Hundreds of special forces personnel mobilized to support virus fight

More than 300 Special Warfare officers were dispatched to public health centers Monday to help with the government's handling of the new coronavirus, the Army said. A total of 379 officers from the Army's Special Warfare Command were sent to 79 public health centers in Seoul and the surrounding areas to conduct diverse supporting roles, such as contact tracing, data management and transferring samples for virus tests for two months, according to the Army. The move came as the metropolitan ar

Dec. 14, 2020

More than 2m facilities to face restrictions under Level 3 social distancing: ministry

More than 2 million multiuse facilities and businesses will face restrictions if the government raises the social distancing scheme to Level 3, the health ministry said Sunday. Son Young-rae, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing that the highest level calls for a no-assembly order on around 450,000 facilities and restricted services at around 1.57 million others. South Korea operates a five-tier social distancing scheme, with the greater Seoul area currently under the second-high

Dec. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] ‘Winter did not have to be this bad’

A winter surge of COVID-19 infections was something that Korea was well warned against but did not do enough to prepare for, experts say, arguing that any further delay in response could exact a greater toll in lives than earlier heights of the pandemic. Korea just saw its worst weekend yet for COVID-19 cases, tallying record-high numbers of new infections for two consecutive days at 950 cases and 1,030 cases. For the first time since the virus took hold, the number of patients under treatment

Dec. 13, 2020

What will build people’s trust in COVID-19 vaccines?

Recent blunders with flu shots should serve as a lesson that clear communication backed by science is key to bolstering the public’s embrace of the coming COVID-19 vaccines and offsetting mistrust, experts say. Earlier in the fall, more than 1 million doses of flu vaccine were recalled over suspected contamination or exposure to temperatures outside their safe range. Public health authorities were accused of withholding information on the mishandling for at least three days -- during whi

Dec. 13, 2020

S. Korea confirms two more cases of highly pathogenic bird flu in poultry

South Korea confirmed two more cases of highly pathogenic bird flu at a poultry farm in a southern region on Sunday amid growing concerns over the disease spreading nationwide despite tougher measures. Avian influenza (AI) of H5N8 strain was found from samples collected from two duck farms in Yeongam county, 384 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It marked the country's 11th and 12th highly pathogenic AI case in domestic birds this year

Dec. 13, 2020

Sunfull Foundation leads campaign for wearing mask to fight COVID-19

As a second and even third wave of the pandemic continues to rise in many parts of the world, the Sunfull Foundation has been working on overcoming the crisis by spreading awareness online all around the world. On Dec. 4, the foundation led by Dr. Min Byoung-chul, a professor at Hanyang University, initiated the #WearAMask4All Global Challenge, taking a cue from US President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s message to stand in solidarity in overcoming the pandemic. The campaign aims to remind th

Dec. 13, 2020

Ruling party chief vows efforts to begin using coronavirus vaccines before March

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party on Sunday pledged efforts to start administering coronavirus vaccines in South Korea before March. Rep. Lee Nak-yon made the remark during a press conference marking the 100th day since he took the helm of the party, saying he will do his best to move up the use of coronavirus medicines and vaccines as much as possible while ensuring their safety and efficacy. "We will do our best to expedite the use of coronavirus medicines and vaccines as early a

Dec. 13, 2020

[Herald Interview] Korea kindles talks for eco-based ‘pan Yellow Sea’ economy

South Korea has taken the initiative in pushing forward protecting the maritime ecosystem and biodiversity of the Yellow Sea -- also called the West Sea here -- as part of its efforts to achieve regional sustainable development for oceans via carbon neutrality. During the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on Dec. 12, 2015, 192 UN members unanimously adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals as common goals for the international community to attain together by 2030. T

Dec. 13, 2020

2 more military members test positive for COVID-19

The military reported two new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday. A civilian worker for the Navy in Jinhae in the southeastern city of Changwon tested positive for COVID-19 before his release from quarantine, after a fellow worker was confirmed to have been infected on Dec. 1 upon returning from a recent business trip to Colombia, according to the defense ministry In Samcheok, Gangwon Province, an Army officer was also confirmed to have been infected with the virus following his recent trip t

Dec. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi Gov. Lee seeks emergency mobilization of college dorm to treat COVID-19 patients

SUWON -- Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung said Sunday that he will seek an emergency measure to mobilize a private university dormitory to accommodate new coronavirus patients. In a tweet, Lee announced his first such plan to mobilize a private facility to tackle the public health care crisis, as the province is running short on hospital beds and other facilities to treat the growing number of COVID-19 patients. Earlier in the day, the provincial government sent a document to Kyonggi Unive

Dec. 13, 2020

Govt. to offer free virus tests at 150 new testing sites amid spike in COVID-19 cases

Health authorities will begin offering free virus tests at 150 new makeshift COVID-19 testing sites in Seoul and its surrounding areas under a three-week containment campaign, officials said Sunday, as the daily virus count breached the 1000 mark. The Central Disease Control Headquarters said that from Monday until Jan. 3, it will administer the tests at facilities at Seoul and Yongsan Stations, major university districts and other high-risk areas in the greater Seoul metropolitan area. They wi

Dec. 13, 2020

Seoul receives first measurable snowfall of season

Seoul received the first measurable snowfall of the season on Sunday as the state weather agency issued a heavy snow advisory for the metropolitan area and other parts of the country. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Seoul received about 0.8 centimeters of snow as of 6 a.m. and is expected to receive up to 7 centimeters later in the day. KMA issued the advisory for Seoul and parts of the Gyeonggi Province, as well as for the eastern province of Gangwon. The advisory

Dec. 13, 2020

S. Korea’s new daily COVID-19 cases top 1,000 for first time

South Korea’ daily COVID-19 cases surpassed 1,000 for the first time on Sunday, the highest total since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak here in January, as the government’s antivirus restrictions appear to be bearing little fruit. Calling the current situation “the biggest crisis” since the pandemic arrived here, President Moon Jae-in warned that the country will have to consider enforcing the toughest-level social distancing rules if the virus doesn’t s

Dec. 13, 2020

[News Focus] Korea’s single-person households top 9 million

SEJONG -- The number of single-person households in South Korea has surpassed the 9 million mark for the first time since the nation started compiling the data. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the tally for single-person households came to 9.009 million as of November, which made up 39.1 percent of the total 23.03 million households nationwide. The figure contrasts with 34.4 percent (7.23 million), posted five years earlier in November 2015 and 33.3 percent (6.61 million) a d

Dec. 13, 2020

Moon vows to mobilize all resources to fight COVID-19 as new cases hit record

President Moon Jae-in vowed Saturday to use all available resources to stem the spread of the new coronavirus as the country's new daily infection number hit a record high of 950. Calling the current state an "emergency," Moon apologized for failing to promptly stabilize the COVID-19 situation despite tightened social distancing measures taken at the cost of citizens' inconvenience and economic damage. "We will consider this as an emergency situation and put all out efforts in a

Dec. 12, 2020

Five more soldiers, 1 Marine test positive for COVID-19

Five more soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Saturday. Three Army officers and a Marine officer at the Sangmudae Artillery School in the southwestern county of Jangseong were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 before their release from quarantine following a series of infections at their base, according to the ministry. In the northeastern county of Hwacheon, a soldier and an officer were also confirmed to have been infected with th

Dec. 12, 2020

[Newsmaker] Notorious child rapist released from prison amid strong protests

Cho Doo-soon, one of South Korea's most notorious child rapists in recent memory, was released from prison on Saturday amid strong protests against the heinous criminal's return to society. Cho served a 12-year term for kidnapping and raping an 8-year-old girl in a church bathroom in Ansan, 42 kilometers southwest of Seoul, in December 2008. A huge public outcry has erupted over what has been seen as too lenient a punishment for a horrendous sexual crime against a minor. He left the correction

Dec. 12, 2020

Korea's new virus cases hit record high of 950

South Korea reported 950 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a record figure since the country reported its first virus case nearly 11 months ago. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency counted 928 local infections and 22 imported cases. Seven of the imported cases were from the US and three from Russia. Korea's accumulated confirmed COVID-19 cases now stands at 41,736. Saturday's new caseload marks a sharp increase from 689 the previous day. It is the highest mark since January, when the

Dec. 12, 2020

Court rejects appeals by Japanese firm over rulings on forced labor

A South Korean court struck down appeals filed by a Japanese firm against a ruling that ordered a freeze of its assets here to compensate victims of wartime forced labor. According to the Daegu District Court in southeastern Korea on Friday, its Pohang branch rejected Thursday two appeals filed earlier this week by Japan's Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp over the court's decision to seize its assets. The court dismissed a similar appeal in August, calling the plaintiff's claim "ba

Dec. 11, 2020

South Korea mobilizes Army, police to ramp up COVID-19 contract tracing

Hundreds of Army and police personnel will be dispatched to break the chain of infection of the novel coronavirus, which has seen an average of more than 600 cases diagnosed each day over the past week here. Despite the government’s stronger social distancing measures implemented from earlier this week, cases have continued to grow daily with no signs of abating. Sharp upticks in new cases, which began in mid-November and centered on Seoul and surrounding areas, have drawn concerns t

Dec. 11, 2020