S. Korea's COVID-19 cases fall below 60,000 amid tighter quarantine steps for incoming travelers

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the third consecutive day to come below 60,000 on Friday amid the government's efforts to prevent the virus inflow from China and other regions. The country confirmed 56,954 new coronavirus infections, including 258 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,420,226, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload surged to over 80,000 earlier this week but has since been on a steady decline. Compared with a week earlier,

Jan. 6, 2023

Kakao starts handing out compensation to its users for the last year's data center fire

Kakao, which runs the KaKaoTalk messenger app, started handing out three emoji packages to its messenger users Thursday as a general compensation for a data center fire last October, but faced criticism that a free service it also offered transitioned into a paid subscription. “To compensate all our users for the damage caused by the fire at SK C&C data center last year, we are going to hand out the ‘heart package’ which includes our three new emoticons,’ Kakao announ

Jan. 5, 2023

No car-free weekends in Sinchon until September

On weekends, a street from Sinchon Station to the main gate of Yonsei University in Seoul has turned into a K-pop mecca, where various performances and fan events draw crowds of young music fans from all over the world to the car-free zone. However, the lively scene is unlikely to continue from later this month, as the Seoul Metropolitan Government decided Thursday to lift the weekend traffic ban which had been in place for nine years. From Jan. 20 until September, all automobile vehicles except

Jan. 5, 2023

Chinese runaway caught in Seoul after fleeing COVID isolation

Police on Thursday arrested a Chinese man who ran away from a quarantine hotel after testing positive for COVID-19. Incheon Jungbu Police Station said the fugitive was caught in a hotel in Seoul at around 12:55 p.m. on Thursday. The 41-year-old, who tested positive for COVID-19 at Incheon Airport after arriving from China, is accused of refusing quarantine and fleeing from a hotel in Yeongjong-do, Incheon, at around 10:04 p.m., Tuesday. A hotel surveillance camera showed the man running away six

Jan. 5, 2023

[Newsmaker] [Herald Interview] ‘Why does no one ever apologize?’ cries family of tunnel fire victim

On Dec. 29, the life of 66-year-old Jeon ended abruptly by a fire that broke out inside a soundproof tunnel on a highway. He was one of the five who died in the deadly flame in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, which left 41 others injured and 45 cars destroyed. In his last phone call alive, Jeon told wife it was chaos in the tunnel and that he couldn’t move the car nor open the car door. “There was an explosion in the tunnel. It’s filled with smoke and it’s all dark. &hellip

Jan. 5, 2023

Pre-entry negative COVID-19 tests required for all China arrivals

A new rule mandating airline passengers traveling from China to South Korea to show negative COVID-19 test results before entering the country was applied Thursday, as the government expressed concerns over an uptick in imported virus cases from the neighboring country. For the next two months, all passengers arriving from China must either present a negative PCR test result conducted two days before departure or a rapid antigen test result taken within 24 hours before boarding. Passengers enter

Jan. 5, 2023

Seoul City scraps building height limit after 9 years

The city government of Seoul opened the doors to a more dynamic skyline in South Korea's capital city on Thursday by scrapping the apartment building height limit, a move that could prop up Seoul's chilly housing market. The 2040 Seoul Plan confirmed Thursday will immediately put an end to the floor limit for new residential buildings across Seoul, introduced in 2013 by since-deceased former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Seoul has prohibited any plans

Jan. 5, 2023

Man arrested after 'playing doctor' for 27 years

A man in his 60s has been charged for illegally practicing medicine for 27 years, the authorities said Thursday. According to the authorities, the man practiced medicine for over 27 years in more than 60 different hospitals with a forged license. Suwon District Prosecutors' Office charged the man with forgery and violation of the Health Crime Control Act on Monday, authorities said Thursday. The charges regard treating patients and prescribing medicine at general hospitals and orthopedics c

Jan. 5, 2023

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases fall below 65,000; pre-entry testing required for travelers from China

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the second consecutive day to come below 65,000 on Thursday, as the government has been on alert over a wintertime surge and began requiring a pre-entry negative virus test result for entrants from China. The country confirmed 64,106 new coronavirus infections, including 194 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,363,272, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Following a weeklong downturn to around the 20,000 level, the daily caselo

Jan. 5, 2023

2.4 magnitude earthquake hits waters off Jeju Island

A 2.4 magnitude earthquake struck waters off the southern island of Jeju on Thursday, the state weather agency said. The quake occurred in waters 64 kilometers east-northeast of Seogwipo City on Jeju at 12:28 a.m., the Korea Meteorological Administration said. The epicenter was at a latitude of 33.38 degrees north and a longitude of 127.23 degrees east at a depth of 24 km, the agency said, adding no damage is expected. (Yonhap)

Jan. 5, 2023

Paju murders suspect might get life sentence

Police on Wednesday sent the Paju, Gyeonggi Province murder case of 31-year-old Lee Ki-young to prosecution, seeking charges against Lee including robbery-homicide, punishable by life sentence or death. Under the Criminal Act, a murder by a robber is punishable by life sentence or death. Robbery-homicide has a greater punishment than homicide, which is punishable by at least seven years in prison, excluding ones under extenuating circumstances. The latest update to the charges brought against

Jan. 4, 2023

Police say group sex participants unpunishable

Police busted a nightclub in Gangnam, southern Seoul, for providing a place for lewd acts such as partner swapping and group sex last year, arresting the owner of the club and four employees. But there will be no criminal charges against the clients of the club as they were there voluntarily, according to local reports quoting investigators. The case was sent to the prosecution in October and is currently being investigated by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, they said. Five people

Jan. 4, 2023

Chinese runaway on wanted list after fleeing COVID isolation

Police have put a Chinese national on the wanted list after he ran away and refused to be isolated, although he had tested positive for COVID-19 upon his arrival to Korea. According to Incheon Metropolitan Police and disease control authorities, the 41-year-old was tested under the new COVID-19 mandate applied to travelers from China on Tuesday, and was confirmed to have the virus later in the evening. He was sent to a hotel on Yeongjongdo near Incheon Airport, but fled while waiting to be assig

Jan. 4, 2023

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases fall below 80,000 amid resurgence woes

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 80,000 on Wednesday amid lingering concerns over a wintertime surge, and the government has taken steps to tighten entry rules to prevent the virus inflow from China and other regions. The country confirmed 78,575 new coronavirus infections, including 172 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,299,166, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. It is slightly lower from the previous day's 81,056 cases. The latest figure also marke

Jan. 4, 2023

[Graphic News] Over 3,300 people died ‘lonely deaths’ last year: report

Over 3,300 people died “lonely deaths” in South Korea last year, a report has found. Lonely death refers to a phenomenon of people with no relatives dying alone and remaining undiscovered for a long period of time. It’s also called solitary or unattended death. According to the report released by the Welfare Ministry, there were 3,378 lonely deaths nationwide in 2021, up from 3,279 in 2020, 2,949 in 2019. The number of lonely deaths has grown at an average annual rate of 8.8 pe

Jan. 4, 2023

Teenage suicide officially recognized as Itaewon crowd crush death

South Korea on Tuesday counted a death of a teenager, who survived in the aftermath of Itaewon crowd crush but later took his own life in December, in its official death toll. This pushed the Itaewon disaster death toll up to 159. The Ministry of Interior and Safety said bereaved families of the victim will be eligible for the same state support such as a financial relief as other victims. "The Ministry has decided to recognize a person who suffered an injury from Itaewon disaster and later

Jan. 3, 2023

New omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 detected in Korea

Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, which has spread rapidly within the United States, already arrived in Korea last month, authorities confirmed Monday, raising concerns over the spread of the strain believed to have resistance against updated vaccines. "XBB.1.5 variant has been detected in the country on Dec. 8, 2022. So far, a total of 13 XBB.1.5 cases have been confirmed, including six cases in Korea and seven cases from overseas,” the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Tha

Jan. 3, 2023

Seoul looks to extend subway Line No. 9 eastward

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that its plan to extend Seoul Subway Line No. 9 farther east side of the country's most populous city has been approved by the central government. Under the plan worth 640.8 billion won ($504 million), the capital city looks to add four more subway stops along a new 4.1-kilometer branch of Line No. 9, stretching out of VHS Medical Center Station, located in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. The new last stop would give the Godeok Gangil New Town 1 residentia

Jan. 3, 2023

Seoul education chief eyes edu-tech, global learning

Seoul education governor Cho Hee-yeon laid out the blueprints for a “future-oriented” education system, highlighting the need to ramp up efforts for students hit by pandemic-related setbacks and technology-led education as well as narrow educational inequalities from the school starting gate. The three-term Seoul education superintendent touted his decade-long achievements, saying the past 10 years have changed from an authoritarian education system to a democracy-based education sys

Jan. 3, 2023

Sky high home prices contribute to low birth rate: study

High cost of housing plays a role in South Korean couples not wanting to have babies, new study suggested, as the country struggles to find ways to reverse a shrinking population. According to the report, released Monday, by the state-affiliated Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, a 1 percent rise in the median home prices leads to 0.002 fewer births per woman. As of end-2021, Korean women had an average of just 0.81 babies over their lifetimes, which was the world’s lowest t

Jan. 3, 2023