Korea takes step closer to normality

After more than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit all parts of the world, Korea is set to step into a new era, lifting major social distancing rules except for the mask mandate. Though the omicron wave is yet to be fully resolved here, the government has decided to lift pandemic-related rules, concluding that the virus peak has passed. On Friday, the disease control authorities presented a new virus response road map, lifting the preexisting social distancing rules such as the limit

April 17, 2022

New COVID-19 cases below 100,000; distancing rules to be lifted this week

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 100,000 on Sunday amid the continuing slowdown in infections, with the country set to lift major social distancing rules this week to return to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 93,001 more COVID-19 infections, including 18 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 16,305,752, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally marked a drop from 107,916 Saturday and 125,846 Friday. Daily virus cases fell below

April 17, 2022

Koreans eager for return to maskless normal life; some, however, want to keep mask-wearing

With all social distancing rules but mask-wearing set to end this week, South Koreans are eager to return to complete pre-COVID-19 normalcy without masks, but some say masking is too beneficial to let go of even after the pandemic is over. Starting Monday, all COVID-19 infection prevention requirements, barring the mask mandate, will be lifted, including a curfew on operating hours of restaurants, cafes and other small businesses as well as the cap on the size of private gatherings. This will ma

April 17, 2022

S. Korea to lift COVID-19 social distancing rules after 2-year fight against virus

After battling the new coronavirus for two years, South Korea is moving closer to post-pandemic life with the planned lifting of almost all COVID-19 social distancing rules. The new "post-omicron" scheme marks the first sweeping change in the COVID-19 response system since South Korea reported the first outbreak of the novel virus on Jan. 20, 2020. Starting Monday, restaurants, cafes and many other business establishments will be able to operate freely without a curfew and people will

April 17, 2022

Suspect who allegedly killed husband for insurance money arrested

A woman who allegedly killed her husband for insurance compensation in 2019 was arrested in the north of Seoul with her accomplice, the police said Saturday. The police arrested the 31-year-old murder suspect, Lee Eun-hae, and the 30-year-old accomplice, Cho Hyun-soo, at a residential building in Goyang, just north of Seoul, at around noon, according to the Incheon Metropolitan Police. Lee allegedly drowned her husband in June 2019 at a valley in Gapyeong, 60 kilometers east of Seoul, with Cho

April 16, 2022

Moon calls for finding truth behind 2014 Sewol ferry sinking

President Moon Jae-in on Saturday reiterated his call for continued efforts to find the truth behind the tragic Sewol ferry sinking in 2014. "There are still matters in which the causes have not yet been revealed," Moon wrote on his social media accounts on the occasion of the eighth anniversary of the incident that killed 304 people. Moon added that revealing the truth behind Sewol without exception is needed to build foundations for the country's safety. The ferry sank off the sou

April 16, 2022

S. Korea’s new COVID-19 cases below 110,000; distancing rules lifted next week

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 110,000 on Saturday, with the country set to gradually return to normalcy starting next week by lifting major social distancing rules. The country added 107,916 more COVID-19 infections, including 30 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 16,212,751, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is a drop from the previous day's 125,846, marking a steady decline in the virus curve from the March 17 peak

April 16, 2022

More than 60% of COVID-19 patients suffered aftereffects: survey

Around 65 percent of patients infected with COVID-19 said they experienced at least three different types of post-COVID-19 symptoms, according to a local survey Friday. Myongji Hospital conducted a survey among 748 patients between March 21 and April 11 out of the 1,077 people who visited its post-COVID-19 care center. “Most of the patients who visited the post-COVID-19 care center here said they suffered from at least two or more aftereffects,” Myongji Hospital COVID-19 Sequela

April 15, 2022

S. Korea lifts all social distancing measures, except mask mandate

South Korea will lift all COVID-19 social distancing rules, except a mask mandate, starting Monday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said during a COVID-19 response meeting Friday. It is the first time in around two years for the government to lift all social distancing rules. South Korea first introduced social distancing measures in March 2020, when it recommended to operations be suspended at religious facilities and some businesses. Kim said, “the government has decided to boldly lift s

April 15, 2022

1 dead, 1 injured in arson fire in Seoul

A man was arrested on charges of setting fire to a four-story commercial building in Seoul early Friday, which left one dead and another injured, police said. The fire broke out at 3:24 a.m. at the building in Seoul's western district of Yeongdeungpo, gutting its first and second floors and charring the walls of the third and fourth floors before being extinguished around 5 a.m. A man in his 60s died on the third floor, and a woman in her 70s was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. After che

April 15, 2022

S. Korea to lift all social distancing rules, except mask mandate: PM

South Korea will lift all COVID-19 social distancing rules, except a mask mandate, next week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, marking the first time all restrictions have been lifted since the pandemic began two years ago. Starting Monday, restaurants, cafes and other small businesses will be able to operate freely without a curfew, while the limit on the size of private gatherings will be removed, Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting. Currently, such businesses are allowed to

April 15, 2022

AI robots deployed to fill void in senior care. But can they?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly cruel to older people. Digitally estranged, those living alone were virtually cut off from the world as social distancing disrupted operations of senior centers and other community services. To fill this void in senior care, authorities and institutions have deployed companion robots. These care machines with artificial intelligence have been billed as an example of the pandemic accelerating the deployment of cutting-edge technology. They are inten

April 14, 2022

[Herald Interview] Helping African youth with better 'mind education'

Young people in many parts of Africa lack opportunities for more comprehensive education, and need support, says Rev. Park Ock-soo, founder of the nonprofit International Youth Fellowship. Recalling a story of a student burning down a school apparently over a trivial disagreement with a teacher, Rev. Park said that such incidents are a result of a lack of “thinking skills and self-control,” and that many young people on the continent lack access to guidance and education that woul

April 14, 2022

S. Korea’s severe cases drop to three digits for the first time in six weeks

The number of severe COVID-19 cases dropped to three digits for the first time in almost six weeks, according to government data Thursday. The number of critically ill patients, as of midnight Wednesday, marked 962, down 52 from the previous day, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency figures showed. It was the first time for the figure to drop below 1,000 since March 7, when the country reported 955 severe cases. The occupancy rate of hospital beds for critically ill COVID-19 patient

April 14, 2022

[Exclusive] Korea sequenced less than 0.1% of cases over omicron outbreak

South Korea has conducted whole-genome sequencing on less than 0.1 percent of cases that occurred over its omicron outbreak to date, far below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 5 percent. The lack of surveillance means Korea may lose sight of the next concerning variant coming its way, and let that variant spread undetected in the community, experts warn. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said in a written response to The Korea Herald on Wednesday afternoo

April 14, 2022

US soldier caught driving under the influence: police

A US Forces Korea (USFK) service member was caught driving under the influence of alcohol and causing an accident in Seoul early Thursday, police said. The soldier in his 20s was found to have damaged about 10 vehicles and motorcycles while driving after drinking at a bar in the capital's western district of Mapo, according to police. His blood alcohol level was 0.14 percent, high enough to have his driver's license revoked, when he was apprehended by police on a road in the central Yongsan dist

April 14, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 150,000 as omicron wave wanes

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 150,000 on Thursday, amid the continuing modest decline in infections after the worst omicron outbreak passed its peak last month. The country reported 148,443 new COVID-19 infections, including 35 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 15,979,061, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Excluding Mondays, when the daily counts tend to drop due to fewer tests on the weekend, the latest tally is the lowest number in abo

April 14, 2022

Yoon Suk-yeol’s ‘wingman’ named justice minister

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday picked his close associate and elite prosecutor Han Dong-hoon to lead the Ministry of Justice. Han, 49, is known for leading the probes into corruption allegations against the conservative administrations of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye during the early days of Moon Jae-in’s presidency as the head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s anti-corruption department.  After Moon gave Yoon the post of prosecutor general, Han was p

April 13, 2022

South Jeolla Province to support young ethnic Koreans abroad

The Jeollanamdo Provincial Government, which represents South Jeolla Province, aims to support young people of Korean ethnicity residing overseas through the K-Diaspora Youth Project. The regional office signed the memorandum of understanding on Monday with the Godowon Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to youth mentoring, the Blue Tree Foundation, an NGO against school violence, Rep. Yang Hyang-ja of Democratic Party and The Korea Herald, agreeing to work closely to educate youn

April 13, 2022

Students experience depression, anxiety amid pandemic

More than 1 in 4 elementary students have experienced greater feelings of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Education Ministry said Wednesday. 　 Korea Research conducted a study on mental health of students in Korea, which ran from Feb. 11 to 18 and involved 341,412 elementary, middle and high school students, under the request of the ministry. While 27 percent of elementary students responded they have become more depressed than compared to before the pandemic, 26.3 percent said

April 13, 2022