): http://www.podbbang.com/ch/6638 [1] A 32-year-old librarian in Gumi-dong, Gyeonggi Province, who is expecting a baby in May, has not left her house for four days. Her daughter, 4, has been home all day since her day care center shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “I am pregnant so I am very c

PodcastMarch 5, 2020

Netflix ready to release ‘Kingdom’ second season

Global streaming giant Netflix’s zombie-thriller “Kingdom” is returning with a second season next week, with the same cast members and even bloodier action than before. Taking place in the Joseon era, “Kingdom” tells the story of how Prince Chang struggles to save his kingdom from a fast-spreading mystery disease. Featuring the same main cast members from the first season, “Kingdom” season two will star Ju Ji-hoon as Prince Chang, Bae Doona as medic

TelevisionMarch 5, 2020

UAE evacuates Arab nationals from Wuhan

The United Arab Emirates has evacuated some 210 Arab nationals -- both of the UAE and its neighbors -- from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus is believed to have originated, via aircraft, embassy officials in Seoul said Thursday. The evacuees are to be received at the new Emirates Humanitarian City in the UAE, where they will undergo medical testing and a 14-day quarantine for maximum safety. “The move follows the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa

Diplomatic CircuitMarch 5, 2020

[Monitor] Online sales of masks up, cosmetics down

The coronavirus spread has impacted online transactions since January, with the sales of masks surging while purchases of cosmetics dropped, data by Statistics Korea showed. Weather also played a part, with the warmer temperatures discouraging people from buying clothing. The shorter delivery days due to the Lunar New Year holiday also affecting the growth in online transactions. Upon the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea as of Jan. 20, purchases of masks surged 57 percent from a year ago, and

ConsumerMarch 5, 2020

[Andy Mukherjee] Hong Kong’s helicopter money struggles for lift

If you’re raining cash on people and want them to spend it, you have to convince them that the benevolence is being financed by printing money. Nobody wants to worry about being taxed more in the future. These things are going to be problematic for Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan. He plans to give away 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,285) to every adult permanent resident to blunt the economic impact of the coronavirus, but since he can’t conjure money at will, he’s bein

ViewpointsMarch 5, 2020

[Faye Flam] How to prepare (rationally) for coronavirus

About a month ago, I prepared for COVID-19, then just known as the coronavirus, by refilling some essential heart medications I was worried might run out if there were serious supply chain disruptions. The pills were for my cat -- I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. And now that coronavirus has spread to well over 50 countries, more and more people are confronting the question of how much preparation is enough, whether for themselves or those people and pets relying on them. Experts

ViewpointsMarch 5, 2020

To mask or not to mask

New government guidelines issued Tuesday say face masks are not recommended for healthy individuals who are not having respiratory symptoms or fever.  Instead, practicing social distance, maintaining good personal hygiene and keeping rooms well ventilated are the best ways to prevent infection, the Drug Safety Ministry said, stressing that people who are not at risk of contracting the virus do not need to wear masks. Two situations where it is OK not to wear face masks are isolated space

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2020

NK leader sends letter to Moon to support S. Korea's fight against coronavirus

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a personal letter to President Moon Jae-in to express his support for South Korea to overcome the outbreak of the new coronavirus, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday. In the letter, delivered to Moon on Wednesday, Chairman Kim consoled South Koreans fighting the virus and wished for their good health, according to Yoon Do-han, Cheong Wa Dae's senior secretary for public communication. "The North's leader said he will quietly support South Korea's fight a

North KoreaMarch 5, 2020

S. Korea closely watching cluster infections

South Korea is shifting its focus to minor clusters of coronavirus infections, so far overshadowed by the massive number of cases related to Shincheonji Church of Jesus, as the number of cases is increasing at a slower pace.  Nearly 70 percent of Korea’s coronavirus cases are classified as cluster infection cases, while 30.6 percent are sporadic with their exact infection routes being scrutinized, health authorities said Thursday. The latest mass transmission cases were found in a

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2020

[Weekender] Keeping safe from virus

Wearing face masks on buses and subways -- and even at the office -- has become the new normal in South Korea amid the coronavirus outbreak. People are washing their hands and sanitizing the surfaces they’ve touched as often as possible, and personal hygiene products are in high demand. In the face of scarcity, some people have opted to make their own masks and sanitizers, while retailers have introduced some products that are out of the ordinary, such as an “anti-coronavirus ha

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2020

Mask maker apologizes over part-timer’s mistake

A local mask manufacturing company officially apologized on Thursday after a part-time worker caused an uproar by contaminating face masks that were being packed prior to sale. On Wednesday, footage of a man in his 20s playfully putting his face over a bundle of face masks went viral on the internet. A string of snapshots showed him touching the masks with his bare hands and without wearing a hairnet. He was also caught rubbing the masks on his face while packing the products. The photos

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2020

Why only 1.4% of virus patients made recovery in S. Korea

South Korea’s full recovery rate of patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus stood at 1.4 percent, strikingly low compared to other countries with a large number of confirmed instances, figures showed Thursday. The country had an accumulated total of 6,088 patients infected with COVID-19, 39 of them died and 88 have fully recovered, according to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That puts the disease’s fatality rate here at 0.6 percent and recovery rate at 1.4

Social AffairsMarch 5, 2020