Optimism waning on continued reports of new COVID-19 variant

Authorities were on alert as South Korea identified three new cases of a more contagious COVID-19 variant from the UK on Thursday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said in a press briefing Thursday that three individuals had been confirmed infected with the variant first identified in the UK. The three belong to the same family as another patient, who was found to have the UK variant earlier after arriving in Korea from Britain in mid-December. With the addition of the three new

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Top court acquits teacher who posted political comments on social media

The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed the appeal of a high school teacher and acquitted the man who had been indicted on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act. Identified by the surname Ko, the teacher had shared controversial posts on social media ahead of parliamentary elections in March and April of 2016. The teacher at a public high school on the island of Jindo, South Jeolla Province, who also serves as the branch president of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers&ls

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Cheong Wa Dae denies report on pardons for Park, Lee

Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday flatly denied a report that the presidential office was considering ways to grant pardons to Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, the two former presidents jailed for abuses of power and corruption offenses. Earlier in the day, the Chosun Ilbo reported that Cheong Wa Dae was considering pardoning Park first while discussing other options like a suspension of prison sentence for Lee, citing unnamed sources from the ruling bloc. Pardons can only be granted by the presid

PoliticsJan. 7, 2021

N. Korea vows to bolster defense on 2nd day of party congress

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed Wednesday to bolster defense on the second day of a party congress held for the second time since 2016. He came to power in 2012. Kim said he would expand the military capabilities to realize a peaceful environment for North Koreans, according to the North’s state media. 　 Kim discussed economic goals as well for different sectors, but again skipped foreign policies. On the first day of the congress, Kim admitted to economic failures over the past f

North KoreaJan. 7, 2021

Foreign arrivals required to present negative COVID-19 test results

Foreigners arriving at South Korean airports are required to present negative coronavirus test results to be allowed into the country, starting Friday, as the country seeks to contain the influx of new variants of the coronavirus reported in the United Kingdom and South Africa. Foreign nationals must now show the results of a polymerase chain reaction coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of their departure for Korea, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Foreigners a

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Ex-Seoul mayor Oh announces conditional bid to run for reelection

Former two-term Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday announced a conditional bid to run for the seat again in the upcoming by-election. Oh, also a former lawmaker affiliated with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said he will run in the Seoul mayor election slated for April 7 unless Ahn Cheol-soo, another main mayor candidate, joins the party. Ahn, head of the minor opposition People's Party, declared his Seoul mayoral bid last month, saying he wants to run as a "unified candida

PoliticsJan. 7, 2021

W14.5b vanishes from Jeju casino

Police have launched an investigation after 14.5 billion won ($13.4 million) disappeared from the foreigners-only Landing Casino on Jeju Island. Hong Kong-based Landing International Development, which owns the casino, reportedly discovered the cash was missing on Monday and informed the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The casino staffer who was in charge of the money is unreachable after failing to return from a year-end vacation without giving notice, a casino employee who wished to rem

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

S. Korean delegation heads to Iran for talks to free seized tanker

A South Korean government delegation arrived in Iran on Thursday for talks to seek the release of an oil tanker and its crew seized by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf earlier this week. 　 “I plan to meet my counterpart at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, and will meet others through various routes if that will help to resolve the issue of the ship’s seizure,” Koh Kyung-sok, director-general for African and Middle Eastern Affairs at the Foreign Ministry who is leading the dele

Foreign AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Adoption agency takes heat in abuse death case

Children's rights activists on Thursday urged the health ministry to look into the role, if any, of a major adoption agency in the death of a 16-month-old adoptee. At a press conference near Cheong Wa Dae, the activists, including those who advocated for the rights of adoptees and single-parent households, urged the ministry to check whether there were any lapses in the agency's work to protect the child. They also demanded Holt Children's Services, the country's biggest adoption agency, revea

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

S. Korea confirms 3 more COVID-19 variant cases, raising total to 15

South Korea's health authorities on Thursday confirmed three more cases of a more contagious variant of the new coronavirus that was first identified in Britain, bringing the variant's total caseload to 15. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the three people, all family members of a COVID-19 patient who was infected with the variant, were confirmed to have the new COVID-19 strain. The patient arrived in South Korea from Britain on Dec. 19 last year. The KDCA said it is

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Snow, cold wave disrupts travel in S. Korea

Heavy snow that fell overnight combined with a cold wave have disrupted travel in South Korea, snarling traffic on icy roads, suspending rail services and canceling flights. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy snow began to fall in Seoul from around 7 p.m. the previous day and recorded 13.7 centimeters of snow as of 1 p.m. on Thursday. Temperatures in the city dropped to minus 16.5 degrees Celsius. As roads became icy and cars slowed down, traffic slowed to an average

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

S. Korea to revise COVID-19 rules as cases fall

South Korea is revising its social distancing guidelines to allow certain businesses to operate, as strict virus control measures have wreaked havoc on the lives of small merchants. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a meeting Thursday that the government would take steps to assure fairness and address the financial difficulties facing small businesses, with details to be announced in the coming days. “As frustration continues and seems endless, people have questioned the virus contr

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Infected inmates demand compensation from state

Four inmates infected with coronavirus at a detention center in Seoul filed a compensation suit against the Ministry of Justice over for a negligence of quarantine. This is the first time that prisoners at a correctional facility have filed a lawsuit against the state in relation to COVID-19. Four inmates at Dongbu Detention Center in eastern Seoul filed a petition with the Seoul Central District Court to claim a total of 40 million won ($36,771) -- 10 million won per person -- at around 11 a.

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul city government under fire for sexist tips for pregnant women

The Seoul city government came under fire after it published sexist and gender-stereotyped guidelines on its website for pregnant women suggesting household chores and child care are women’s responsibility. According to the guidelines, a pregnant woman needs to prepare food, clothes and daily necessities for her family so that they are not inconvenienced by her absence while she is in hospital to give birth. The guidelines also suggested a woman should take care of her appearance during

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

All eyes on surveilling digital sex crimes in the year 2021

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will more than double the number of staff at government agencies supporting victims of digital sex crimes, from 17 in 2020, to 39 this year. The services provided by the Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center, established by the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea under the ministry, includes victim counseling, help getting illegal videos deleted, investigative support, litigation support, and post-monitoring. Since its launch in April 2

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Top court overturns acquittal in illicit filming of woman in leggings

Taking photos of body parts covered by tight clothing can also be considered a type of sexual offense, the nation's top court has said. The Supreme Court said Wednesday it has remanded the case of a man who was found not guilty of sexual crimes to an appeals division at the Uijeongbu District Court, north of Seoul, for retrial. The man, whose identity was withheld, was charged with filming the lower body of a woman from behind using his mobile phone for about eight seconds on a bus in 2018. T

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Govt. tightens monitoring after death of foreign worker in vinyl greenhouse

The government said Wednesday it will not issue employment permits to those who provide foreign workers with unsuitable shelters such as makeshift structures inside vinyl greenhouses. The move by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs comes after a Cambodian female worker at a farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, was found dead on Dec. 20 in a prefabricated dwelling unit with a malfunctioning heating system inside a greenhouse made of plastic after temperatures fell to minus 18 degr

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

[Photo News] Heavy snowfall turns Korea into a winter wonderland

Heavy snowfall overnight covers Seoul and its surrounding areas in white on Thursday morning. People struggle to commute to work as the cold weather and slippery roads disrupt travel. A snowman can be seen in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. The main palace Gyeongbokgung in central Seoul has transformed into a dazzling, winter wonderland, with its main throne hall, Geunjeongjeon, and gate Heungnyemun cloaked in a blanket of white. Sejong residents rush to work thro

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

Checking toxicity info becomes easier on smart devices

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Thursday launched a mobile web service for its toxicity information service system, Tox-info. The simplified layout is tailored for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, the ministry said in a press release. Information from the website is now easier to share on social media. Previously, the website was optimized for desktop use and this made it difficult for mobile users to search for information. Tox-info (nifds.go.kr/toxinfo) offers infor

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021

S. Korea culls 15m poultry as highly pathogenic bird flu cases reach 47

South Korea's agriculture ministry said Thursday that it has so far culled 14.9 million poultry since identifying its first farm-linked, highly pathogenic bird flu case in late November, further sparking concerns over a long-term battle against the contagious animal disease. The country has reported a total of 47 highly pathogenic bird flu cases, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Birds within a 3-kilometer radius of infected farms are destroyed. The latest case

Social AffairsJan. 7, 2021