Omicron, a pandemic silver lining?

Omicron is by far the most heavily mutated variant of COVID-19 to date, and on course to dethrone delta as the dominant strain. Since the strain was first detected in Korea on Dec. 1, the variant has been found in over 160 cases here. Of them, 39 have recent travel history and the rest are close or indirect contacts. Community transmission, public health authorities say, is probably already underway. To understand the implications of the newest variant, too nascent to be able to grasp the f

Social AffairsDec. 19, 2021

Military reports 27 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Sunday reported 27 additional COVID-19 cases, with all of them being breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,933. Of the new cases, 22 are from the Army, two from units under the direct control of the defense ministry, one from the Navy, one from the Marine Corps and one from the Air Force, officials said. Currently, 343 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,158 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

DefenseDec. 19, 2021

Ministry reveals names of non-custodial parents rejecting child support

The government on Sunday released the personal details of two non-custodial parents who have failed to pay child support for the first time since a related law revision came into effect in July. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said it has disclosed the personal information of two separate obligors of child support who failed to provide the expenses ordered by the court, on its website. According to the ministry, one obligor did not provide 65.2 million won ($55,543) of accumulated

Social AffairsDec. 19, 2021

Moon to receive final annual policy briefings this week

President Moon Jae-in will receive the government's annual policy briefings for the final time this week, Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday. The 2022 briefings will begin Monday under the slogan, "Changes made with the people, a government fulfilling its responsibilities until the end," the presidential office said in a press release. "Through the policy briefings, we plan to go through the achievements made during the five years of the Moon Jae-in administration and check the governmen

PoliticsDec. 19, 2021

S. Korea’s critical COVID-19 cases hit fresh high

The number of critically ill patients with COVID-19 in South Korea hit an all-time high Saturday, the government announced the same day. The increasing number of critical COVID-19 cases continues to overwhelm the country’s medical capacity. The number of critical COVID-19 cases reached 1,025 as of midnight Saturday, surpassing the previous high of 1,000 reported just the previous day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The number of hospital beds for COVID-19

Social AffairsDec. 19, 2021

Ruling party accuses Yoon's wife of lying about NYU attendance

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Sunday accused the wife of main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol of falsifying her attendance at New York University in 2006. Kim Keon-hee, the wife of the People Power Party (PPP) candidate, has been hit with a series of allegations that she falsified her credentials when applying for teaching jobs at two local universities in 2007 and 2013. According to a task force under the DP presidential campaign committee, Kim wrote on her 2013 resume f

PoliticsDec. 19, 2021

US seeks ‘step-by-step’ approach toward denuclearization: Sullivan

The Biden administration seeks a “step-by-step” approach toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, which is a midpoint between strategic patience and grand bargain with Pyongyang, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday. Sullivan explained the Biden administration pursued striking a balance between the North Korea policy previously implemented by the Obama and Trump administrations, expressing his skepticism of the predecessor’s approaches. “T

North KoreaDec. 19, 2021

Schools in capital area to resume remote learning over hike in coronavirus

Schools in the capital area will resume remote learning this week as part of a government campaign aimed at stemming the fast spread of the coronavirus, officials said Sunday. Under the latest rules, schools in the capital area and overly crowded schools in other parts of the country will roll back fully in-person classes and reintroduce a mix of in-person and virtual classes starting Monday. Middle and high schools will be able to run at two-thirds capacity, while third- to sixth-grade elemen

Social AffairsDec. 19, 2021

New COVID-19 cases below 7,000 for 1st time in five days, critical cases at fresh high

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 7,000 for the first time in five days Sunday, but critical cases surged to a record high as the government reimposed restrictions to contain the fast spread of the virus. The country added 6,236 more COVID-19 cases, including 6,173 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 565,098, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Sunday's tally is slightly down from the previous day's 7,313 and the record high of 7,850 repor

Social AffairsDec. 19, 2021

Heavy snow advisory issued for Seoul, western area of capital

South Korea issued a heavy snow advisory in the greater Seoul area for the first time this winter, the weather agency said Saturday. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the advisory went into effect in Seoul, the western port city of Incheon and some of the western parts of the greater Seoul area at 3 p.m. The snowfall that began at around 1 p.m. is expected to gradually move east to affect the country's capital region at 2-4 p.m. and the inland areas of Gangwon Province at 3-5 p.m.

Social AffairsDec. 18, 2021

S. Korean drug firms rush to develop vaccines effective against omicron

South Korean drugmakers have begun the process to develop COVID-19 vaccines that are effective against the new omicron variant amid concerns that the highly transmissible strain may become a dominant one soon. As the omicron variant fuels fears around the world that the pandemic could rage during the winter season, local pharmaceutical firms have either begun developing omicron-tailored vaccines or studying whether their vaccine candidates are effective against the strain. The country does not

Social AffairsDec. 18, 2021

Critical COVID-19 cases top 1,000 for 1st time

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 7,000 for the fourth consecutive day Saturday and critical cases surged to a record high as the government reimposed restrictions to contain the fast spread of the virus.  The country added 7,314 more COVID-19 cases, including 7,284 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 558,864, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Saturday's tally is slightly down from the previous day's 7,434 and the record high of 7,850 rep

Social AffairsDec. 18, 2021

Any change to USFK troop levels will be subject to joint decision with S. Korea: Pentagon

Any future changes to US Forces Korea including troop levels will be made under joint decisions with South Korea, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday. "I can assure you that there's no plans, no intentions to change our alliance posture in any way," Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby said when asked if there can be any changes to the US troop level in South Korea in the near future. "And any changes at all, not that I'm predicting any ... will always be done as an all

DefenseDec. 18, 2021

S. Korea reports additional case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea has confirmed an additional case of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a chicken farm in the central region, the agriculture ministry said Friday. The latest case was reported at the farm where around 344,000 egg-laying chickens are being raised in Sejong, 144 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Health authorities have cordoned off the site and are culling chickens in the farm to prevent the spread of the disease outside t

Social AffairsDec. 18, 2021

Economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and South Korea is developing rapidly

Today South Korea is one of the largest investment partners of Uzbekistan. Over the years of cooperation, the total volume of declared Korean investments into the economy of Uzbekistan has exceeded $7 billion. 　 Currently, the number of enterprises with Korean investments in Uzbekistan has exceeded 900, of which about 550 are formed with 100 percent Korean capital. The activities of these enterprises specialize mainly in trade, light mining, chemicals, food, mechanical engineering and metalwork

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 17, 2021

New page opens in Uzbek-South Korean friendly relations

The foundation for the development of bilateral relations between our states was laid out on Dec. 30, 1991, when South Korea was among the first to recognize the independence of Uzbekistan. Diplomatic relations were established on Jan. 29, 1992. Since that moment, an active political dialogue has been conducted between the two states, as evidenced by the 17 summit meetings held over this 29-year period. The regular dialogue between the leaders of two countries, which has become one of the disti

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 17, 2021

Seoul has ‘much more to offer’ in the global chip supply chain: US diplomat

South Korea is an essential partner in the global semiconductor supply chain and has much more to offer, a visiting senior US diplomat in charge of economic and trade policy said Friday.  Jose Fernandez, US undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, made the remark at the start of the sixth Senior Economic Dialogue with Second Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-moon. Marking his first trip to the region since taking office in August, his weeklong trip to Tokyo

Foreign AffairsDec. 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon apologizes over his spouse’s false career allegation

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate for the main opposition People Power Party, bowed his head and apologized Friday for the controversy over allegations his spouse Kim Keon-hee had made false claims about her career history. "I am sorry for causing concern to the public over the controversy related to my wife," Yoon told reporters. "Regardless of the reason, I make it clear that the fact that (she) caused controversy without accurately writing down her career does not fi

PoliticsDec. 17, 2021

More than 40% of teenagers are fully vaccinated

As of Thursday, more than 50 percent of youths between 12 and 17 in Korea have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and some 40.1 percent are fully vaccinated, officials said Friday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 1.55 million teenagers, 55.9 percent of the age group, have received the first dose of the vaccine. The rate of vaccination in older youths is higher, compared to a younger age group. More than 70 percent of those aged between 16 and 17 have received

Social AffairsDec. 17, 2021

Why so many taekwondo academies?

From school pickup and dropoff and supervised homework time to Hula-Hoop practice for gym class, taekwondo academies are playing an expanded role in South Korea. On top of martial arts lessons, the centers -- a sure-fire find near practically any elementary school in South Korea -- provide much-needed help to two-paycheck couples struggling to juggle work and child-rearing responsibilities. Five-year-old Kwon Ye-rin’s after-kindergarten routine hinges on a taekwondo academy, although

Social AffairsDec. 17, 2021