Military reports 30 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Friday reported 30 additional COVID-19 cases, including 29 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,647. Of the new cases, 22 people are from the Army, two from the Marine Corps, one from the Navy, one from the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command and four from units under the direct control of the defense ministry, officials said. Currently, 332 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 914 are brea

DefenseDec. 10, 2021

S. Korea's virus caseload surpasses grim milestone of 500,000 amid unrelenting spread of virus

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 7,000 for the third consecutive day Friday and its caseload surpassed the grim milestone of 500,000 as the coronavirus continued to spread unabated among the unvaccinated and older adults with waning immunity. The country reported 7,022 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 503,606, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was the third highest daily total of the pandemic, after a record-hi

Social AffairsDec. 10, 2021

Suspect in development corruption scandal found dead in apparent suicide

GOYANG -- The head of a regional city development company allegedly connected to a massive development corruption scandal was found dead Friday in an apparent suicide, police said. Police said they discovered the body of Yoo Han-gi, head of the Pocheon Urban Corp., who was reported missing by his family early Friday, at around 7:40 a.m. near his home in Goyang, north of Seoul. Yoo reportedly left home after leaving behind a will. Yoo was a suspect in the investigation surrounding a massive de

Social AffairsDec. 10, 2021

Booster shots for adults can be given 3 months after their primary vaccination: PM

Booster shots for adults can be administered three months after their primary vaccination, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, amid rising concerns over a surge in COVID-19 infections. The decision to cut the dosage interval between primary vaccination and booster shots for people aged 18 or older was announced as the country's daily new coronavirus infections surpassed 7,000 for the third straight day amid worries about the omicron variant, while the number of serious COVID-19 cases showe

PoliticsDec. 10, 2021

As Korea opens up, government says kids should get jabs

Up to 40 percent of kids and teens could get COVID-19 if Korea continues on with its return to normal plans without vaccinating more in the age group, according to a government expert. Dr. Jung Jae-hun, a COVID-19 policy adviser at the prime minister’s office, told a news briefing Thursday that based on his latest modeling, as many as 40 percent of people under 18 could get infected with COVID-19 as the country opens up. “Although COVID-19 is known to be less severe for children

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2021

Uzbekistan president to make state visit to Korea

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will make a state visit to South Korea on Dec. 16 for three days, at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in, officials said Thursday. The two leaders will hold a summit on Dec. 17. “President Mirziyoyev’s visit to Korea is a return to President Moon’s state visit to Uzbekistan in 2019,” said Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. “The two leaders will discuss ways to promote future-oriented and reciprocal cooperation

Foreign AffairsDec. 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice FM hints at Seoul veering away from diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games

South Korea is seeking to play its “role as the previous host nation” of the Winter Olympics, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said Thursday, alluding that Seoul is less likely join the US in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Games. 　 Choi made the remarks during an interview with local radio station TBS, stressing that the upcoming Beijing Olympics are a “relay of Northeast Asian Olympics from PyeongChang to Tokyo and Beijing and are very meaningful.”

Foreign AffairsDec. 9, 2021

[Election 2022] Next target in election campaign: COVID-wary voters

The leading presidential candidates are scrambling to draw up their own pandemic response plans as they try to reach out to COVID-19-wary voters, and to benefit for growing discontent against the current administration’s measures. As the number of COVID-19 cases hit daily highs over 7,000 on Tuesday and Wednesday, the election camps of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the main opposition People Power Party both announced their respective launches of COVID-19 countermeasure teams.

PoliticsDec. 9, 2021

N.Korea continues operating main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon: CSIS

North Korea is operating its main plutonium-producing nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon complex, a Washington-based think tank revealed Wednesday, citing thermal infrared imagery. The CSIS Korea Chair said in a report it found the “clear and conclusive evidence” that the 5-megawatt reactor was operating based on thermal image analysis. The 5-megawatt nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon Nuclear Complex is the core of Pyongyang’s proliferation efforts given that the reactor has been

North KoreaDec. 9, 2021

Vaccine status registration opens to foreign nationals vaccinated abroad

Foreign nationals who were fully vaccinated abroad can now register their vaccine status without applying for a quarantine exemption, health authorities said on Thursday. “Foreigners who register their first and second shots received abroad can request for a foreign vaccination certificate which will work as a vaccine pass and allow them to receive a third shot (in Korea),” the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said during a news briefing. To register, foreign nationals n

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2021

New infections in 7,000s for 2nd day

South Korea on Thursday fell deeper into the COVID-19 crisis, reporting over 7,000 new cases for a second consecutive day while critical cases hit an all-time high. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 7,102 cases were reported in the 24 hours ending Wednesday at midnight, putting the country’s total number of cases to date at 496,584. It is the second-highest tally of daily cases since the pandemic began nearly two years ago. On Tuesday the country reported 7,174 cas

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2021

Overtraining cause of fall that left promising gymnast paralyzed: court

  A local court has ruled in favor of a once-promising gymnast who became paralyzed after being injured in an excessive training regime enforced by school trainers, ordering related parties to pay her 1.2 billion won ($1 million) in compensation. The Incheon District Court said Thursday it has handed the 22-year-old plaintiff a partial win in the damage suit filed against Incheon Metropolitan City, the operator of the school she attended, and Incheon School Safety Mutual Aid Association.

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2021

S. Korea's total population to fall for first time this year: agency

South Korea's total population is expected to record its first decline this year, the statistics agency said Thursday, a grim assessment of its demographic situations amid the country's chronically low birthrate, rapid aging and a decline in incoming foreigners during the pandemic. The country's total population is estimated to have peaked at 51.84 million last year before falling to an estimated 51.75 million this year and an estimated 37.7 million in 2070, according to the latest medium varia

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2021

Nearly half of newlyweds in S. Korea had no kids: data

Nearly half of recently newlywed couples in South Korea had no children, data showed Thursday, amid the country's chronic low birthrate and changing social norms. Some 44.5 percent of the country's 1.18 million couples, who were legally married in the five years up to November 2020, did not have children, up from 42.5 percent a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The newlyweds include first-time and other newly married couples residing in the country. The proportion of

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2021

Moon Jae-in to share democratic achievements in Biden-led summit

President Moon Jae-in will share the nation’s democratic achievements at a summit hosted by US President Joe Biden on Tuesday night. During the two-day virtual “Summit for Democracy,” 110 countries will share opinions on how to guard against authoritarianism, eradicate corruption and promote respect for human rights. China and Russia were excluded. In the first part of the plenary session, Moon plans to share South Korea’s democratic achievements and outline the nati

PoliticsDec. 9, 2021

Most S. Koreans with families in N. Korea have no information on their fate: poll

Eight out of 10 families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War have yet to confirm the fate of their parents and siblings in North Korea, a government survey showed Thursday. According to the unification ministry's poll on 5,354 separated family members living in South Korea and abroad, 82 percent said they do not know whether their family members in the reclusive neighbor are still alive. Among those who are aware of the fate and whereabouts of their dispersed family members, half of them obtaine

North KoreaDec. 9, 2021

Ruling party slams opposition campaign chief for rejecting talks on small biz support

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday slammed the main opposition party's campaign chief for refusing to hold talks over his own proposal to spend 100 trillion won ($85 billion) to support small business owners and self-employed people hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The DP criticized Kim Chong-in, the campaign chief of People Power Party (PPP)'s presidential nominee Yoon Suk-yeol, for stepping back from an idea he floated for the government to allocate 100 trillion won to compensate damag

PoliticsDec. 9, 2021

Moon congratulates Germany's new chancellor on inauguration

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday congratulated Germany's new Chancellor Olaf Scholz on his official inauguration, saying he hopes to work closely with the new German leader to move relations between the two countries forward. Moon and Scholz met in late October in Rome, where Moon held a bilateral summit with then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who stepped down after 16 years in office, on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting. "I am pleased we met in Rome in October and anticipate closer

PoliticsDec. 9, 2021

Seoul City Hall to hold town meeting with foreign residents

The Seoul city government will hold a town meeting with foreign residents later this week to listen to their suggestions to make the city a better place to live in, officials said Thursday. The event will be held at the Seoul Global Center in central Seoul at 2 p.m. Friday and be livestreamed through YouTube (youtu.be/03E15JUmGc8). The number of on-site participants will be limited due to antivirus restrictions, officials said. Officials from the Seoul office of the International Organization

PoliticsDec. 9, 2021

Govt. ordered to compensate COVID-19 patients barred from teacher qualification test

A Seoul court on Thursday ordered the government to pay 10 million won ($8,520) in compensation each to 44 people who were barred from the national teacher qualification exam last year due to their COVID-19 infections. The ruling by the Seoul Central District Court came after the Ministry of Education forbade those who had COVID-19 from taking the primary qualification test for would-be elementary and middle school teachers in late 2020. The complainants had initially sought compensation of 15

Social AffairsDec. 9, 2021