S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebound to over 150,000 amid resurgence woes

South Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases rebounded to over 150,000 Tuesday after declining over the previous five days, with health authorities staying vigilant against the resurgence of the omicron subvariant. The country added 150,258 new COVID-19 infections, including 504 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,449,475, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily infections jumped to 180,771 cases on Aug. 17 from 62,056 a day earlier. The daily tally then fe

Aug. 23, 2022

Criminal investigations vs ex-Moon officials intensify

Criminal investigations involving former President Moon Jae-in’s aides are speeding up, with just a few weeks left until the country’s prosecutors lose their power to investigate most crimes under laws passed by the Democratic Party of Korea. Some of the key cases under investigation include the 2020 killing of a South Korean Fisheries Ministry worker by North Korean soldiers at sea, the 2019 deportation of two North Korean fishermen and the 2018 shutdown of the Wolsong nuclear pow

Aug. 22, 2022

Education Ministry to nurture 1m skilled workers for digital industry

Following the plan to nurture 150,000 skilled workers in the semiconductor industry over the next 10 years, the Korean government aims to nurture 1 million skilled workers for the digital industry within the next five years. The Ministry of Education announced on Monday that in cooperation with other ministries, it will train 1 million skilled workers for the digital industry by 2026, by doubling the number of information technology curriculum hours for elementary and secondary schools and re

Aug. 22, 2022

New Zealand, S. Korean police track mother of children found in suitcases

New Zealand police have requested the South Korean police agency’s cooperation in tracking down a woman believed to be the mother of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases. According to reports, two bodies were found in suitcases bought by a resident of Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 11. Local police conducted an autopsy and confirmed that the victims were two children between the age of five and 10, with relatives living in New Zealand and family in Asia. The bodies were place

Aug. 22, 2022

Night market along Han River set to reopen after 3 yrs

A night market along the Han River in southern Seoul is set to reopen later this week, city officials said Monday, after a nearly three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seoul city government had previously operated a number of night markets in different locations to attract tourists and provide business opportunities to small vendors. Hangang Moon Light Market at the Han River's riverside park in Seoul's Banpo district will open starting on Friday for a two-day run for a t

Aug. 22, 2022

New COVID-19 cases fall for 5th day to 59,046

South Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases fell for the fifth consecutive day Monday, as authorities remained vigilant against the highly contagious omicron subvariant during the summer vacation season. The country added 59,046 new COVID-19 infections, including 406 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,299,377, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily infections fell below the 100,000 level for the first time in six days, with cases steadily declining since

Aug. 22, 2022

Korea grasps nettle of young offenders

The age from which juvenile offenders can be tried under the Criminal Act has been an issue of contention in Korea for some time, with high-profile violent crimes committed by juveniles regularly making headlines. With a new administration, the issue has reemerged as a major topic of debate, with some calling for a lowering the age bar for certain punishments, while others say harsher sentences will bring more problems than solutions. Rekindled debate On June 8, Justice Minister Han Dong-h

Aug. 21, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases stay above 110,000

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 110,000 on Sunday, but the daily caseload fell from a week ago in a possible sign that the omicron-fueled summer wave could be slowing down. The country added 110,944 new COVID-19 infections, including 396 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,240,331, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally fell by around 8,600 cases from a week ago, marking the first decline for a Sunday since late June when the wave t

Aug. 21, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 130,000; death toll hits 3-month high

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 130,000 Saturday, but the daily number of deaths reached a three-month high amid the continued virus wave driven by a highly contagious omicron subvariant. The country added 129,411 new COVID-19 infections, including 492 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,129,387, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It marked a decline from the previous day's 138,812 new cases but was still about 4 percent larger than a week ea

Aug. 20, 2022

Jeju pushing to adopt e-travel authorization system next month for foreigners from visa-free countries

Jeju, South Korea's southernmost island, is pushing to adopt an e-travel authorization system for foreigners from visa-free nations starting next month, officials said Friday. The plan to introduce the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) came after dozens of Thai tourists who recently entered Jeju broke away from tour groups, or were forced back home over suspected overstay attempts. The K-ETA is an online electronic travel authorization that foreign visitors from visa-free natio

Aug. 19, 2022

‘Doctor of Korean Medicine’: Does this title confuse you?

Traditional Korean medicine boasts centuries of history, with herbal remedies and holistic treatments focused on patients‘ autogenic healing power. Practitioners of herbal medicine are called “han-uisa” in Korean, and their clinics are “han-uiwon.” They are rarely ever confused with conventional doctors and clinics that practice Western medicine, known as “auisa” and “uiwon.”  A controversy is raging over the English terminology afte

Aug. 19, 2022

S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections continue to stay high

South Korea’s new daily infections continued to stay high Thursday, according to government data released Friday. The government noted the spread is expected to last for a while. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Thursday reached 138,812, bringing the total caseload to over 22 million. The daily tally was down from the previous day’s 178,574 cases, but up from 128,714 cases one week prior. The

Aug. 19, 2022

Seoul to offer subsidies to babysitting family members

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday announced that the government would provide a 300,000 won ($226) monthly subsidy to babysitting family members to help young parents find child care. 　 But, concerns have already mounted that the system could be abused. According to the city government, Seoul will provide a monthly subsidy of 300,000 won to those looking after a relative’s child under three for over 40 hours per month. The household’s combined earnings must be less th

Aug. 19, 2022

Military reports 2,048 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military reported 2,048 additional COVID-19 cases Friday, raising the total caseload among its service members to 248,256, the defense ministry said. The new cases included 1,383 from the Army, 318 from the Air Force, and 117 each from the Navy and units under the direct control of the ministry. There were also 107 cases from the Marine Corps, four from the ministry and two from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Currently, 11,095 military personnel are under treatment. (Yonhap)

Aug. 19, 2022

A twist in viral ‘Good Samaritans in road beer spill’ video

Hundreds of beer bottles flooded a street in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, after falling off a truck that had made a sharp turn on Aug. 12. A group of passersby came to the rescue, cleaning up the mess in about 30 minutes. If this sounds familiar to you, you‘re not alone. A video showing a very similar incident in the same city went viral in late June. Surveillance camera footage showed how, in the June incident, good Samaritans turned up one by one and did what needed to be done. Afte

Aug. 19, 2022

Supreme Court expected to decide soon whether to finalize liquidation order against Mitsubishi

The Supreme Court was expected to rule as early as Friday on an appeal that Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries filed against a lower court's order that some of its assets in South Korea be sold off to compensate victims of wartime forced labor. Should the top court reject the appeal, Japan is sure to protest massively, and the already frayed relations between the two countries, which have shown signs of improvement since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office, would be dealt a heavy b

Aug. 19, 2022

PM calls for vigilance to contain outbreak of African swine fever

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday called for vigilance in efforts to contain the outbreak of African swine fever, a day after officials reported this year's second case of the virus, which is deadly to pigs but not harmful to humans. The second case was confirmed at a pig farm in Yanggu, a county located about 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul, late Thursday, according to the agriculture ministry. "Along with swift anti-epidemic measures, thorough anti-epidemic management is needed

Aug. 19, 2022

S. Korea issues 48-hour standstill over African swine fever case

The agricultural ministry has issued a 48-hour standstill order on pig farms and related facilities in the eastern Gangwon Province after confirming this year's second African swine fever (ASF) case. The movement ban effective through 10:30 p.m. Saturday came as the animal disease broke out at a pig farm in Yanggu, a county located about 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul, late Thursday, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It marked this year's second ASF c

Aug. 19, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 140,000; death toll hits 3-month high

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 140,000 on Friday, but daily deaths reached more than a three-month high amid the continued virus wave driven by a highly contagious omicron subvariant. The country added 138,812 new COVID-19 infections, including 465 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,000,037, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked a decline from the previous day's 178,574 new cases but was still about 10 percent la

Aug. 19, 2022

At 100-day mark, Yoon’s COVID-19 promises remain unfulfilled

In President Yoon Suk-yeol’s address marking his 100 days in office on Wednesday, COVID-19 went noticeably unmentioned despite the worrying rise in cases. Yoon has yet to appoint his minister of health and welfare, after the last two nominees dropped out following allegations of corruption. As president-elect and as candidate, Yoon has said he would be better than his predecessor Moon Jae-in at handling COVID-19. But the steps taken by his administration so far have more or less been fo

Aug. 18, 2022