Critical cases spike as COVID-19 continues record spread

The number of critically ill patients in Korea rose to 389 on daily figures released Thursday, up 76 from the previous day. COVID-19 cases reported during the 24 hours of Wednesday increased to hit another high of over 93,000, health authorities said. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Thursday that the country’s daily COVID-19 cases reached a fresh high of 93,135, which raised the total caseload to 1,645,978. The figure was up from the previous day’s 90,443. Th

Feb. 17, 2022

Cold snap remains unabated

Temperatures in Seoul fell to below minus 10 degrees Celsius Thursday as a cold snap continued to grip the country, the state weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) has issued cold wave alerts in the central inland area, most parts of the eastern Gangwon Province and the southeastern North Gyeongsang Province. As of 8 a.m, temperatures were minus 10.7 C in Seoul, minus 9.7 C in Incheon, minus 10.1 C in Daejeon, minus 7 C in Gwangju and minus 6.6 C in Busan, due to col

Feb. 17, 2022

S. Korea's daily COVID-19 cases rise closer to 100,000 over raging omicron

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit another high Thursday, exceeding 90,000 for the second consecutive day, amid few signs that the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant will subside. The country reported 93,135 new COVID-19 infections, including 93,045 local cases, raising the total caseload to 1,645,978, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of daily cases rose sharply Wednesday to surpass the 90,000 level for the first time ever, coming

Feb. 17, 2022

38 Southeast Asians busted for alleged distribution, use of illegal drugs

UIJEONGBU -- A total of 38 Southeast Asians have been apprehended on charges of distributing and using illegal drugs smuggled from overseas, police said Thursday. The suspects, 36 Thais and two Cambodians, are alleged to have either resold methamphetamines purchased from overseas or used them from January 2019 to this month, according to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency. Of those, 19 have been formally arrested. Many of them were illegal aliens, according to police. Authorities have a

Feb. 17, 2022

Firefighters battling wildfire in coastal county of Yeongdeok for 2nd day

YEONGDEOK -- About 40 firefighting helicopters and more than 1,100 personnel resumed operations to extinguish a wildfire in the southern coastal county of Yeongdeok on Thursday as the blaze remains uncontained for the second consecutive day. The fire started on a mountain in Yeongdeok, about 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Tuesday. It was extinguished but reignited overnight and spread to nearby residential areas the previous day, according to firefighters and local officials. The fire is

Feb. 17, 2022

Firefighters battling wildfire spreading in coastal county

YEONGDEOK -- Firefighters battled a major wildfire in the southern coastal country of Yeongdeok on Wednesday as the blaze spread to local communities, forcing the evacuation of more than 180 households. The fire started on a mountain in the county, about 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Tuesday. It was extinguished but reignited overnight and spread to nearby residential areas, according to firefighters and local officials. Firefighters were having difficulties containing the fire late

Feb. 16, 2022

S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases surpass 90,000

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections jumped to an all-time high of 90,443 as the omicron wave intensifies, but the number of critical cases are rising at a slower pace, the government said Wednesday. With the cases rising by more than 30,000 in a day, the government issued an apology for failing to control a spiraling omicron variant outbreak. The government added that it will soon decide whether it will ease current social distancing curbs or not. According to the Korea Disease Con

Feb. 16, 2022

Education Ministry waters down guidance for school COVID testing

The Ministry of Education on Wednesday watered down its guidelines for school students’ COVID-19 testing, saying that students are recommended to take two rapid antigen tests a week. While saying that schools will be provided with testing kits, the ministry said that the tests were not mandatory and that schools will be given autonomy in implementing measures against spread of the virus. The measure comes days after the ministry came under fire over reports that COVID tests could be mad

Feb. 16, 2022

S. Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit grim milestone of 90,000 amid omicron woes

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases spiked to an all-time high Wednesday amid worries that the number could further increase as the government might ease current tough social distancing curbs later this week. The country reported 90,443 new COVID-19 infections, including 90,281 local cases, raising the total caseload to 1,552,851, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest figure is sharply up from the previous day when new daily cases hit a record high of

Feb. 16, 2022

Daily COVID-19 cases top 90,000: PM

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases surged to over 90,000, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday, as the country struggles to contain the spread of the omicron variant. Kim also said the government will decide whether to adjust current social distancing rules on Friday. "We have to decide after considering both the spread of the omicron variant ... and damage to people's livelihood coming from tightened antivirus curbs that have been around more than two months," Kim said during

Feb. 16, 2022

S. Korea records more than 85,000 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday

South Korea has added 85,114 COVID-19 infections as of 9 p.m. on Tuesday, the government said Tuesday. It is the first time that the country’s daily COVID-19 case number has surpassed 80,000. The country’s daily case figure spiked on Tuesday as the omicron wave continued its nationwide rampage. On Monday, the country added 57,177 COVID-10 cases.

Feb. 15, 2022

[Newsmaker] Korea’s plans for COVID-19-positive voters spark voting rights concerns

South Korea has changed the rules around voting to let people infected with COVID-19 cast their ballots in polling stations, as the omicron surge places record numbers of people under self-quarantine. On the second day of advance voting, March 5, and on the day of the presidential election, March 9, eligible voters with active cases will be able to vote in person past the regular hours, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The National Assembly passed the exceptional measure into a bill on Monday. As many as

Feb. 15, 2022

COVID-19 deaths spike as S. Korea continues to report record case numbers

The number of COVID-19 related deaths in South Korea spiked in figures reported Tuesday, as cases continued to reach record levels. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country reported 57,177 new COVID-19 infections in the 24 hours leading up to midnight Monday, raising the total number of cases Korea has had to 1,462,421. The daily figure has been over 50,000 for six straight days amid the recent omicron wave, according to government data. The government said i

Feb. 15, 2022

615,000 Pfizer coronavirus vaccines to arrive in S. Korea on Wednesday

A total of 615,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines made by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. will arrive in South Korea this week, health authorities here said Tuesday. The vaccines will land at the country's main gateway, Incheon International Airport, at about 12:25 p.m. on Wednesday, they said. The planned shipment will raise the total amount of COVID-19 vaccines delivered here to 6.97 million this year. The country has so far secured 154.4 million doses of vaccines, enough to inoculate the

Feb. 15, 2022

US adds S. Korea to list of ‘very high’ risk countries

South Korea is among the six new additions to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of “very high” risk areas to travel to, according to the US authority’s website Monday. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Comoros, French Polynesia and Saint Pierre and Miquelon were also newly added to the list. In the new update, the CDC is urging Americans to avoid traveling to South Korea. “If you must travel to South Korea, make sure you are vaccinated and up to date w

Feb. 15, 2022

Court rules against verbal notice of dismissal by foreign ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been ordered by a court to cancel the dismissal of an employee of an affiliated institution accused of sexually harassing fellow employees, due to its violation of the standard disciplinary procedure, judicial officials said Tuesday. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the employee in a lawsuit against the foreign ministry over its dismissal decision made in August 2020, citing its failure to notify of the disciplinary measure in writing. The ca

Feb. 15, 2022

Self-test kits available at physical stores, with price fixed at 6,000 won

Starting Tuesday, government-distributed self-test kits for COVID-19 have been made available at convenience stores and pharmacies across the country at a fixed price of 6,000 won ($5) a piece. Each individual can buy up to five kits at a time. The government’s price control will stay in effect through March 5, with the possibility of changes in the unit price depending on supply conditions. All online sales will be banned from Wednesday through March 5. These are part of the Ministr

Feb. 15, 2022

Number of student COVID-19 patients in Seoul more than doubles to 5,764

A total of 5,764 students in Seoul have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week, more than doubling the number from a week earlier due to the fast growth in new omicron variant cases, officials said Tuesday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the number of virus cases among kindergarten to high school students in the capital from Jan. 7 to Sunday increased 3,009 from 2,755 in the previous week. In-class infections climbed by 157 to 589, but the rate of in-school trans

Feb. 15, 2022

Another woman killed while under police protection

A woman in her 40s has been killed while under police protection, officials said Tuesday, in the latest in a series of preventable deaths expected to spark calls for better protection measures for such victims. The victim, whose identity was withheld, was having a drink with an unidentified man at a bar in Seoul's western Guro district when a man in his 50s visited the bar and stabbed the two Monday night, officials said. She was taken to a hospital but died, while the other man was under treatm

Feb. 15, 2022

[Graphic News] Apartment purchases by young people hit record high last year: data

　The proportion of apartments bought by people in their 30s or younger reached an all-time high last year amid “panic buying” over soaring housing prices, data showed. 　The buyers in this age group accounted for 31 percent of the country’s total apartment sales in 2021, up from 29.2 percent in 2020, according to the data compiled by the Korea Real Estate Board. 　The agency began compiling the related data in 2019, and the figure for that year came to 28.3 percent. 　In Seoul

Feb. 15, 2022