Korea sends protest letter to Vietnam over plane forced to turn back

South Korea’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mi contacted her Vietnamese counterpart to express regret over a recent incident where a Korean air carrier was denied permission to land in Hanoi and was forced to turn back, government sources said Tuesday. In a letter to the Vietnamese aviation authorities, Kim wrote that it presented “a serious safety issue to order a plane to land in an unfamiliar airport while it is in flight.”  She reportedly also

MobilityMarch 3, 2020

Increase of 5G users in Korea slows down

South Korean mobile carriers are struggling to entice more customers for 5G services amid the new coronavirus outbreak, according to latest data Tuesday. In January, the number of 5G network users here increased by 290,000 to 4.95 million in a month, the lowest amount of increase since local mobile carriers launched 5G services in April last year, as per ICT Ministry data. Since April last year, local telecom firms saw the number of new 5G network subscribers increase by more than half a mill

IndustryMarch 3, 2020

[Feature] Amid market transition, Korea’s bank unions want bigger role, power

The new chief executive officer of state-run Industrial Bank of Korea was unable to enter his office for nearly a month, and there was an obvious reason. Facing agitating unionized workers in January, IBK CEO Yoon Jong-won turned back, without a word, and headed home every morning. But the doors opened at the end of the month, after Yoon agreed to three key concessions, including the provision that labor would be allowed to recommend a board member. The 27-day protest, when workers blocked

EconomyMarch 3, 2020

Maestro Chung Myung-whun in home quarantine

Maestro Chung Myung-whun has canceled performances in Italy after going into home quarantine in France upon returning from a trip to Tokyo. Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, based in the Italian city of Florence, announced that Daniele Gatti, music director of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, would conduct the orchestra’s Saturday concert instead of Chung. Chung was to lead the orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor on Saturday. The orchestra exp

PerformanceMarch 3, 2020

'Baby Shark Dance' second most viewed video on YouTube

The English version of the “Baby Shark Dance” video overtook Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” to become the second most viewed video on YouTube on Monday. South Korea’s children’s educational brand Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark Dance” video sits at 4.67 billion views over Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” which has 4.64 billion views as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The most viewed video on YouTube remains Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi&rsq

CultureMarch 3, 2020

[Newsmaker] Confirmed virus-infected man caught queuing to buy mask

A man confirmed with COVID-19 infection was caught violating the self-quarantine order to buy a face mask in Daegu, and was handed over to health authorities by police on Monday. The man in his 50s was queueing to buy a mask at the post office in Daegu’s Pojeong-dong, Jung-gu, at around 11:40 a.m. on Monday, according to the Daegu Jungbu Police Station. He told a reporter of broadcaster KBS there that he was informed of his COVID-19 infection that morning, and came out to buy a mask. T

Social AffairsMarch 3, 2020

Samsung's Q4 smartphone share rises in Europe

Samsung Electronics Co.'s share of the European smartphone market advanced slightly in the fourth quarter of last year, benefiting from rival Huawei Technologies Co.'s struggle with a US trade ban, data showed Tuesday. Samsung had a 27 percent market share in Europe in the fourth quarter, up 2 percentage points from a year earlier, according to market researcher Counterpoint Research. Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, apparently enlarged its presence after Huawei was barred fr

IndustryMarch 3, 2020

Chip industry rebounds despite coronavirus woes

The semiconductor industry, bellwether for the South Korean economy, showed signs of recovery last month, despite the aggravating coronavirus woes, according to various indicators Tuesday. The country’s total chip exports grew 9.4 percent to $7.42 billion in February compared to the same month last year, data by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy showed. It was the first on-year growth in silicon exports in 15 months. In spite of the extended Chinese Lunar New Year holiday l

TechnologyMarch 3, 2020

Korean animation ‘Underdog’ to open in France

South Korea’s hit animation “Underdog” will be screened in France next month under the title “Nous, Les Chiens,” according to the film’s producer-distributor NEW. “The picture’s time-transcending style will bring joy to both adults and children,” The Jokers, which is releasing the film in France, was quoted as saying by NEW. The company also distributed the Korean film “Parasite” in France. The 2018 feature animation “Und

FilmMarch 3, 2020

New nursing officers head to Daegu

A batch of newly commissioned nursing officers headed to Daegu on Tuesday, the southeastern city hit hardest by the novel coronavirus, to help treat a skyrocketing number of infected patients. Commissioned as lieutenants a week earlier than scheduled, the 75 officers will work at the military’s hospital in Daegu, one of several national centers treating COVID-19. “Patients come before me,” Lt. Kim Seul-gi said. She was one of the officers attending the graduation ceremony for

DefenseMarch 3, 2020

Korea halts flights to Italy for first time in 29 years

Amid the continued spike in COVID-19 cases in South Korea and Italy, Korean air carriers said Tuesday that they would temporarily halt service to Italian cities.  According to the full-service carrier Korean Air, it has canceled all flights on its Incheon-Rome route from March 5 to April 25. This is the first time all flights on that route have been canceled, since its launch in 1991.  Another full-service carrier, Asiana Airlines, decided to halt its Incheon-Rome flights March 8-28

MobilityMarch 3, 2020

‘Inner Child’: How the emotional stadium anthem came to life

To much anticipation and buzz around the world, BTS released its fourth studio album, “Map of the Soul: 7,” in late February. One week in, the septet’s latest album has broken multiple records, including the biggest first-week album sales of the year so far. It also helped the group achieve a fourth No. 1 hit in the US, making BTS the fastest band to do so since the Beatles in the late ’60s. While fans celebrate, there is a small group of people for whom this record is

K-popMarch 3, 2020

[Video] Old-fashioned yet effective tips to prevent coronavirus infection

The abrupt outbreak of the novel coronavirus, officially named as COVID-19, has been dominating headlines around the world. The virus, widely believed to have originated from China’s Hubei province last year, has sparked global concerns outside the mainland ever since. Moreover, the epidemic has disrupted the everyday lives of many South Koreans in many ways. Concerns and fears are mounting here that the virus might escalate much more than SARS and MERS outbreaks in the past. The dema

TechnologyMarch 3, 2020

[News Focus] Compared with other OECD nations, Korea has far fewer doctors, nurses, per 1,000 people

SEJONG -- South Korean health care workers are suffering the effects of severe overwork from taking care of an exponentially increasing number of COVID-19 patients. More and more doctors and nurses from across the country are volunteering to join emergency medical teams serving the Yeongnam area, which encompasses Daegu and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province, where the highest and second-highest numbers of infections with the new coronavirus disease have been reported among the nation&rsquo

Social AffairsMarch 3, 2020

Former comfort woman dies, leaving 18 survivors

A South Korean woman forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II died on Monday, leaving 18 surviving victims. The victim surnamed Lee passed away at the age of 92 at her home in Daegu, the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan said Tuesday. Born in 1928 in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, Lee was taken to China and forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops at the age of 17. She lived in China after Korea&

Social AffairsMarch 3, 2020

S. Korea reports 600 more cases, total at 4,812

The number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea has surged to 4,812, with 28 deaths reported so far, as the government struggles to prevent further fatalities amid hospital overcrowding. The country reported 600 more cases and six additional deaths as of midnight Monday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the new cases, 519 were confirmed in Daegu (86.5 percent), 61 in North Gyeongsang Province (10 percent), 7 in Seoul 1.6 percent), 3 in South Chungcheong Prov

Social AffairsMarch 3, 2020

Korea's Q4 economic expansion faster than expected, annual growth unchanged

South Korea's economy grew slightly faster than expected in the fourth quarter of 2019, although this had no effect on the overall economic expansion for last year, central bank data showed Tuesday. Asia's fourth-largest economy grew 1.3 percent in the fourth quarter from three months earlier, 0.1 percentage point higher than earlier expected, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The country's annual growth, however, remained unchanged at 2 percent. The annual growth w

EconomyMarch 3, 2020

Asian football body on verge of postponing World Cup qualifiers due to coronavirus

The Asian football governing body has inched closer to postponing World Cup qualifying matches following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said Tuesday it has had preliminary discussions with some East Zone member associations regarding fixtures for the 2022 FIFA World Cup regional qualifiers. The East Zone nations include South Korea, China, Japan and Australia. The AFC added that it will meet with West Zone nations -- those in Central Asia and th

SoccerMarch 3, 2020

US coronavirus death toll rises as Chinese cases fall

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The death toll from the new coronavirus in the United States climbed to six on Monday as the contagion took root in the country's Pacific Northwest and continued its march across the globe. Worldwide, close to 3,100 people have succumbed to the illness even as a clear shift in the crisis was emerging, with nine times as many cases recorded outside China as inside, according to the UN health agency. Andorra, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Jordan, Latvia, Portugal, Tunisia a

World NewsMarch 3, 2020

Pentagon sends extra medical personnel, gear to US troops in S. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has sent additional medical personnel and equipment to its troops in South Korea to help fight the coronavirus outbreak there, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said Monday. Milley said the personnel and supplies were sent at Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's direction and included masks, gloves and gowns. "Priority distribution" is going to South Korea, he said at a joint press briefing with Esper. The general noted that the allies have

DefenseMarch 3, 2020