Somewhere between distance, intimacy: Love in the time of coronavirus

Twenty-seven-year-old Park Sara had decided 2020 was going to be a time for focusing on herself as the coronavirus gripped the country. “I made peace with the fact that my life would be on hold for a while,” said the office worker in Seoul. But that was before she knew the pandemic would last well through the year and beyond, with no clear end in sight. “This pandemic is just unrelenting,” she said. Now she finds herself reconsidering her extended break from dati

May 16, 2021

[News Focus] Korea’s working age population falls to 1997 levels

SEJONG -- South Korea is the only country whose labor force exceeds 70 percent of the total population in the 37-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The high percentage of the working age population -- people aged between 15-64 -- among Korea’s total inhabitants has greatly contributed to the nation’s economic growth over the past few decades. Their share of the population reached 72.8 percent in 2018, far surpassing Japan’s 59.7 percent and the OE

May 16, 2021

South Korea to resume first-round vaccinations after supply restored

South Korea will resume offering first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine this coming weekend, health authorities said Sunday. Their use was suspended early this month so the scarce resource could be reserved for people getting their second shots. The unstable supply put a stop to the use of Pfizer’s vaccine across the country for people getting their first shots. The government is currently providing second doses of the American vaccine to seniors who received their first shots in

May 16, 2021

[Photo News] Support for single mothers

May 16, 2021

[#WeFACE] H.eco Forum 2021 to discuss solutions to climate emergency

The H.eco Forum on environmental issues will be launched on June 10 in Seoul, bringing together policymakers, businesspeople, scholars and activists to discuss what actions must be taken at individual, business and governmental levels to avert a climate catastrophe.  Under the theme “We face the Climate Clock,” the first edition of the H.eco Forum will center on addressing climate change -- the biggest crisis faced by humanity -- and the need for drastic changes to every aspect

May 16, 2021

[#WeFACE] Herald Corp. to launch H.eco Forum on June 10

At the current rates of emissions, the Earth has about six years and 235 days before the effects of global warming become irreversible as of May, the Climate Clock shows. To turn back the Climate Clock, Herald Corp. made it a new vision to commit itself to addressing environmental problems and the climate crisis, which have escalated to become the defining challenge of our time. As the first step, Herald Corp. will launch H.eco Forum, an annual forum on environmental issues, on June 10 to prov

May 16, 2021

Crane driver dies after overhead crane falls at cement factory

A subcontract worker at a cement factory in the eastern port city of Donghae has died after an overhead crane fell on him in yet another industrial incident, authorities said Sunday. According to Gangwon Fire Headquarters and Donghae Police Station, the 63-year-old crane driver was hit by an overhead crane that fell from 10 meters above at a cement factory in Donghae, 279 kilometers east of Seoul, at 11:42 p.m. Friday. He was moved to a hospital but died. The accident reportedly occurred while

May 16, 2021

New cases in 600s for 2nd day amid vaccination campaign

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 600s for the second consecutive day on Sunday as the country focuses on its vaccination campaign amid tight vaccine supply. The country reported 610 more COVID-19 cases, including 572 local infections, raising the total caseload to 131,671, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily infections fell from 681 on Saturday after posting more than 700 cases on Thursday and Friday as sporadic cluster infections continued

May 16, 2021

[Photo News] Summer comes early to Seoul

With the sun shining bright and temperatures soaring up to 30 degrees Celsius, South Korea is experiencing an early dose of summer this week.  A man takes off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves as he walks down the street in an effort to cool down amide the early summer temperatures.  Seoulites rest in the shade as daytime temperature in the capital rises well past 25 C.  With summer almost here, customers head to electronic stores to look for fans to help cope with the sizzli

May 15, 2021

S. Korea aims to fully normalize offline classes in H2: PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Saturday that South Korea will aim to fully normalize offline classes at local schools later this year amid the country's efforts to speed up its inoculation program. The country has been operating a mixture of offline and online classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "Due to the prolonged pandemic, I am concerned about the academic gap among students and their lack of social and emotional connection," Kim in a Facebook message marking Teachers' Day

May 15, 2021

New cases fall below 700; cluster infections, travelers strain virus fight

  South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 700 on Saturday as the authorities expressed concerns about yet another uptick in additional cases amid a growing number of travelers that can lead to more sporadic cluster infections. The country reported 681 more COVID-19 cases, including 661 local infections, raising the total caseload to 131,061, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. South Korea posted more than 700 daily infections on Thursday and Friday as spo

May 15, 2021

Seoul seeks IMO's involvement in dispute over Fukushima radioactive water

Oceans Minister Moon Seong-hyeok asked the International Maritime Organization to explore ways to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog to ensure safety in Japan's planned release of wastewater from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, his ministry said Friday. Moon made the request in a letter sent to Lim Ki-tack, secretary general of the UN organization, calling Tokyo's decision to discharge the radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean a "unilateral" step that could cause &

May 14, 2021

Brokers in Optimus fund scam get prison sentences on fraud charges

Two brokers indicted on charges of fraud linked to a massive investment fund scam centered on Optimus Asset Management were given prison sentences by a court on Friday. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced one broker surnamed Shin, who formerly ran an entertainment agency, to an imprisonment of four years and another broker surnamed Kim to three years and six months in prison after finding them guilty of defrauding the CEO of Optimus of 1 billion won ($886,000). The Optimus scandal cente

May 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Court rejects injunction on sales of Kim Il-sung memoir

The court said Friday that it had rejected an injunction request from NGOs to ban the sales and distribution of a memoir of North Korea’s founder Kim Il-sung. Kim Seung-kyun, who runs a company that used to trade with North Korea, republished the eight-volume memoirs, titled “With the Century,” last month for the first time in South Korea, and sales of the books once called by the Supreme Court “an item of expression that benefits the enemy” began. The set of book

May 14, 2021

Adoptive mother sentenced to life for killing toddler

The Seoul court sentenced an adoptive mother surnamed Jang to life in prison Friday for abusing and killing a 16-month-old girl named Jeong-in. Her husband was sentenced to five years in prison for neglecting the abuse. Jang was indicted last December on charges of habitually abusing her adopted daughter between March and October last year and causing her death. The adoptive father surnamed Ahn was also indicted without detention for neglecting to take action despite being aware of his wife&rs

May 14, 2021

S. Korea extends advisory against overseas travel amid pandemic

The foreign ministry on Friday extended the special advisory against overseas travel for another month amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic. The advisory calls for South Koreans not to go abroad unless the trip is essential and for those staying outside of the country to take extra precautions for safety. The measure will be effective until June 15 and can be extended again. The extension came as foreign countries maintain their entry restrictions and the majority of international flights

May 14, 2021

New cases above 700 for 2nd day as vaccinations again set to gather pace

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed above 700 for the second day in a row on Friday as the country's vaccination campaign is again set to gather pace with more shipments of vaccines amid a tight supply. The country reported 747 more COVID-19 cases, including 729 local infections, raising the total caseload to 130,380, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily infections continued to rise this week, jumping to 715 cases Thursday from 635 Wednesday, 511 Tues

May 14, 2021

AstraZeneca vaccines for 417,500 people arrive in S. Korea

South Korea brought in another 835,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines, enough for 417,500 people on Thursday amid concerns over a tight vaccine supply. The vaccines developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant and Oxford University are shipped in under the World Health Organization's global vaccine COVAX Facility project. So far, AstraZeneca vaccines, under COVAX, for 1.26 million people have already been brought in, with another shipment of the products for 835,000 people s

May 13, 2021

Education Ministry plans to bring all students back to school in fall

The Ministry of Education is hoping to bring all students back to school for in-person classes in the fall semester, a ministry official said Thursday. Schools currently follow the government’s anti-virus guidelines to decide how many students can physically come to classes while others stay at home for remote learning courses. Under the highest level of social distancing, for instance, no students are allowed to come to school and have to take online classes from home. On the other ha

May 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul mulls drinking ban along Han River

Fried chicken and beer by the Han River could become a thing of the past as early as this summer as Seoul officials are weighing a ban on outdoor drinking within riverside parks. Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said in a daily press briefing Wednesday that the city government is considering a ban on outdoor drinking at all of its 11 riverside parks, some of the most populous leisure areas found within the city for residents and tourists. “Rel

May 13, 2021