New infections in 5,000s for 2nd day, serious cases at record high amid new variant woes

South Korea's new coronavirus cases and the number of critically ill patients hit record highs Thursday, heightening concerns over medical capacity amid the spread of COVID-19 and continued surge in critical cases. South Korea reported 5,266 new COVID-19 cases, including 5,242 local infections, raising the total caseload to 457,612, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked the second straight day that the number of new coronavirus cases has been above 5,000

Dec. 2, 2021

[Graphic News] Korea’s birthrate hits record low in September

　The number of babies born in South Korea fell to a record low in September, data showed, underscoring the country’s bleak demographic situation with the chronically low birthrate. 　A total of 21,920 babies were born in September, down 6.7 percent from the previous year, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　It marked the lowest for any September since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. 　In the third quarter, the number of newborns also reached an

Dec. 2, 2021

Moon says phased return to normalcy faces challenges on omicron concerns

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday the nation's plan to gradually return to normal life is facing challenges, as the first cases of the omicron variant were detected in South Korea amid growing woes over an ongoing jump in COVID-19 infections. "The path toward a phased return to normalcy is not smooth, and risks over the new omicron variant are growing," Moon told a meeting of a national prayer group, the Korea National Prayer Breakfast. Moon said, however, the government will spare

Dec. 2, 2021

[Breaking] South Korea finds first cases of omicron

South Korea has discovered its first cases of COVID-19’s omicron variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Wednesday evening. The first cases of the omicron variant were confirmed in a couple in their 40s who recently traveled to Nigeria and a man in his 30s whom they met after returning. The couple returned to Korea on Nov. 24 after staying in Nigeria from Nov. 14 through 23. Their PCR tests, taken on the day of their arrival, came back positive the next day. As

Dec. 1, 2021

Woman charged with killing husband using lethal misutgaru drink

A woman, 37, is facing a trial on charges of killing her husband by putting nicotine in his morning misutgaru shake.  According to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday, the suspect, under arrest since early this month, has recently been indicted for her role in the death of her 46-year-old husband on May 27. The husband, said to be a nonsmoker for the last eight years, died of nicotine poisoning, autopsy results showed. A day before his passing, the deceased had co

Dec. 1, 2021

S. Korea to strengthen qualified immunity for cops

South Korea is moving to strengthen immunity for police officers and improve training, following controversy sparked by a recent stabbing incident. In the incident, a pair of police officers -- a man and a woman -- were dispatched to an apartment complex in Incheon on Nov. 15 over a noise complaint. The man living on the fourth floor, who was the subject of the complaint, came down with a knife to the third floor and stabbed the woman who filed the complaint in the neck. The policewoman, who

Dec. 1, 2021

Local towel maker earns trust through transparent management, open discussion

Songwol, a South Korean towel maker, has received a presidential award for its decades-long effort to improve labor-management relations, the Korea Labor and Employment Service, Wednesday.　 Founded in 1949, Songwol is a local towel manufacturer with around 35 percent of the market share. Now a leading towel maker, Songwol was on the verge of bankruptcy during the Asian financial crisis of 1997, when South Korea sought official assistance from the International Monetary Fund. Songwol said the

Dec. 1, 2021

ST Pharm receives presidential award for improving labor-management relations

ST Pharm, a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, has received a presidential award for its efforts to improve labor-management relations, the Korea Labor and Employment Service said Wednesday. Founded in 2008, ST Pharm has been involved in the commissioned production of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Backed by its contract manufacturing capabilities, the company stepped up as one of major biopharmaceutical companies in South Korea amid the worldwide pandemic. In 2021, the company turne

Dec. 1, 2021

Legal battle looms over cohort isolation of COVID-19 patients

The family of a female COVID-19 victim, who died during cohort isolation at a long-term care hospital for senior citizens in Seoul, plans to start a damage suit against the state, their lawyers said Wednesday. The lawsuit will soon be filed with the Seoul Central District Court on behalf of five bereaved family members of the victim, according to Lawyers for a Democratic Society, an association of progressive lawyers, also known as Minbyun. The victim, whose identity was withheld, died on Dec.

Dec. 1, 2021

Prosecutors demand death penalty for man charged with raping, killing 20-month-old baby

DAEJEON -- Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for a man charged with raping and killing the 20-month-old daughter of his live-in girlfriend. The 29-year-old man, surnamed Yang, allegedly killed the baby girl for not stopping crying on the night of June 15 by covering her with a blanket and punching and stomping on her for about an hour while drunk at his home in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul. He was also charged with raping the toddler before beating her to deat

Dec. 1, 2021

S. Korea could make 'big adjustments' to virus measures over omicron variant: official

South Korea could make "big adjustments" to its virus prevention measures if the number of omicron coronavirus variant cases spike in the country, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said Wednesday. "We discussed such an issue during a special virus response meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in on Nov. 29," Park Soo-hyun, senior presidential secretary for communication, told a YouTube channel of a local news outlet. "We have completed our review (on the issue).&q

Dec. 1, 2021

'Runaway’ police officers dismissed

　A police officer accused of fleeing a crime scene and leaving two victims alone with a knife-wielding attacker in Incheon last month has been dismissed, police said Wednesday. 　The punishment, decided at a disciplinary committee held a day earlier, is the second most severe that can be handed down to a public servant, after removal with pension stripped from the person. 　The fired officer was a 20-something woman with about six months on the job. She was dispatched to the scene on Nov. 15 al

Dec. 1, 2021

Life expectancy of S. Koreans rises to 83.5 years in 2020

The average life expectancy of South Korean babies born last year reached 83.5 years, more than seven years longer than two decades ago, data showed Wednesday, amid improved public awareness about health and a better medical system. The average life expectancy at birth in 2020 was 2.4 months longer than a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Compared with 10 and 20 years ago, the average life expectancy became 3.2 years and 7.5 years longer, respectively. The read

Dec. 1, 2021

Seoul's new daily COVID-19 cases exceed 2,000 for 1st time

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in Seoul surpassed 2,000 for the first time, officials said Wednesday. The capital logged an all-time daily high of 2,222 COVID-19 patients Tuesday, according to the Central Disease Control Headquarters. Only 10 of the city's total were from overseas. The latest daily tally broke Seoul's previous daily record of 1,888 set only four days ago. It also marked an increase of 1,036 from 1,186 the previous day and an increase of 488 from 1,734 a week earlier.

Dec. 1, 2021

Korea’s COVID-19 cases exceed 5,000 in one day for first time

South Korea hit another ominous pandemic milestone as new cases of COVID-19 topped 5,000 for the first time on Wednesday. After a monthlong surge in hospitalizations, intensive care unit doctors at the country’s top hospitals warned Korea may soon be forced to choose which patients get life-saving treatment. The Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine held an emergency press conference on this day and warned the country was fast approaching a point of rationing ICU spots as the return

Dec. 1, 2021

Daily virus cases expected to surpass 5,000

South Korea's new coronavirus cases are expected to breach the 5,000 mark for the first time Wednesday and the number of critically ill patients is also predicted to hit a fresh high amid concerns over the global spread of the new virus variant. The country is expected to report over 5,000 new COVID-19 cases, Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol told a pan-government meeting on the virus response. The number of critically ill patients is also expected to reach an all-time high of over 700, accordi

Dec. 1, 2021

Moon orders stricter immigration measures to block omicron

President Moon Jae-in ordered the government to immediately implement stricter immigration quarantine measures to block the inflow of the omicron variant after receiving a report that a suspected case was found here, officials said Tuesday. Authorities said on the day that a Korean couple, who visited Nigeria, was suspected of having the omicron variant, and is currently conducting a genome test. The results will be confirmed later on Wednesday evening. “The analysis of the new variant

Nov. 30, 2021

Korea reports first COVID-19 child death

A South Korean child died of COVID-19 on Sunday, marking the country’s first pediatric death from the disease, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Tuesday. The KDCA did not make public the child’s age or gender for privacy reasons, but sources familiar with the matter told The Korea Herald that the 5-year-old girl was dead on arrival. When she was brought into the hospital’s emergency service’s isolation unit on Sunday, her heart had already stopped.

Nov. 30, 2021

‘It will be patients who take the hardest fall’: Doctors slam across-the-board COVID-19 home care

South Korea’s decision to make at-home care the default for all COVID-19 patients could cost savable lives, experts warn, as the country adheres to route back to normal amid the largest surge since the pandemic began. On Monday, the government announced that all patients will be treated at home unless they get very sick, without bringing back measures to slow the spread. With Monday’s announcement, Korea made its departure from one of the three pillars of its touted pandemic suc

Nov. 30, 2021

69 foreign students investigated for statutory rape of teenager

Close to 70 study-abroad students in South Korea are under police investigation for alleged statutory rape of a teenager. News reports said Monday that police investigators in Gangwon Province are investigating 69 foreign university students and graduates in the province after it was alleged that they had unlawful sexual intercourse with the victim on nearly 100 occasions since last December. The police said the group of foreign students had sex with the victim despite being aware of the fact

Nov. 30, 2021