New infections spike to over 2,600 amid 'living with COVID-19'

South Korea's new coronavirus cases spiked to over 2,600 on Wednesday, two days after the country began its "living with COVID-19" scheme as part of a broader plan to gradually lift the virus restrictions. The country reported 2,667 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 370,640, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally marked a sharp hike from 1,589 reported a day earlier. It marks the first time since Sept. 30 that the daily new case

Nov. 3, 2021

[News Focus] Seoul falls to 70% of Gyeonggi in population

SEJONG -- The population gap between Seoul and neighboring Gyeonggi Province has continued to grow in recent months and years, with the province having 4 million more residents than the capital in October, government data showed. These are the top two populous regions among 17 major cities and provinces in South Korea. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the population of Seoul posted 9.53 million, which is down 9,828 from a month earlier. The figure for Gyeonggi reached a record

Nov. 2, 2021

[Interactive] Number of delivery workers hits new high in 2020 amid pandemic

  The number of delivery workers in South Korea swelled nearly 12 percent in the second half of last year to hit a record high amid the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed. Asia’s fourth-largest economy had 390,000 carriers as of the end of December last year, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Korea. The tally covers mail carriers, door-to-door couriers, food delivery workers, newspaper delivery workers and carriers of milk and other bev

Nov. 2, 2021

Nearly half of Seoul's recent COVID-19 cases breakthrough infections: city govt.

Nearly half of all recent COVID-19 cases in Seoul were breakthrough infections, a Seoul city official said Tuesday. "Of the 646 new cases confirmed in Seoul on Sunday, 49.4 percent, or 319 cases, were breakthrough cases," Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official at the Seoul metropolitan government, said in a briefing. "The rate of breakthrough infections in Seoul is higher than the nationwide average," she noted. According to the city government, Seoul has recorded 12,663

Nov. 2, 2021

[Seoul Struggles 13] Motorcyclists ignore laws, endanger pedestrians

A delivery worker suddenly drives a motorcycle onto the sidewalk, honking at pedestrians to make way before heading to an apartment complex in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. Several more motorcyclists drive onto the sidewalk, which is already half-filled with parked motorcycles, all in a span of a few minutes. And a few feet away, several motorcyclists use the crosswalk to cross the street. Many drive without helmets, and one stares at his phone while speeding through. This dangerous scene is com

Nov. 2, 2021

299 caught drunk driving on 1st day of 'living with COVID-19' scheme: police

A total of 299 people were caught drunk driving on the first night after business hour restrictions were lifted and gathering size limits were raised Monday under the government's "living with COVID-19" scheme, police said. Of them, 89 were caught with blood alcohol levels high enough to have their license suspended and another 200 with levels warranting license revocation, according to the National Police Agency. The remaining 10 were caught for refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

Nov. 2, 2021

New infections fall below 2,000 for 2nd day amid 'living with COVID-19'

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 2,000 for the second day in a row on Tuesday amid its "living with COVID-19" scheme meant to bring the country gradually back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 1,589 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 367,974, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload fell below the 2,000 level on Monday after reporting more than 2,000 cases for four days in a row. Of the total, 1,578 wer

Nov. 2, 2021

S. Korea to ease entry restrictions on migrant workers later this month: labor minister

South Korea plans to gradually lift restrictions on arrivals of migrant workers prompted by the pandemic starting later this month as the country has begun to take steps to return to normalcy, the labor minister said Monday. "In light of the shift to 'living with COVID-19' scheme, we're going to push for a measure to gradually ease entry restrictions on foreign workers," labor minister An Kyung-duk said during a visit to a workplace that employs migrant workers. All foreign workers w

Nov. 1, 2021

Office workers, students struggle to return to in-person life as 'living with COVID-19' kicks off

City centers in Seoul welcomed back the return of rush hour crowds Monday morning as office workers and students resumed their in-person lives under the government's "living with COVID-19" scheme aimed at bringing the nation gradually back to pre-pandemic normalcy. South Korea activated on Monday the first of the three-stage scheme to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions as more than 70 percent of the population have been fully vaccinated. Under the latest measure effective

Nov. 1, 2021

Almost half of Koreans say lifting business hour limits is timely: poll

Almost half of Koreans think that lifting business hour limits is a timely decision, as the country takes its first steps in the direction of “living with COVID-19” this week, a poll showed Monday. According to Realmeter’s poll of 500 people aged 18 and older nationwide, 47.5 percent of respondents said health authorities’ decision to ease restrictions on operating hours comes at the right time, whereas 26.1 percent said it is still too early and 21.8 percent said it is

Nov. 1, 2021

[Us and Them] Are all jobs equally respected?

A well-known Korean saying goes, “There is no superiority or inferiority in a job.” That means all jobs are equally valuable and honorable, so no one should be treated differently based on how they make their living. In today’s South Korea, however, the saying appears to hold little weight. According to a 2016 survey conducted by job-searching website Saramin, more than half of all respondents said they thought there were superior and inferior jobs. When asked why, the majori

Nov. 1, 2021

New infections fall below 2,000, eased virus curbs begin

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 2,000 for the first time in five days on Monday as the country began its "living with COVID-19" scheme meant to phase out coronavirus restrictions amid the rising rate of vaccinations. On Monday, the government relaxed the social distancing rules as part of a broader plan to gradually lift the virus restrictions by the end of February. South Korea reported 1,686 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,666 local infections, raising the total case

Nov. 1, 2021

S. Korean theaters brace for normalcy after protracted COVID-19 pandemic

South Korean multiplex operators have braced for a long-awaited comeback of the audience to movie theaters as a gradual return to normalcy from the COVID-19 pandemic started Monday. The local health authorities earlier announced plans to go ahead with the "living with COVID-19" scheme from the first day of November, phasing out coronavirus restrictions such as nighttime curfews on cafes, restaurants, theaters and other multiuse facilities. Leading multiplex chains CJ CGV and Lotte Ci

Nov. 1, 2021

PM says it's time for 'warm consumption,' notes small businesses' difficulties

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday it is time for "warm consumption," noting difficulties faced by small business owners amid COVID-19, as South Korea is set to enforce a phased scheme for a gradual return to normal life this week. Kim made the remarks in a Facebook post after he attended an online opening ceremony of the Korea Sale FESTA, an annual nationwide shopping festival, which will kick off its 15-day run on Monday.  "It's time when there is a need for warm con

Oct. 31, 2021

Gov't warns of strict response to foreigners violating COVID-19 rules over Halloween

The government will deal sternly with violators of COVID-19 rules during the Halloween weekend and foreigners will be no exception, the interior minister said Sunday. Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol issued the warning during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, saying Halloween celebrations pose a high risk of additional infections. Halloween falls on Sunday this year. "The government and local governments have been carrying out joint patrols in area

Oct. 31, 2021

[News Focus] Deaths outnumber births in 22 of recent 23 months

SEJONG -- The number of deaths outstripped that of births in 22 of the past 23 months in South Korea, which could signal mid and long-term risks in terms of national competitiveness due to a shrinking workforce. A continuous decline in the working age population, those aged between 15-64, is likely to undermine national competitiveness in the coming years and decades. Of the entire population, the size of the working age population has dipped to the lowest in 25 years at 71.1 percent. Accordi

Oct. 31, 2021

Female directors account for only 4.1% of financial firms' boards in S. Korea

The portion of female directors at local financial companies stood at 4.1 percent as of the end of last year, lower than that of overall listed companies in South Korea, a report said Sunday. Among 209 outside directors at 13 banks, 27 brokerage houses and 12 insurance companies, only 12 were female, a report by Korea Insurance Research Institute said. Of 129 internal directors at the companies, only two were female, the report said. The portion of female directors at the financial companies

Oct. 31, 2021

Yeonsu-gu completes hosting UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities

Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu successfully completed hosting the 5th UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities under the attendance of thousands of representatives from across the world. During the four-day conference started Oct. 27, around 2,000 people from 229 cities in 64 countries virtually attended the conference held in Songdo Convensia, with 200 in-person participants from South Korea and 24 other countries. The latest conference shed light on the importance of virtual education a

Oct. 31, 2021

Cases surge as 'living with COVID-19' starts

Despite a recent resurgence in the number of daily COVID-19 infections, Korea is taking its first step in return to normalcy from Monday with its "living with COVID" strategy. The government on Friday revealed the roadmap to ease social distancing measures in three phases with each of them slated to take four to six weeks. According to the health authorities’ plan, the first phase of changes is mainly focused on lifting restrictions for businesses that suffered from operating

Oct. 31, 2021

Gender Ministry forum to discuss rise of cyberhate during pandemic

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is holding a virtual forum on Nov. 2-3 to address the rise of discrimination and hate speech on the internet during the pandemic. The ministry said the forum would discuss the challenges brought upon by the digital transformation by the pandemic in sectors across the society, especially with regards to the increase in online abuse against minorities and women. Gender Minister Chung Young-ai said the pandemic has forced people, young people in part

Oct. 31, 2021