Serious COVID-19 cases hit all-time high amid little sign of letup in virus spread

South Korea said Friday the number of COVID-19 patients in critical condition hit a record high as the daily caseload stayed above 2,300 for the third consecutive day amid eased antivirus curbs. The country reported 2,368 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 390,719, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally marked a fall from the previous day's 2,520, but the daily caseload has hovered over 2,000 for three days in a row. The daily tally

Nov. 12, 2021

Nat'l Assembly votes to repeal decade-old anti-online gaming rule for minors

    The National Assembly voted Thursday to abolish a decade-old controversial anti-online gaming rule banning minors from late night access to online games.    Parliament held a plenary session and passed a revision to the youth protection act, which no longer includes the previous rule banning online game access to minors under 16 between midnight and 6 a.m.    Discussions surrounding the so-called gaming shutdown rule first surfaced in the early 2000s amid grow

Nov. 11, 2021

Ministry says will strictly handle alleged hit-and-run involving US diplomat

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday it will strictly deal with the hit-and-run incident involving US diplomats. A US diplomat allegedly fled the scene of a car accident Wednesday afternoon and refused to cooperate with the police. During a press briefing, spokesperson Choi Young-sam said the Foreign Ministry was aware of the incident and was continuing to communicate with the relevant authorities. Choi reiterated that Seoul would handle the case strictly and fairly in cooperat

Nov. 11, 2021

Despite worrying figures, Korea says return to social distancing not on the table

South Korean public health authorities are for the time ruling out reverting to social distancing rules previously in place, despite a steep increase in hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. The number of patients with severe or critical COVID-19 rose to an all-time high of 473 on Thursday, replacing the record of 460 set the day before. Previously the Ministry of Health and Welfare said the country’s health care systems could manage up to 500 patients undergoing intensive care per

Nov. 11, 2021

[News Focus] Men in Sejong, women in Jeju have highest employment rate

SEJONG – The most recent employment rate was the highest among male residents in Sejong and female residents in Jeju Province, according to a state agency’s analysis of figures from 17 major regions, eight cities and nine provinces, in South Korea. Data from Statistics Korea showed that the nation’s employment rate for people aged 15-64 posted 60.4 percent as of June 2021 (the latest statistics available), in which a wide gap between men and women is seen -- 70 percent for men

Nov. 11, 2021

US diplomat flees after suspected hit-and-run accident in Seoul: police

A US diplomat fled into the Yongsan Garrison after allegedly hitting a taxi from behind while driving in Seoul earlier this week and has since been refusing to cooperate with a police investigation, officials said Thursday. The diplomat, whose identity is not known, was suspected of rear-ending the taxi's bumper while changing lanes near the Namsan No. 3 tunnel in central Seoul at 5:35 p.m. Wednesday but left the site without stopping to deal with the accident. The taxi's driver chased the dip

Nov. 11, 2021

Seoul to invest over 240 billion won to attract foreign capital

Seoul Metropolitan Government will invest 241.8 billion won ($204 million) over five years as part of its plans to transform the city into a global financial hub, the city said Thursday. The city also plans to establish an agency for overseeing foreign investment in the city, with the goal of attracting more than 250 foreign financial firms and attaining foreign direct investment of $30 billion by 2030. The agency, which is set to open in 2024, will work with Korea Trade-Investment Promotion A

Nov. 11, 2021

377 apprehended for violence in quarrels over anti-COVID-19 rules: police

A total of 377 people have been apprehended on charges of using violence in disputes over COVID-19 rules between September and October, police said Thursday. Of them, 265 used violence in mask-wearing disputes, followed by 73 accused of assaulting business owners or employees in disputes over operating hours or gathering size limits, police said. The remaining 39 were apprehended for blackmailing or extorting goods from small business owners by threatening to report their violations of social

Nov. 11, 2021

Government to manage urea supply and demand, cut tariffs

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Thursday that the government would cut tariffs on urea and directly manage domestic supply and demand to ease the ongoing supply crunch. Urea solution is used in diesel vehicles and for industrial facilities to reduce emissions. South Korea relies on China for 97 percent of its urea. But China’s recent clampdown on exports due to a lack of coal -- the raw material in urea production -- and consequent power shortages have sent jitters across Korea. &

Nov. 11, 2021

New infections over 2,400 for 2nd day amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 2,400 for the second consecutive day Thursday as the country relaxed its virus restrictions last week in line with the "living with COVID-19" scheme. The country reported 2,520 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 388,351, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's tally marked a slight hike from the previous day's 2,425, which marked the first time in six days that daily infections exceeded 2

Nov. 11, 2021

Health workers’ strike over COVID-19 workload averted, but protest to continue

Hundreds of health workers at hospitals and care homes across South Korea said Wednesday they would be staging a protest rally Thursday, retracting their plan to walk off the job, saying their calls for a manageable pandemic workload have gone unheeded by the government.　 Kim Han-byul, one of the representatives of the health care workers’ union, comprising more than 7,600 health and care workers around the country, said the strike was “poised to be averted” after members at

Nov. 10, 2021

S. Korea says it can secure over 2-month stockpile of urea solution for vehicles

South Korea said Wednesday it can secure a two-and-a half month stockpile of urea solution for vehicles through various means amid a short supply of the key fluid needed in diesel cars to cut emissions. The government said the estimated stockpile is calculated based on planned imports from Australia, Vietnam and China, as well as secured amounts through crackdowns and the military's reserves. "Given the unspecified amount of domestic reserves, there will be no problem in securing urea sol

Nov. 10, 2021

S. Korea, Pacific Alliance agree to boost cooperation in green sectors

South Korea and a group of Latin American countries agreed to respond preemptively to the climate change crisis and seek ways to deepen cooperation in green sectors, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. At the Korea-Pacific Alliance Green Economy Forum, held both online and offline in Seoul, the two sides discussed cooperation on the hydrogen economy and other energy transition efforts, as they acknowledged the need for a shift to a low-carbon and eco-friendly economy, according to the ministry

Nov. 10, 2021

All high schools go remote ahead of Suneung

High schools across South Korea are turning to remote classes from Thursday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among teenagers ahead of the country’s once-a-year college aptitude exam a week later. In the Greater Seoul area, where majority of COVID-19 infections have been reported since the beginning of the fourth virus wave in July, high school seniors switched to remote classes last Thursday. The Ministry of Education has made it clear that this year’s Suneung will take p

Nov. 10, 2021

Teenagers account for quarter of suppliers of sexually exploitative online materials: police

Teenagers accounted for a quarter of offenders recently caught by police over allegedly supplying sexually exploitative materials across the internet, authorities said Wednesday. The cyber crime division of the National Office of Investigation said 1,625 alleged offenders were rounded up during its special crackdown campaign period against offenses connected to sexually exploitative online material between March and October. They included 919 producers and distributors, and 706 consumers of su

Nov. 10, 2021

S. Korea reports more suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu at local farm

South Korea on Wednesday reported suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from a local farm, a day after detecting similar cases from a nearby farm for the first time in months, the agricultural ministry said. The latest suspected cases of the avian influenza were reported from a duck farm in the central county of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, which raised around 23,000 ducks, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. They were found as the health authorit

Nov. 10, 2021

[Photo News] Hallasan welcomes the first snow of the season

The first snow of the season fell Monday on Hallasan, South Korea’s tallest mountain, on Jeju Island. Last year, the first snow fell on Nov. 29 in the province. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the temperature hit minus 3.1 degrees Celsius at Utse Oreum, a volcanic crater of Hallasan.  The KMA forecasts 1-5 centimeters of snow to fall by this Wednesday and warned hikers of the slippery trek up the mountain.  Meanwhile, snowfall was also recorded at Gwanak

Nov. 10, 2021

New infections bounce back to above 2,400 amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 2,400 for the first time in six days Wednesday amid growing concerns over a resurgence of infections as the country began its "living with COVID-19" scheme last week. The country reported 2,425 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 385,831, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally marked a sharp hike from 1,715 reported a day earlier. The daily infection tally has stayed in the

Nov. 10, 2021

S. Korea vows role global vaccination campaign during APEC meeting

South Korea has vowed to play a role in achieving the global goal of vaccinating 70 percent of the world's population against COVID-19 by the middle of next year in a move to ensure a sustainable economic recovery, the trade and foreign ministries said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong made the pledge during the ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation via videoconferencing, which took place Monday and Tuesday, and brought together foreign and trade ministers of 21

Nov. 10, 2021

China confirms plan for export process of 18,700 tons of urea for S. Korea: Seoul ministry

China has confirmed it will go ahead with the export process of 18,700 tons of urea for South Korea in accordance with existing contracts with local firms, Seoul's foreign ministry announced Wednesday. Beijing gave Seoul the assurance as a result of "communication through various channels" for speedy procedures to import the material used for the production of urea solution, an addictive used in diesel cars and factories to help cut emissions, according to the ministry. South Korea's

Nov. 10, 2021