Greater Seoul area braces for heavy snow, central region also expecting heavy snowfall: KMA

Authorities in Seoul and nearby areas remained on alert Wednesday as the greater capital region was expecting heavy snow throughout the day. The Seoul metropolitan government mobilized about 9,000 workers and 1,200 snow-removing cars and other equipment as a heavy snow alert has been issued across the city as of 9 a.m. More buses and subway trains have also been allocated during commuting hours to prevent transportation inconveniences. Heavy snow alerts were also issued throughout most of the

Jan. 19, 2022

Omicron’s dominance ‘days away’ in Korea

Omicron will dominate in South Korea in a matter of mere days, top health officials say. Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol said during a government meeting Tuesday that based on internal models omicron was “predicted to assume a dominant role by this weekend.” The upcoming Seollal holiday is feared to expedite its spread, he said. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s data, omicron appeared in 26.7 percent of all analyzed samples in the

Jan. 18, 2022

Education Ministry to cover costs due to students’ vaccine side effects

The Ministry of Education will support medical costs for students who experience adverse events from being vaccinated or are experiencing mental health issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “As many students and parents are worried about children and youths experiencing adverse events from vaccination, we have came up with measures that can relieve the concerns,” Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said at a press briefing held at the Sejong Government Complex on Tuesday. The ministry wi

Jan. 18, 2022

Korea to go in full force for 2050 carbon neutrality

The Ministry of Environment will evaluate the environmental impact of major government policies and projects beginning in September as part of its road map to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. According to the plans revealed Tuesday, the ministry will also monitor the state budget and funds to ensure they contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases starting in 2023. For private businesses, the ministry will strengthen related regulations to encourage the use of renewable energy. Also, t

Jan. 18, 2022

Century-old ‘Korean age’ triggers confusion over antivirus measures

The “Korean age” system came into the limelight Tuesday following leading presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s pledge to make the use of the international age system mandatory for all administrative matters. Alongside the international age calculation that measures how many years and months that a person has lived since his or her birthday, the nation has kept its unique way of counting a newborn as being age 1 from birth. This means a Korean baby, born on Dec. 31 last yea

Jan. 18, 2022

[Newsmaker] Is soldier pen pal campaign past sell-by date?

A high school student’s sarcastic letter to a conscripted soldier sent as part of an encouragement campaign, has recently raised questions as to whether it is worth keeping the longstanding practice. The unfriendly letter written anonymously to a conscripted soldier was first posted at an online community site on Jan. 11, with the user complaining of the message deriding the receiver. “Is military life hard for you? Still, work hard. There will be a lot of hardships in life. Don

Jan. 18, 2022

Cafes, fast-food chains to receive deposits for disposable cups from June: environment ministry

Deposits will be needed to buy drinks using disposable cups at cafes and fast-food chains starting in June as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste spiking amid the pandemic, the environment ministry said Tuesday. Starting on June 10, people will have to pay a deposit between 200 won ($0.17) and 500 won per disposable cup they buy drinks in at coffee shops and fast-food chains. The deposit will be given back when they return the used cups to the stores for recycling. About 38,000 cafes and

Jan. 18, 2022

Daily cases back above 4,000 amid omicron woes

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases climbed back above 4,000 on Tuesday as health authorities remain vigilant over a possible upsurge in infections and the spread of the omicron variant ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The country added 4,072 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,763 local infections, raising the total caseload to 700,102, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 543 Tuesday. The country r

Jan. 18, 2022

Is Korea a tsunami-free zone?

An underwater volcanic eruption in the South Pacific which triggered massive waves reaching as far as Japan and the West Coast of the US has left Koreans wondering one thing: Is the Korean Peninsula safe? Experts say the possibility of the country’s coastal region being wiped out by a tsunami is relatively low, due to its geographic location. The Korean Peninsula is shielded by Japan on the east. For any tsunami originating in the Pacific to reach Korea, it would have to go through the

Jan. 17, 2022

Korean government to appeal court’s call to halt vaccine-or-test policy for kids

The South Korean government said Monday it would appeal a Seoul court’s decision to suspend the vaccine pass mandate requiring children and adolescents to be fully vaccinated or negative in tests to access public places. The Ministry of Health and Welfare told a news briefing it would incorporate a part of the court’s decision to retract the mandate at lower-risk facilities for adults, while maintaining that the passes for school-age children and teens are necessary to protect them

Jan. 17, 2022

Man sets himself on fire over feud with international marriage agency

A 60-something man is in serious condition after setting himself on fire out of anger over a feud with an international marriage agency that refused to arrange a marriage for him, officials said Monday. The 64-year-old man, whose identity was withheld, set himself ablaze at the office of the marriage agency on the southern island of Jeju at around 12:56 p.m. a day earlier, according to police and firefighting authorities on the island. During talks with the head of the agency, the man suddenly

Jan. 17, 2022

Complaints grow among eatery owners over partial suspension of vaccine pass system

Complaints have been mounting among owners of cafes and restaurants after the government decided Monday to keep COVID-19 vaccine pass requirements on eateries while suspending its enforcement at other multiuse facilities. The government decided to halt vaccine pass requirements at department stores, supermarkets, cram schools and theaters across the country starting Tuesday, after the Seoul Administrative Court ordered a suspension of vaccine pass requirements on such facilities in the capital.

Jan. 17, 2022

Foreign children in Seoul to receive education fee support from March: education office

Foreign children aged 3-5 in Seoul will receive education fee support equivalent to that for South Korean children from March, the city's education office said Monday. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will provide up to 150,000 won ($126) -- 100,000 won for daytime programs and 50,000 won for after-school programs -- per month to foreign children enrolled in public kindergartens. Up to 350,000 won -- 280,000 won for daytime and 70,000 won for after-school programs-- will be given to

Jan. 17, 2022

Police looking into report of suspected animal abuse attempt using sausage-skewered fishhooks

INCHEON -- Police said Monday they were looking into a report of a suspected animal abuse attempt using sausage-skewered fishhooks at a park in Incheon popular among dog owners. Police said they received the report of the suspicious fishhooks in the park in Bupyeong Ward of Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, at 9:45 p.m. Sunday. Authorities said they searched the park but failed to discover the hooks in question. The fishhooks were first made public by a dog owner who discovered them at th

Jan. 17, 2022

Govt. allows convicted conscientious objector to do alternative service for 1st time

The government has allowed a convicted conscientious objector to replace his military service duty with an alternative service for the first time, a decision suggesting a softening of the government's stance on the issue. Jeong Wook, who was sentenced to a one-year jail term for draft dodging and served nine months before being released on parole, was notified earlier this month of the Military Manpower Administration's decision to accept his application for alternative military service, accord

Jan. 17, 2022

Military reports 22 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Monday reported 22 additional COVID-19 cases, with all of them being breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,633. Of the new cases, 19 are from the Army, two from the Marine Corps and one from the Navy. Currently, 235 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,810 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

Jan. 17, 2022

Daily cases fall below 4,000 amid growing omicron woes

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 4,000 for the first time in a week Monday, but health authorities remained vigilant over a possible resurgence due to the fast spread of the omicron variant amid partially eased antivirus curbs. The country added 3,859 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,551 local infections, raising the total caseload to 696,032, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure marked a fall from 4,193 new cases logged in the pre

Jan. 17, 2022

Government to announce vaccine pass plans Monday amid continuing controversy

The government is set to announce its latest decision on the vaccine pass mandate Monday, amid continued controversy over the measure. The measure, which would have prevented unvaccinated people from using a number of facilities including department stores from Monday, has been put on hold in Seoul following the Seoul Administrative Court’s ruling that large shops based in Seoul should be temporarily excluded from the mandate. Due to ongoing concerns over the fairness of the vaccine pas

Jan. 16, 2022

S. Korea confirms another highly pathogenic bird flu case

South Korea on Sunday reported another highly pathogenic avian influenza case at a duck farm in a southwestern region. The farm is raising about 33,000 ducks in Yeongam, 384 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the agriculture and livestock ministry. It marked the 21st case of highly pathogenic avian influenza found at poultry farms this winter. The government has alerted local poultry farm owners to recently increasing outbreaks of avian influenza, urging them to keep an eye on their far

Jan. 16, 2022

Daily cases over 4,000 for 5th day amid strict curbs ahead of holiday

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the fifth straight day Sunday as health authorities remain vigilant over a possible upsurge in infections and the spread of the omicron variant ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. The country added 4,194 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,813 local infections, raising the total caseload to 692,174, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was smaller than the previous day's 4,419 but

Jan. 16, 2022