403 more CCTV cameras to be installed at Han River parks to strengthen safety surveillance

The Seoul city government said Tuesday it plans to install 403 more CCTV cameras at riverside parks along the Han River to strengthen safety surveillance following a high-profile death of a medical college student last year. The plan to complete the installations of new CCTVs, including 40 smart poles, by the end of June, will boost the total number of cameras from the current 163 to 567, officials said. The new installations will be concentrated around lawn plazas and other popular zones. Calls

March 8, 2022

Firefighters make slow headway as wildfires damage east coast

Multiple wildfires have charred east coastal mountain areas the size of more than 30,000 soccer fields over the past five days, but firefighting efforts have made slow headway hampered by thick smoke and fickle winds, officials said Tuesday. Firefighting authorities regard Tuesday as a watershed in their all-out efforts to contain the main fires, as the wind direction is forecast to change unfavorably in the afternoon. They initially aimed to extinguish the main fires Monday but were disturbed b

March 8, 2022

Critical COVID-19 cases hit two-month high of 1,007; daily caseload above 200,000 for 5th day

Severe and critical cases of COVID-19 in South Korea hit a two-month high Tuesday as the highly contagious omicron variant continued to spread rapidly across the country and fuel new outbreaks. The country reported 202,721 new COVID-19 infections, including 202,647 local cases, raising the total caseload to 4,869,691, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Severe and critical cases among those hospitalized for COVID-19 increased to a two-month high of 1,007, up 52

March 8, 2022

Military continues mobilizing troops, choppers to contain wildfires

South Korea's military mobilized 1,950 troops and 48 choppers on Tuesday to help contain wildfires in eastern coastal areas for the fifth day. Local authorities have been struggling to put out the blazes that began on Friday in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and spread to other areas. Earlier this week, Defense Minister Suh Wook called for "all-out" efforts to help extinguish the fires during a special meeting of top commanders from all service branches. The cumulative nu

March 8, 2022

Moon designates two more wildfire-hit cities as special disaster zones

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday designated two more wildfire-hit cities in the eastern coastal areas as special disaster zones eligible for the government's financial support in recovery work, relief funds for victims and other benefits. The two eastern cities -- Gangneung and Donghae -- were declared as special disaster zones, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. The move came two days after Moon designated Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and its neighboring

March 8, 2022

Moon says S. Korea lags in gender equality

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that his administration has made progress in implementing policies related to gender equality, but South Korea still lags behind other nations in the area. "Compared to the degree of national development, our nation is far behind in the field of gender equality," Moon said in his remarks on International Women's Day. "For women, the glass ceiling is solid. Structures and cultures that hamper gender equality remain everywhere." Moon, whose te

March 8, 2022

S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases continue to stay above 200,000

South Korea‘s daily COVID-19 infections stayed above 200,000 for a fourth straight day, according to the country‘s health authorities on Monday. Although the daily figure‘s growth slowed down over the weekend, the government expects it to rebound this week. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s report on Monday, the country added 210,716 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Sunday. The total caseload increased to 4,666,977, nearing a gr

March 7, 2022

Seventeen's The 8 tests positive for COVID-19

Seventeen's The 8 tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the group's seventh member to catch the virus, the group's agency said Monday. "The 8 tested negative through a self-test kit Saturday. But he later received a polymerase chain reaction examination, as he experienced a mild cough, which returned a positive result on Monday morning," Pledis Entertainment said. He is now receiving treatment at home without showing special symptoms, it added. Earlier, six members of the group -- Won

March 7, 2022

Women workers take up some 25% of major firms' workforce

Female workers account for nearly a quarter of all employees with major South Korean companies, with their pay amounting to nearly 70 percent of that for male counterparts, data showed Monday. The country's 150 key companies hired about 199,700 women workers as of end-2020, or 24 percent of their combined workforce at 831,100, according to corporate tracker Korea CXO Institute. The data is based on their 2020 business reports, and the companies cover top 10 companies in 15 industries in Asia's f

March 7, 2022

Education ministry hires 61,000 workers for anti-virus measures at schools

The education ministry has hired about 61,000 people to take care of anti-virus measures at schools in the first semester, officials said Monday. The number represents 87.3 percent of a total of 76,696 anti-virus workers the ministry plans to hire for temperature-taking, visitor control, disinfecting work and rapid test kit handling at schools across the nation. The ministry also plans to hire an additional 1,800 temporary school nurses and supporting workers. Schools across the country reopened

March 7, 2022

All-out battle under way to extinguish east coast wildfires

Firefighting authorities on Monday mobilized all available manpower and equipment to contain the main fires in the eastern coastal areas hit by massive wildfires for the fourth day, as strong winds there showed signs of fading. The wildfires spurred by high winds amid dry conditions have burned an estimated 16,755 hectares of woodland, the size of 23,466 soccer fields, in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and neighboring coastal areas as of 6 a.m. Monday, according to the Central Disaste

March 7, 2022

Navy SEAL-turned-YouTuber claims he left for Ukraine to participate in war as volunteer

Rhee Keun, a former Navy special warfare officer who recently gained huge popularity through the reality show "Fake Men" on YouTube, has said he left for Ukraine to take part in the war against Russia as a volunteer soldier. "When the Ukrainian president called for help from across the world, ROKSEAL immediately began preparing to join the war as a volunteer," he said on Instagram and his YouTube channel ROKSEAL on Sunday. "We drew up plans and prepared coordination and

March 7, 2022

S. Korea's daily COVID-19 cases exceed 200,000 for 4th day

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 200,000 for the fourth consecutive day Monday as the highly contagious omicron variant continued to fuel a surge in infections. The country reported 210,716 new COVID-19 infections, including 210,628 local cases, raising the total caseload to 4,666,977, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily tally has been declining since peaking at a record-high of 266,850 cases Friday. The daily caseload surpassed 200,

March 7, 2022

[Subway Stories] Seoul’s once-thriving red-light district fades into history

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories, a newly launched Korea Herald series exploring the subway stations and surrounding areas across the city. -- Ed.  Outside exit No. 5 of Seoul’s Cheongnyangni subway station is a giant construction site.  Dump trucks and heavy duty vehicles come and go, carrying building materials and occasionally making backup warning beeps. Pedestrians hasten their way through a walkway lined with safety fences to escape the intimidating sound

March 7, 2022

Schools in confusion as figures spike

Schools in Korea are scrambling in confusion as the country’s COVID-19 cases continue to rapidly increase. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 15,337 students in Seoul were newly confirmed to have COVID-19 between Feb. 28 and Thursday, while 1,417 school faculty members in Seoul were also confirmed. The tally has been on a steep rise. Though there were 2,883 new confirmed cases in students in Seoul on Tuesday, the number rose to 6,240 on Wednesday and 6,214 on Thu

March 6, 2022

Moon OKs special support for wildfire-hit Uljin, Samcheok

President Moon Jae-in opened the way for emergency financial support for the wildfire-hit areas of Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, and Samcheok, Gangwon Province, by declaring them a special disaster zone Sunday. Accompanied by Minister of the Interior Jeon Hae-cheol and Lee Jin-seok, presidential secretary for state affairs, Moon visited the Uljin National Sports Center shelter where about 500 Uljin residents were staying after being urgently evacuated. Moon told residents at the site tha

March 6, 2022

Finance Minister tests positive for COVID-19

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki tested positive for COVID-19 in a rapid antigen test, his office said Sunday. He took a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result on Saturday and will receive treatment at his official residence in Seoul for seven days from Sunday, the office said. The minister cast his ballot in early voting ahead of the presidential election day on March 9. On March 3, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum tested positive for COVID-19 and is undergoing at-home treatment for seven days at h

March 6, 2022

S. Korea's daily COVID-19 cases exceed 240,000 for 3rd day

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 240,000 for the third consecutive day Sunday amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The country reported 243,628 new COVID-19 infections, including 243,540 local cases, raising the total caseload to 4,456,264, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily tally fell from 254,327 cases Saturday and a record-high 266,853 cases Friday. Daily cases surpassed 200,000 for the first time Wed

March 6, 2022

Wildfire quickly spreads to about 21,000 acres as thousands evacuate

More than 6,000 people have evacuated their homes as firefighters battle a massive wildfire in eastern coastal areas Saturday. The fire burned an estimated 21,179 acres (8,571 hectares) of woodland in Uljin, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and its neighboring city of Samcheok as of 1 p.m., according to forest and firefighting authorities. That is more than double the size of woodland reported to have been affected the previous day. The blaze began on Friday morning on a road near a m

March 5, 2022