More people suffer from ‘unfair’ online subscription services

A man in his 30s surnamed Kwak signed up for an online subscription service that provides movies. Kwak tried to download videos from the webpage, but it never worked, even after multiple tries. So he contacted the service provider and asked for a refund. The service provider turned him down, saying that the error in Kwak’s case could not be identified. Amid the increasing demand for online subscription services, especially video or music streaming content, Kwak’s case is an exa

Jan. 27, 2021

S. Korea seeks to tackle demographic cliff amid low birthrate, rapid aging

South Korea said Wednesday it plans to launch a task force on population policy next month in an effort to preemptively tackle a demographic cliff amid the country's chronic low birthrate and rapid aging. The third pan-governmental task force will set sail in February to deal with major demographic risks, including a fall in the population and preparation for a super-aged society, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Last year, the number of deaths surpassed that of newborns for t

Jan. 27, 2021

Preemptive COVID-19 tests ordered for missionary schools, as cluster infections top 300

A Christian missionary society has been ordered or advised to conduct coronavirus tests for people at all of its affiliated schools and facilities in South Korea, government officials said Wednesday, as a cluster of COVID-19 infections tied to a subsidiary school has so far infected more than 320. According to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, a government agency, the number of infected people in the latest virus cluster traced to the International English Mission (IEM) School in th

Jan. 27, 2021

Prosecutors intensify probe into travel ban on ex-vice justice minister

Prosecutors have raided the office of the anti-corruption team at the Supreme Prosecutors Office, intensifying an investigation into an allegedly illegal ban on a former vice justice minister from leaving the country two years ago. The Suwon District Prosecutors Office, in charge of the probe, sent prosecutors and police investigators to the team's office in southern Seoul on Tuesday afternoon to secure documents and data compiled when the justice ministry issued an urgent overseas travel ban o

Jan. 27, 2021

Childbirths in S. Korea hit record low, deaths at near 4-decade high in Nov.

The number of babies born in South Korea hit a new record low in November last year, data showed Wednesday, underscoring the country's chronic low birth rate. The number of deaths rose to the highest in 37 years, leading to the population declining for the 13th straight month, according to Statistics Korea. The data showed that 20,085 babies were born in November, down 15.3 percent from a year earlier. It marked a record low for the month of November since 1981, when the statistics agency beg

Jan. 27, 2021

New infections up over 500 on flare-up in religious community infections

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases soared over 500 for the first time in 10 days Wednesday as infections at religious educational facilities flared up this week. The country added 559 more COVID-19 cases, including 516 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 76,429, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was sharply up from 354 on Tuesday and 437 on Monday. The sharp rise in cases of locally transmitted infections came from

Jan. 27, 2021

S. Korea investigating 4 suspected cases of bird flu, extends disinfection operations

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is looking into four suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu as it extended the daily disinfection operations at all poultry farms for another two-week period. Since late November, South Korea has reported 73 cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza from local farms, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The country has been carrying out daily disinfection operations at all farms since last week. All fou

Jan. 27, 2021

Health minister tests negative for COVID-19 after exposure to patient

Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday after coming in contact with a ministry employee infected with the virus, his office said. 　 Kwon has been placed under self-quarantine after being exposed to the patient. He will receive a second test a few days later in consideration of the virus‘ incubation period, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said. 　 Earlier in the day, Kwon attended a Cabinet meeting held at the government complex in Sejong, about 120 kilome

Jan. 26, 2021

Adoptees say ‘we are not a thing’

A group of South Korean adoptees have taken to social media to demand an apology from President Moon Jae-in over his controversial remarks on adoption and are calling for a change in landscape for future adoptees. In the wake of a series of child abuse cases, Moon recently said that adoptive parents should have the right to cancel their adoptions or switch their child. Although Cheong Wa Dae later explained he was referring to a grace period before an adoption is finalized and such foster care

Jan. 26, 2021

6 in 10 workers will not travel to hometown for Lunar New Year: survey

Six out of ten office workers in South Korea said they will not visit their families in their hometowns during the Lunar New Year holiday due to the spread of the coronavirus, a survey showed Monday. According to a survey of 1,434 officer workers conducted by a job search engine Saramin, 63.4 percent of the respondents said they will not travel to their hometowns in what is normally the busiest time of the year for family get-togethers. This year’s Lunar New Year holiday falls on Feb.

Jan. 26, 2021

With COVID-19 vaccines just weeks away, S. Korea aims high

With the first COVID-19 vaccines to arrive here in just a few weeks, South Korea is drawing up a national plan to achieve the coveted goal of herd immunity with hopes of exiting the pandemic before the year is over. The government announced in a virtual news conference after a presidential briefing on Monday that it plans to vaccinate 70 percent of the Korean population by the end of September. Herd immunity will be reached by November. This is an expedited time frame compared with the one pr

Jan. 26, 2021

Infections linked to homeless shelters at Seoul Station

Facilities for homeless people at Seoul Station were temporarily shut down Tuesday after coronavirus infections were traced there, according to the Seoul city government. Three homeless people and two employees linked to the homeless support center and emergency shelter at Seoul Station Plaza had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Tuesday, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Since the first case was reported Jan. 17, some 25 people had been hospitalized or gone into isolati

Jan. 26, 2021

3 officials from McDonald's supplier get suspended sentences for selling tainted patties

Three officials from a burger patty supplier for McDonald's Korea were given suspended prison sentences by a local court Tuesday for providing patties potentially contaminated with E. coli to the local unit of the global fast-food giant. A managing director of the supplier, whose name was withheld, and two mid-ranking officials in charge of production and quality management, respectively, were indicted without detention in 2018 for allegedly distributing 63 tons of beef patties that tested pos

Jan. 26, 2021

[News Focus] Unauthorized alternative schools in blind spot of Korea’s virus control efforts

With the discovery of coronavirus outbreaks at alternative schools that are not accredited or supported by the Ministry of Education, authorities are concerned that these institutions could serve as a catalyst for the ongoing COVID-19 wave to continue or even gain steam. Officials say these institutions may not have abided by the social distancing rules as no government agency or ministry has official jurisdiction over them, enabling them to stay in a disease control blind spot. The

Jan. 26, 2021

S. Korea pushes to embrace cohabiting couples, non-traditional families

South Korean government pushes to reform family-related laws to accommodate various types of familial and household structures such as cohabiting couples who are not married. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family laid out a basic plan for family policy on Sunday to be effective from 2021-2025, though revisions to related laws must pass through the parliament before they take effect. The current civil law stipulates that a family involves direct family by blood, siblings, a spouse and t

Jan. 26, 2021

Lunar New Year travel plans pose new challenge in COVID-19 fight

Coronavirus-weary South Koreans are making travel plans for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, posing a new challenge in the country's fight against COVID-19. With the holiday two weeks away, daily coronavirus infections are down to the 300s from a peak of 1,241 on Dec. 25. Health authorities have warned it is too early for people to let their guard down and maintained a ban on private gatherings of five or more until the end of this month. Still, some say they are hopeful the ban will be li

Jan. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Govt. to expand in-person classes for younger students this year

Younger students and disabled children will get more in-person instruction this year, the Ministry of Education said Tuesday, to fill their academic and social needs exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Announcing its work plan and goal for this year, the ministry said it will continue to ensure a safe learning environment at school despite the threat of the virus, and aim to bring more children back to school. "The ministry will prioritize to have preschoolers, lower graders of eleme

Jan. 26, 2021

S. Korea confirms 73rd case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Tuesday it has confirmed the 73rd case of highly pathogenic bird flu from a poultry farm, sparking concerns over a prolonged battle with the animal disease. The latest case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from a duck farm in Hampyeong, 383 kilometers south of Seoul, on the previous day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The country reported its first farm-related case in nearly three years in November. Since th

Jan. 26, 2021

Nation on alert as coronavirus cases linked to unauthorized school reported in other regions

State and local health authorities on Tuesday were cautiously tracing and monitoring the development of a mass coronavirus outbreak at an unauthorized missionary training school in Daejeon, as cases linked to the school and its operator were being reported in other regions. The IEM School in the central city, located 164 kilometers south of Seoul, experienced a cluster outbreak over the weekend, with the number of infected students and faculty members from the facility reaching 133 as of Tuesda

Jan. 26, 2021

New virus cases fall back to below 400 again; clusters tied to religious facilities on rise

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to below 400 on Tuesday on the back of tighter virus curbs, but authorities remain on alert over a rise in cluster infections tied to religious facilities. The country added 354 more COVID-19 cases, including 338 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 75,875, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was down from 437 on Monday and 392 on Sunday. A total of 171 confirmed cases were

Jan. 26, 2021