Pfizer vaccines for 218,000 people to arrive in S. Korea on Wednesday

Another batch of Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccines for around 218,000 members of the general public aged 75 and over, and other virus-vulnerable groups will arrive in South Korea later this week, health authorities said Tuesday. The products are part of a direct contract for 3.3 million people between the US pharmaceutical firm and the Seoul government, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. So far, Pfizer vaccines, under the direct contract, for 1 million people have alrea

May 4, 2021

[Seoul Struggles 6] Seoul not so welcoming to newcomers when it comes to housing

For 28-year-old Hong Seong-kyun, buying a home in Seoul has been near the top of his bucket list for years, even before he started worrying about getting a job in the city. Born and raised in Seoul, he thought owning an apartment, however small it might be, was not a far-fetched dream. But years later, he has come to know otherwise. Hong now has about 15 million won ($13,370) sitting in his savings account, which guarantees nothing when it comes to housing. The 28-year-old spends about eight h

May 4, 2021

More than 170 Koreans return home from virus-hit India via special flight

More than 170 South Korean residents in virus-hit India returned home on Tuesday via a special flight, and more people will come home this week, health authorities said. A flight operated by Indian air carrier Vistara landed at Incheon International Airport around 10:17 a.m. with 172 passengers, including workers of Hyundai Motor Co., after departing from Chennai International Airport in southern India. India has been a virus hotspot in recent months, with a COVID-19 variant strain also posin

May 4, 2021

Over 40 foreigners found infected with COVID-19 in Gangneung's preemptive testing

GANGNEUNG -- More than 40 foreign migrant workers in the east coast city of Gangneung tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday after preemptive coronavirus testing, municipal officials said. The municipality of Gangneung, 240 kilometers east of Seoul, has so far conducted the preemptive testing on 743 migrant workers and 43 of them were diagnosed with the new coronavirus, the officials said. By nationality, Russians accounted for 36 of the confirmed cases, with the others from Central Asian nat

May 4, 2021

New cases bounce back to 500s; variants emerging as another drag

South Korea's daily new virus cases bounced back to the 500s on Tuesday amid growing fears that rising cases of COVID-19 variants could become another challenge to the country's virus battle. The country reported 541 more COVID-19 cases, including 514 local infections, raising the total caseload to 124,269, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added six more deaths, raising the death toll to 1,840. The daily caseload had been in the 600s since Wednesday, b

May 4, 2021

Nearly 400 Koreans to return home from virus-hit India this week

Nearly 400 South Korean residents in India will return home this week via non-scheduled flights authorized by the government, health authorities here said Monday, as they plan to safely transport the nation's citizens from the coronavirus-hit country.  The authorities said a Vistara flight carrying 173 people, including workers of Hyundai Motor, will arrive in Incheon on Tuesday after departing from Chennai International Airport in India. Also, a flight by Asiana Airlines is scheduled to

May 3, 2021

Will Korea reach herd immunity by November? Top doctor says no

Korea probably won’t get to herd immunity by November as promised by the government, but “some degree of normal” is likely once vulnerable groups are covered, an infectious disease expert at the National Medical Center said Monday. “Even after 70 percent of Koreans are vaccinated, there might not be herd immunity as we know it,” Dr. Oh Myoung-don, who is leading the state hospital’s clinical committee for emerging infectious diseases, told a news conference

May 3, 2021

Controversy brews over online quasi-real name system

Controversy is brewing over the pros and cons of a bill that would obligate netizens to fully disclose their usernames in posts and comments online. A National Assembly subcommittee approved an amendment to the information and communications network act late last month, mandating the so-called “quasi-real name system” to protect victims from malicious comments. The bill, proposed by Rep. Park Dae-chool of the People Power Party, calls for the full disclosure of the usernames of t

May 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Probe underway on med student found dead in Han River

A 22-year-old medical student was found dead in the Han River on Friday after going missing for six days, and his family is awaiting the results of an autopsy to learn how he died. Sohn Jung-min was last seen asleep at the riverside park in Banpo, Seoul, early on April 25 by his friend, who had also fallen asleep. The two had been drinking together. An autopsy was conducted at the request of Sohn’s family, as two wounds were found behind his left ear. Sohn’s father told Yonhap New

May 3, 2021

Task force seeks warrant to arrest ex-senior official over alleged land speculation

A government task force said Monday it has sought a warrant for the arrest of a retired senior government official who is suspected of land speculation. Nam Gu-jun, the task force chief, told reporters the request was sent to the prosecution on Friday as part of his team's ongoing probe into allegations of property speculation by public officials. "We decided this is a case that calls for a warrant. We'll have to wait for the decision of the prosecution and the court," Nam, who is al

May 3, 2021

Surviving victims of sexual slavery by Japan reduced to 14

A South Korean woman forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II has died, a civic group said Monday, bringing down the number of registered surviving victims to 14. The woman, identified only with her surname Yoon, died at around 1 p.m. Sunday at the age of 92 in Seoul, according to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. Born in North Chungcheong Province in 1929, she was dragged away to Japan in 1941 at age 13

May 3, 2021

Govt. denies sex crime suspect's request to serve alternative military duty

The government has turned down a conscientious objector's request to perform other public services instead of his mandatory military service following revelations that he has been on trial on charges of digital sex crimes. The decision marked the first rejection of a conscientious objector's request for alternative services since the country allowed conscientious objectors last year to do 36 months of alternative service instead of serving in the military for about two years. According to the

May 3, 2021

New cases back to 400s on fewer tests amid low vaccine supply

South Korea's daily new virus cases fell back to the 400s on Monday as fewer people took new virus tests over the weekend with concerns over another round of the pandemic still worrisome amid a low vaccine supply. The country reported 488 more COVID-19 cases, including 465 local infections, raising the total caseload to 123,728, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The country added one more death, raising the death toll to 1,834. The fatality rate fell to 0.69 percent from

May 3, 2021

S. Korea faces looming COVID-19 vaccine shortage

South Korea may soon face a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as less than 10 percent of the country's AstraZeneca vaccine doses are left, the health authority said Sunday, raising concerns over delays in the nation's immunization schedule. The nation has secured 2 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses so far, and 1.82 million have received their first jab of the two-shot regimen as of Sunday, the COVID-19 vaccination management task force said. There are only 166,716 shots left, or 8.8 percent of t

May 2, 2021

[News Focus] Korea’s 7 major cities lose 120,000 in population in 3 months

SEJONG -- South Korea’s seven major cities are leading the nation’s population decline, with the nation’s largest and second-largest cities -- Seoul and Busan -- particularly posting negative growth in the demographic tally for several years. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the nation’s seven major cities saw the population decrease by 122,083 collectively for the first three months of the year. This marked the highest decline since the nation faced a

May 2, 2021

[News Focus] Delivery workers to vote on strike against ‘gapjil’

Parcel delivery workers are mulling whether to stage a full-scale strike later this month as they ask logistics firms to step in and resolve an ongoing conflict with some apartment complexes and their residents over a ban on ground-floor parking. A delivery workers’ union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said Sunday that 76 percent of its 371 lead members agreed to start a vote within the union on a full-scale walkout. The vote will take place Thursday for all delivery worke

May 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Unseasonal snow falls in May, first in 22 years

Unseasonal snow fell on parts of Gangwon Province over the weekend, an unlikely event for May, when early summer weather is typically seen across the country. It is the first time in 22 years that it has snowed in South Korea in the month of May. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday that up to 18.5 centimeters of snow blanketed Gangwon Province from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. An influx of strong wind from the east concentrated a pack of rain clouds in mountainous regions

May 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Police arrest 94 suspects over deepfake crimes in 5 months, with 70 percent teenagers

Police said Sunday they have arrested 94 suspects over allegations of creating or distributing illegal deepfake content in the past five months amid calls for tightened scrutiny over crimes using the deep learning technology. Deepfake content refers to digitally manipulated images or videos that could lead viewers to wrongly perceive the processed media to be real, often becoming a source of fake news, fraud and defamation. Of the arrested suspects, 65, or 70 percent, were teenagers, while 17

May 2, 2021

Climate change makes summers longer, winters hotter and shorter in Korea

Human-caused climate change has brought about extensive meteorological changes on the Korean Peninsula over the past century, making summers longer and winters hotter and shorter and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy downpours, a report said Sunday. The report from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that the number of days of precipitation has decreased on the peninsula in the past 100 years but the intensity of precipitation has in

May 2, 2021

New virus cases above 600 for 4th day; further surge in offing

South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed in the 600s for the fourth consecutive straight day Sunday as sporadic cluster infections popped up across the nation, complicating antivirus efforts. The country reported 606 more COVID-19 cases, including 585 local infections, raising the total caseload to 123,240, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added two more deaths, raising the total death toll to 1,833. The tally of new patients was down from 627 Saturd

May 2, 2021