Court rejects damages suit against Japanese firms by Korean forced labor victims

A local court on Monday dismissed a damages suit launched by 85 South Korean victims of wartime forced labor in Japan and their families against 16 Japanese companies, saying the plaintiffs don't have litigation rights. The Seoul Central District Court said South Korean wartime forced laborers cannot claim individual legal rights to damages from Japan, while deciding to reject their collective suit. The 85 forced labor victims and their families started their damages suit against 16 Japanese c

June 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] Distrust of police and media, and fake news fuel outcry in medical student’s death

Lee Jin-ah, 43 and the mother of a 13-year-old son, has been following the updates of the death of Sohn Jung-min, a medical student who died in the Han River, every day, through news articles and YouTube videos. “Because I have a son, I am emotionally attached to Jung-min’s father. I feel so sorry for him. It is so terrible to think that my child could be dead like that,” she said. Lee does not know why Jung-min died, but does not trust the police investigation. “I

June 7, 2021

Police tighten reins on sex doll businesses left in legal gray area

Police said Monday they have started to regulate life-size sex doll "experience" shops, popping up around the country following court decisions to allow the import of the sex toys. The National Police Agency said the crackdown will continue for two months, jointly with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and local governments. As the import of sex dolls, as well as running shops that allow customers to use the sex toys, is all legal under the current laws, however, the police

June 7, 2021

May posts biggest increase in employment-insured in 18 months

May posted the largest on-year increase in the number of employment insurance subscribers in 18 months on the back of an economic recovery, the labor ministry said Monday. There were 14.26 million subscribers to the state insurance plan last month, up 443,000, or 3.2 percent, from May 2020, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. It is the biggest increase since 477,000 in November 2019. "Thanks to recovering consumer confidence, strong exports and base effects from last year,

June 7, 2021

Disgruntled students decry online university classes

The COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to turn to online classes last year. As the coronavirus swept the country, both students and professors struggled to adapt to video-based courses. But more than three semesters into the pandemic, students are discontented with the quality of the online classes. “After taking the midterm exam in one of my core courses, the professor did not upload online classes for four weeks without any notice,” a student told The Korea Herald. “T

June 7, 2021

New cases under 500 over fewer tests; inoculation drive to pick up pace

South Korea's daily new virus cases fell back to under 500 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend as health authorities push to ramp up the vaccination drive on the back of an increased vaccine supply. The country reported 485 more COVID-19 cases, including 454 local infections, raising the total caseload to 144,637, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's figure was sharply down from 556 cases on Sunday. But daily cases usually rise on Wednesday and Friday

June 7, 2021

[Herald Interview] International Vaccine Institute’s fully vaccinated chief shares why he’s still taking precautions

International Vaccine Institute Director General Dr. Jerome H. Kim says he is still taking minimal risks more than a month since becoming fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In an email exchange with The Korea Herald, Kim said Saturday he has “not changed behavior much at all” after getting Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine on April 7. He and his wife both received the vaccine at Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul as a retired US military officer and dependent. “

June 6, 2021

[#WeFACE] Recycling alone won't save climate: teen activist

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews with the lineup of speakers who will discuss solutions to the climate crisis at the H.eco Forum, which is scheduled to be held virtually on June 10 under the theme “We Face the Climate Clock.” -- Ed. At school, Yoon Hyeon-jeong, a 17-year-old climate activist, was taught that climate change was a distant problem that could affect human beings in about 100 years. She had no idea it was an urgent problem that could steal her future

June 6, 2021

Laxer COVID-19 curbs, post-vaccine social distancing waivers coming to Korea in July

South Korea plans to ease out of most COVID-19 restrictions in the summer to stimulate the economy, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Sunday, while cases are once again on the rise. “Rather than keeping up with a set of restrictions that is wreaking havoc on the economy, especially the Korean middle class, the government plans to introduce more relaxed guidelines from July,” ministry spokesperson Son Young-rae told a news briefing. “The aim is to shift toward less econ

June 6, 2021

[News Focus] Gwangju, Jeolla lead surge in payouts for jobless women

SEJONG -- Women in South Korea have been hit harder by the pandemic than their male counterparts in terms of job security, labor-related government data suggested. The data indicated that women in the nation’s Honam region -- Gwangju and North and South Jeolla provinces -- suffered the hardest hit. According to the Korea Employment Information Service, payouts of unemployment benefits grew at a faster pace among women than men in most cities and provinces across the nation. The only exc

June 6, 2021

[#WeFACE] H.eco Forum 2021 to be held June 10

If emissions continue at the current rate, the Earth has about six years and 235 days before the effects of global warming become irreversible. That is what the Climate Clock installed on the roof of Herald Corp. headquarters shows as of June. To turn back the Climate Clock, Herald Corp. has a new mission: to address environmental problems and the climate crisis. As the first step, we are launching an annual H.eco Forum to provide a platform for insights and solutions to the climate emergency.

June 6, 2021

Tech prowess underpins vaccination drive in S. Korea

Kim Ji-woo (alias), a 36-year-old office worker, found herself near the end of the line to get a COVID-19 vaccine, as she is not among the groups that are prioritized in the country's nationwide inoculation plan. But she learned that the newly-launched "leftover" vaccine booking system was a way for her to "cut in line" and get the vaccination that would allow her to gradually return to normal life. Anybody older than 30 who is not yet officially eligible to receive vaccine

June 6, 2021

20 doctors lose medical licenses in past 6 yrs for having unlicensed staff practice medicine

A total of 20 doctors lost their medical licenses over the past six years for having unlicensed people practice medicine on their behalf, including plastic surgeries, a report showed Sunday. Two dentists, two doctors of Korean medicine and one nurse had their medial licenses revoked for engaging in such illegal practices over the 2015-2020 period, according to the report compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and submitted to the parliament. Out of the 20 doctors who were stripped of t

June 6, 2021

New virus cases fall back to 500s, vaccination drive accelerates

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to the 500s on Sunday due to less testing over the weekend, while the country's COVID-19 vaccine rollout is gathering pace. The country reported 556 more COVID-19 cases, including 541 local infections, raising the total caseload to 144,152, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally fell from 744 on Saturday and 695 Friday, but the decline was attributable to fewer tests over the weekend. The number of daily virus

June 6, 2021

Tripitaka Koreana to open to public for first time

The Tripitaka Koreana, a collection of Buddhist wooden printing blocks, will open to the public every Saturday and Sunday starting later this month. Considered the most comprehensive set of Buddhist scriptures found to date, the Tripitaka Koreana, or "Palmandaejanggyeong" in Korean, comprises 13th-century Buddhist scriptures carved on more than 80,000 wooden printing blocks. They are stored at Janggyeong Panjeon in the Haein Temple, in Hapcheon, 354 kilometers south of Seoul. The sto

June 6, 2021

New COVID-19 cases rise above 700 amid sporadic infections across nation

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 700 on Saturday, as cluster infections continued to sprout up across the country despite a stepped-up vaccination campaign. The country reported 744 more COVID-19 cases, including 725 local infections, raising the total caseload to 143,596, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally marked the highest since May 26 when 706 new cases were reported. There were two additional fatalities, raising th

June 5, 2021

Activists call for reducing non-recyclable cosmetic containers

Fewer than two out of 10 cosmetic containers distributed in South Korea are recyclable, an environmental group said Saturday, urging cosmetics companies to raise the recycling rate of their cosmetic packaging. The group, which calls itself "Cosmetic Attack Citizens Action," said it examined 6,617 brand-name cosmetic containers, and only 18.7 percent, or 1,238 containers, turned out to be recyclable. It said 68.5 percent (4,531 containers), mostly made of colored or translucent plast

June 5, 2021

Air Force officer dead after taking 2nd dose of AstraZeneca vaccine

An Air Force non-commissioned officer has died after receiving a second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, military officials said Friday. According to the officials, the senior master sergeant based in Gimhae, 450 kilometers south of Seoul, got the second jab of the vaccine on May 24, and became brain dead a week later. The officer died Thursday. This is the first death of a soldier following vaccination. It wasn't immediately clear if the death is directly related to the vaccine. The surviving f

June 5, 2021

Over 1m doses of J&J vaccine from US arrive in S. Korea

More than 1 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine arrived in South Korea from the United States on Saturday in what Seoul and Washington officials touted as a sign of the two countries' robust alliance. The KC-330 military aircraft carrying the vaccine for 1.01 million people arrived at 12:40 a.m. at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, after it departed from an air base on the US west coast Thursday (US time), officials said. The shipment came after US

June 5, 2021

Arrest warrant issued for ex-LH executive over alleged property speculation

A court issued an arrest warrant for a former executive of a state-run state housing developer on Friday over alleged real estate speculation. The man, whose identity was not made public, became the highest-ranking official of the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) to be arrested in a massive land speculation scandal over the state developer. The Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court in Gyeonggi Province issued the arrest warrant, saying that the former official is a flight risk and could

June 4, 2021