[From the Scene] Koreans remain cautious over eased masking rule

On the first day of eased indoor masking, a 20-something worker surnamed Shin at a startup company in Seoul started her work day with her mask on as usual -- and she was not the only one. "Eight out of 10 people in our office were wearing masks when I walked into the office. I am also one of those who intend to keep masking,” Shin said. “(Masking) became a habit that makes me feel secure. I feel more comfortable with it." As of 12 a.m. Monday, South Korea's 27-month in

Jan. 30, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to seven-month low; indoor mask mandate lifted

South Korea on Monday lifted most mandatory indoor mask-wearing rules after more than two years amid a recent COVID-19 downtrend, with infections for the day falling to the lowest level in about seven months. The country reported 7,416 new cases, including 22 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,157,017, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It is the lowest level since July 4 last year when the daily caseload came to 6,239. Monday's figure also was around 20

Jan. 30, 2023

Indoor masking eased, with hope, confusion

Ending a 27-monthslong mandate on Monday, South Korea lifts mandatory masking at most indoor spaces except for on public transportation and at hospitals. But confusion lingered among students, teachers and workers demanding accurate and detailed guidelines for schools and workplaces. The eased indoor mask mandate still requires people to wear masks in special circumstances, as the risk of getting COVID-19 is still relatively high here, they said. At schools, for example, masks will still be mand

Jan. 29, 2023

Winter illnesses increase

Unusually cold weather in South Korea is driving a surge in winter illnesses, such as hypothermia, frostbite and chilblains, according to health authorities. The latest data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency found that the number of such patients reached 345 as of Friday since December, a 65.9 percent rise from the same period a year ago. The temperature in Seoul last week dropped below minus 17 degrees Celsius, a threshold that the country’s weather agency says has been

Jan. 29, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 20,000 ahead of lifting of indoor mask mandate

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 20,000 on Sunday, just a day ahead of the country's planned lifting of a mask mandate for indoor places that has been in place for more than three years. The country reported 18,871 new cases, including 37 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,149,601, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The daily caseload had been above 30,000 for the second straight day Friday due to increased tests after the Lunar Ne

Jan. 29, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 30,000

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell under 30,000 Saturday as the country plans to lift a mask mandate for most indoor places next week. The country reported 23,612 new cases, including 48 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,130,730, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload had been above 30,000 for the second straight day Friday due to increased tests after the Lunar New Year holiday that ended Tuesday. Saturday's daily i

Jan. 28, 2023

Prosecutors indict head of hotel adjoining site of Itaewon crowd crush

Prosecutors indicted the head of a hotel adjoining the site of the deadly Itaewon crowd crush without physical detention Friday, amid allegations the hotel's illegally extended structures made the cramped area even narrower. The 76-year-old head of Hamilton Hotel, surnamed Lee, was accused of illegally building structures near the main building of the hotel and occupying an adjacent road without permission, in violation of the building and road acts. More than 150 people, mostly in their 20

Jan. 28, 2023

Ministry blasted over rape law U-turn

South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has come under fire for withdrawing plans to expand the legal definition of rape to non-consensual sex on the same day it was announced. The move would have ended the requirement in South Korea for the threat or use of force to be in evidence in order for an act to count as rape. Park Ji-hyun, who was briefly interim chair of the opposition Democratic Party, said in a Facebook statement Friday, “If nonconsensual sex isn’t rap

Jan. 27, 2023

Arrests for online drug purchases rise 20% last year

The number of arrests in South Korea in connection with online drug trades reached 3,092 in 2022, a more than 20 percent increase from the previous year, data showed Friday. The number of packages seized, however, declined from 957 to 657 over the same period, according to data revealed during a vice ministerial pangovernmental meeting held in Government Complex Seoul. Since the total weight of drugs confiscated was nearly double that of 2021, and nearly seven times over the past two years, th

Jan. 27, 2023

Seoul education superintendent convicted for unfair hiring

Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, was given a 1 1/2-year prison sentence suspended for two years for abusing his power in the teacher hiring process. The conviction will remove Seoul's top education policy decisionmaker from his seat, unless a higher court overturns the decision. In the ruling, Cho's aide was given a 10-month prison term, suspended for two years. Cho's actions "undermined the transparency in the teacher employment process," whi

Jan. 27, 2023

Bad weather disrupts operation of Jeju airport again after 3 days

The operation of Jeju International Airport, the gateway to the southern resort island, was again disrupted by inclement weather Friday, only three days after its operational paralysis. At present, wind shear and strong wind warnings are in effect for the airport. According to the Jeju branch of the Korea Airports Corp., 50 flights to and from the Jeju airport -- 18 departures and 32 arrivals -- had been canceled as of 10 a.m., while nine other flights were delayed. A total of 445 domestic fligh

Jan. 27, 2023

9 out of 10 who passed Seoul teacher exam are women

Nine out of 10 successful candidates for this year’s teacher employment examination for public kindergartens, elementary schools and special education schools in Seoul are women, data showed Friday, continuing a years-old trend of extreme sex-ratio imbalance. A total of 166 applicants passed the test -- 164 applying to work at schools operated by the city government and two for national educational facilities in the city, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Of the 16

Jan. 27, 2023

Korea's pension to run out faster on population decline

South Korea's public pension reserve is set to run out from 2055, two years earlier than the previous projection, in the face of rapidly changing demographics coupled with slowing economic growth, according to officials on Friday. A Health Ministry committee on the financial projection of the National Pension Service announced that the reserves will be depleted by 2055 as the fund is expected to fall from 2041 onward. A depletion will force the working population to provide more than 26 per

Jan. 27, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 30,000 for second day after holiday

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed at over 30,000 for the second straight day Friday due to increased tests after the Lunar New Year holiday that ended earlier this week. The country reported 31,711 new cases, including 49 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,107,363, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Friday's daily infections increased by more than 4,300 from a week earlier. The country added 36 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 33,332.

Jan. 27, 2023

Chaebol scions indicted for distributing marijuana in Korea

South Korean prosecutors said Thursday they have indicted 17 people on charges of distributing cannabis in the nation, where owning and using the substance are strictly prohibited. Among them were six scions of Korean chaebol families, a son of a high-ranking official, entrepreneurs, a musician and an entertainment agency chief, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, ending a monthslong probe since September 2022. According to local reports, the chaebol scions includ

Jan. 26, 2023

Heavy snow sweeps Seoul, surrounding areas

Heavy snow fell around the central region on Thursday, putting local governments and power suppliers in emergency mode to prevent accidents and power outages. A heavy snow advisory was issued for most of the Seoul metropolitan area and the west coast of South Chungcheong Province on Thursday morning. The advisory is issued when the amount of snow accumulated over 24 hours is expected to be more than 5 centimeters. As of 2 p.m., 3.5 cm of snow had accumulated in Seoul, 6.9 cm in Incheon, 8.5 cm i

Jan. 26, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebound to over 30,000 after holiday

South Korea's new coronavirus cases rebounded to over 30,000 on Thursday after staying below 20,000 the previous four days due to fewer tests during the Lunar New Year holiday that ended Tuesday. The country reported 35,096 new cases, including 34 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,075,652, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Thursday's daily infections increased by more than 5,300 from a week earlier. The country added 26 COVID-19 deaths, bringi

Jan. 26, 2023

Man fined for scribbling on presidential election banner

A man has been sentenced to a fine of 500,000 won ($405.7) for scribbling offensive words last year on a presidential election campaign banner of now main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, sources said Thursday. The Seoul Western District Court recently gave the sentence to the 44-year-old man, surnamed Jin, charged with scribbling on a banner set up near a bus station in Seoul's Yongsan district last year to promote Lee's run in the latest presidential election, according to the source

Jan. 26, 2023

Heavy snow advisory issued for Seoul, surrounding areas

A heavy snow advisory was issued Thursday in the greater Seoul area and some central parts of the country, the state weather agency said. The advisory went into effect in Seoul's southwest and northwest regions, Incheon, parts of Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul and the coastal region of South Chungcheong Province, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The snowfall was heaviest overnight and into early Thursday, impacting the morning commute, the KMA said. The KMA advised citi

Jan. 26, 2023

[From the Scene] ‘Zero-COVID’ is over. Why are Chinese still protesting?

China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy ended last month, but the movement of defiance against Chinese President Xi Jinping continues. On Lunar New Year’s Eve on Saturday, a small group of Chinese people gathered near the Embassy of China in Seoul for the fourth “white-paper” protest to take place here. The movement against COVID-19 restrictions came to be known as white-paper protests after people in China held up blank sheets of papers to express discontent and d

Jan. 25, 2023