Victim of ex-Seoul mayor's sexual harassment urges lawmaker to resign

A victim of sexual harassment by former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon on Monday urged a ruling party lawmaker to resign and apologize over the suspected leakage of information about her complaint against the mayor. “I am horrified by the fact that the complaint against Park could be revealed to him even before I filed the complaint with the police,” the victim and her family said in a statement. Rep. Nam In-soon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea is under investigation over su

Jan. 18, 2021

Foreign residents to get COVID-19 vaccine for free

The South Korean government on Monday said that foreign residents in the country will also be given the COVID-19 vaccine for free, as will Korean nationals, once the vaccines are rolled out. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s chief Jung Eun-kyeong, who will helm the immunization efforts in the country, told a news briefing that “everyone here, including foreign residents, will be given the vaccines free of charge.” The announcement comes as the authorities s

Jan. 18, 2021

Uncontrolled carbon emissions could warm Korea by 7 degrees in 60 years, weather agency warns

If carbon emissions are kept at the current level, the temperature on the Korean Peninsula could rise by 7 degrees Celsius within the next 60 years, the Korea Meteorological Agency said Monday. Based on a recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the state-run weather agency released its Korean Peninsula Climate Change Forecast Report 2020. The KMA’s report divided the climate change outlook into two scenarios -- “high-carbon” and “low-carbon.&r

Jan. 18, 2021

Webtoon artist creates stir for defaming independence fighters

South Korean webtoon artist Yoon Seo-in was mired in controversy after writing a post that appeared to hail pro-Japanese collaborators and insult Korean independence fighters on his Facebook. The controversial cartoonist faces a lawsuit from an association of the independence fighters who fought against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, after describing them as “people who have lived lazily.” “While descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators lived th

Jan. 18, 2021

S. Korea reports 1st COVID-19 variant case from Brazil

South Korea's health authorities on Monday confirmed the country's first case of the new coronavirus variant that was first identified in Brazil. The latest discovery brings the total caseload of new coronavirus variants to 18 here, including 15 with the British COVID-19 variant and two with the South African variant, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Reports say the British and South African variants may spread more readily between people than the original v

Jan. 18, 2021

Samsung heir sent back to jail

An appellate court sentenced Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong to 2 1/2 years in prison Monday for bribery in a high-profile case involving former President Park Geun-hye, reopening a leadership vacuum at South Korea’s biggest tech giant. In the final verdict, announced at around 2:20 p.m., judges at the Seoul High Court said, “Considering all circumstances, it is inevitable that Lee is sentenced to prison and arrested in court.” Choi Ji-sung and Jang Choong-ki, two other Samsung ex

Jan. 18, 2021

Over 35% of non-regular workers lost jobs amid pandemic: survey

Over a third of non-regular workers have experienced unemployment since the new coronavirus broke out in South Korea in January 2020, a survey showed Monday. According to a survey by Embrain Public conducted on 1,000 salaried workers aged between 19 and 55 on four occasions in April, June, September and December, the average rate of respondents who said they have lost their jobs stood at 17.2 percent in December, up 11.7 percentage points from April. The rise was sharper among non-regular work

Jan. 18, 2021

[Newsmaker] ‘My son is not a ghost,’ parent files petition

A parent of an autistic child filed a presidential petition Friday after having received numerous complaints by neighbors in their apartment building. According to the presidential office’s petition website, a petition titled “Please save our family of autistic children” was posted under the category of “child-rearing/education.” The petitioner noted that he lives with a 9-year-old son who has autism in an apartment in Seo-gu, Incheon. He said, “Some residen

Jan. 18, 2021

Govt. to train specialists in agriculture and food sectors to lead post-virus era

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will begin training officials and workers in the agricultural and food sectors to lead the post-coronavirus era, the Food and Agriculture Officials Training Institute said Sunday. The plan is to foster 32,000 agricultural and food experts through 162 different training courses this year. As the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to conduct large, offline classes, the Food and Agriculture Officials Training Institute said 27.5

Jan. 18, 2021

‘Herd immunity will be achieved by September’

This is an excerpt from President Moon Jae-in’s New Year press conference. -- Ed. Q. Do you regret not procuring vaccines earlier? A. No. Vaccines will be rolled out sufficiently quickly, and a sufficient amount has been secured. As they are newly developed vaccines, risk has been distributed by purchasing many different vaccines. As inoculations take time, and there is the matter of storage time, vaccines will be brought in in stages. The plan is to start in February and complete the

Jan. 18, 2021

Heavy snow advisory issued for Seoul, central regions

A heavy snow advisory was replaced by a cold wave alert in Seoul and central regions on Monday, the weather agency said, forecasting the capital's morning low will dip to minus 13 C on Tuesday. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said it has lifted a heavy snow advisory issued for Seoul and central and southern regions and that a cold wave alert or warning will go into effect in those regions Monday night. A cold wave warning is issued when the morning low is below minus 15 C for mor

Jan. 18, 2021

USFK reports 3 more virus cases linked to Yongsan base

Three more coronavirus cases were reported in connection with a US Army base in Seoul, US Forces Korea said Monday. Two American civilian employees at the US Army base in Seoul and the spouse of another American employee, who had tested positive last week, were confirmed to be infected with the virus, according to the US military. The civilians, who work at the Yongsan base, contracted the virus after coming into direct contact with other confirmed patients from the base, according to USFK.

Jan. 18, 2021

New virus cases at almost 2-month low on fewer tests, infections slowdown

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose by the smallest number in nearly two months Monday, apparently on the back of tightened social distancing measures and fewer tests over the weekend, but health authorities remain vigilant over potential upticks. The country added 389 more COVID-19 cases, including 366 local infections, raising the total caseload to 72,729, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Monday's daily figure marked a sharp fall from 520 posted

Jan. 18, 2021

Some 135,000 terminal patients opt to die with dignity over 3 years: data

Nearly 135,000 terminally ill South Koreans have chosen to forgo life-prolonging treatment since the legalization of the right to die with dignity three years ago, government data showed Monday. The number of patients who opted to die with dignity stood at 134,945 at the end of December last year, according to the data from the National Agency for Management of Life-Sustaining Treatment. Of the total patients, 80,594, or 59.7 percent, were male, with those aged 60 or older taking up 81 percent

Jan. 18, 2021

Authorities on alert as heavy snowfall set to hit Korea

Disaster safety authorities were on heightened alert on Sunday as heavy snowfall was forecast to hit South Korea on Sunday evening and throughout the night, raising alarms over potential traffic disturbances around morning rush hour the next day. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the western part of the greater Seoul area and the west coast line of the South Chungcheong Province will begin to see snowfall at around 3 p.m. The flurry will then gradually move east to affect the count

Jan. 17, 2021

1 new case of highly pathogenic bird flu reported from poultry farm

One new case of highly pathogenic bird flu was reported from a local poultry farm on Sunday, raising the total caseload to 66, the agriculture ministry said. The latest suspected case of the highly-virulent H5N8 avian influenza strain was reported at a duck farm in Gimje, about 260 kilometers southwest of Seoul, according to the ministry. The ministry said it has culled poultry in farms within a 3 kilometer radius and has issued a standstill order for nearby farms within 10 kilometers for 30 d

Jan. 17, 2021

[News Focus] 1 in 4 female Seoulites aged 60 or over

SEJONG -- The number of people aged 100 or over in South Korea reached a historic high of 21,912 last year, data from the Ministry of Interior and Safety showed. In particular, 75.5 percent of centenarians were women, with the age group comprising 16,561 women vs. 5,351 men. Of all female centenarians, 5,001 or 30.1 percent resided in Seoul. Compared with 2010, when the tally of female centenarians residing in the capital was 2,549, the number has seen a 96.1 percent increase. The figure stoo

Jan. 17, 2021

Korea slightly eases social distancing rules

Some businesses that have been shut down amid a winter surge in COVID-19 infections will be able to reopen in the coming week, as South Korea revises its social distancing rules in a tricky balance between health and the economy. The government said over the weekend that indoor sports and karaoke facilities, which have been required to stay closed since early December, can reopen with some restrictions starting Monday. Cafes can open for indoor operations until 9 p.m., just like restaurants.&n

Jan. 17, 2021

Another bout of heavy snow to hit S. Korea

Another bout of heavy snowfall has been forecast to hit South Korea later in the day and continue through Monday morning, raising the alarm over a potential traffic disturbance around morning rush hour. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the western part of the greater Seoul area and the west coast line of South Chungcheong Province will begin to see snowfall at around 3 p.m. The flurry will then gradually move east to affect the country's inland areas. By Monday morning, most parts

Jan. 17, 2021

S. Korea investigating suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Sunday it is investigating a suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu from a poultry farm. The latest suspected case of the malign H5 strain of avian influenza was reported at a duck farm in Gimje, about 260 kilometers southwest of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The ministry issued a standstill order for nearby farms within 10 kilometers, as bird flu is contagious and can cause severe illness and even death

Jan. 17, 2021