Daily coronavirus cases stay below 400,000; concerns linger over spike amid eased curbs

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases dropped below 400,000 for the second straight day on Sunday but concerns remain high that infections could spike again as the government is set to ease social distancing rules this week. The country reported 334,708 new COVID-19 infections, including 22 from overseas, raising the total caseload to 9,373,646, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The latest tally was down from the previous day's daily cases of 381,454. It also marked a sharp dr

March 20, 2022

[Weekender] The great gate debate

A vote took place at one of the most expensive apartment complexes in central Seoul last May. “Due to the indiscriminate actions of passersby within the complex, damage to residents such as trash throwing, unauthorized use of facilities, theft accidents and pet excretion continues to take place,” read the notice for the vote, asking residents to express their opinion through the poll on the installation of fences and a gate to limit the access of strangers. Of 1,148 households in

March 19, 2022

S. Korea ranks 59th in global happiness index

South Korea ranked 59th among 146 countries in a U.N.-sponsored world happiness index. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network under the United Nations announced the 2022 World Happiness Report on Friday (local time). Finland topped the list for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland. South Korea climbed up three places from last year to 59th. The nation ranked lower than the United States (16th), Taiwan (25th) and Japan (54th). China stood at 72th. T

March 19, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 400,000 amid eased social distancing

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 400,000 on Saturday, but concerns linger over the highly transmissible omicron variant amid the government's move to shift away from rigorous social distancing. The country reported 381,454 new COVID-19 infections, including 63 from overseas, raising the total caseload to 9,038,938, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.  The latest tally is a sharp drop from the all-time high of 621,328 on Thursday, though the sudden spik

March 19, 2022

Bluetooth tech enables passengers to board buses without cards

Passengers will be able to get on public buses in Gyeonggi Province without tapping their cards as its provincial office decided to expand the use of contactless payment solution on Friday. Starting Monday, a total of 1,760 buses travelling 212 routes throughout the province, will be equipped with the new fare payment technology. Double-decker and double-door buses were excluded from the scheme. Bluetooth communication system between the beacon installed in the vehicle and the passenge

March 18, 2022

Ewha university professor, students to kick off peace concerts in front of Russian Embassy next week

A professor and students of Ewha Womans University's College of Music will begin holding lunchtime concerts every weekday in front of the Russian Embassy in central Seoul next week to wish for peace in Ukraine, officials said Friday. The concert series, titled "Small Concert for Peace," will kick off at 12:30 p.m. Monday with 20 to 30 minutes of performances by a cello quartet of professor Bae Il-hwan and three student cellists, officials said. The concerts will take place at the same

March 18, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 400,000; govt. eases private gathering cap

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit above 400,000 on Friday, led by the wave of the highly transmissible omicron variant, amid the government's steps to shift away from rigorous social distancing. The country reported 407,017 new COVID-19 infections, including 39 from overseas, raising the total caseload to 8,657,609, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is a sharp drop from the all-time high of 621,328 on Thursday, but the Thursday count had included

March 18, 2022

Govt. to ease private gathering limit to 8 people, maintain 11 p.m. business curfew

The government will ease the limit on private gatherings to eight people from the current six while maintaining the 11 p.m. business curfew, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said Friday. Kwon made the announcement as South Korea has been weighing the option of further relaxing the virus restrictions amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The measures will take effect Monday. On Thursday, the country reported 621,328 new COVID-19 cases, the largest daily count since it r

March 18, 2022

[Newsmaker] Violence against Asians decried in Atlanta

ATLANTA -- A year after the fatal shootings at three Georgia massage businesses, crowds gathered at rallies across the country Wednesday to remember the victims and denounce anti-Asian violence that has risen sharply in recent years. Six women of Asian descent were among the eight people killed in and near Atlanta on March 16, 2021. The slayings contributed to fear and anger among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and motivated many to join the fight against the rising hostility. At the Atla

March 17, 2022

Should a feminine boy be told to take up martial arts to be more manly?

When a TV psychiatrist in South Korea recently gave advice in hopes of correcting the gender nonconforming behavior of a child, some experts and LGBT activists expressed concern. Critics say that seeing such behavior as “problematic” and “something to be corrected” can limit children’s gender expression and can also be harmful in worse cases. The latest episode of “My Golden Kids,” which aired March 11, centered on a boy who likes to wear makeup and fe

March 17, 2022

S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases top 600,000, deaths more than double

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections surged to surpass 600,000 for the first time, the country’s health authorities reported Thursday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 621,328 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Wednesday. The total caseload also jumped to 8,250,592. South Korea has been the world‘s largest COVID-19 hot spot in recent days. According to statistics-tracking website Worldometer, the country’s da

March 17, 2022

Justice minister tests positive for COVID-19

GWACHEON -- Justice Minister Park Beom-kye has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under self-treatment at home, his ministry said Thursday. Park tested positive in a rapid antigen test late Wednesday night, the justice ministry said, adding he plans to get treatment at his home for a week till Tuesday. "Park plans to cancel all schedules that require face-to-face contact, such as on-site visits or meetings," the ministry said, noting he will continue to carry out his duty at home thro

March 17, 2022

Govt. to inject W1.9tr to develop neighborhoods near US bases

The interior ministry said Thursday it plans to inject 1.9 trillion won ($1.63 billion) this year to finance development projects in neighborhoods close to current and former US military bases. The ministry said it finalized the size of this year's fund that will be used in 115 projects in 13 cities and provinces to improve infrastructure where development has remained slow due to restrictions. The government has injected a combined 13.8 trillion won since 2008 to help develop areas near US mili

March 17, 2022

Number of marriages in S. Korea hits all-time low in 2021

SEJONG -- The number of South Koreans getting married tumbled to a new all-time low in 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic and young people's changing attitude toward marriage, government data showed Thursday. The number of couples tying the knot in Asia's fourth-largest economy came to 193,000 last year, down 9.8 percent from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The number is the lowest since 1970, when the statistical agency began compiling related data, and represent

March 17, 2022

2 indicted on charges of smuggling in record amount of methamphetamine from Mexico

BUSAN -- Two people have been indicted on charges of smuggling in 902 kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico, the biggest amount of drug smuggling ever, prosecutors said Thursday. A 38-year-old Australian, whose name was withdrawn, was indicted under detention on drug charges, along with a 36-year-old accomplice who was indicted without detention, the Busan District Prosecutors Office said. In collusion with an international crime ring, the Australian allegedly brought in the drug, hidden insi

March 17, 2022

Top court confirms acquittal for conservative pastor over pre-electioneering, libel against Moon

The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed the not-guilty verdict for Jun Kwang-hoon, a conservative pastor known for leading anti-government rallies, over charges of premature electioneering before the 2020 parliamentary elections and libel against President Moon Jae-in. Jun, head pastor of Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, was indicted in March 2020 for violating election laws by organizing protests and prayer services between December 2019 and January 2020, and telling the participants to su

March 17, 2022

Seoul city draws up W1.1tr extra budget bill to fight COVID-19

The Seoul city government has drawn up a 1.1 trillion won ($897.3 million) supplementary budget bill to bolster its fight against COVID-19 and support businesses hit by the pandemic, officials said Thursday. The extra budget, which comes in addition to the regular budget of a record high 44 trillion won, was urgently put together as the omicron wave continues to weigh on the livelihoods of people and drives up demand for disease prevention measures, officials said. Of the extra budget, 424.8 bil

March 17, 2022

S. Korea's carbon neutrality investment could create 2.26m new jobs by 2050: report

South Korea can create up to 2.26 million new jobs in fields of energy transition by 2050 if the country invests consistently in achieving its carbon neutrality policy goal, a US think tank report showed Thursday. The report from the University of Massachusetts' Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), commissioned by Green Peace Korea, examined South Korea's job growth potential under the premise that the country aggressively pursues its goal of cutting its 2030 emissions by 40 percent comp

March 17, 2022

Vietnamese sailor given 9-yr prison term for killing another Vietnamese sailor

DAEJEON -- A Vietnamese sailor has been sentenced to nine years in prison for stabbing another Vietnamese sailor to death while having a drink together last year, a court said Thursday. The killing happened on July 20, when the accused and the victim, both 27, were having a drink with four other people at a residence in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. After getting into a fistfight with some of them, the accused went out and returned with a sharp weapon and ended up stabbing the victim. Th

March 17, 2022

Korea mulls downgrading COVID-19’s threat status as cases cross 400,000

South Korea has begun discussing changing the classification of COVID-19 so that it is no longer considered to be among the most threatening infectious diseases. The discussion comes as Korea approaches the peak of the omicron wave that has gone on for about two months. The number of COVID-19 cases hit a fresh high of 400,741 over 24 hours on Tuesday, according to the official statistics. The average daily case count over the last seven days was 345,310, among the highest worldwide. The latest

March 16, 2022