New virus cases remain in 2,000s for 4th day ahead of 'living with COVID-19' measures

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases surpassed 2,000 for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday, deepening health authorities' worries over a possible resurgence of virus infections ahead of the implementation of measures to get back to normalcy. The country added 2,061 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,052 local infections, raising the total caseload to 364,700, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily cases dropped to 1,190 on Monday, but resurged from Wednesday and re

Oct. 31, 2021

[Eye Plus] A walk on Jaraseom with flowers during day, lights at night

Jaraseom is a well-known place for music lovers, drawing more than 100,000 visitors every October for its annual Jazz Festival.  But Jaraseom, which consists of four islands, has recently become a beautiful park for visitors to enjoy various flowers from spring to autumn.  Since 2019, Gapyeong County has transformed Jaraseom into a “flower island” by establishing flower fields, landscape lighting installations and tourist facilities on 100,000 square meters of the souther

Oct. 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Probe underway into teenager's death after vaccination

South Korea's health authorities said Saturday that they are looking into the case of a teenager who died after vaccination. According to the authorities, a third-grade high schooler was inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine on Aug. 13 and died on September 27. The teenager had no underlying conditions. It marks the first reported death of a vaccinated teenager. Since mid-July, high school seniors and those who will take the national college entrance exam slated for Nov. 18 have been vaccinated

Oct. 30, 2021

New virus cases over 2,100 for 3rd day ahead of lifting of virus curbs

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 2,100 for the third straight day on Saturday, amid jitters over a possible spike as the country is about to relax antivirus measures for a return to normalcy.   The country added 2,104 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,089 local infections, raising the total caseload to 362,639, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.   The virus curve had appeared to be flattening over the past few weeks, dipping to 1,190 on

Oct. 30, 2021

Korea moves on from its ‘pandemic success formula’, bets on vaccinations

More than a year and nine months into the COVID-19 crisis, Korea is set to gradually move on from its touted success formula in containing the pandemic. The government’s COVID-19 response headquarters reiterated on Friday that from Nov. 1, Korea would push ahead with its plan to get back to normal over three phases, each lasting four to six weeks. Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol told the news briefing that a high public compliance has allowed Korea to clear its goal of

Oct. 29, 2021

Teenager riding e-scooter without helmet dies after running into utility pole

A teenager riding an e-scooter without a helmet has died after ramming into a utility pole while racing downhill in Seoul, police said Friday. The 17-year-old high-school student crashed into the telephone pole at 8:26 p.m. Thursday on a road in Seoul's northern district of Nowon, police said. After sustaining injuries to the head, he was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation and rushed to a nearby hospital but died, according to the police. A police probe found he lost control of the personal

Oct. 29, 2021

School principal arrested for allegedly installing hidden camera in women's bathroom

ANYANG -- An elementary school principal in Anyang was placed under emergency arrest Friday for allegedly installing a hidden camera inside a bathroom of the school's female faculty. The Anyang Dongan Police Station said it was questioning the 57-year-old principal, who is alleged to have placed a 2-4 centimeter-long camera near a toilet inside the women's bathroom at his school in the city 23 kilometers south of Seoul. A teacher reportedly discovered the camera and reported it to school autho

Oct. 29, 2021

Schools to begin transition to normal from Nov. 22

South Korean schools will implement measures to live with the pandemic late next month, schools beginning a full transition to in-person classes from Nov. 22. The Ministry of Education announced Friday that for kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools, a return to regular classes will be implemented step by step from Nov. 22 after a three-week preparation period. Social distancing rules will be lifted from the day, and full school attendance will be allowed in all regions. For ki

Oct. 29, 2021

S. Korea to secure oral COVID-19 medications for 404,000 patients

South Korea plans to secure enough oral COVID-19 medications to treat some 404,000 infected patients from global drugmakers and distribute them starting in the first quarter of next year, the government said Friday. The government said it signed a pre-purchase contract with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. this month to buy enough medications to prescribe to 70,000 patients, an official from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said. Last month, the government also

Oct. 29, 2021

117 suspected breakthrough COVID-19 infections reported at psychiatric ward in Changwon

CHANGWON -- A total of 117 coronavirus cases were reported in just two days at the psychiatric ward of a hospital in the southern city of Changwon, all believed to be breakthrough infections, officials said Friday. According to city government officials, three COVID-19 cases were first reported on Thursday and tests on other people at the ward showed that an additional 114 people were infected. Of them, 110 were patients at the ward and the seven others were hospital employees. All reported

Oct. 29, 2021

New virus cases over 2,100 for 2nd day as relaxed virus curbs set to take effect

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 2,100 for the second consecutive day Friday, as worries persist over a virus resurgence with the country set to relax antivirus measures for a return to normalcy. The country added 2,124 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 2,094 local infections, raising the total caseload to 360,536, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally surpassed the 2,000 mark after 20 days on Thursday. The daily infection tally has moved in

Oct. 29, 2021

Up to 10 allowed to gather in Seoul regardless of vaccination: PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday that up to 10 people in the wider Seoul area and 12 people in the non-metropolitan area are free to meet regardless of vaccination as part of daily recovery to be carried out step by step in three stages. The first step will be implemented for four weeks and the quarantine situation will be comprehensively evaluated to decide whether to switch to the next step. “It is urgent to recover small business owners and self-employed people who have endure

Oct. 29, 2021

UNESCO conference on learning cities holds opening ceremony in Yeonsu-gu

An opening ceremony and plenary sessions of the fifth UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities were held on Thursday in Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu. The four-day event, hosted by Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu, began Wednesday under the theme of “From emergency to resilience: Building healthy and resilient cities through learning.” The opening ceremony drew around 200 in-person participants from South Korea and 24 other countries, the Yeonsu-gu office said in a press statement

Oct. 28, 2021

COVID-19 fears mounting on eve of Halloween weekend

Health authorities struggling to contain COVID-19 are on high alert ahead of this Halloween weekend, as Seoul's downtown areas are expected to be crowded with larger-than-usual numbers of people celebrating the annual Western holiday. Coronavirus-battered retailers in Seoul's popular entertainment districts, such as Itaewon and Hongdae, are looking forward to boom sales of Halloween-themed products, food, drinks and various other consumer goods, particularly because of the government's recent d

Oct. 28, 2021

Korea offering COVID-19 booster to people age 50 and up, J&J recipients

People aged 50 and older and anyone who received Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine will become eligible for COVID-19 booster vaccination shots beginning the second week of November in Korea, the national health protection agency said Thursday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said COVID-19 boosters, which are being offered in order of priority set by its panel of immunization experts, will eventually become available to the general population, after high-risk groups are cove

Oct. 28, 2021

Hanshin University establishes Korea’s 1st graduate school of interdisciplinary convergence esports

Hanshin University has established Korea’s first graduate school of interdisciplinary convergence for esports. The school on Monday said in a press release that students will be granted a Master of Science degree upon finishing the program of esports convergence, which will open from the spring semester next year. The courses for esports convergence will be led by professors from the departments of software convergence, computer engineering and public service as well as the colleges of

Oct. 28, 2021

New virus cases hit over 2,100 as infections spike ahead of easing of virus curbs

South Korea's new daily coronavirus cases surged to more than 2,100 on Thursday, as the virus spread is gaining ground amid efforts to ease the distancing rules and return to normalcy. The country added 2,111 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 2,095 local infections, raising the total caseload to 358,412, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It is the first time in 20 days that the daily caseload has surpassed the 2,000 mark. The daily count was 1,952 the previous day, 1,

Oct. 28, 2021

Korea’s Halloween COVID-19 warnings accused of targeting foreigners

As South Korea embarks on a journey back to normal in a matter of mere days, its public health officials are pointing to Halloween as a potential surge event. Their messaging discouraging people from socializing over the holiday has a specific audience -- foreigners and young people. A release last week from the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Halloween special inspections for social distancing violations will be carried out in “areas densely populated by foreigners and young people.

Oct. 27, 2021

UNESCO’s conference on learning cities opens in Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu

The fifth UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities, hosted by Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu, began its four-day run Wednesday. The international event is being held at Songdo Convensia in Yeonsu-gu under the theme of “From emergency to resilience: Building healthy and resilient cities through learning.” The conference comes at a critical juncture with an aim of discussing global health education in cities, their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and actions to improve res

Oct. 27, 2021

South Korea holds symposium to discuss future legislative administration

Leading legislative experts from the Asian region gathered Wednesday to discuss the present and future of legislative administration at a symposium held in Seoul. The 9th Asian Legislative Experts Symposium, organized by the Ministry of Government Legislation and Korea Legislation Research Institute, was held under the theme of “Legislative Administration of Each Asian Country and Cooperation Measures,” in a hybrid in-person and online conference. The event comprised two main ses

Oct. 27, 2021