107 suspected flu shot deaths reported in S. Korea

South Korea's health agency said Thursday that a total of 107 people, most of whom were elderly, died after receiving seasonal flu vaccines. The deaths had stoked public anxiety over the safety of such vaccines, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 106 of those deaths have very limited relation with the flu shots. The remaining case is under investigation. Of the total, 48 people were aged over 80, followed by 40 in their 70s, 10 under 60 and nine in their 60s, the

Nov. 19, 2020

S. Korea reports 5th case of highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu

South Korea's agriculture ministry said Thursday it has confirmed another case of highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu in wild bird droppings, raising concerns over the disease's possible spread to poultry farms. It marked the fifth outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza this year. The latest outbreak in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, came just five days after a fourth case broke out in the same area, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The governmen

Nov. 19, 2020

Meal services disrupted at Seoul schools as workers launch strike

Hundreds of non-regular workers at Seoul schools launched a two-day strike Thursday, including many working in school cafeterias. Around 2,500 members of the Seoul branch of a coalition representing non-regular school workers were expected to join the walkout to demand changes to their retirement pension system. While many are cafeteria workers who prepare meals for students, the group also includes administrative staff members and child care workers responsible for after-hours programs. Th

Nov. 19, 2020

Seoul receives the heaviest rainfall of all November days on Thursday

Seoul and its nearby regions received unusually large amounts of rainfall Thursday, with the capital soaked in the heaviest daily rainfall of all November days on record. The Korea Meteorological Administration said 68.2 millimeters of rain fell in Seoul as of 8 a.m. Thursday, surpassing the previous record of 67.3 millimeters set on Nov. 7, 1916. Data compilation began in 1907. As of 9 a.m., Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and parts of Gangwon Province and South Chungcheong Province received rainfa

Nov. 19, 2020

[News Focus] Could bad air worsen coronavirus crisis?

As fine dust returns with the arrival of colder weather, attention is paid to the possible correlation between air pollution and the severity of the novel coronavirus outbreak. While there is no concrete evidence, experts say long-term exposure to airborne pollutants is likely to increase the risk of dying from COVID-19, as they both affect the respiratory system. Some even suggest bad air could have an impact on the infection rate as well. “There are a lot of possibilities, as they bo

Nov. 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] Tougher distancing regulations take effect, limiting crowds at public facilities

As a tougher social distancing scheme took effect on Thursday in the greater Seoul area and some other areas where COVID-19 infections have soared recently, high-risk multiuse facilities, such as restaurants and movie theaters, face restrictions in operation. The South Korean government earlier decided to raise the five-tier social distancing scheme by one notch to Level 1.5 in the capital city; the surrounding Gyeonggi Province; Incheon; Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul; and a regio

Nov. 19, 2020

Seoul city program reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 247,000 tons

The Seoul city government said Thursday its energy saving program reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 247,000 tons from April through September. Members of Seoul's "Eco-Mileage" program reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 247,137 tons, up 70 percent from the same period last year, creating the same effect as planting 37.4 million 30-year-old pine trees each absorbing 6.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, the city government said. The Eco-Mileage program gives miles for cutti

Nov. 19, 2020

Two more service members test positive for new coronavirus

One soldier and an airman have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the latest in a series of infections reported recently at barracks, the defense ministry said Thursday. The airman in the central city of Seosan showed symptoms while being quarantined after his unit reported a cluster infection recently, according to the ministry. The total number of COVID-19 cases at the Air Force unit came to 12. The soldier stationed in the border town of Paju was confirmed to have been infected after

Nov. 19, 2020

South Korea’s COVID-19 cases top 300 for second day running

South Korea’s new daily coronavirus cases exceeded 300 for the second consecutive day Thursday, with sporadic clusters of infections linked to everyday spaces posing a challenge to authorities’ fight to rein in another nationwide wave of COVID-19 infections. The country reported 343 new coronavirus cases -- 293 locally transmitted and 50 imported from overseas -- in the 24 hours ending Wednesday at midnight, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.　 New cluste

Nov. 19, 2020

S. Korea bans imports of Swedish poultry following AI outbreak

South Korea's agriculture ministry said Wednesday it has banned poultry imports from Sweden following an outbreak of a highly pathogenic avian influenza in the European country. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it began the ban on live Swedish chicks and eggs after H5N8 was detected in Sweden.  The ministry recommended that locals refrain from visiting livestock farms and bringing animals from the affected region.  Highly pathogenic AI is very contagious

Nov. 18, 2020

Justice minister orders inspection of top prosecutor

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Wednesday ordered an inspection into Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, escalating monthslong tensions between the two. Two junior prosecutors from the Justice Ministry’s internal inspection team reportedly visited the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday and requested a face-to-face meeting with the top prosecutor, only to be rejected. They were trying to schedule a questioning session over allegations against Yoon involving his family and a meeti

Nov. 18, 2020

[News Focus] IVF restrictions called into question

A Japanese television personality in South Korea, who became a single mother by choice with the help of donor sperm, shed light on the country’s severe access restrictions to assisted reproductive technologies. Sayuri Fujita gave birth to a son Nov. 4 after using donor sperm for in vitro fertilization treatment in Japan, after her doctor said spontaneous pregnancy was becoming less and less likely because of her age. Although she was near the end of her fertility, she wasn’t will

Nov. 18, 2020

S. Korea readies more testing centers for the upcoming Suneung

South Korea is readying 60 percent more testing rooms and 30 percent more personnel for the Dec. 3 nationwide college entrance exam, as the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic looms, the Education Ministry announced Wednesday. “We now have upped our test administration system to accommodate up to 120 test-takers infected with COVID-19 and up to 3,800 potential patients under quarantine,” Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said, before presiding over a meeting with local education chi

Nov. 18, 2020

Art foundation to give relief money to Seoul artists amid pandemic

A cultural foundation affiliated with the Seoul city government said Wednesday it plans to provide some 12 billion won ($10.8 million) in relief funds to artists to help them continue their work amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (SFAC) will receive applications for the relief funds from next Monday until Dec. 11. Funds will be provided to artists participating in either creative art or performances scheduled for next year in Seoul. The creative art cate

Nov. 18, 2020

S. Korea releases satellite images of air quality in East Asia

South Korea on Wednesday released satellite imagery showing the movement of fine dust from China to South Korea in the latest scientific evidence that China is partly to blame for poor air quality in the region. The Chollian-2B, a South Korean environmental satellite, observed high concentrations of fine dust from China moving to the Korean Peninsula on Oct. 20, according to its imagery released by the Ministry of Science and ICT. The move comes as South Korea and China work together to try to

Nov. 18, 2020

1 in 3 S. Koreans picks COVID-19 outbreak as No. 1 social anxiety factor

One in three South Koreans picked the outbreak of a new disease as the biggest source of social anxiety this year, a survey showed Wednesday, underscoring people's jitters over the new coronavirus pandemic. The poll by Statistics Korea showed that 32.8 percent of those surveyed said they consider the outbreak of a new disease as the biggest threat to society, sharply up 29.9 percentage points from 2.9 percent tallied two years earlier. Regardless of sex, age, education and income levels, the e

Nov. 18, 2020

Appeals court upholds prison terms for producers of Mnet's 'Produce' series over vote-rigging

An appellate court on Wednesday maintained prison terms for two disgraced producers of the popular music channel Mnet for rigging the vote results of a popular audition program. The Seoul High Court sentenced Ahn Joon-young, the producer of the audition program "Produce," to two years in prison and forfeiture of 37 million ($30,000), and chief producer Kim Yong-beom to 20 months in prison, the same punishments ruled in May by the Seoul Central District Court. The two were convicted

Nov. 18, 2020

Growing COVID-19 cases deepen worries over potential disruption to college entrance exam

A recent surge in coronavirus cases has increased anxiety about whether the national college entrance exam, the biggest academic event of the year, can be held safely in South Korea next month. Education authorities are on high alert ahead of the Dec. 3 event, having postponed the exam, originally slated for Nov. 19, in late March, when the country was hit by the first wave of the pandemic. They will launch a two-week special precautionary period starting Thursday, preparing for the test to be

Nov. 18, 2020

Three more service members test positive for new coronavirus

Two Army officers and an airman tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday, raising concerns over the fast spread of the virus at barracks. The airman in the central city of Seosan was confirmed to have been infected after coming into contact with colleagues who earlier tested positive, according to the ministry. The total number of patients at this Air Force unit grew to 11. An Army officer stationed in the border town of Paju tested positive after showing sy

Nov. 18, 2020

Greater Seoul, Gwangju adopt tougher distancing rules amid virus flare-up concerns

Citizens in the greater Seoul area and southern city of Gwangju will be required to follow stricter health regulations in public places and at gatherings under an enhanced social distancing scheme effective from Thursday, as the country is facing another potential flare-up of the new coronavirus. Social distancing was raised by one notch to Level 1.5 in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, where the average daily cases surpassed 100 in the previous week, the threshold for the second-low

Nov. 18, 2020