Education Ministry moves to soothe schools upset with new ‘normalcy attendance’ rules

The Education Ministry has shared additional details to the guidelines of its new “normalcy attendance” scheme for the new semester, apparently taken aback by criticism of the plans. On Monday, the ministry had announced that schools would move to “normalcy” in attendance measures for the new semester. Under the new measure, schools can flexibly change their attendance policy based on a new four-stage plan suggested by the ministry. The new plan, however, has been met

Feb. 11, 2022

Supreme Court upholds 30-yr prison terms for couple over fatal child abuse

The Supreme Court on Friday confirmed a lower court's 30-year prison sentences for a couple in their 20s convicted of abusing and starving their 8-year-old daughter to death. The third-grade elementary school child died at their home in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, in March last year after suffering nearly three years of maltreatment and violence by her biological mother and stepfather, 29 and 28 years old, respectively. The top court also approved a lower court order that the couple un

Feb. 11, 2022

[Newsmaker] After being called feminists, these women faced online harassment

The death of livestreamer Jammi, whose real name is Cho Jang-mi, made headlines this week in South Korea. It emerged that she took her own life after “suffering severe depression over malicious online comments and rumors,” according to an online post written by one of her family members. The 27-year-old who used to stream on YouTube and Twitch was accused of being a radical feminist in 2019. The accusations began after she used a pinching hand sign that some claimed to be misandri

Feb. 11, 2022

3.1 magnitude natural quake hits near N. Korea's nuclear test site: KMA

A 3.1 magnitude natural earthquake hit near North Korea's nuclear testing site Friday, South Korea's state weather agency said. The quake occurred about 40 kilometers north-northwest of Kilju, North Hamgyong Province, at 10:35 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Kilju is where North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear testing site is located. A total of 25 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2.0 or bigger have struck regions near Kilju since 1978, with a 3.2 magnitude quake th

Feb. 11, 2022

4 dead, 4 injured in factory explosion in Yeosu: officials

An explosion rocked a petrochemical factory in the southern city of Yeosu on Friday, leaving four workers dead and four others injured, police said. The explosion occurred at 9:26 a.m. at the Yeochun NCC Co. factory in Yeosu, about 320 km south of Seoul, and eight people were believed to be at the scene at the time. Of them, four died and four were taken to a hospital with injuries. Police and firefighters believe the explosion occurred during a testing of the factory's heat exchange system and

Feb. 11, 2022

Military reports 401 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Friday reported 401 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 7,908. The new cases included 247 from the Army, 74 from the Air Force, 51 from the Marine Corps, 17 from the Navy, 11 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry and one from the ministry. Currently, 3,000 military personnel are under treatment. (Yonhap)

Feb. 11, 2022

Man gets 10-month prison term for verbally abusing COVID-19 testing center nurse

A 62-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for cursing at and speaking violently to a nurse conducting a COVID-19 test on him, court officials said Friday. The man was convicted of verbally abusing the 31-year-old nurse working at a COVID-19 testing center in Seoul in December 2020, telling her in a threatening way to gently push the nasal swab into his nose. "You are a public servant, right? If I file a complaint, you'll get fired," he said, cursing at her and poundin

Feb. 11, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases over 50,000 for 2nd day amid raging omicron

South Korea's daily COVID-19 infections stayed above 50,000 for the second day in a row Friday amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant across the nation. The country reported 53,926 new COVID-19 infections, including 53,797 local cases, raising the total to 1,239,287, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marks the second day in a row that the daily tally exceeded the 50,000 level. A daily record high of 54,122 was reported Thursday.

Feb. 11, 2022

Govt. considering placing price ceiling on COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits: PM

The government is considering placing a price ceiling on COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, as at-home testing and treatment has become a key element of the government's COVID-19 response. Kim made the remark during a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul as the government tries to ensure the stable supply of self-test kits following the initiation of an enhanced at-home treatment system amid soaring virus cases. Driven by the highly transmissible omicron v

Feb. 11, 2022

35,000 electric car chargers to be installed in Seoul this year

The city of Seoul will receive citizens' applications to choose sites for new electric vehicle chargers as part of its plan to supply 35,000 charging stations in the capital this year, city officials said Thursday. About 22,000 EV chargers will be installed in the city with the support of the Seoul metropolitan government while about 12,000 units will be set up by the environment ministry and other agencies, they said. The city government will receive citizens' applications for one month from ne

Feb. 10, 2022

S. Korea to ramp up policy efforts to tackle low birth trends

South Korea said Thursday it will boost policy efforts to tackle the low birth trends that have been aggravated during the COVID-19 pandemic as the country will likely suffer a severe fall in the working-age population in the coming years. The government plans to launch the fourth pan-government task force this month to deal with demographic challenges, including a fall in the population and preparation for a super-aged society, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The government ha

Feb. 10, 2022

Health authorities mulling free at-home test kits

The South Korean government is mulling over whether to provide free self-testing kits for COVID-19 and who to give them to, amid growing supply shortage fears induced by recent changes in pandemic treatment measures. Demand for self-test kits has surged since the government began to prioritize high-risk groups on Feb. 3, including those aged 60 and over, for access to immediate polymerase chain reaction tests. Under the new system aimed at dealing with the omicron-fueled COVID-19 wave, the re

Feb. 10, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases soar to all-time high of over 50,000 amid raging omicron

South Korea's daily COVID-19 infections rose sharply to hit another high of over 50,000 on Thursday amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant across the nation. The country reported 54,122 new COVID-19 infections, including 54,034 local cases, raising the total to 1,185,361, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked the first time that the daily tally exceeded the 50,000 level. The previous daily record high was 49,567 recorded Wed

Feb. 10, 2022

Korea’s omicron plan leaves vulnerable patients under 60 on their own

COVID-19 patients recovering at home under the age of 60 will no longer be provided care and monitoring unless they are on Paxlovid, the Pfizer oral antiviral treatment, raising concerns for younger but vulnerable patients. Amid an omicron surge, a record 168,000 patients were under home recovery as of Monday afternoon across South Korea, exceeding the manageable maximum of 166,000 that was set previously by the government. Home recovery became the default care arrangement for patients of

Feb. 9, 2022

Cyber scarlet letter: How online abuse drove YouTuber to death

Last Saturday, uncle of YouTuber and online streamer Cho Jang-mi revealed that his niece had taken her own life due to rumors and malicious internet comments. The revelation has since sparked nationwide furor over cyberbullying and a relatively novel phenomenon of “cyberwreckers,” referring to YouTubers who make commentary videos of contentious issues using compiled footage and photos. A particular cyberwrecker involved with the incident was a YouTuber with the channel name PPKKa

Feb. 9, 2022

Omicron pushes S. Korea’s COVID-19 cases to nearly 50,000

South Korea‘s daily COVID-19 cases nearly reached 50,000 during the 24 hours of Tuesday, due to the quickly-spreading omicron variant, the government said Wednesday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country reported 49,567 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, raising the total to 1,131,248. It is the first time that the country’s daily figure has surpassed 40,000, according to government data. The figure was around 11,000 more than the previous dail

Feb. 9, 2022

South Korea has ended contact tracing. Then what are QR check-ins for?

South Korea has switched to a do-it-yourself contact tracing scheme as the omicron variant changes how the outbreak is handled. And yet people are still required to scan personal QR codes that have so far allowed contact tracers to collect information about exactly where they visited and when. Starting Monday, those who test positive for COVID-19 will need to contact trace themselves through an online questionnaire that asks where the last places they visited were, whether they live with anyon

Feb. 9, 2022

Putting South Korea’s smallest city on the map

Guri, Gyeonggi province, has an area of ​​33.29 square kilometers, making it the smallest city in South Korea. It has a population of around 193,000 as of October last year. The map of this city is changing slowly but surely. The size of the projected population of the city by 2035 is around 235,000. This is an increase of more than 20 percent from now. Guri Mayor Ahn Seung-nam is seeking population growh and regional development through large-scale development projects. Guri Han Riverside

Feb. 9, 2022

Suwon pursues people-centered governance, inclusive social development

Suwon City has turned into a more livable and safer place with people-centered governance and inclusive social development as the major driving force. The city has implemented policies to address entrenched marginalization, empower vulnerable populations including women, children, and the elderly and infirm, and ensure equal opportunities for them. Suwon, the most populous city among 31 cities in Gyeonggi Province, has pursued a people-centered approach and taken steps toward becoming a more

Feb. 9, 2022

Make Guri South Korea’s ‘happiness capital’

Mayor Ahn Seung-nam of Guri, Gyeonggi Province, is known as “the happy preacher.” He uses the word “happy” or “happiness” a lot ever since taking office as the 16th mayor of Guri in July 2018. “Who wouldn’t want to be happy? Most people aspire to be happy. Even if they may not be at the moment, people search for future happiness,” said Ahn, on why he emphasizes happiness so much. As Ahn took office, he put forward “Guri, a special

Feb. 9, 2022