Safety of COVID-19 self-care scheme in doubt as patients die at home

South Korea stopped monitoring COVID-19 patients younger than 60 beginning Feb. 10 in a switch to what is known as a self-care scheme, after the milder omicron overtook delta as the dominant strain here.  But following deaths among younger patients isolating at home, concerns are rising over possible safety oversights in the new system. 　 According to health authorities Monday, at least two patients died in the Seoul area while in home isolation over the weekend. In Suwon, Gyeonggi Provi

Feb. 21, 2022

Much ink being spilled over legal status of tattoo artists in Korea

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea may soon recommend the abolishment of a long-disputed ”tattoo ban“ in Korea, in what could be a galvanizing moment for the introduction of a licensing and registration system for tattoo artists. According to local reports, the rights body has decided to throw its weight behind legislative proposals currently pending at the National Assembly that seek to provide a legal way for aesthetic tattoo artists to work. Currently only those with a

Feb. 21, 2022

[Subway Stories] Seoul Station, hub of mass transit and home of the homeless

Seoul Subway Stories is a newly launched Korea Herald series exploring the subway stations and surrounding areas across the city. The following is the first installment – Ed. Seoul Station has been a major transport hub in the country since its birth in 1900, its historical and practical significance making it a landmark of the city.  But for decades, the station authorities, the pedestrians, and the homeless have been locked in a three-way battle that was recently further smeared

Feb. 21, 2022

Schools open up more to possibility of going online

The Education Ministry on Monday recommended schools be more flexible with attendance policies in early March during a two-week transition period, dialing up an advisory for holding online classes if needed.　 The announcement gives schools more flexibility from the ministry’s earlier guidelines for schools to go hybrid with online and offline classes, allowing schools to tweak attendance policies regardless of the rules during the first two weeks of the new semester. “We are exp

Feb. 21, 2022

Seoul city to provide health care, education support to N. Korean defectors

The Seoul city government will provide North Korean defectors with free health checkups, online tutoring services for students and other support measures to help them better settle in their new homeland, officials said Monday. It is the first time in nine years that Seoul has put together support measures for defectors. Seoul is home to 6,759 defectors, about 21.4 percent of the total, and about 3.4 billion won ($2.85 million) has been earmarked for this year's support plan, up 1.5 billion won f

Feb. 21, 2022

[Herald Interview] Discarded masks showing up more on Korea’s beaches: green group

Beach pollution is a serious problem. Some 11 million metric tons of plastic waste end up in the ocean annually, according to a 2020 study co-authored by researchers at the Pew Charitable Trusts. Against this backdrop, one couple in Gangneung on the east coast of South Korea in Gangwon Province have embarked on a mission to clean up Korea’s shores and the ocean. “We have actually been keeping record of trash on the beaches even before the pandemic began and masks are now much more

Feb. 21, 2022

Monthly salary of wage workers up 3.6% in 2020

The average monthly salary of wage earners in South Korea rose 3.6 percent on-year in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a government report showed Monday. Wage workers in Asia's fourth-largest economy earned a monthly average of 3.2 million won ($2,669) in December 2020, up from 3.09 million won a year earlier, according to the report from Statistics Korea. The average salary of the median income bracket came to 2.42 million won, up 3.5 percent from the previous year. The figure for workers wi

Feb. 21, 2022

Majority of S. Koreans support eased business curfew: poll

Six out of 10 South Koreans are positive about the relaxation of COVID-19 curbs on businesses, a poll showed Monday. In the survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute, 62.1 percent said the government should enhance the protection of severely ill patients and those with underlying conditions while easing the curfew on restaurants, cafes and other businesses. But 32.6 percent said restrictions on business hours should be maintained firmly until infections are back on the decline. The survey wa

Feb. 21, 2022

S. Korea to step up quarantine efforts against animal diseases

South Korea said Monday it plans to step up the monitoring of local farms and implement stronger quarantine steps to curb the spread of African swine fever (ASF) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI). The country has reported an increase in the outbreak of ASF cases from wild boars in recent weeks, and a series of bird flu cases at local farms since November last year across the country. Swine fever has shown signs of spreading further to southern regions after being recently reported in th

Feb. 21, 2022

Court rules in favor of GM Korea seeking cancellation of govt. order to return subsidy

A court has ruled in favor of GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of General Motors Co., in a lawsuit filed against the government's decision to retrieve its subsidy provided for a facility the carmaker disposed of in 2019, sources said Monday. The suit was filed by GM Korea to annul the labor ministry's order for the company to return 2.23 billion won ($1.86 million) of residual value from a total of 3.25 billion won of state subsidy it received for building and operating a technology institute

Feb. 21, 2022

New cases dip below 100,000; current wave to peak from late Feb.-March

South Korea logged fewer than 100,000 daily coronavirus cases Monday, due to less testing over the weekend, while health authorities forecast the current COVID-19 wave to peak between late February and March. The country reported 95,362 new COVID-19 infections, including 95,218 local cases, raising the total caseload to 2,058,184, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Monday's tally is down from 104,829 on Sunday when the country's new caseload surpassed 100,000

Feb. 21, 2022

Parcel delivery union to hold rally demanding CJ Logistics negotiates with striking workers

Thousands of unionized parcel delivery workers were set to hold a large-scale rally in Seoul on Monday to demand CJ Logistics Corp., South Korea's largest logistics firm, agree to hold talks with striking workers seeking better working conditions. The courier union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the more militant of the country's two major umbrella unions, said around 2,000 workers are expected to gather at the demonstration to be held in front of Cheonggye Stream in cent

Feb. 21, 2022

Infections exceed 100,000 for 3 days; expected to surge further

Even on weekends when COVID-19 testing drops, the number of new confirmed cases surpassed 100,000 for three consecutive days and is expected to rise further in the coming weeks. The government expects the pandemic to peak at the end of this month or early next month. It predicted that the new cases would rise to 180,000 in early March. As of Saturday midnight, there were 104,829 new infections and the number of critically ill patients increased by 31 from the previous day to 439. The numbe

Feb. 20, 2022

Military reports 628 more COVID-19 cases

The military on Sunday reported 628 additional COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its domestic personnel to 12,197. The new cases included 362 from the Army, 167 from the Air Force, 48 from the Navy, 23 from units under the direct control of the defense ministry, 22 from the Marine Corps, and six from the ministry. Currently, 3,532 military personnel are under treatment. (Yonhap)

Feb. 20, 2022

Online education service provider fined for false ads

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Sunday it has decided to impose a fine of 286 million won ($239,130) on the country's leading online education service provider Eduwill for misleading advertising. Eduwill ran bus and subway advertisements between November 2018 and August 2021, in which the company claimed to rank first in the number of subscribers who passed exams, according to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC). The company has provided online education services to people preparing for state

Feb. 20, 2022

Seoul reports more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases for 2nd straight day

The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Seoul topped the 20,000 mark for the second consecutive day, officials said Sunday, bring the total caseload in the capital city to over half a million. A total of 22,102 virus cases were confirmed on Saturday after 23,193 cases were reported a day earlier. The latest cases, which represent nearly a two-fold jump from a week earlier, brought the accumulated number of infections in Seoul to 519,923, officials said. South Korea has seen virus cases spiking mas

Feb. 20, 2022

Seoul to make parks, forests more accessible via W180b project

The Seoul city government said Sunday it will launch a 180 billion won ($150 million) project to link parks and other green spaces with "green roads" in an effort to make urban green spaces more accessible. Under the Green Road Project, the city government plans to renovate and create eco-friendly roads spanning a total of 2,000 kilometers by 2026 that connect to the city's forests, parks, and other green areas. About 1,600km of roads will be renovated while 400km will be created in va

Feb. 20, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] With all medals coming from ice, S. Korea reverts to old ways

BEIJING -- South Korea's dominance in short track speed skating is hardly new. Despite some early hiccups in Beijing, South Korea still emerged as the leader in the short track medal count with two gold medals and three silver medals. The country also added four medals in speed skating with two silver and two bronze from the oval. But South Korea didn't get medals in sports other than the two skating events -- four years after expanding its Winter Olympic horizons four years go. Winter sports fa

Feb. 20, 2022

[Photo News] A delicious encouragement to vote

March 9 is voting day in South Korea. Gearing up for the 20th presidential election and by-election of the National Assembly, the Daegu Election Commission on Thursday launched “D-20 Until Election Bread” with Samsong BNC, a local company in Daegu. To encourage citizens to vote, Samsong Bakery, a famous bakery affiliated with Samsong BNC, baked pastries with election-themed decorations. Starting Thursday, “D-20 Until Election Bread,” will be produced and sold for a lim

Feb. 19, 2022

COVID-19 cases exceed 100,000 for 2nd day

South Korea reported more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row on Saturday amid the rapid spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The new daily infections came to 102,211, including 102,072 local infections, raising the total caseload to 1,858,009 the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The death toll from COVID-19 reached 7,354, up 71 from Friday. The fatality rate was 0.4 percent, the KDCA said.  The number of critically ill COVID-19

Feb. 19, 2022