Korea’s recent outbreaks tied to ‘adult entertainment’ venues nationwide

In most parts of a fourth wave-struck Korea, “adult entertainment” businesses were able to stay open until outbreaks forced closures. A third of about 200 cases detected this month so far on Jeju Island, a popular summer destination, were linked to adult entertainment spots, prompting officials there to close them down while contact tracing is underway. Starting this week, the island has been placed into the second-strictest level of social distancing in the four-tier scheme, b

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Mass infection during military mission draws criticism

The Korean military is facing mounting criticism after more than 80 percent of the 301-strong Cheonghae unit tested positive for the coronavirus while carrying out anti-piracy operations in the waters off Africa. “The (COVID-19) test results on all 301 crew members of the unit showed that 247 tested positive and 50 negative. The samples of four individuals were undecipherable,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. The government sent two KC-330 tanker transport planes to bring

DefenseJuly 19, 2021

Seoul says foreign teachers can get jabbed without prior reservation

People who are eligible under Seoul’s priority vaccination plan can get jabbed at COVID-19 vaccination clinics without prior registration, city officials said Monday. The change in policy comes after complaints that vaccine appointments were denied to over 10,000 people, many of them foreigners. Now, the city says there is no need to book a date at all before priority groups can get vaccinated. Seoul was allotted Pfizer vaccines enough for 200,000 people by the Korea Disease Con

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Moon vows more support for coronavirus-hit small businesses

President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed Monday that the government will expand substantive support for small businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, he said the government will try to modify a proposed supplementary budget bill in the process of discussions at the National Assembly. "It is the most regrettable and apologetic thing that the self-employed and micro and small merchants are suffering increasing damage due to the resurgence of the coronavirus and strengthening of a

PoliticsJuly 19, 2021

Seoul to ban rallies during Liberation Day holiday next month amid flare-up in COVID-19 cases

The Seoul city government has decided to ban all rallies planned to take place around the upcoming Aug. 15 Liberation Day due to concerns over the rapid spread of the coronavirus, sources said Monday. According to the sources, the city government recently notified civic organizations that they are not allowed to hold rallies from Aug. 14-16. Some groups have already reported to police that they will hold such events during the period. The notice has been sent to liberal groups, such as the Sou

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] ‘Fingerless’ Kim Hong-bin, 1st disabled person to climb world’s 14 highest peaks

South Korean mountaineer Kim Hong-bin has become the first disabled person to successfully climb the 14 highest mountain peaks in the world -- without the use of his fingers. According to local alpine club Gwangju Alpine Federation on Monday, Kim conquered the summit of Broad Peak, the third peak of Pakistan’s Karakoram Range located in the northeastern part of Kashmir, on Sunday. This is an unprecedented accomplishment by Kim, making him the first disabled person and the world’s

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Opposition presidential contenders vie to claim no man’s land

With less than eight months left until the presidential election on March 9, 2022, over a dozen people are weighing their chances at presidency in the conservative arena that no longer has major factions after two former presidents have been jailed. The establishment within the main conservative party broke down with the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye and the party’s crushing defeat in the parliamentary election last year, giving way to new faces such as an ex-prosecutor ge

PoliticsJuly 19, 2021

Gangneung eyes nighttime closure of beaches to combat rising COVID-19 cases

GANGNEUNG -- Gangneung, one of South Korea's most popular destinations for summer vacationers, mulls over the nighttime closure of beaches and other unprecedented quarantine measures against COVID-19, officials said Monday, following an earlier decision to lift its social distancing rules to the toughest restrictions of Level 4. Gangneung, an east coast city 240 kilometers from Seoul, has said that Level 4, the highest in the nation's four-tier social distancing system, will be enforced for sev

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Delta variant cases surge amid 4th wave of pandemic

South Korea has continued to report a rising number of the highly transmissible delta variant cases, adding 719 of such cases over the past week, health authorities said Monday. The number of new delta cases accounted for 71.8 percent of 1,001 new cases of four major contagious variants of the new coronavirus reported over the cited period, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of new delta variants came to only 17 during the third week of June but sur

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Police book former special counsel for Park Geun-hye case for alleged graft

Police said Monday they have booked on suspicion of graft the former special counsel responsible for investigating a corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye. Park Young-soo, who investigated the scandal surrounding the now-imprisoned former president for over four years, resigned earlier this month following allegations that he accepted a Porsche rental car and seafood from a man who claimed to be a fisheries businessman last December. An official with the Seoul Metropolita

PoliticsJuly 19, 2021

Heat wave warning issued for Seoul, many parts of S. Korea

A heat wave warning was issued for Seoul and many other parts of the country Monday, the state weather agency said, forecasting daytime highs of up to 36 C for the rest of the week. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said it has issued the heat wave warning for all of Seoul and many areas in the central provinces of Gyeonggi, Gangwon and Chungcheong, as well as the southwestern provinces of Jeolla, as of 10 a.m. Such a warning is issued when sensible temperatures are expected to exc

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Former DP chief narrows gap with bigger rivals in presidential hopefuls poll

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl maintained his lead among prospective contenders for next year's presidential race, while Lee Nak-yon, a former chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), gained ground against his bigger rivals, according to a poll released Monday. According to the poll of 1,013 voters nationwide conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) on Friday-Saturday, Yoon, the leading candidate from the opposition bloc, managed to stay on top with 30.3 percent su

PoliticsJuly 19, 2021

Korea to grant visa reprieves

The Ministry of Justice said Monday that it would extend the period of stay for some 90,000 registered foreign residents and overseas Korean (F-4) residents whose authorized stay in the country is set to expire soon. The measure, effective the same day, will grant them an extension of stay for three months as part of efforts to prevent the community spread of COVID-19 as the nation raises its social distancing rules to the toughest level in the four-tier system for Greater Seoul. The minist

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Vaccination begins for high school seniors

High school seniors began receiving their coronavirus shots Monday, becoming the first teenagers in the country to be inoculated. According to the Education Ministry and health authorities, high school faculty members including teachers, school administrative staffers and other workers who are in close contact with students started getting their shots Monday along with the teenagers. The students and teachers are getting Pfizer’s vaccine. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved i

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Police book 23 KCTU members for holding massive rally amid pandemic

Police said Monday they have booked 23 members of a major umbrella labor group for holding a massive rally in downtown Seoul in defiance of antivirus rules, which has sparked concerns over further infections amid rising new cases. The Seoul Metropolitan Police said a special investigation team has launched a probe into 25 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) over their role in holding the rally on July 3 and booked 23 of them for allegedly violating quarantine regulations.

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Fingerless Korean becomes world's 1st disabled person to climb all 14 Himalayan peaks

A fingerless South Korean mountaineer has climbed all of the world's 14 highest mountains in the Himalayas, a local alpine club said Monday, becoming the world's first person with a disability to accomplish such a feat. Kim Hong-bin reached the summit of the 8,047-meter-high Broad Peak, located in Pakistan's Karakoram Range, at 4:58 p.m. Sunday (local time), conquering all of the world's tallest Himalayan peaks, according to the Gwangju Alpine Federation in the southwestern city. With the feat

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021

Military begins providing 2nd COVID-19 vaccine shots to troops over 30

The military on Monday began administering the second doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine to troops aged 30 and over, the defense ministry said. About 116,900 troops, or 88 percent of the age group, who have received their first shots are subject to the inoculation, according to the ministry. The military provided AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for their first shots in April and May but the second doses will be Pfizer's after health authorities decided earlier this month to administer AstraZ

DefenseJuly 19, 2021

Ruling party, govt. agree to hike up relief funds to small merchants hit by COVID-19

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the government on Monday agreed to sharply expand the scale of relief funds for struggling small business owners in the wake of the recent upsurge in COVID-19 infections. The consensus was reached during a high-level consultative meeting between the two sides earlier in the morning, Rep. Koh Yong-jin, a DP spokesman, said in a briefing. "(The two sides) agreed to provide ample support to small merchants by increasing the size of assistance to the maxim

PoliticsJuly 19, 2021

Approval ratings of Moon, ruling party climb for 2nd consecutive week: poll

President Moon Jae-in and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) both saw their approval ratings climb for the second straight week, according to a new poll released Monday. In the survey conducted by Realmeter on 2,519 people over the age of 18 from July 12-16, Moon's job approval rating was recorded at 45.5 percent, up 4.4 percentage points from the previous week. The result marked Moon's highest performance in public polls since the 45.6 percent figure in the third week of October last year, acco

PoliticsJuly 19, 2021

[Newsmaker] Justice ministry seeks to grant legal status to animals to enhance their welfare

The Ministry of Justice on Monday gave advance notice of a revision to the civil law that would grant animals legal status as individuals with lives that deserve to be protected. The ministry said it has added the new clause, "animals are not objects," to article 82 of the Civil Code. Under the existing law, animals are identified as "an object that takes up space" and are not separated from inanimate things, so animal abusers have been punished only for damaging property i

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2021