[News Focus] Deaths outnumber births in 12 of 13 months

SEJONG -- The number of births in South Korea renewed its all-time low last month at 21,043, with the gap with the number of deaths widening after the latter overtook births last year. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, there were 25,997 deaths in November. Since the tally for deaths overtook births in November 2019, the gap has widened, with the previous biggest gap of 4,778 posted in October. The births tally in November 2020 contrasts with 34,847, posted five years earlier in

Dec. 6, 2020

[Herald Interview] Openness to internal change needed to complete prosecution reform

President Moon Jae-in’s initiative to curb the immense power of state prosecutors is now at its halfway point, with related bills having cleared hurdles in the parliament. For the reform measures to really take root, prosecutors need to step up and play a greater role in driving internal and cultural changes among themselves, said Kim In-hoe, a professor at Inha University Law School in Seoul who is often dubbed the architect of Moon’s prosecution reform scheme, “Once a

Dec. 6, 2020

S. Korea confirms another highly pathogenic bird flu case at poultry farm

South Korea confirmed another case of highly pathogenic bird flu at a duck farm in a southern county Saturday, putting quarantine authorities on high alert. The latest case was reported at a duck meat farm in South Jeolla Province‘s Yeongam County, according to the provincial government. It marks the third highly pathogenic case reported at a poultry house this year and the first such case confirmed in South Jeolla Province in three years. Having blocked access to the affected farm and

Dec. 6, 2020

S. Korea to raise social distancing to Level 2.5 in capital area

South Korea on Sunday decided to raise distancing regulations for the greater Seoul area to the second-highest level as part of its utmost efforts to stem a resurgence of the novel coronavirus. The government announced that the Level 2.5 distancing, the second highest in the country's five-tier COVID-19 alert system, will be applied to the nation's capital area, which covers Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, for the next three weeks. Health authorities are expected to announce when the upgr

Dec. 6, 2020

S. Korea to give additional support to overseas Koreans' fight against recent COVID-19 surge

South Korea will support an additional 200 billion won ($184,000) worth of relief and sanitary goods to help overseas Koreans fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic, the foreign ministry said Sunday. Face masks, hand sanitizers and other health care items will be sent to 57 ethnic Korean associations in 26 countries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aid is aimed at helping overseas Koreans who are struggling with lockdowns or curfews in many countries amid the recent hug

Dec. 6, 2020

Third wave-hit Korea to decide whether to begin tougher rules nationwide

South Koreans are due to find out later today whether or not more social distancing restrictions will be implemented as the country reels under third wave of the coronavirus. Korea on Saturday conducted 14,371 cases and confirmed 631 new infections -- 599 locally transmitted and 32 imported --, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Sunday situation report, which is the third-highest total in a single day since the onset of the outbreak here. The cumulative numbe

Dec. 6, 2020

Seoul city to cancel year-end bell-ringing ceremony due to COVID-19

The Seoul metropolitan government said Sunday that a traditional bell-ringing ceremony at midnight on New Year's Eve will be canceled amid a recent surge in novel coronavirus infections. "Considering the rapid spread of COVID-19, we have to cancel the year-end bell-ringing ceremony," said an official from the municipal government of the capital city. It is the first time in 67 years that the annual year-end celebration held at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul on the last day of the

Dec. 6, 2020

New virus cases hit highest since March, tougher curbs to be enforced

The daily number of new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 600 on Sunday, as authorities decided to raise social distancing measures to Level 2.5 in the greater Seoul area to curb the relentless surge in COVID-19 transmissions. The country added 631 more COVID-19 cases, including 599 local infections, raising the total caseload to 37,546, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Five additional coronavirus fatalities were reported, bringing the total to 545. Th

Dec. 6, 2020

Coronavirus cases in military exceed 400 as 6 new cases reported

    Coronavirus infections in the South Korean military exceeded 400 Saturday, as six more cases were reported amid a continued cluster transmission at barracks. Three soldiers at an Army boot camp in the border county of Yeoncheon tested positive while being quarantined, bringing the number of total patients there to 80, according to the defense ministry. One Army officer and a Marine at the Sangmudae Artillery School in the southwestern county of Jangseong also tested positive

Dec. 5, 2020

Nearly W15b budget allotted for opening Sejong branch of parliament

SEJONG -- Nearly 15 billion won ($13.7 million) has been set aside from state budgets to launch a project to partly relocate the National Assembly in Seoul to the administrative city of Sejong. According to the Sejong municipality, the 2021 national budget, approved by the assembly earlier this week, includes 12.7 billion won earmarked for the initial design of the envisioned Sejong National Assembly.  Including the unused 2 billion-won budget allotted for the relocation project this year

Dec. 5, 2020

Arrest warrants issued for 2 officials over Wolsong-1 shutdown controversy

DAEJEON -- A local court on Friday issued arrest warrants for government officials accused of deleting documents related to the controversial closure of the Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor. The Daejeon Central District Court granted the warrants against two officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, whose names were withheld, on charges of disturbing the state auditors' examination.  However, the court rejected a request to issue an arrest warrant for another ministry offi

Dec. 5, 2020

New virus cases below 600, bigger wave of pandemic in progress

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea fell back to below 600 on Saturday, following a nine-month high the previous day, continuing to put the country under a critical alert over a bigger wave of the pandemic amid the winter. The country added 583 more COVID-19 cases, including 559 local infections, raising the total caseload to 36,915, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It reported four additional coronavirus fatalities, bringing the total t

Dec. 5, 2020

New virus cases at 9-month high of over 600, tighter curbs to be considered

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea topped 600 on Friday, the most in nearly nine months despite tightened antivirus measures, prodding authorities to consider adopting tighter virus restrictions. The country added 629 more COVID-19 cases, including 600 local infections, raising the total caseload to 36,332, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It reported seven additional coronavirus fatalities, bringing the total to 536. An additional 439

Dec. 4, 2020

Two people indicted on fraud charges in Optimus fraud case

The prosecution on Friday indicted a key broker on charges of fraud in connection with its investigation into a financial fraud scheme at a private equity investment company. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office charged the suspect, only identified by his family name Shin, with fraud in the massive fund scam case surrounding Optimus Asset Management. It also charged another suspect, surnamed Kim, with violation of the Attorney-at-Law Act. The Optimus scandal centers on allegations th

Dec. 4, 2020

Democratic Party leader’s aide found dead

An aide to Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yon was found dead Thursday after prosecutors questioned him over allegations that a firm suspected of involvement in investment fraud paid for Lee’s office supplies. Police found the deputy chief of Lee’s secretariat, also surnamed Lee, dead in a building near the Seoul Central District Court around 9:30 p.m. on Thursday during a search, after he was reported missing. Lee, accompanied by a lawyer, was interrogated at the Seoul Central Dis

Dec. 4, 2020

[Newsmaker] Court mulls arrest warrants for 3 Industry Ministry officials over closure of Wolsong-1 reactor

A local court on Friday began reviewing whether to issue arrest warrants for three high-ranking Energy Ministry officials suspected of destroying documents about the controversial closure of the Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor. The Daejeon District Court on Friday afternoon started an arrest warrant hearing for the three officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. This followed a request from the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday. The officials are under investig

Dec. 4, 2020

Prosecutors demand life sentence for child pornography offender

JEJU -- Prosecutors have demanded life imprisonment for a sex offender indicted for allegedly producing about 1,300 child sexual exploitation photos and videos and distributing some of them online, judicial officials said Friday. The sentencing demand was made during a hearing held at the Jeju District Court on Thursday on the case of Bae Jun-hwan, a 37-year-old who was arrested in July on charges of forcing 44 minors encountered in an open online chat room to produce 1,293 sexual exploitation

Dec. 4, 2020

College hopefuls may be denied early admissions if they have COVID-19 or have to self-quarantine

Fear is growing among college hopefuls after Thursday’s national college entrance exam, as the coronavirus situation could hinder their chances of gaining admission to the colleges of their choice. Starting this weekend, a number of universities are kicking off written exams and interviews for early admissions. Universities are looking to recruit 77 percent of their new students for next year by Dec. 27. Konkuk University will have a written exam Saturday, followed by Sogang University,

Dec. 4, 2020

6 soldiers, 1 Marine test positive for COVID-19

Six Army soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. Three Army officers at the Sangmudae Artillery School in Jangseong, 310 kilometers south of Seoul, were diagnosed with COVID-19 while in quarantine after cluster infections were reported at the base, according to the ministry. Another officer in the central city of Gyeryong tested positive while in quarantine after he was found to have had contact with a person who was later found to

Dec. 4, 2020

[Newsmaker] S. Korea probes 10 suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea said Friday it is investigating 10 suspected cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) found from wild bird droppings, sparking concerns over the nationwide spread of the virus among poultry farms. The new suspected cases came from samples gathered from major wild bird habitats across the nation, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It will take up to five days to determine whether they are highly pathogenic. South Korea reported its first highl

Dec. 4, 2020