[Newsmaker] Police conduct raids against local lawmaker, public servants amid LH scandal

Police on Monday raided the homes and offices of local public servants and a council member in a widening investigation into land speculation nationwide. Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency sent investigators to the home and office of a ruling Democratic Party council member of Siheung and the home and office of a Gwangmyeong municipal government employee. Siheung and Gwangmyeong, both south of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, are at the center of a massive scandal sparked by allegations of land speculati

March 15, 2021

New infection cases at 1-week low on fewer tests, potential surge woes growing further

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to below 400 for the first time in a week on Monday as the number of people taking virus tests decreased over the weekend, but health authorities warned that the virus curve is set to follow an upward cycle amid warm weather and an increase in nontraceable cases. The country reported 382 more COVID-19 cases, including 370 local infections, raising the total caseload to 96,107, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The f

March 15, 2021

‘Korea still not through third wave of COVID-19’

The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is not over yet in Korea, experts said Sunday, calling on public health officials to keep social distancing measures in place to avoid a new surge in cases. For the sixth consecutive day on Saturday, Korea’s single-day case count exceeded 400 -- reaching 459, of which 436 were locally transmitted and 23 imported, according to government statistics. The cumulative number of cases stood at 95,635. Although the Ministry of Health and Welfare said

March 14, 2021

University-local government linkage project launched to revitalize traditional markets

The Traditional Market Revitalization Project Team through Digital Introduction, led by endowed chair professor Min Byoung-chul of Chung-Ang University and Mayor Jung Soon-kyun of Gangnam-gu, held their inauguration ceremony at the Gangnam-gu Office on Friday. The project is a government-academic linkage project jointly planned by the Gangnam-gu Office and professor Min, who had proposed the project for government-academic cooperation in relation to the “fourth industrial revolution.&rdqu

March 14, 2021

Yangyang on east coast emerges as tourist hot spot

Yangyang, a Gangwon Province county on the east coast, has emerged as one of the nation's hottest travel destinations, as it registered the highest rate of growth in visitor numbers among all local governments nationwide last year, the county office said Sunday. The county office, citing data from the Korea Tourism Organization, said the number of outsiders who visited Yangyang last year totaled 15,226,306 people, marking a rise of 9.8 percent, or 1.37 million, from 13,857,308 in 2019. Yangyan

March 14, 2021

Budget for overseas Korean language education sharply raised

SEJONG -- The education ministry said Sunday that it has nearly doubled its budget for Korean language education overseas this year amid growing demand for Korean as a second language thanks to the global popularity of K-pop and other Korean cultural content. According to the education ministry's 2021 plan, the country will spend 23.6 billion won ($20.8 million) this year to help expand the opening of Korean language classes overseas. The earmarked budget nearly doubles the amount set aside

March 14, 2021

New virus cases over 400 for 6th day, potential resurgence worrisome

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed above 400 for the sixth consecutive day Sunday as health authorities struggled to bring down infections amid a nationwide vaccination campaign. The country reported 459 more COVID-19 cases, including 436 local infections, raising the total caseload to 95,635, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added two more deaths from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,669. One fatality came from a patient in his or her

March 14, 2021

S. Korea reports new case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agicultural authorities confirmed Saturday one more case of highly pathogenic bird flu amid growing concerns over a prolonged battle against the animal disease. The latest case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza was identified at an egg farm that raises 550,000 chickens in Chungju, 147 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.  A travel ban within a 10-kilometer radius of the farm has already been imposed. Birds and

March 13, 2021

[Photo News] Seoul covered in hazy fine dust

Above the skyscrapers, the rising sun is blurred by fog and fine dust, as fine dust levels in Seoul continue to exceed 100 micrograms per cubic meter.  In the city’s central district of Jongno, where emergency fine dust reduction measures have been taken, citizens head to work. In front of the entrance to Deoksugung in central Seoul, cleaners wash fine dust off the streets.  Wonhyodaegyo is seen in a haze of fine dust as people take early morning walks or ride bikes in Ye

March 13, 2021

[Photo News] Spring brings new hope amid pandemic

Spring has finally arrived in South Korea, bringing in a new wave of hope amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. After a gloomy year of the pandemic, the city of Seoul is joining efforts to bring comfort to the people by decorating colorful scenery with flowers all throughout the city.  As the spring weather warms up the nation, workers plant flowers with aspirations for a better, brighter season.  Exhausted from being cooped up inside during strong quarantine measures, residents peek

March 13, 2021

Spring flowers at Seoul's royal palaces to peak in April

Spring flowers of Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) royal palaces and tombs in and around Seoul are expected to blossom in the middle of this month before reaching peak blooms in April, a government agency said Saturday. The state-run Cultural Heritage Administration Royal Palaces and Tombs Center issued its spring flowering forecast for the four main royal palaces and Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul and royal tombs around the capital, saying this year's flowering time is expected to be two to seven da

March 13, 2021

LH official found dead amid land speculation scandal

  A state housing developer official was found dead Saturday, police said, in what could be an apparent suicide as a scandal of land speculation by public servants has been rocking the nation. The official of the Korea Land and Housing Corp. was found hanging inside a container in Paju, north of Seoul, at around 10:05 a.m., according to the police.  No suicide note has been found, the police said, but the official is said to have sent a text message to his family early Saturday, impl

March 13, 2021

New virus cases near 500, reaching 3-week high

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases reached the highest in 22 days Saturday, stubbornly remaining above 400 for the fifth consecutive day. The country reported 490 more COVID-19 cases, including 474 local infections, raising the total caseload to 95,176, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The country added five more deaths from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,667. The daily caseload has stayed in the 400s since early this week, with 470 cases Wednesday, 465 cases

March 13, 2021

Ultrafine dust advisory lifted in Seoul

An ultrafine dust air pollution advisory was lifted for all of Seoul at 3 p.m. Friday after 43 hours, the metropolitan government said. The city-run Research Institute of Public Health and Environment announced the termination of the advisory, saying the capital's hourly average concentration of ultrafine dust particles fell to 33 micrograms per cubic meter, lower than the advisory clearance level of 35 micrograms. The institute issued the ultrafine dust advisory for all of Seoul at 8 p.m. Wed

March 12, 2021

Coronavirus infections linked to bathhouse in southern city exceed 90

JINJU -- The number of coronavirus cases linked to a bathhouse in the southeastern city of Jinju increased to 92 Friday, as local authorities scrambled to curb the spread from the latest cluster of infections. The local government announced 80 new cases traced to the sauna facility in a residential area, confirmed over a period of about 24 hours since Thursday afternoon. The total caseload reached 97 since some patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were found Wednesday to have visited there during

March 12, 2021

Appeals court reduces ambulance-blocking taxi driver's sentence in scam case

An appellate court on Friday reduced the prison sentence of a taxi driver convicted for having repeatedly extorted settlements related to traffic accidents that had been staged on purpose. The Seoul Eastern District Court's appellate division reduced the prison sentence given to the 32-year-old taxi driver, surnamed Choi, on charges of fraud, obstruction of business and others, from24 months to 20. The court said it considered the defendant's regretful attitude and that he has reached settlem

March 12, 2021

Small businesses air grievances over extended COVID-19 restrictions

Small business owners in the capital area expressed frustration Friday after the government extended coronavirus restrictions for another two weeks, saying they could hardly remember a time when business was worse. In cities ranging from Incheon and Osan to Uijeongbu, all located in the greater Seoul area, restaurants, coffee shops and a wide array of business establishments have been subject to curfews and bans on gatherings of more than four people, among other measures aimed at stopping the

March 12, 2021

S. Korea to expedite vaccinations under plan to inoculate 12m people by H1: PM

South Korea will speed up and expand the scope of its public coronavirus vaccination program next month under a plan to complete inoculations of 12 million people by the first half of 2021, the prime minister said Friday. "By the first half of the year, the government will work to complete the preliminary vaccine administrations of 12 million nationals," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during an interagency meeting on the country's public vaccine campaign that began last month. Th

March 12, 2021

New graft investigation body not yet ready to take on any case, says chief

Kim Jin-wook, the head of a new powerful state investigative agency, said Friday the agency will not take on a travel ban case involving a former vice justice minister as its first case, citing "realistic conditions." "After serious consideration, we have decided to refer the case back to the prosecution," he wrote on the official Facebook page of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), ending days of speculation that the case could be the agen

March 12, 2021

Social distancing rules extended for 2 more weeks as new COVID-19 cases reach 3-week high

South Korea will extend its social distancing rules in place for two more weeks, as the country reported the highest daily addition of COVID-19 cases in three weeks. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a meeting Friday that the government will continue to impose Level 2 social distancing rules in Greater Seoul, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, until March 28. Level 1.5 rules will be maintained throughout the rest of the country, while the ban on private gatherings of five or more

March 12, 2021