[Newsmaker] Does skin color still matter in Korea?

Back in 2007, a small but significant step was taken by the Ministry of Education when it decided to revise school textbooks to remove a certain widely used phrase: “Our country has continued a tradition of a mono-ethnic country, which is rare in the entire world.” Despite the government making various policies for the rising population of people with different ethnic backgrounds in recent years, Korean society hasn’t moved on from its long-held perception of homogeneity. F

May 25, 2022

H.eco Forum to discuss ‘Climate Crisis and the Ocean’

This year’s H.eco Forum, held under the theme of “Climate Crisis and the Ocean,” is to shed light on the risks our oceans are facing and the possible consequences for humanity. H.eco Forum, launched last year, is an annual event designed to bring awareness on climate crisis. It invites environment experts in and out of Korea, serving as a platform for discussions. The upcoming edition of the forum will take place at Multipurpose Hall on Nodeulseom in Seoul, Thursday, featu

May 25, 2022

WHO verifying N. Korea's COVID-19 data amid outbreak: report

The World Health Organization (WHO) is checking suspected COVID-19 data released by North Korea after the secretive country shared related information on its virus outbreak, the UN agency's report showed Wednesday. The North reported to WHO over 1.62 million people with fever and 23 associated deaths between May 13 and 18, according to the organization's latest regional COVID-19 situation report. The report, however, noted the North has not provided the case definitions for the figures

May 25, 2022

Regulator begins reviewing shippers' alleged price fixing for S. Korea-Japan sea routes

South Korea's antitrust regulator on Wednesday began reviewing possible punitive measures against shippers over their alleged collusion of fixing freight rates for the Korea-Japan sea routes for nearly two decades. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) held a deliberation session as part of its ongoing investigation into allegations that about 15 domestic and foreign shippers had colluded to fix higher freight rates for the sea routes since 2002 to gain illegal profits. A separate session to deci

May 25, 2022

Police forward trespassing case of Terraform Labs CEO to prosecution

Police said Wednesday they have wrapped up an investigation into a crypto investor accused of trespassing at the apartment of Do Kwon, co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, and sent the case to the prosecution suggesting he be indicted. The suspect, whose identity has been withheld, allegedly entered the apartment complex in eastern Seoul through a main entrance gate while another resident was entering on May 12, then rang the doorbell, looking for Kwon, while his wife was at home, according to

May 25, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases in 20,000s for 2nd day amid receding omicron wave

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed in the 20,000s for the second consecutive day Wednesday, down nearly 7,400 cases from a week ago, as the COVID-19 pandemic is in retreat. The country added 23,956 new infections, including 21 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,017,923, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally fell to a 16-week low for a Wednesday and declined 23.5 percent from a week earlier, in an apparent sign of the pandemic slow

May 25, 2022

May 23 as day without verbal abuse in cyberspace

Around 40 organizations and schools joined a weeklong campaign to promote the eradication of verbal violence on the internet, as the campaign’s leader called for more continued efforts in making the cyberspace a safe place. Sunfull Foundation, a nongovernmental organization aimed at countering cyberbullying, hate speech and human rights violations on the internet, designated May 23 as the day without verbal abuse in cyberspace. A series of campaigns were launched from May 17-23 so mor

May 24, 2022

Monkeypox: Korea’s vaccine portfolio, latest travel advice

The national health protection agency on Tuesday advised against visiting destinations with known monkeypox cases, just as travel restrictions over COVID-19 are slowly fading. Lee Sang-won, heading the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s epidemiological analysis division, said at a news briefing that while traveling carries risks, bringing back mandatory quarantines for all passengers was not being considered at the moment. “Monkeypox hasn’t reached South Korea yet

May 24, 2022

Shooting of stray cats by US troops causes controversy

More than 10 feral cats have been shot and killed by US troops stationed here, according to a news report Monday, sparking controversy over animal cruelty. Public broadcaster KBS aired a video showing someone who appears to be military personnel firing at a cat crouching in a cage with an air gun. The broadcaster said it was filmed at Osan Air Base, a US Air Force base located in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, in December last year. “The harmful animal handling team shot the (captive) c

May 24, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases around 26,300 with omicron in retreat

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases continued a downward trend Tuesday, dropping more than 5,000 cases from a week ago, as the omicron-fueled surge has lost steam since mid-March. The country added 26,344 new infections, including 43 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,993,985, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Tuesday's tally went up 2.6 times from the previous day due to more virus tests. But it hit a 16-week low for Tuesday and declined 24.

May 24, 2022

Concerns remain over disposable cup deposit despite 6-month pushback

The postponement of the deposit refund scheme for single-use plastic has appeased owners of small businesses for the time being, but concerns remain. On Friday, the Ministry of Environment announced that it will postpone the launch of the new deposit system for single-use cups until Dec. 1. The new scheme was set to kick off on June 10, requiring franchise cafes, bakeries and fast-food franchises with more than 100 branches to charge a 300 won ($0.24) deposit per single-use cup to customers.

May 23, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit 17-week low as omicron wave recedes

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to a 17-week low Monday, as the omicron-driven surge has slowed in recent weeks. The country added 9,975 new infections, including 17 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,967,672, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's tally dropped by more than 3,300 cases from a week earlier and was the lowest since the 8,570 cases reported on Jan. 25 in a steady downward trend in new infections. South Korea's

May 23, 2022

S. Korea to accept rapid antigen test results for international arrivals

South Korea will accept rapid antigen tests for people boarding a flight to Korea and entering the country starting on Monday, the country’s health authorities said Sunday. Under the new entry rule, arrivals with a RAT result will be accepted if the test was taken no more than one day prior to travel. Arrivals with a negative polymerase chain reaction test result will continue to be accepted. The RAT results, however, must have been conducted under professional supervision. Results fro

May 22, 2022

[Newsmaker] Number of metaverse users hits lowest point after social distancing rules lifted

The number of metaverse users across major virtual world platforms in South Korea has dropped sharply since social distancing measures were lifted, a report showed Sunday. According to big data analysis firm Mobile Index, the number of Roblox’ weekly active users recorded 773,678 during the period between May 9 and 15, a nearly 18 percent drop from the previous weekly figure. It was the lowest number recorded since the last week of June 2021. During the same period, the amount of time s

May 22, 2022

Hana Financial Group aims to expand support for youth startups

Hana Financial Group is expanding its project to help youth startups nationwide, as it has signed the first regional partnership with the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, the group said Sunday. According to the group, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding at the KNUCH in Buyeo, South Chungcheong Province on Friday. They agreed to provide support for startup ideas related to traditional culture, co-create educational content and offer hands-on experiences for local c

May 22, 2022

New infections fall below 20,000 for 1st time in 6 days

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 20,000 for the first time in six days on Sunday in a downward trend in virus cases amid the government's effort to move the country back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 19,298 new infections, including 24 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,957,697, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally jumped to 35,104 cases on May 17 from the previous day's 13,290 but continued to

May 22, 2022

South Korea pushes back planned lifting of COVID-19 isolation order

South Korea said Friday the seven-day isolation requirement for people with COVID-19 will remain in place for the next four weeks, until June 20. Expiring on Sunday is the four-week “probation period” for downgrading COVID-19’s threat status. Last month, the Moon Jae-in administration changed the classification of COVID-19 so that it would no longer be considered an infectious disease with the “highest level of public health hazard.” The downgrade relieves people

May 20, 2022

GCF board approves $330m for green energy projects

The Green Climate Fund (GCF), an international organization on fighting climate change, has approved $330 million in funding for five green energy projects, South Korea's finance ministry said Friday. The board of the GCF endorsed the funding plan for projects to support six emerging countries' efforts to battle climate change, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. A combined $301.5 million will be spent to support four new projects, including $200 million for India's

May 20, 2022

New COVID-19 cases drop for 3rd day; govt. puts off plan to ease virus curbs

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for a third consecutive day to stay below 30,000 on Friday, as the government pushed back the plan to relax more virus restrictions, citing the continuing omicron wave and possible spread of other variants. The country added 25,125 new COVID-19 infections, including 22 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,914,957, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily counts have steadily declined this week, from 35,113 on T

May 20, 2022

[Newsmaker] Prosecutors looking into whether to bring Ponzi fraud charges against Terraform CEO Kwon

Prosecutors are looking into whether to bring Ponzi fraud charges against CEO Do Kwon of Terraform Labs, sources said Friday, a day after investors sued him over the shocking crash of the firm's two cryptocurrencies. In a crash starting last week, Terraform's two main tokens, TerraUSD and sister coin Luna, had registered more than 99.99 percent falls from their highs, wiping out more than $38 billion of investors' money in a week, according to data by CoinMarketCap. Financial authorities said ab

May 20, 2022