‘Is this a new Cold War?’

Watching Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it seems many South Koreans cannot help but worry about their own country’s future, which is still locked in a Cold War division. From the social media sphere to presidential campaign trails, people voiced their opposition to war and denounced the aggressor, while some raised “what ifs” over Korea’s own precarious geopolitical situation vis-a-vis a belligerent North Korea. On Twitter and Facebook, ordinary citizens and publ

Feb. 25, 2022

[Newsmaker] South Korea drops close contact quarantine requirements altogether

Starting March 1, people who have been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient will no longer need to quarantine regardless of their vaccination status in South Korea. This includes people living in the same household as someone isolating with an active infection. Currently unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people have to quarantine for seven days following a close contact exposure, while those who are fully vaccinated don’t. A close contact requiring quarantine is defined as living

Feb. 25, 2022

Military reports 1,013 more COVID-19 cases

The military on Friday reported 1,013 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 15,950. The new cases included 587 from the Army, 253 from the Air Force and 82 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry. There were also 37 cases from the Navy, 36 from the Marine Corps, seven from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 10 from the ministry and one from the South Korea-US Combined Forces Korea. Currently, 4,286 military personnel are under treatment

Feb. 25, 2022

Constitutional petition filed against law limiting English teacher visas based on nationality

A constitutional appeal has been filed against the Immigration Control Act that allows only those from eight English-speaking countries to work as native English instructors in South Korea, officials said Friday. Migrants Center Friend, an immigrant rights' group, filed the petition after a Ugandan was denied a visa to work as an English teacher, contending that it is wrong to limit such job opportunities based on nationality. The Ugandan, whose identity was withheld, sought the visa after gradu

Feb. 25, 2022

Daily COVID-19 cases fall below 170,000 amid concerns over critical cases

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases fell below 170,000 Friday but critical cases and deaths from the virus rose at a fast pace amid the continued spread of the highly contagious omicron variant. The country reported 165,890 new COVID-19 infections, including 165,749 local cases, raising the total caseload to 2,665,077, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It is slightly down from the previous day's 170,015. Daily infections surpassed the 100,000 level for the first

Feb. 25, 2022

Omicron wave expected to peak in mid-March with daily cases around 250,000: PM

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday that the country is expected to see the peak of the omicron wave in mid-March with daily cases hovering around 250,000. South Korea's daily virus infections surpassed the 100,000 level for the first time last week, and soared to a record high of 171,452 on Wednesday due to the highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19. "Some experts are saying that it may hit the peak faster than expected," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting in Se

Feb. 25, 2022

Another S. Korean wartime sexual slavery victim dies; survivors now at 12

Another South Korean woman who was forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II has died, the gender equality ministry said Thursday, reducing the total number of the country's registered surviving victims to 12.    The woman, whose name was withheld, died on Feb. 17, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Other information, including her age, was not available.    The bereaved family notified the government of her death after completing funera

Feb. 24, 2022

More deaths reported among kids in COVID-19 home recovery

Despite reassurances from health officials that hospitals are running smoothly, deaths continue to be reported in patients in South Korea before they get access to care. 　 Two more children died after they were initially told to recover at home, raising the cumulative death toll in under-10s to five, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s latest updates. In North Gyeongsang Province, a 7-year-old died Tuesday after spending two days at the hospital. She was dia

Feb. 24, 2022

Disability groups suspend subway protests calling to improve the right to travel

Groups representing people with disabilities have announced they have stopped subway protests which went on for weeks after being acknowledged by presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung of the minor opposition Justice Party during a recent TV debate. During a TV debate earlier this week, Sim dedicated her last minute to the protestors. “Disabled people are protesting on the subway every morning, urging for a budget for their rights to travel. “Though many citizens who commute on the

Feb. 24, 2022

‘Afghan students not welcome here’

Come March, students will return to Seoboo Elementary School in the southeastern city of Ulsan for the spring semester. Among them will be some 25 kids from Afghanistan who last year were airlifted from their home country to South Korea along with their families following the Taliban takeover.  One mother of a current student of Seoboo Elementary says the new group of incoming students is why she is considering moving.  “Muslim refugees from Afghanistan are living together in

Feb. 24, 2022

Compensation ordered for 9 college entrance examinees over erroneous early 'time's up' signal

A Seoul court on Thursday ruled partially in favor of a group of college entrance exam takers and their parents in a lawsuit seeking state compensation for an erroneous early "time is up" signal that shortened the exam time by two minutes. The exam time for the fourth session of the 2021 College Scholastic Ability Test, held in December 2020, was cut short for exam takers in a high school in western Seoul as the bell signaling the session's end was sounded earlier than normal by mistak

Feb. 24, 2022

Household income improves for 2nd straight quarter in Q4 amid economic recovery

South Korean household income rose for the second quarter in a row in the fourth quarter of last year thanks to an economic recovery amid eased antivirus curbs, data showed Thursday. The average household earned 4.64 million won ($3,876) per month in the October-December period, up 6.4 percent from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It marked the largest increase for any fourth quarter since 2011 when the figure advanced 7.2 percent. But the fourth-quarter on-year in

Feb. 24, 2022

Growth of wage worker jobs slows in Q3 amid pandemic

Employment for wage workers in South Korea grew at a slow clip in the third quarter of 2021 from three months earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Thursday. The number of paid employee jobs came to 19.6 million as of end-September, up 2.6 percent, or 491,000, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The tally was much lower lower than an on-year increase of 681,000 in the second quarter of last year. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the accommodations

Feb. 24, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases over 170,000 for 2nd day amid omicron wave

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases stayed above 170,000 for the second consecutive day Thursday amid the fast spread of the highly contagious omicron variant across the country. The country reported 170,016 new COVID-19 infections, including 169,846 local cases, raising the total caseload to 2,499,188, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number is slightly down from a record high of 171,452 on Wednesday. The country added 82 more deaths from COVID-19 on Thurs

Feb. 24, 2022

[Newsmaker] Korea halts use of its only COVID-19 antibody drug Regkirona

South Korea is no longer using Celltrion’s Regkirona, the only COVID-19 antibody drug approved for use in the country, after it was shown to be ineffective against the omicron variant. Omicron now accounts for nearly all new infections here. 　 In a message to reporters Wednesday afternoon, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said it had stopped supplying Regkirona as of Feb. 18, confirming earlier media reports. The agency said the remaining stock of Regkirona will only be u

Feb. 23, 2022

Former UN chief Ban becomes endowed chair at Seoul Nat'l University

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been appointed as an endowed chair at Seoul National University's (SNU) Department of Political Science and International Relations earlier this month, school officials said Wednesday. Ban plans to advise the university's graduate students on their research and careers until January 2025, according to SNU. The school, one of the country's most prestigious universities, grants chair professorships to scholars with outstanding academic achievements or gl

Feb. 23, 2022

The perilous move: Massive ladder trucks cause safety fears

A series of accidents involving trucks mounted with aerial ladders have prompted safety concerns in South Korea, where these ladders are widely used for moving in and out of tall apartment buildings. On Monday, a ladder of a moving truck collapsed in an apartment complex in Nowon-gu, Seoul, killing one resident and injuring another. Police suspect the ladder’s length at the time of the accident to have been around 40 meters, given that the accident took place after finishing moving hous

Feb. 23, 2022

Cases surge to 170,000, outpacing government projections

South Korea on Wednesday reported more than 170,000 new COVID-19 cases, outpacing the government’s earlier estimates. Despite the record figure, authorities tried to reduce some of the pandemic panic, stressing the virus crisis is under control. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures said a total of 171,452 cases had been confirmed as of Tuesday midnight, raising the total caseload to 2,329,182. On Monday, the government announced it expects the peak of the omicron variant spr

Feb. 23, 2022

Court again rules against victims of Japan's forced labor in damages suit

A Seoul court on Wednesday ruled against South Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor in a damages suit filed against Japanese companies, apparently on grounds that the cases' statute of limitations has expired. The suit was filed against Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Kumagai Gumi Co. by a 104-year-old victim named Kim Han-soo and the bereaved family of a late victim, surnamed Park, with the Seoul Central District Court in April 2019. Kim and Park claimed they were conscri

Feb. 23, 2022

Drone exhibition to offer glimpse into future of mobility

South Korea's largest exhibition of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) will be held in the southeastern port city of Busan this week, showcasing the latest technologies and models and offering a forum on the industry's future, organizers said Wednesday. Drone Show Korea 2022 will take place at Bexco Exhibition Center from Thursday to Saturday under the theme of "Connected by Drone." The sixth edition of the annual event, co-organized by the Korea Unmanned Vehicle System Association and BEX

Feb. 23, 2022