Half of S. Koreans have negative opinion about online classes amid pandemic: survey

More than half of South Koreans think an increase in online classes by schools is the biggest setback among changes in lifestyle caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey showed Wednesday. The poll released by Statistics Korea showed 50.5 percent of those surveyed said they negatively assessed a rise in online education, and 14.8 percent said online classes will likely accelerate down the road. South Korea has ordered schools to conduct online classes full-time or run them along with in-person

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

Gimhae city withdraws virus test program of foreign children amid xenophobia concerns

The government of the southeastern city of Gimhae on Wednesday withdrew a mandatory virus test program of foreign children registered at the city's daycare centers amid a backlash over xenophobia and rights violations concerns. A government memo obtained by Yonhap News Agency showed the municipality, located 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, ordered 93 daycare centers to cooperate with preemptive tests of foreign children under their care on Monday and Tuesday. The city government explained

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

Metaverse ceremony to virtually celebrate homecoming of late independence hero Kim Gu

A metaverse event on Wednesday will conjure up late national independence hero Kim Gu in the virtual space to welcome him back home from China, 76 years after his little-celebrated homecoming amid complex post-independence politics. The Seoul Museum of History said the event, set to be held on the Zepeto platform later in the day, will virtually recreate Kim as a metaverse avatar as well as the surroundings of a building used as a home for Kim when he returned from China on Nov. 23, 1945, to ho

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

Venture industry at forefront of digital innovation in post-pandemic era: Moon

President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that venture business executives are at the forefront of digital innovation in the post-pandemic era, praising them for helping to transform the nation's economy into a pacesetter. Moon made the remarks at an opening ceremony of an industry exhibition for startups, called "COMEUP 2021," earlier in the day. "By accelerating digital innovation, the world has now embarked on a new takeoff that goes beyond recovering from the COVID-19 crisis,&q

PoliticsNov. 17, 2021

Costa Rica's president to make state visit to S. Korea next week

Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado Quesada will make a state visit to South Korea next week to discuss a range of bilateral and global issues with President Moon Jae-in, Moon's office said Wednesday. The Costa Rican president will arrive in South Korea on Sunday for a four-day visit and hold a summit with Moon on Tuesday, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee told reporters. The summit is aimed mainly at enhancing bilateral economic cooperation, particularly in the fields of space and

PoliticsNov. 17, 2021

Military reports 12 additional COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported 12 additional COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,147, the defense ministry said. An officer based at the ministry compound in Seoul tested positive after developing symptoms. Some 60 military personnel who came in contact with the officer, however, tested negative. A civilian employee of an Army unit in Cheorwon, 88 kilometers north of Seoul, was infected after an acquaintance tested positive. An officer of a unit un

DefenseNov. 17, 2021

New COVID-19 cases spike to second-largest figure of 3,187

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases spiked to surpass the 3,000 mark Wednesday, just shy of an all-time high, health authorities said, deepening concerns over medical capacity amid the continued surge in critical cases. The country reported 3,187 new COVID-19 cases, including 3,163 local infections, raising the total caseload to 402,775, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's figure, a sharp hike from 2,125 cases the previous day, is the second-

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

[Graphic News] Over 80,000 dating violence cases reported in past 5 years: police data

　More than 80,000 cases of dating violence were reported in the past five years nationwide, including more than 200 murder cases, police data showed. 　According to the data from the National Police Agency, obtained by Rep. Yang Ki-dae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 81,056 cases of dating abuse were reported to police between 2016 and last year. 　The annual total rose steadily from 9,364 in 2016 to 18,945 last year, the data showed. 　Of the total, 61,133 cases involved serious vi

NationalNov. 17, 2021

2.9 magnitude earthquake hits off S. Korea's southeastern coast: KMA

A 2.9 magnitude earthquake struck off South Korea's southeastern coast early Wednesday, the state weather agency said. The quake occurred at 1:39 a.m. in waters about 35 kilometers off the city of Ulsan, some 415 km southeast of Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was at a depth of 19 km, and the quake's tremor was recorded at Level 1 on the seismic intensity scale, which means most people would not have felt it. According to the KMA, the quake w

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

Ruling party threatens parliamentary probe into finance ministry amid dispute over COVID-19 relief funds

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) has threatened to conduct a parliamentary investigation into the finance ministry for underestimating this year's surplus tax revenue, ratcheting up pressure on the government to endorse the DP presidential nominee's push to provide universal COVID-19 relief funds. DP floor leader Rep. Yun Ho-jung said during a YTN radio interview Tuesday that this year's excess tax revenue is expected to reach 50 trillion won ($42.2 billion), which is 19 trillion won more than

PoliticsNov. 17, 2021

Senior S. Korean, US diplomats discuss N. Korea, end-of-war declaration: ministry

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's vice foreign minister held talks with his US counterpart and discussed ways to bring North Korea back to dialogue, including the possible declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday. During the 60-minute talks in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday (local time), South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also discussed the alliance and other issues of common intere

Foreign AffairsNov. 17, 2021

Military personnel to get extra jabs starting next week

South Korea's military plans to administer extra COVID-19 shots to its fully vaccinated personnel starting next week, officials said Wednesday, amid a surge in the country's daily virus counts. Around 3,000 military medical personnel will first get an extra jab of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine starting Wednesday next week, a defense official said. The military also plans to administer booster shots on some 500,000 troops starting January as well. The move comes amid a continued rise in the numbe

DefenseNov. 17, 2021

S. Korea to cut dosage interval for COVID-19 booster shots on senior citizens

South Korea will cut the dosage interval between primary vaccination and COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for senior citizens in a move to curb breakthrough infections and serious cases amid worries over virus upticks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday. Booster shots for people aged 60 or older and nursing hospital patients can be administered four months after they received their last dose, while those in their 50s can get extra jabs five months after their primary COVID-19 vaccination,

Social AffairsNov. 17, 2021

N. Korea a major area of cooperation between US, China: NSA Sullivan

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is one of key areas where the United States and China can and should work together, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. Sullivan also reiterated US commitment to dialogue with the reclusive North. "Of course, we have seen a series of tests by North Korea. The United States has indicate we are prepared to engage in good faith and diplomacy if North Korea is prepared to do the same," he said, referring to recent missile tests by the North

Foreign AffairsNov. 17, 2021

Seoul hospitals overwhelmed, but Korea committed to staying open

Just two weeks after South Korea began an official return to normal, a bed shortage is looming, prompting the government to organize an emergency meeting with hospitals. But even as hospitals scramble to make room for COVID-19 patients, the government is intent on keeping the country open, pursuing instead policies to boost travel and spending. Senior officials of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Tuesday morning held an emergency teleconference with directors of hospitals in Seoul and n

Social AffairsNov. 16, 2021

[News Focus] Korea to top OECD gender pay gap, again

SEJONG -- South Korea looks set to keep its undesirable No. 1 position in the pay gap between male and female employees in 2020 among the 38 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. According to the organization, Korea posted 31.5 percent in the gender wage gap last year. This means that women earned 31.5 percent less than men on average, a gap that is likely to surpass those of other members, based on previous years’ data. According to the OECD’s def

Social AffairsNov. 16, 2021

Chief of privacy protection watchdog apologizes after agency's mistaken personal info leak

The chief of the state watchdog on personal information protection has apologized for the recent leak of personal information of 181 petitioners involved in a Facebook personal data breach case. The Personal Information Protection Commission mistakenly sent the personal information of all 181 petitioners to 19 of them earlier this month. The commission has been arbitrating between the petitioners and Facebook over the social networking service's unauthorized leak of their personal data. "

Social AffairsNov. 16, 2021

26 caught for allegedly smuggling illegal drugs from Southeast Asia

Twenty-six people have been apprehended on charges of smuggling illegal drugs from Southeast Asia and distributing them across the country, police said Tuesday. Police also caught 45 others who purchased drugs from the dealers of a drug trafficking ring. Of the total of 71 suspects, 22 were formally arrested. The dealers were found to have smuggled methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids and other narcotics from unidentified Southeast Asian countries from May last year to August by hiding them

Social AffairsNov. 16, 2021

Conversion of industrial urea solution for vehicle use impossible: state lab

A proposed conversion of industrial-use urea or urea solution into vehicle-use solution is impossible right now, a state-run laboratory said Tuesday, dashing hopes for an early end to the nation's acute shortage of the chemical compound. The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) under the Ministry of Environment said it has tentatively concluded it is difficult to convert industrial urea or urea solution for use by diesel-fueled vehicles to cut emissions. South Korea has been mak

Social AffairsNov. 16, 2021

National Assembly sharply cuts budget for light aircraft carrier

The parliamentary defense committee on Tuesday sharply cut the Navy's 2022 budget for the country's first light aircraft carrier, giving a red light to the military shipbuilding project. The defense ministry requested 7.18 billion won ($60 million) for next year's budget to build the country's first light aircraft carrier, but the committee only approved 500 million won, questioning its feasibility. "We respect the Navy's opinion, but this is something that should not be done in a hurry,&

PoliticsNov. 16, 2021