Migrant workers report more claims of sexual assault on farms

Amid a growing shortage of migrant workers in South Korea, reported cases of sexual violence, assault and overdue wages among foreign workers have continued to emerge as they accuse their employers for exploiting their vulnerable status. Police said on Monday it is investigating a case of sexual assault after receiving a complaint that a Cambodian worker was sexually assaulted by a farm owner. The complaint, filed by a migrant worker rights protection civic group, alleges that the farm owne

March 30, 2021

Over half of single S. Koreans in 30s living with parents: report

More than half of unmarried South Koreans in their 30s are living with their parents, a report showed Tuesday, as young people are delaying marriages amid an economic slowdown. A total of 54.8 percent of single Koreans in their 30s are living with their parents without moving out on their own, according to the report by Statistics Korea. The report showed 62.3 percent of unmarried people aged between 20 and 44 are living with their parents. Of the surveyed, 42.1 percent have no jobs, indicati

March 30, 2021

S. Korea issues official guideline on animal experiments

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Tuesday it has issued a new standardized guideline on animal experiments in line with the country's efforts to improve the welfare of test subjects. The booklets are designed for the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC) under around 450 different organizations nationwide, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Organizations conducting animal experiments are required to install a committee under the local law to

March 30, 2021

Prison term of up to 10 1/2 yrs recommended for fatal industrial accidents

The top court has toughened the sentencing guidelines for fatal industrial accidents that result from violations of safety measures amid mounting criticism that the punishment for those who caused the accidents is too lenient. The Sentencing Commission of the Supreme Court confirmed Monday that the basic sentence range is between one year and 2 1/2 years for business owners or contractors accused of breaching the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and failing to prevent an industrial disaster

March 30, 2021

10 Uzbek roommates test positive for coronavirus in central county

JEUNGPYEONG -- Ten Uzbek nationals have tested positive for the new coronavirus while living together in the central county of Jeungpyeong, officials here said Tuesday. According to government officials of North Chungcheong Province and Jeungpyeong County, the first case of the cluster infection involved a 20-something-year-old college student of Uzbek nationality who tested positive for COVID-19 Monday morning. The student was sharing a house with 10 other roommates from the central Asian co

March 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yellow dust blankets S. Korea for 2nd day

Harmful yellow dust originating mostly from northern China continued to blanket South Korea for a second day Tuesday, prompting authorities to take emergency emissions reduction measures against spikes in fine dust levels. Hit by the powerful dust storm from the island deserts in northern China and Mongolia, South Korea issued yellow dust warnings for almost all parts of the country for the first time in a decade on Monday. According to weather authorities, the density of fine dust particles

March 30, 2021

New virus cases back above 400 as cluster infections continue

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose above 400 again on Tuesday as a string of cluster infections continued to emerge at various facilities and workplaces nationwide. The country reported 447 more COVID-19 cases, including 429 local infections, raising the total caseload to 102,582, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added three more deaths from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,729. In South Korea, a third wave of infections, which began in m

March 30, 2021

S. Korea suffocated by worst yellow dust storm in a decade

An extraordinarily strong yellow dust storm originating from the inland deserts in northern China and Mongolia blanketed all of South Korea on Monday, prompting authorities to issue a yellow dust warning for Seoul and almost all parts of the country for the first time in a decade. The density of fine dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, known as PM 10, soared to 1,174 micrograms per cubic meter in Daegu on Monday morning, the worst level since Nov. 12, 2010, when the corres

March 29, 2021

Mom-and-pop businesses demand state support for pandemic-induced business collapse

More than 95 percent of the self-employed and mom-and-pop businesses have suffered a drop in sales since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey by an association of the self-employed showed Monday. The association held a press conference in front of Seoul City Hall to release the survey results, which was conducted on 1,545 self-employed workers nationwide from Feb. 5 to March 25 to see how badly the pandemic affected their businesses. Compared to pre-pandemic days, 1,477 or 95.6

March 29, 2021

S. Korea reports 40 more cases of COVID-19 variants, total now at 289

South Korea on Monday reported 40 more new cases of COVID-19 variants, including 22 local infections, amid growing woes over the spread of more transmissible strains. Of the additional cases, 38 people were confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus variant believed to have originated in Britain, followed by the South Africa variant with two cases, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). South Korean nationals accounted for 29 of the newly added variant c

March 29, 2021

Yellow dust crisis looms

Thick yellow dust originating from China’s Inner Mongolia swept through most of South Korea on Monday, prompting the Environment Ministry to issue a nationwide caution -- the third-highest alert level in a four-tier system. The nation’s weather agency issued both yellow dust warnings and ultrafine dust alerts earlier on Monday. A yellow dust alert is issued when average fine dust levels stay above 300 micrograms per cubic meter for more than two hours. This is when the sky is yel

March 29, 2021

S. Korea to prioritize expanded in-person classes for middle school students

South Korea will expand in-person classes and accelerate the vaccination of key school employees to restore educational opportunities lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education said Monday. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae told reporters Monday that the ministry is prioritizing an expanded proportion of in-person classes for middle school students, especially those in Greater Seoul, as the country continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic. “We have been in talks with region

March 29, 2021

[Photo News] Seoul turns gray in yellow dust storm

A yellow dust warning was issued for Seoul on Monday. Warnings are issued when average fine dust concentrations are forecast to stay above 800 micrograms per cubic meter for two hours or longer. From the bridge Banpodaegyo, Gangnam District appears in a gray haze of fine dust.  A street full of cherry blossoms in Yeouido is coated with a cloud of fine dust.  (Photos: Yonhap) By Yoon Chae-won (choenayoon@heraldcorp.com)

March 29, 2021

KDI School of Public Policy and Management starts 2021 fall admissions process

Admissions for the KDI School of Public Policy and Management’s 2021 fall semester will start April 1 for both international and domestic applicants. Online applications can be submitted from April 1 at 9 a.m. until April 19 at 6 p.m. (Korean time). Affiliated with the Korea Development Institute, Korea’s No. 1 think tank, the KDI School of Public Policy and Management opened in March 1998. Since then it has remained unrivaled in teaching and research on development and public polic

March 29, 2021

Police investigate interior minister's ex-aide over property speculation allegations

SUWON -- Police have begun investigating a former aide to Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol over allegations that he and his family were involved in a speculative land purchase. A probe team of Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency has been conducting raids into five places since this morning, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the headquarters of the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, in connection with the allegations. The raids came af

March 29, 2021

Veteran actor Park Joong-hoon caught drunk driving

A veteran South Korean actor Park Joong-hoon has been caught driving under the influence of alcohol, police said Monday. The Seoul Gangnam Police Station has booked the 55-year-old actor on charges of drunk driving for about 100 meters near his acquaintance's apartment building in the southern Gangnam Ward about 9:30 p.m. on Friday. His blood alcohol content was over 0.08 percent at the time, a level that calls for his driver's license to be revoked, the police said. He had his license suspe

March 29, 2021

Janssen COVID-19 vaccine shows 67% efficacy, eligible for approval: panel

A South Korean panel of experts said Monday that vaccines for the novel coronavirus by Johnson & Johnson's Janssen showed 66.9 percent efficacy, paving the way for the authorization of the country's third COVID-19 vaccine. The advisory board consisting of outside experts announced its review on the efficacy and safety of the Janssen vaccines, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The panel's review is the first step of three separate independent evaluations before the ministry

March 29, 2021

New virus cases again back below 400 on fewer tests, virus curbs extended for 2 weeks

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back below 400 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but health authorities warned of the continued emergence of cluster infections at religious facilities and workplaces. The country reported 384 more COVID-19 cases, including 370 local infections, raising the total caseload to 102,141, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added four more deaths from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,726. In South K

March 29, 2021

S. Korea suffocated by extremely powerful yellow dust storm

An extraordinarily strong yellow dust storm originating from the inland deserts in northern China and Mongolia blanketed all of South Korea on Monday, prompting authorities to issue a yellow dust warning for Seoul and almost all parts of the country. The density of fine dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, known as PM 10, surged to the "very bad" level in the greater Seoul area and all other regions, authorities said. As of 10 a.m., the hourly average concentration

March 29, 2021

[News Focus] Korea sees discouraged workers increase 58% in 5 years

SEJONG -- The number of people who have given up on looking for jobs has shown a steady increase in South Korea since the nation started compiling the data in January 2014. They are dubbed “discouraged workers.” The tally for discouraged workers counts people who did not carry out job-seeking activities during the prior four weeks or longer, though they had looked for jobs within the past 12 months. Alongside sagging performances in the job creation sector in recent years, the COV

March 28, 2021