[Anniversary Special] Pandemic forces small businesses to scramble for new strategies, new neighborhoods

As COVID-19 sweeps through society, once populous urban areas and tourist spots have become almost desolate, pushing small-business owners to the brink. The strict social distancing rules are taking a heavy toll on small businesses, which was evident from what The Korea Herald saw last week in some of the most well-known areas in Seoul for social gatherings and entertainment. On any given day of the week, the streets of Hongdae, western Seoul, are expected to be filled with people. The go-to c

Social AffairsAug. 14, 2021

Ex-President Chun hospitalized for medical treatment

 Former President Chun Doo-hwan has been hospitalized for medical treatment, informed officials said Saturday, days after he made a 660-kilometer round trip to the southwestern city Gwangju to attend an appellate court hearing on a defamation case. The 90-year-old Chun, who served as president from 1980-1988, was admitted to Severance Hospital in western Seoul on Friday to receive medical treatment and undergo a checkup, the officials told Yonhap News Agency. He is expected to be discharg

PoliticsAug. 14, 2021

Navy officer arrested for sexual harassment 2 days after victim's death

A Navy court on Saturday issued an arrest warrant for a senior chief petty officer suspected of having sexually harassed a female subordinate who was found dead in an apparent suicide earlier this week. The issuance of the arrest warrant for the officer, whose identity was withheld, came after a pre-trial detention hearing held at the Navy's general military court in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The suspect was immediately imprisoned at a detention facility of the Navy 2nd Fleet.

NationalAug. 14, 2021

US shipment of Janssen's COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in S. Korea on Sunday: embassy

The 400,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine the United States has agreed to provide are due to arrive in South Korea on Sunday, the US Embassy in Seoul said Saturday. The doses will depart from Tennessee on Saturday (US time) and land in Incheon International Airport the following day, the embassy said in a press release. The vaccines are "for use in the general population as part of the international partnership for fighting the pandemic," the embassy said

Diplomatic CircuitAug. 14, 2021

Aerial tanker heads to Kazakhstan to repatriate remains of Korean freedom fighter

A South Korean military plane carrying a special delegation departed for Kazakhstan on Saturday to bring home the remains of a legendary Korean independence fighter, Hong Beom-do, 78 years after his death in the Central Asian country, officials said. The KC-330 multirole aerial tanker departed from Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of the capital, with officials tasked with the repatriation aboard. Led by Hwang Ki-chul, minister of patriot and veterans affairs, the team included Rep. Woo Won-

NationalAug. 14, 2021

Police block Liberation Day rallies by conservatives

A group of conservative activists pushed ahead with its anti-government street rallies planned in downtown Seoul on Saturday, the eve of Liberation Day, but ran into a watertight blockade by riot police amid authorities' warning about the further spread of COVID-19. The conservatives, led by Jun Kwang-hoon, a politically controversial pastor, began a three-day street walking event at Seoul Station at 6 a.m. in defiance of warnings by the government and police, which have said the gatherings are

PoliticsAug. 14, 2021

Military reports three additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military said Saturday it has added three more COVID-19 infections, raising the cumulative caseload to 1,548. The latest cases were reported from barracks in Yangpyeong and Dongducheon, located in Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul, and an Army unit in the southwestern city of Gwangju, the defense ministry said. The two cases in Gyeonggi were "breakthrough infections," as the service members have been fully vaccinated with Pfizer's shots. This puts the breakthrough

Social AffairsAug. 14, 2021

Moon vows continued efforts to resolve comfort women issue on memorial day

President Moon Jae-in vowed Saturday to strive to resolve the pending issue of wartime sexual slavery victims, saying that such efforts are the path to avoid "a repeat of the unfortunate past." Moon made the remarks in a video message, as the country marks the national memorial day for "comfort women," a euphemism referring to sexual slavery victims who were forced to work at Japanese brothels during World War II. "Resolving the comfort women issue is the way to not r

PoliticsAug. 14, 2021

S. Korea urges rapid vaccine supply during protest visit to Moderna

South Korea has asked US drugmaker Moderna Inc. to speed up its delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to Seoul in accordance with a prior contract, visiting government officials said Saturday. The request was made during a South Korean government delegation's visit to the headquarters of Moderna in the U.S. state of Massachusetts on Friday, they said. It came after Moderna notified Seoul that it plans to supply less than half of the 8.5 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine planned for August. Vice Mi

PoliticsAug. 14, 2021

New daily COVID-19 cases stay in 1,900s for 3rd day amid concerns over further spike

South Korea's daily coronavirus infections continued to stay around 2,000 on Saturday amid concerns over yet another potential virus spike after the public holiday running through early next week. The country added 1,930 COVID-19 cases, including 1,860 local infections, raising the cumulative caseload to 222,111, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily cases are counted until midnight and announced the following day. Saturday's tally was down by 60 from 1,990 count

Social AffairsAug. 14, 2021

Consumer complaints erupt over discount app's sharp reduction in promised service

Consumer complaints have erupted over a local online discount app operator's abrupt decision to significantly reduce its much-touted financial reward service. In recent months, Mergepoint has gained huge popularity in Korea for its discount service under which consumers can buy the so-called Mergepoints at a discount of 20 percent off the regular price and use them in about 60,000 places nationwide, like local retail chains, convenience stores and coffee shops. It has attracted about 1 milli

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2021

USFK reports 9 COVID-19 cases

Eight American service members and a family member have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here in the past two weeks, US Forces Korea said Friday. Four service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on a US military flight, while the others arrived on commercial flights via Incheon International Airport, west of the capital, according to the US military. "Thorough cleaning of all transportation assets and quarantine rooms h

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2021

Foreign ministry summons Japanese diplomat over Yasukuni visit by defense minister

The foreign ministry called in a senior Japanese diplomat on Friday to protest Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi's visit to a war shrine in Tokyo seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Lee Sang-ryeol, director general for Asia Pacific affairs, lodged a stern protest when he met with Naoki Kumagai, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, the ministry said in a release. Kishi, along with Yasutoshi Nishimura, economic and fiscal policy minister, visited the controver

Foreign AffairsAug. 13, 2021

Samsung leader’s parole is in national interest: Cheong Wa Dae

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae said Friday that the decision to release Samsung’s de facto leader Lee Jae-yong from prison on parole was made in the national interest. “We are well aware of opinions either in favor or against the parole of (Samsung Electronics) Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong. The opinion of people who oppose it is also right,” Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for public communication, said in a briefing held few hours after Lee was released.

PoliticsAug. 13, 2021

Korean delegation to meet with Moderna to resolve vaccine disruption

A Korean delegation of government officials on Friday departed for the United States to meet with Moderna representatives over the delay in shipments of their COVID-19 vaccine. The delegation of four high-ranking officials, including Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae and Presidential Secretary for Social Policies Ryu Geun-hyuk, will meet with Moderna representatives at the pharmaceutical and biotechnology company’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Friday afternoon, US t

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] Anti-feminism website singled out celebs, lists RM from BTS as ‘verified feminist’

A website claiming to “verify” feminist celebrities and high profile figures was deleted hours after launch Friday, highlighting once again how feminism faces backlash from anti-feminist groups and how deepened gender conflict has become in the country. The website, dubbed “Check Femi,” had several dozens of figures analyzed by 11 a.m. Friday, categorizing them to three groups of “suspected,” “verified” and “vanguard” in their associat

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2021

Seoul to hold int'l online forum marking 'comfort women' memorial day

The Seoul city government said Friday it will hold an international online forum marking the annual memorial day for the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery. The forum, themed on how to remember the victims, euphemistically called comfort women, will be livestreamed on Seoul city government's official YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/kEbE4SSijzI) from 10 a.m. Saturday. Prominent scholars specializing in modern Japanese history -- Prof. Carol Gluck from Columbia University and Prof. Andr

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2021

S. Korea extends advisory against overseas travel amid pandemic

The foreign ministry on Friday extended the special advisory against overseas travel for another month, citing the continued spread of the coronavirus pandemic and virus variants. The advisory, effective until Sept. 13, calls for South Koreans not to go abroad unless the trip is essential, and for those staying outside of the country to take extra precautions for safety. The measure can be extended again. The extension takes into account the importance of citizens refraining from overseas trav

Foreign AffairsAug. 13, 2021

Refrain from traveling or meeting in groups during 3-day weekend: PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Friday asked the public to minimize traveling or meeting in groups during the upcoming three-day weekend. “If we do not stop now, we will not be able to stop COVID-19,” he said in a nationally televised address asking people to do their part alongside the country’s ongoing disease control efforts. “Despite the strong quarantine measures, the number of newly confirmed cases per day has recently stayed at around 2,000. It is the highest fi

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2021

Police warn of stern response to mass rallies during Liberation Day weekend

Police have warned it will take stern action on any illegal protests during the Liberation Day weekend after a number of civic groups announced plans to hold rallies over the next few days in downtown Seoul. The National Police Agency said Thursday it plans to clamp down on anyone who breaks social distancing rules and participates in illegal assembly and rallies. The warning comes at a time when South Korea is struggling to tamp down a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections that has pushed the nu

Social AffairsAug. 13, 2021