New cases break record for 2nd day; toughest curbs likely to be extended

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hit a fresh high of over 1,800 on Thursday with mass infections from a virus-hit Naval unit, while authorities are increasingly inclined to extend the toughest virus restrictions in the wider Seoul area amid no signs of letup. The country added 1,842 COVID-19 cases, including 1,533 local infections, raising the total caseload to 184,103, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest figure was the highest ever since th

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2021

COVID-19 patient from Uzbekistan captured after escaping from treatment facility

ASAN -- An Uzbek national, infected with the new coronavirus, was captured shortly after he escaped from a residential treatment center in a South Chungcheong Province city earlier this week, sources said Thursday. The 24-year-old ran away from the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, about 100 kilometers south of Seoul, at around 2 p.m. Tuesday. The institute is currently being used as a treatment facility for COVID-19 patients with mild or no symptoms. Upon learning of the

Social AffairsJuly 22, 2021

Deputy Secretary of State Sherman to meet FM Chung, other officials in Seoul

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman was set to meet Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong and other Seoul officials on Thursday for talks on stalled diplomacy with North Korea and other shared challenges, officials said. Sherman arrived here on Wednesday for a three-day visit, after she and her South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Choi Jong-kun and Takeo Mori, held three-way talks in Tokyo to highlight trilateral cooperation against a recalcitrant North Korea and an assertive China. Her As

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2021

S. Korea an attractive market to US investors, but regulations remain a hurdle: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- South Korea offers a safe and stable environment for US investors that is also equipped with a highly skilled workforce, but may be failing to attract as much foreign investment as possible due to its complicated regulations, the US State Department said in an annual report released Wednesday. In its 2021 Investment Climate Statements, the State Department noted the country offers political stability and public safety, as well as world-class infrastructure and a highly skilled wor

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2021

US-S. Korea cooperation in technology is key to thorny problems: officials

WASHINGTON -- Cooperation between South Korea and the United States is critical to addressing the issue of weak supply chains for key technological products such as semiconductors, senior diplomats of the allied countries said Wednesday. They also argued increased support for cooperation between their technological industries will help shape the future success of both nations. "We are working together to build resilient, diverse and secure supply chains for critical technologies," Ma

Foreign AffairsJuly 22, 2021

Defense chiefs of S. Korea, Britain agree to strengthen cooperation

Defense Minister Suh Wook met with his British counterpart Ben Wallace in Seoul on Wednesday and discussed ways of deepening cooperation, the defense ministry said, as the European country seeks to expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Calling South Korea a key cooperation partner in the region, Wallace said he hopes to boost exchanges and cooperation with the country in the defense sector, noting that his trip highlights Britain's commitment to prosperity and development of the Indo

NationalJuly 21, 2021

Seoul presses Gangnam, Seocho and Yangcheon over jabs for hagwon teachers, others

Seoul officials said clinics in Gangnam, Seocho and Yangcheon districts were specifically instructed Wednesday afternoon to allow eligible people COVID-19 vaccinations without an appointment, after several were turned away this week against city guidance. The instructions allow people with priority eligibility, such as teachers and deliver workers, who could not obtain an appointment to get vaccinated without a reservation until the end of this month. Wednesday’s direction to vaccinati

Social AffairsJuly 21, 2021

Italian Design Day in Korea

The Italian Embassy in Seoul is hosting an online fifth edition of Italian Design Day on Wednesday and Thursday. Italian Design Day aims to share well-known Italian expertise to create connections, links and synergies within the design worlds of selected countries. According to the Italian Embassy in Seoul, topics such as beauty, fashion, “Made in Italy” and, above all, innovation are particularly relevant to Korea. Innovation is the keyword of this year‘s Design Day. Avant

Diplomatic CircuitJuly 21, 2021

[Diplomatic Circuit] Thai Embassy, ASEAN Korea Center to host Seoul Thai Festival 2021

The Thai Embassy in Seoul and ASEAN Korea Center will broadcast the Seoul Thai Festival live Sunday. The festival is an annual event organized by the Royal Embassy of Thailand in Seoul since 2015 to enhance people-to-people relations between Thailand and Korea and promote tourism and products of Thailand. According to the embassy, the event was so popular before COVID-19 that it gathered more than 45,000 participants at Cheonggye Plaza. The embassy announced that Seoul Thai Festival Online 20

Diplomatic CircuitJuly 21, 2021

Afghanistan as a bridge connecting Central and South Asia

Afghanistan is a mysterious country in both its history and today, trapped in major geopolitical games and internal conflicts. The region in which Afghanistan is located will automatically have a positive or negative impact on the geopolitical transformation processes of the entire Asian continent. French diplomat Rene Dollot once compared Afghanistan to an “Asian Switzerland.” This allows us to confirm that, in its time, this country was the most stable country on the Asian conti

Diplomatic CircuitJuly 21, 2021

16 more USFK-affiliated individuals test positive for COVID-19

Sixteen people affiliated with US Forces Korea have recently tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Wednesday, amid the fourth wave of the pandemic across the country. The latest cases -- confirmed between July 15-19 -- raised the total number of infections reported among the USFK-affiliated population to 1,101. Of the newly added cases, Camp Casey in Dongducheon, 40 kilometers north of Seoul, and Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul each reported s

Social AffairsJuly 21, 2021

Anti-piracy omitted from vaccination plan

Military and health authorities had not looked to vaccinate the country’s anti-piracy warship off the coast of Africa, despite opportunities along the way. So when the COVID-19-hit unit returned home Tuesday, it was the first time the military had cut an overseas mission short. The military, which has said the seamen could not get COVID shots because they had little expertise in handling a possible allergic reaction to the vaccine or the ability to manage extreme storage conditions f

DefenseJuly 21, 2021

Pressure grows on Korea to extend intensive social distancing

Korea saw a renewed one-day high of 1,784 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, with the majority of them coming from the Seoul area, as some experts call for tougher interventions to contain the spread. For the wider Seoul area -- which includes Gyeonggi Province and Incheon -- the fourth and strictest degree of social distancing is set to expire Sunday, after coming into effect two weeks prior. More than two people cannot mingle at a time past 6 p.m. under the restrictions, among other measures.

Social AffairsJuly 21, 2021

Chinese land-buying spree raises speculation concerns

A Chinese spending spree on property and land in South Korea if left unchecked may fuel a rise in already skyrocketing housing prices, a lawmaker warned Wednesday, calling for stricter regulations on property ownership by foreign nationals. Land bought by foreign nationals increased from an area of 190 million square meters worth 24.9 trillion won ($21.6 billion) in 2011 to 253 million square meters worth 31.4 trillion won in 2020, each 1.3 times more than what it was almost a decade ago, off

Social AffairsJuly 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon battered over 120-hour work week comment and more

Members of the ruling Democratic Party continued to slam former prosecutor general and presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl on Wednesday for saying that people should be allowed to work 120 hours in a week if they need to. As Yoon criticized the 52-hour work week system as a failed policy in a recent newspaper interview, he said he met people in start-ups who said there should be exemptions to the work hour rule as game developers often need to work 120 hours for a couple of weeks and then hav

PoliticsJuly 21, 2021

South Korea, US, Japan agree to up cooperation over NK, pandemic

South Korean, US and Japanese envoys on Wednesday stressed cooperation in their approach toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and other global issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. 　 The three-way dialogue between First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and his US and Japanese counterparts, Wendy Sherman and Takeo Mori, respectively, was held in Japan, despite recent flare-up of tension between the two Asian neighbors. 　 During their talks, the

Foreign AffairsJuly 21, 2021

Action for Clean Environment Fellowship for Young Leaders Program Completion Ceremony Held in Seoul

Action for Clean Environment (ACE), a global non-profit organization with a mission to facilitate global environmental activism, successfully completed the 2021 Fellowship for Young Leaders Program. This was the second year for the program and a ceremony was held last Saturday by Zoom (Virtual Ceremony) in Seoul, Korea to mark the occasion.  Nine students of various ages, fourth to eleventh grade, participated in the program this year. Dawi Yoon from Yongsan International School of Seoul

Social AffairsJuly 21, 2021

Korea to take part in G-20 environment ministers’ meeting in Italy

Korea’s Environment Minister Han Jeoung-ae will attend the G-20 environment ministers’ meeting and climate and energy ministers’ meeting that kicks off Thursday in Italy, the Ministry of Environment said Wednesday. As a multilateral forum that addresses major global issues such as international finance, climate change and sustainable development, the G-20 consists of 19 countries and the European Union. The countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, F

Foreign AffairsJuly 21, 2021

Military reports 3 more COVID-19 cases

Two Army officers and an enlisted soldier have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, the latest in a series of COVID-19 infections among the military population. The officers, stationed in the northern city of Yangju and the eastern port city of Samcheok, respectively, were confirmed to have been infected after their family members tested positive earlier, according to the ministry. The soldier in Seoul contracted the virus while on vacation, it added.

DefenseJuly 21, 2021

Moon reprimands officials for problems in vaccine reservation system: Cheong Wa Dae

President Moon Jae-in has reprimanded his Cheong Wa Dae aides over reports of errors in the online reservation system for COVID-19 vaccine shots, his office said Wednesday. Moon called for "strong" measures to address the problems, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. With regard to the issue, the president pointed out that it is not commensurate with South Korea's stature as an information and technology powerhouse, she said. The government opened a vaccination b

PoliticsJuly 21, 2021