S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases drop below 100,000

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases dropped below 100,000 on Saturday, while the number of critically ill patients reached the highest level since late April. The country added 95,604 new COVID-19 infections, including 398 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,898,523, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It marked a decline from the previous day's 101,140 and the first time daily infections have fallen below 100,000 since Monday when there were 59,028 ne

Aug. 27, 2022

COVID-19 wave on the wane after 2 months

Korea’s recent wave of COVID-19 cases appears to be waning, the local health authorities said Friday. On Friday, Korea saw 101,140 new case of COVID-19 and 575 patients were reported to be in serious condition. The daily death toll stood at 81. “This is the lowest number of daily confirmed cases for a Friday in four weeks,” Kim Seong-ho, an official from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said at a briefing held Friday. “We, however, cannot b

Aug. 26, 2022

S. Korea to take steps to stabilize FX market to curb market volatility: official

South Korea plans to take measures to stabilize the foreign exchange market in a timely manner if market volatility increases, driven by herd behavior or speculative bets in the currency market, a senior government official said Friday. The government will also buy back Treasury bonds and take steps to help curb a rise in bond yields, when needed, if the bond market shows jitters amid global rate hike drives, according to First Vice Finance Minister Bang Ki-sun. The finance ministry said the Sou

Aug. 26, 2022

Police to dispatch more officers to international organizations

Police will increase the number of officers dispatched to international organizations to strengthen investigative capabilities amid a rising number of cross-border crimes, officials said Friday. Under the plan, more officers will be dispatched to various international organizations and law enforcement agencies, such as United Nations Peacekeeping and the International Criminal Police Organization, according to the National Police Agency (NPA). The NPA said it also plans to sign a business agreem

Aug. 26, 2022

[Photo News] First lady mourns over death of mother and her 2 daughters

First lady Kim Keon-hee visited a funeral house in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday and paid condolences to a mother and her two daughters who were found dead earlier this week, after reportedly struggling with debt and illness. The mother, in her 60s, and her two daughters in their 40s apparently took their own lives after the family suffered from financial difficulties and serious illness, including cancer. Their marginalization from social welfare shocked the public. President Yoon Suk

Aug. 25, 2022

Korea to maintain negative COVID test rule for arrivals

South Korea will continue to require those entering the country to provide negative results of COVID-19 tests taken before entering the country. According to the central disaster response team, the measure will remain in place as the daily caseload remains high. The country currently requires travelers entering the country – both Korean and foreign nationals – to take a PCR test within 48 hours prior to arrival or a rapid antigen test within 24 hours prior to arrival. The Kore

Aug. 25, 2022

Gender Ministry to provide accommodation for stalking victims

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will hold a meeting Friday to discuss measures for supporting the victims of stalking crimes. After the enactment of the Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes, more simply known as the anti-stalking law, the Gender Ministry has been working on expanding support for the victims of stalking crimes. The ministry plans to provide an emergency temporary accommodation for victims of stalking crimes using state rental housings, allowing victims to be

Aug. 25, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases over 100,000 for 3rd day amid resurgence woes

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 100,000 for the third straight day Thursday amid concerns over a resurgence of the omicron subvariant. The country added 113,371 new COVID-19 infections, including 369 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,701,921, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily infections jumped to 180,752 cases on Aug. 17 from 84,097 a day earlier. The daily tally then declined over the following five days, falling to 59,028 on Mo

Aug. 25, 2022

Top Air Force legal officer questioned over suicide death of servicewoman

The Air Force's chief legal affairs officer was questioned Wednesday by an independent counsel team looking into the military's handling of the suicide death last year of a female noncommissioned officer who was sexually assaulted by a male colleague. Brig. Gen. Jeon Ik-soo appeared before the office of special prosecutor Ahn Mi-young in Seoul in the afternoon. The team, launched this June, is probing into suspicions surrounding the death of Lee Ye-ram, including whether military officials att

Aug. 24, 2022

Korea Herald English Speech Contest sees 36 winners

The award ceremony for the 51st Korea Herald English Speech Contest was held at the Australian Embassy in the Republic of Korea in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Tuesday. The Australian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Catherine Raper, Vice-Chair of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea Jo Billing, The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young, The Korea Herald Vice President Shin Yong-bae and more were in attendance. “I believe we could have the next generation of Korean leaders right

Aug. 24, 2022

Korea braces for first holiday without social distancing

The Korean government will maintain its ban on in-person visits to nursing homes and long-term care hospitals during the upcoming Chuseok holidays, as the nation marks its first Korean Thanksgiving without social distancing in three years. “The ban on in-person visits to nursing homes and long-term care hospitals will be maintained in a precaution against COVID-19 transmission for the elderly,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at a meeting at the governmental complex in Sejong, We

Aug. 24, 2022

Koreans debate which price is right for beloved fried chicken

Supermarkets in South Korea engaging in a price war on fried chicken is a welcome development for consumers like Shin Kyung-ja (not her real name) amid the soaring cost of living.  The 64-year-old was among the 40 or so people standing in line outside an E-mart in Eunpyeong-gu, northern Seoul, an hour before its opening on Monday.  They were waiting to buy a bucket of fried chicken offered at a special price of 5,980 won ($4.50). Twice a day at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the superstore has

Aug. 24, 2022

State panel confirms massive rights violations at Busan confinement facility decades ago

A state reconciliation panel on Wednesday confirmed widespread human rights abuses and illegalities at an infamous detention facility in Busan decades ago, saying such illegal acts were brought about by the unjust exercise of public power by the state. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) made the announcement after investigating the now-defunct Brothers Home, a confinement facility run in the southern port city, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in the 1970s and 1980s to isolate sever

Aug. 24, 2022

S. Korea's total fertility rate hits record low in 2021

SEJONG -- South Korea's total fertility rate hit a record low last year as the number of childbirths continued to fall, data showed Wednesday, underscoring the country's gloomy demographic situation. The country's total fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime -- came to 0.81 child in 2021, down from 0.84 the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It was the lowest since the statistics agency began compiling related data i

Aug. 24, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases over 100,000 for 2nd day amid resurgence woes

South Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases stayed above 100,000 for the second straight day Wednesday amid concerns over a resurgence of the omicron subvariant. The country added 139,883 new COVID-19 infections, including 456 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,588,640, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Daily infections jumped to 180,763 cases last Wednesday from 84,099 a day earlier. The daily tally then fell over the past five days, tallying 59,046 on Monday. b

Aug. 24, 2022

Govt. to keep ban on in-person visits to nursing homes during Chuseok holiday

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday that the government will keep a ban on in-person visits to nursing homes and long-term care hospitals for the elderly during the Chuseok fall harvest holiday in a precaution against COVID-19. The policy guidance from the government came as daily COVID-19 cases rebounded to over 150,000 Tuesday, with health authorities staying vigilant against the resurgence of the omicron subvariant. "It is a very regrettable measure, but it is inevitable for the h

Aug. 24, 2022

Jungwook Hong takes office as WWF-Korea chairman

Jungwook Hong, founder and chairman of the plant-based food producer Organica, took office as the chairman of Worldwide Fund for Nature’s Korea office on Tuesday. Hong has worked closely with WWF-Korea since 2017, joining the organization’s board of directors in that year, and as a private and corporate sponsor of the organization. “Climate change is the biggest crisis humankind faces, and we are the last generation that can solve the situation. The fate of all living thing

Aug. 23, 2022

[Newsmaker] Life-size sex dolls enter home

Late last month, residents of an apartment complex in Incheon were rattled by the discovery of a headless, mutilated torso, which turned out to be a silicone sex doll.  It was found in the building‘s parking lot, near a car that had a damaged roof. The vehicle’s owner, suspecting that the mannequin must have fallen from a height and landed on the car, reported it to the police. An investigation to identify the owner of the doll is currently ongoing.  The news of the inci

Aug. 23, 2022

Seoul schools to continue ‘normalcy attendance’ amid resurgence

Amid the ongoing pandemic, schools in Seoul are to continue normal operations, with the local education office promising to strengthen support for students’ mental health. “All schools will run under ‘normalcy attendance’ scheme in the second semester, operating face-to-face classes,” Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said at a press briefing at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Tuesday. “If the spread of COVID-19 worsens, however, schools can auton

Aug. 23, 2022

Former Air Force chief questioned over suicide death of servicewoman

Former Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Seong-yong was questioned Tuesday by an independent counsel team looking into the military's handling of the suicide death of a servicewoman who allegedly suffered sexual abuse. Lee appeared before the office of special prosecutor Ahn Mi-young in Seoul in the morning to face questioning as a witness. The team, launched this June, is probing into suspicions surrounding the death of Lee Ye-ram in late May 2021, including whether military officials attempted

Aug. 23, 2022