Cho Kuk’s wife sentenced to 4 years in prison for forgery and illegal investment

Chung Kyung-sim, the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, was sentenced to four years in prison for forging documents to help her daughter gain admission at a medical school and for making illegal investments in a private equity fund. The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday immediately put Chung under detention and slapped her with a fine of 500 million won ($451,000), alongside the forfeiture of 140 million won. The 58-year-old Dongyang University professor was indicted in November

Dec. 23, 2020

Korea halts flights from UK over new COVID-19 variant

South Korea will suspend all passenger flights from the United Kingdom over worries about a new variant of the coronavirus, health officials said Wednesday. Yoon Tae-ho, a senior official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, told a virtual news briefing that air travel from the UK will be barred from Wednesday until Dec. 31. Korea’s two domestic airlines together operate direct routes to and from London‘s Heathrow Airport four times a week. Korean Air will still fly planes from

Dec. 23, 2020

Population mobility rises for 6th month in Nov. amid rising home prices

The number of South Koreans who moved to different parts of the country rose for the sixth straight month in November amid rising housing prices, data showed Wednesday. The number of people who changed their residences gained 7.9 percent on-year to 610,000 in November, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The tally has risen since June, when the number of such people grew 25.3 percent on-year to 607,000. The population mobility rate -- the number of those relocating per 100 peo

Dec. 23, 2020

Childbirths in S. Korea dip by most in 2 decades in Oct.

The number of babies born in South Korea declined by the fastest on-year pace in 19 years in October, data showed Wednesday, underscoring the country's chronic low birth rate. The data compiled by Statistics Korea showed that 21,934 babies were born in October, down 14.4 percent from a year earlier. It marked the sharpest on-year fall for any October since 2001, when the number of newborns fell 17.7 percent on-year. The tally also marked a record low for the month of October since 1981, when

Dec. 23, 2020

Over half of S. Koreans value speed over safety regarding vaccinations: survey

Over half of South Koreans think the speed at which coronavirus vaccinations are carried out is more important than verifying their safety, a public survey showed Wednesday. In the Realmeter survey conducted on 500 people aged 18 or older nationwide Tuesday, 54.9 percent of the respondents said the country should start vaccinating the public as soon as possible because the current state of the new coronavirus pandemic is dire. Another 41.1 percent, however, said inoculations could wait until t

Dec. 23, 2020

Military reports two new COVID-19 cases

A Navy officer and an Army soldier tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The officer stationed in the eastern city of Donghae was confirmed to have been infected after coming into close contact with one of his colleagues who earlier tested positive, according to the ministry. The Army soldier in the northeastern county of Yanggu tested positive after undergoing a test upon returning from vacation, the ministry said. The latest cases brought the total nu

Dec. 23, 2020

Travel spots to be closed, private gatherings banned in holiday season amid worsening pandemic

This year will be a subdued holiday season for many South Koreans as winter destinations are closed and restaurants are banned from having groups of five or more people under toughened virus curbs. Authorities have repeatedly urged the public to cancel their year-end gatherings and trips to reduce risk of COVID-19 infections, but some people have found loopholes in the social distancing guidelines to go to ski resorts and have private parties in hotels and other venues. The Seoul metropolitan

Dec. 23, 2020

PM hopes for breakthrough in antivirus fight during upcoming holidays

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Wednesday stressed the importance of thorough measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 especially during the upcoming Christmas and New Year's holiday season. The government on Tuesday announced more stringent antivirus measures for the period, including a nationwide ban on private gatherings of five or more people, and closures of ski slopes and other winter sports facilities, as well as popular year-end tourist attractions, from Thursday until Jan. 3. "

Dec. 23, 2020

Standstill order issued in Gyeonggi, central regions amid bird flu outbreak

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it has identified this year's 20th highly pathogenic bird flu case from farms, amid deepening concerns over the nationwide spread of the contagious disease. The latest case was reported at a duck farm in Yongin, just south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. South Korea has reported farm-related highly pathogenic bird flu cases across the nation since late November, including one case from a guest ranch.

Dec. 23, 2020

New virus cases spike to over 1,000, virus curbs further tightened

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose to above 1,000 for the first time in three days Wednesday, as the nation imposed the most stringent social distancing rules so far to contain the winter wave of the virus. The country added 1,092 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,060 local infections, raising the total caseload to 52,550, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It was the second-highest one-day tally of confirmed cases since the pandemic began. The tall

Dec. 23, 2020

S. Korea confirms another case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea confirmed another case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry Tuesday, raising this year's total caseload to 19 amid growing concerns over the disease spreading across the nation. The new case was found at a chicken farm in Yeoju, 105 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said.All of the farm's 150,000 chickens were culled as a preventive measure. The discovery put the nationwide tally of highly pathogenic bird flu cases from p

Dec. 22, 2020

Surprise COVID-19 ban on travel, gatherings puzzles Koreans

The South Korean government on Wednesday whipped out a new set of restrictions not already part of its COVID-19 playbook, in an effort to tame the surge in infections. As the changes come after the government had said it would not be tightening rules in recent briefings, businesses are taken aback while the public reports confusion. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that dining in groups of five or more will be prohibited nationwide from Thursday until Jan. 3. Hotels and other ac

Dec. 22, 2020

[Q&A] Ban on gatherings of 5 or more people explained

There is some unfortunate news for those who planned to go skiing, who already booked a nice restaurant or hotel room for a party or who wanted to go to the seaside for the New Year’s sunrise. Private gatherings of five or more people in Seoul and surrounding areas will be banned and popular tourist spots will be shut down starting midnight Wednesday, as health authorities scramble to curb the spread of the coronavirus over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Although the government ti

Dec. 22, 2020

1 in 4 COVID-19 cases in Seoul confirmed via random testing

One in four new daily COVID-19 cases in Seoul was confirmed through random street testing this week, the city government said Tuesday. The number of new daily coronavirus infections in the capital rose by 317 on Monday, staying over the 300 mark for the seventh consecutive day. Of Monday's daily caseload, 78 infections, or 24.6 percent, were confirmed by temporary testing centers that began three weeks of operation throughout the greater Seoul area on Dec. 14. In a bid to preemptively find &q

Dec. 22, 2020

[News Focus] Korea’s elderly population surges by 1 million since 2017

SEJONG -- South Korea’s elderly population has increased by more than 1 million in only three years, with the growth pace accelerating and their portion of the entire population expanding, government data showed. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the number of seniors, or people aged 65 or over, came to 8.46 million as of November. This posted a growth of 1.13 million (or 15.4 percent) from 7.33 million in November 2017. The pace is speeding up recently, given that the ta

Dec. 22, 2020

S. Korea investigating more suspected highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Tuesday it is currently investigating two suspected cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza from local farms, amid growing concerns over the bird flu spreading across the nation. Authorities have identified yet another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu from a duck farm located in Yongin, just south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm was raising 6,000 ducks and 90,000 quails. On Monday, ano

Dec. 22, 2020

Military reports five new virus cases

Four service members and an civilian worker for the military tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday. One Navy officer stationed in the eastern city of Donghae was confirmed to have been infected following an infection of his family member, and one of his colleagues at the same unit also contracted the virus, according to the ministry. One Army officer in the border city of Paju tested positive after undergoing a test upon returning from vacation. Contact tra

Dec. 22, 2020

Two S. Korean workers for USFK test positive for COVID-19

Two South Korean workers for the US Forces Korea have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Tuesday. One contractor who works on Camp Casey in the northern city of Dongducheon was confirmed to have been infected on Saturday after coming into contact with a person who earlier tested positive, according to USFK. He last visited the camp on Dec. 13 and has been in isolation at his residence since the following day, it added. The other COVID-19 patient is a civilian employ

Dec. 22, 2020

[Newsmaker] K-pop band BTOB's rapper under probe on alleged marijuana use

K-pop band BTOB's rapper Jung Il-hoon was apprehended by the police earlier this year for allegedly smoking marijuana on multiple occasions, according to law enforcement authorities. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday they referred the 26-year-old rapper, together with accomplices, to the prosecution in July, with recommendations to indict him for violating the Narcotics Control Act. Jung is accused of repeatedly using marijuana he bought secondhand through his acquaintance. He w

Dec. 22, 2020

New virus cases under 1,000 for 2nd day, private gatherings to be banned from Wednesday

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 1,000 for the second consecutive day Tuesday, with health authorities set to adopt the most stringent distancing rules so far to contain the spread of the virus. The country added 869 more COVID-19 cases, including 824 local infections, raising the total caseload to 51,460, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally marked a decline from 926 cases Monday, 1,097 cases Sunday, 1,053 Saturday and 1,062 Friday

Dec. 22, 2020