Moon designates two more wildfire-hit cities as special disaster zones

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday designated two more wildfire-hit cities in the eastern coastal areas as special disaster zones eligible for the government's financial support in recovery work, relief funds for victims and other benefits. The two eastern cities -- Gangneung and Donghae -- were declared as special disaster zones, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. The move came two days after Moon designated Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and its neighboring

March 8, 2022

Moon says S. Korea lags in gender equality

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that his administration has made progress in implementing policies related to gender equality, but South Korea still lags behind other nations in the area. "Compared to the degree of national development, our nation is far behind in the field of gender equality," Moon said in his remarks on International Women's Day. "For women, the glass ceiling is solid. Structures and cultures that hamper gender equality remain everywhere." Moon, whose te

March 8, 2022

S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases continue to stay above 200,000

South Korea‘s daily COVID-19 infections stayed above 200,000 for a fourth straight day, according to the country‘s health authorities on Monday. Although the daily figure‘s growth slowed down over the weekend, the government expects it to rebound this week. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s report on Monday, the country added 210,716 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Sunday. The total caseload increased to 4,666,977, nearing a gr

March 7, 2022

Seventeen's The 8 tests positive for COVID-19

Seventeen's The 8 tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the group's seventh member to catch the virus, the group's agency said Monday. "The 8 tested negative through a self-test kit Saturday. But he later received a polymerase chain reaction examination, as he experienced a mild cough, which returned a positive result on Monday morning," Pledis Entertainment said. He is now receiving treatment at home without showing special symptoms, it added. Earlier, six members of the group -- Won

March 7, 2022

Women workers take up some 25% of major firms' workforce

Female workers account for nearly a quarter of all employees with major South Korean companies, with their pay amounting to nearly 70 percent of that for male counterparts, data showed Monday. The country's 150 key companies hired about 199,700 women workers as of end-2020, or 24 percent of their combined workforce at 831,100, according to corporate tracker Korea CXO Institute. The data is based on their 2020 business reports, and the companies cover top 10 companies in 15 industries in Asia's f

March 7, 2022

Education ministry hires 61,000 workers for anti-virus measures at schools

The education ministry has hired about 61,000 people to take care of anti-virus measures at schools in the first semester, officials said Monday. The number represents 87.3 percent of a total of 76,696 anti-virus workers the ministry plans to hire for temperature-taking, visitor control, disinfecting work and rapid test kit handling at schools across the nation. The ministry also plans to hire an additional 1,800 temporary school nurses and supporting workers. Schools across the country reopened

March 7, 2022

All-out battle under way to extinguish east coast wildfires

Firefighting authorities on Monday mobilized all available manpower and equipment to contain the main fires in the eastern coastal areas hit by massive wildfires for the fourth day, as strong winds there showed signs of fading. The wildfires spurred by high winds amid dry conditions have burned an estimated 16,755 hectares of woodland, the size of 23,466 soccer fields, in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and neighboring coastal areas as of 6 a.m. Monday, according to the Central Disaste

March 7, 2022

Navy SEAL-turned-YouTuber claims he left for Ukraine to participate in war as volunteer

Rhee Keun, a former Navy special warfare officer who recently gained huge popularity through the reality show "Fake Men" on YouTube, has said he left for Ukraine to take part in the war against Russia as a volunteer soldier. "When the Ukrainian president called for help from across the world, ROKSEAL immediately began preparing to join the war as a volunteer," he said on Instagram and his YouTube channel ROKSEAL on Sunday. "We drew up plans and prepared coordination and

March 7, 2022

S. Korea's daily COVID-19 cases exceed 200,000 for 4th day

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 200,000 for the fourth consecutive day Monday as the highly contagious omicron variant continued to fuel a surge in infections. The country reported 210,716 new COVID-19 infections, including 210,628 local cases, raising the total caseload to 4,666,977, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily tally has been declining since peaking at a record-high of 266,850 cases Friday. The daily caseload surpassed 200,

March 7, 2022

[Subway Stories] Seoul’s once-thriving red-light district fades into history

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories, a newly launched Korea Herald series exploring the subway stations and surrounding areas across the city. -- Ed.  Outside exit No. 5 of Seoul’s Cheongnyangni subway station is a giant construction site.  Dump trucks and heavy duty vehicles come and go, carrying building materials and occasionally making backup warning beeps. Pedestrians hasten their way through a walkway lined with safety fences to escape the intimidating sound

March 7, 2022

Schools in confusion as figures spike

Schools in Korea are scrambling in confusion as the country’s COVID-19 cases continue to rapidly increase. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 15,337 students in Seoul were newly confirmed to have COVID-19 between Feb. 28 and Thursday, while 1,417 school faculty members in Seoul were also confirmed. The tally has been on a steep rise. Though there were 2,883 new confirmed cases in students in Seoul on Tuesday, the number rose to 6,240 on Wednesday and 6,214 on Thu

March 6, 2022

Moon OKs special support for wildfire-hit Uljin, Samcheok

President Moon Jae-in opened the way for emergency financial support for the wildfire-hit areas of Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, and Samcheok, Gangwon Province, by declaring them a special disaster zone Sunday. Accompanied by Minister of the Interior Jeon Hae-cheol and Lee Jin-seok, presidential secretary for state affairs, Moon visited the Uljin National Sports Center shelter where about 500 Uljin residents were staying after being urgently evacuated. Moon told residents at the site tha

March 6, 2022

Finance Minister tests positive for COVID-19

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki tested positive for COVID-19 in a rapid antigen test, his office said Sunday. He took a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result on Saturday and will receive treatment at his official residence in Seoul for seven days from Sunday, the office said. The minister cast his ballot in early voting ahead of the presidential election day on March 9. On March 3, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum tested positive for COVID-19 and is undergoing at-home treatment for seven days at h

March 6, 2022

S. Korea's daily COVID-19 cases exceed 240,000 for 3rd day

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 240,000 for the third consecutive day Sunday amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The country reported 243,628 new COVID-19 infections, including 243,540 local cases, raising the total caseload to 4,456,264, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily tally fell from 254,327 cases Saturday and a record-high 266,853 cases Friday. Daily cases surpassed 200,000 for the first time Wed

March 6, 2022

Wildfire quickly spreads to about 21,000 acres as thousands evacuate

More than 6,000 people have evacuated their homes as firefighters battle a massive wildfire in eastern coastal areas Saturday. The fire burned an estimated 21,179 acres (8,571 hectares) of woodland in Uljin, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and its neighboring city of Samcheok as of 1 p.m., according to forest and firefighting authorities. That is more than double the size of woodland reported to have been affected the previous day. The blaze began on Friday morning on a road near a m

March 5, 2022

New COVID-19 cases over 250,000 for 2nd day; deaths at all-time high

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases stayed above 250,000 for the second consecutive day Saturday, and the daily death count reached another high amid the fast spread of the omicron variant. The country reported 254,327 new COVID-19 infections, including 254,250 local cases, raising the total caseload to 4,212,652, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The daily tally went down slightly from the previous day's 266,853, when the figure hit a record high two days after dail

March 5, 2022

Firefighters battling wildfire in eastern coastal county of Uljin

ULJIN -- A wildfire broke out in the eastern coastal county of Uljin on Friday, prompting authorities to issue a natural disaster alert while trying to make sure the blaze does not pose a threat to a nuclear power plant in the area, officials said. The blaze started on a road near a mountain in the North Gyeongsang Province county, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 11:17 a.m. and has been spreading towards the peak of the mountain, according to the Korea Forest Service (KFS). An evacua

March 4, 2022

Memorial event for Battle of Gapyeong to be held April 22

Gapyeong, a county of Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul, plans to hold a memorial ceremony commemorating a Korean War (1950-53) battle next month, together with four Commonwealth countries, the county office said Friday. The ceremony slated for April 22 in Gapyeong, 60 kilometers east of Seoul, will be jointly organized with the embassies of Britain, New Zealand, Canada and Australia to honor their fallen soldiers in the Battle of Gapyeong, the office said. It said Gapyeong County head Kim

March 4, 2022

Military reports 1,225 more COVID-19 cases

The military on Friday reported 1,225 additional COVID-19 cases to set a new daily record, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 22,916. The new cases included 766 from the Army, 170 from the Air Force, 110 from the Navy, 90 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry and 80 from the Marine Corps. There were also eight cases from the ministry and one from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Currently, 5,481 military personnel are under treatment. (Yonhap)

March 4, 2022

About 2,000 small merchants file damage suit over COVID-19 biz restrictions

About 2,000 restaurant owners and other small merchants sued the government Friday for a total of more than 161 billion won ($133 million) won in damages for losses incurred due to anti-COVID-19 business restrictions before a compensation law was enacted. The association of small businesses representing the businessmen filed the suit with the Seoul Administrative Court, demanding compensation for losses incurred from April 2020 until the so-called pandemic damage compensation law was introduced

March 4, 2022