[Newsmaker] Independence fighter grandson ends archive donation talks with Harvard over professor's comfort women claim

A grandson of a renowned Korean independence fighter said Thursday that he had sent a letter to Harvard University's president to end any discussions about donating his historical archives due to a professor's article depicting Japan's wartime sexual slavery as voluntary prostitution. In an email and phone interview with Yonhap News Agency, Philip Ahn Cuddy, the grandson of Ahn Chang-ho who fiercely fought against Japan's 1910-45 colonization, revealed that he wrote the letter to President Lawr

Feb. 18, 2021

New COVID-19 cases over 600 for 2nd day, virus fight struggling with cluster infections

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 600s for a second consecutive day on Thursday as infections at a slew of manufacturing plants and hospitals surged, prompting authorities to guard against a potential virus resurgence. The country reported 621 more COVID-19 cases, including 590 local infections, raising the total caseload to 85,567, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added six more deaths, raising the total to 1,544. The daily caselo

Feb. 18, 2021

Remains of Korean War soldier identified 12 years after excavation

South Korea has identified the remains of a soldier killed in the 1950-53 Korean War through DNA analysis, 12 years after they were recovered from a former battle site, the defense ministry said Thursday. The identification of the remains of Pfc. Son Joong-chul was possible as his 73-year-old son, Son Tae-gyu, registered his DNA sample with the government in 2019, according to the ministry. The late Son's remains were excavated in the southeastern city of Pohang in 2009. The identification mar

Feb. 18, 2021

Arrest warrant issued for SK Networks chairman over alleged slush fund

An arrest warrant was granted on Wednesday for Choi Shin-won, the chairman of SK Networks Co., a general trading company, on suspicion of setting up a slush fund. Choi is facing charges of embezzlement and breach of trust related to the alleged illicit fund, which has been under investigation by the anti-corruption unit of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office. "There are convincing reasons to suspect the suspect committed the crimes, and there are also concerns that he can destr

Feb. 17, 2021

Seoul National University doctor tests positive for COVID-19

A doctor at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) tested positive for the new coronavirus Wednesday, hospital officials said. The pediatric anesthesiologist working at its children's hospital took the coronavirus test after a family member was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday morning. SNUH is one of the nation's top general hospitals. So far, 20 hospital workers and four patients have been confirmed to have been in contact with the physician, and all of them wore masks, officials s

Feb. 17, 2021

Korea’s fourth, possibly worst wave yet of COVID-19 is advancing fast

COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in South Korea after a brief respite from the winter resurgence, and experts warn that the country may be heading toward what may be its largest wave yet of the pandemic -- and sooner than anticipated. Just two days after social distancing regulations were eased, the number of daily cases rose to 621 on Wednesday, the highest since mid-January in the immediate aftermath of Korea’s third wave of COVID-19, which sickened over 35,000 and

Feb. 17, 2021

Suwon sets example in policies against COVID-19

The population of Suwon City is 1.23 million, the largest among Gyeonggi Province’s 31 cities and counties, but its number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people is third from last. The achievement was thanks to the dedication of citizens, health center employees, public officials and medical workers, who followed the quarantine rules despite the inconvenience and economic losses. Suwon City took rapid countermeasures whenever there was an outbreak of the new coronavirus. In wh

Feb. 17, 2021

Suwon mayor fights for local government power

Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young’s “Special City Operation” was a success. Yeom’s quest to make Suwon a designated “special city” began when he was the first of 226 local government leaders to be elected as the supreme council member of the ruling Democratic Party last year. As a supreme council member, it placed Yeom in a position to reflect the small voices of local governments across the country, and they were attentively listened to by Korea’s political

Feb. 17, 2021

International school teacher recognized as Educator of the Year

Four faculty members at Korea International School were recognized for their efforts and their dedication to the school district and community, the school announced Wednesday. The Korea Overseas Council of Schools this month named design teacher Jeremy Jacobsen Educator of the Year. Three other KIS faculty members were nominated for the award, KIS said. KORCOS is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization of educators from overseas currently located in Korea. For this year’s awards

Feb. 17, 2021

[Animals in Korea (2)] Pro bono lawyers sue on behalf of animals in peril

In a country where news reports about animal cruelty and abandonment never stop, a group of pro bono lawyers is working to protect animals by filing suits on their behalf. Among their clients are mountain goats in danger of losing their habitat, and dogs dying in pain at meat farms. Park Joo-yeon is one of 15 lawyers engaged in animal protection activities for the civic group People for Non-Human Rights. PNR was founded in 2017 by lawyers seeking to use their collective voice to improve the l

Feb. 17, 2021

Broker arrested in refugee application fraud involving 80 Pakistanis

A foreign national has been arrested for helping about 80 Pakistanis submit asylum applications to South Korean authorities using forged documents, the immigration office in this southern port city said Wednesday. The Busan Immigration Office said it has referred the foreign refugee broker, whose identity was withheld, to the prosecution to be indicted on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act. The broker is accused of taking about 1 million won ($900) from each of the false asylum s

Feb. 17, 2021

Over 110 workers from Namyangju factory infected with COVID-19

More than 110 workers at a factory east of Seoul have tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials said Wednesday, becoming the latest in a recent string of mass infections at industrial workplaces. According to the municipal officials of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, as many as 114 employees from a single plastic manufacturing plant in the city's Jingwan General Industrial Complex, about 40 kilometers from Seoul, have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The newest cluster of factory worker in

Feb. 17, 2021

Nation once again gripped by cold weather amid subzero temps

Cold weather once again gripped the country Wednesday, with temperatures dipping into the double digits below zero in Seoul and several other areas. The capital city posted a morning low of minus 10.2 C, while the surrounding cities of Incheon and Suwon saw the mercury drop to minus 9.6 C and minus 9.5 C, respectively, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The weather authorities issued a cold wave advisory for most parts of Gangwon Province in the northeast, one of the c

Feb. 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] 5-star Jeju hotel under fire for transparent sauna windows

A new five-star hotel on Jeju Island is under fire for saying its sauna windows were mirror coated when they weren’t. Naked guests in the shower booths and bathrooms in the sauna on the second floor could be seen from the first floor at Grand Josun Jeju, which opened last month in Seogwipo. According to a complaint posted on a portal site Tuesday, a man who stayed at the hotel on his honeymoon said his wife had used the sauna several times because she was told the windows were mirror c

Feb. 17, 2021

New virus cases most since early January, post-holiday resurgence looming

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases increased by the most in more than a month to over 600 on Wednesday, prompting concerns over a virus resurgence after the Lunar New Year holiday amid eased social distancing rules. The country reported 621 more COVID-19 cases, including 590 local infections, raising the total caseload to 84,946, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added four more deaths, raising the total to 1,538. Wednesday's caseload was the high

Feb. 17, 2021

Temporary jobs for 20-somethings tumble in Jan. amid pandemic

The number of temporary and daily jobs for 20-somethings in South Korea plunged nearly 18 percent in January amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Wednesday. The country had 997,000 temporary and daily workers in their 20s last month, down 17.7 percent, or 214,000, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The number of temporary employees plunged by 151,000 in January from a year earlier, with that of daily workers sinking by 63,000. Temporary workers refer to th

Feb. 17, 2021

Boiler factory reports 95 infections in new coronavirus cluster

A boiler factory in central South Korea has emerged as a new coronavirus cluster, with 95 cases linked to the facility confirmed as of Tuesday, officials said. Kiturami Boiler's plant in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, has reported coronavirus infections among 77 employees and 15 of their family members, according to provincial health officials. The company employs 641 workers. Most of the infected employees worked at the same building named "F," the officials said, speculating th

Feb. 16, 2021

Seoul city looking for dog care specialists

The Seoul 50 Plus Foundation has launched a project to provide new job opportunities for people aged between 40 and 67. Under the title “50+ Dog Care Specialists Matching Support”, the project is designed to discover a new business model where middle-aged people can make use of their experience raising a pet. The Seoul 50 Plus Foundation said Tuesday that the project will be carried out in cooperation with local pet service company Pet People, which operates a platform called Pet

Feb. 16, 2021

Korea buys more doses of Pfizer, Novavax vaccines

South Korea has finalized deals with Pfizer and Novavax for 46 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Tuesday. The prime minister told a government meeting that Korea on Monday evening signed the final contracts with Pfizer for 6 million more doses, in addition to the 20 million doses already ordered from the company, and 40 million doses from Novavax. The extra purchases push the country’s reservoir of COVID-19 vaccines to 152 million doses, which will

Feb. 16, 2021

[News Focus] Lawmakers push for bill to protect domestic workers after 10-year wait

There is light at the end of the tunnel for domestic workers, as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea hopes to pass a bill this month that would ensure better working conditions for them after a decadelong wait. Ruling party lawmakers in the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee are pushing to pass the bill during this month’s provisional session, in keeping with the party’s vow to expand protection for the working class and categorize domestic workers as wage laborers u

Feb. 16, 2021