Yeouido on guard after COVID-19 case confirmed at Eximbank

Yeouido, packed with financial companies and home to the National Assembly, was on its guard against the new coronavirus on Friday following news of confirmed cases in the area. The state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea said early in the morning that one of its employees was confirmed with COVID-19 around 7:30 p.m. the previous day. The bank immediately initiated emergency measures, shutting down its headquarters in west Yeouido and carrying out extensive quarantine. Some 800 employees w

MarketFeb. 28, 2020

[Newsmaker] Arrested pastor sticks to mass Sunday service plan

Seoul police and the city government plan to block a joint worship service, slated to take place at a plaza in central Seoul on Sunday, amid concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak. Led by a controversial pastor, who is now in police custody for violating the election law, a civic group has held street rallies opposing President Moon Jae-in for months, with some in the form of outdoor worship services. Despite repeated warnings, the group, which calls itself the “Pan-national Alliance for

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2020

Vietnam to suspend visa-wavier program for Koreans on Saturday

Vietnam will suspend a visa-waiver program for South Korean visitors this week, the South Korean Embassy in the country said Friday, as the number of confirmed new coronavirus cases has topped 2,000 here. The embassy said the Vietnamese government has informed it of a plan to temporarily suspend the program on Saturday, under which Koreans have been able to stay in the Southeast Asian country for up to 15 days without a visa. Aside from the latest measure, Vietnam has banned the entry of vis

Foreign AffairsFeb. 28, 2020

‘Train to Busan’ sequel ‘Peninsula’ confirms summer release

“Peninsula,” the sequel to hit zombie flick “Train to Busan,” will be released this summer, distributor NEW said Friday. Though the company did not reveal the release date, the film may hit theaters in August. Taking off from where the story ended in “Train to Busan,” the upcoming movie is expected to have the same setting as the first film. According to Yeon Sang-ho, director of both films, “Peninsula” will take place four years after the z

FilmFeb. 28, 2020

Rate cut predicted in April due to virus fallout: analysts

South Korea's central bank is likely to cut the policy rate in April amid concerns that the spreading novel coronavirus outbreak will hurt Asia's fourth-largest economy, analysts here said Friday. The Bank of Korea stood pat this week by keeping the rate at a record low of 1.25 percent, while trimming its economic outlook for the year to 2.1 percent from the previous 2.3 percent. More analysts are now betting on a rate cut in April as the virus cases are increasing at an alarming level. So fa

EconomyFeb. 28, 2020

Heads of Korean budget carriers ask for govt support

Amid the falling number of passengers and suspension of routes due to the coronavirus outbreak, chief executive officers of Korean budget carriers on Friday released a joint statement asking for the government’s support.  The country’s six low-cost carriers -- Air Busan, Air Seoul, Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, Jin Air and T’way -- said in a joint statement that the “aviation industry has been falling apart” since the nationwide boycott of trips to Japan last year an

MobilityFeb. 28, 2020

Initial sales of Galaxy S20 series downbeat amid virus fears

Sales of Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy S20 smartphones were lackluster on their first day, 50 percent lower than their predecessors, amid the spreading coronavirus outbreak, industry sources said Friday. Samsung Electronics sold an estimated 70,800 units of the latest smartphone series in the domestic market on Thursday, sharply lower than first-day figures for the previous series, the Galaxy S10 phones, launched in March last year, according to industry insiders. The Galaxy S10 series s

IndustryFeb. 28, 2020

BTS cancels Seoul leg of world tour over coronavirus concerns

BTS has canceled its Seoul concerts amid growing fears over the coronavirus outbreak. On Friday, the act’s agency, Big Hit Entertainment, announced it had canceled the Seoul leg of the band’s “Map of the Soul” world tour scheduled to be held April 11, 12, 18, 19 at Olympic Stadium, prioritizing the health of the artists, fans and staff worldwide. It said in a statement, “The current global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has made it impossible at this time to pr

K-popFeb. 28, 2020

LG, Woowa Brothers to collaborate on food robotics

Robots delivering food to doorsteps and serving tables at restaurants may not be that far in the future. LG Electronics and Woowa Brothers said Friday they will jointly develop food delivery-and-serving robots, combining LG’s artificial intelligence and automated indoor driving technologies with Woowa Brothers’ food delivery know-how. Woowa Brothers operates Baedal Minjok, Korea’s biggest food delivery app by market share. The unicorn was acquired by Germany’s Deliver

IndustryFeb. 28, 2020

Banks' lending rates slightly drop in Jan.

Lending rates on fresh loans extended by banks in South Korea dropped slightly from a month earlier in January, central bank data showed Friday. The average interest rate on all new bank loans came to 3.19 percent in the month, down 0.03 percentage point from the previous month, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. The rate on all outstanding loans came to 3.38 percent, down 0.02 percentage point from December. The average rate on fresh corporate loans slipped 0.04 percentag

EconomyFeb. 28, 2020

Seoul provides English COVID-19 briefing

The South Korean government on Friday began providing a live feed of the COVID-19 briefings with English interpretation. The government’s central response team holds two briefings daily, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The interpretation is being provided by the state-run English-language channel Arirang and Korea.net, the government’s official web portal. The 11 a.m. briefing can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yug09mAgTaI&feature=youtu.be. The government will release the lin

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2020

Culture minister urges religious groups to halt gatherings amid coronavirus

South Korea's culture minister urged local religious groups on Friday to halt regular services and gatherings as the country is struggling to contain mass outbreaks of the novel coronavirus. "This weekend and next weekend are expected to be critical points in (containing) the spread of COVID-19 and (preventing) the situation's prolongation," Culture Minister Park Yang-woo said in his emergency appeal to religious groups. "I earnestly ask (such groups) to refrain from any reli

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2020

CGV to halt service in Daegu

South Korea’s largest cinema chain CJ CGV said Thursday it will temporarily shut down its screens in the Daegu area from Friday. 　 Due to the rapid increase of the COVID-19 infections in Daegu, the nine CGV outlets in the area will temporarily be closed due to concerns about the safety of customers and staff, CGV said on its webpage. The cinema franchise said reserved tickets will be canceled automatically and it will further notify about the reopening dates. By Im Eun-byel (silvers

FilmFeb. 28, 2020

Celltrion begins research for coronavirus vaccine

Celltrion said Friday it has begun research for a drug candidate to fight the new coronavirus. The company has obtained a blood sample from a patient confirmed with COVID-19. Having discovered a drug candidate for the Middle East respiratory syndrome, the company will search for a new potential molecule that can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “We’re in the initial phase. It will take time for any results,” said a Celltrion official. “Since viruses mut

IndustryFeb. 28, 2020

Korean Embassy in Iran calls for preparations for possible contingency amid spreading coronavirus

The South Korean Embassy in Iran has called for hundreds of its citizens there to prepare for possible contingencies, warning that the coronavirus outbreaks in the Islamic republic could escalate into a "serious situation." In an emergency notice posted on its website Thursday, the embassy urged about 200 South Korean citizens in Iran to ensure they always carry their passports, cash, mobile phones and other "essential" items. The number of Iran's COVID-19 cases has report

Foreign AffairsFeb. 28, 2020

58 countries restrict entry from coronavirus-hit S. Korea

Nearly 60 countries are restricting the entry of travelers from South Korea with bans or tougher quarantine procedures over coronavirus concerns, foreign ministry data showed Friday, as the number of infections rose to more than 2,300 confirmed cases here. Twenty-seven parts of the world have entry bans on South Koreans and foreigners who have visited the Asian country in the past few weeks, up from the previous day's tally of 22. They include Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jamaica and two others.

Foreign AffairsFeb. 28, 2020

Korean companies join virus fight with relief goods

  South Korean companies, although they are also feeling the pinch of the fast-spreading coronavirus, are rushing to join the nationwide virus fight with relief efforts, industry sources said Friday. South Korea has so far reported more than 1,700 COVID-19 cases, with most of them identified in the southeastern city of Daegu and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province. Samsung Group, the country's largest conglomerate, on Wednesday decided to donate 30 billion won (US$24.7 million) to the

IndustryFeb. 28, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Gentlemen (US) Opened Feb. 26 Action, Comedy, Crime Directed by Guy Ritchie American expat Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) starts selling marijuana as he enters college in London, coming to build a highly profitable marijuana empire in the city. When word gets out that he is looking to cash out of the business for good, it triggers plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him. A War of Memories (Korea) Opened Feb. 27 Documentary Directe

FilmFeb. 28, 2020

S. Korea's virus cases top 2,000, citizens urged to avoid mass gatherings

South Korea's confirmed cases of the new coronavirus surpassed 2,000 on Friday as the nation aggressively counters the fast-spreading virus with massive testing. Health authorities renewed calls for citizens to increase social distancing and avoid mass gatherings such as religious ones over the weekend. The 256 new cases brought the nation's total infections to 2,022, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only two days ago, the number of infections exceeded 1,000.

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Time for whiskey at Novotel Ambassador Dongdaemun Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel & Residences presents “Mr.Tipsy” whiskey promotion at its lobby lounge Gourmet Bar. The promotion features five samplers from two leading whiskey labels, Johnnie Walker and Diageo Classic Malts. The five samplers present different varieties of whiskeys in small portions, allowing guests to discover their own taste in whiskey. The sampler price starts at 34,900 won. For more informati

FoodFeb. 28, 2020