Daily cases over 4,000 for 5th day amid strict curbs ahead of holiday

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the fifth straight day Sunday as health authorities remain vigilant over a possible upsurge in infections and the spread of the omicron variant ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. The country added 4,194 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,813 local infections, raising the total caseload to 692,174, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was smaller than the previous day's 4,419 but

Jan. 16, 2022

[Weekender] Kids still under threat of abuse as improvements remain weak

A 20-month-old baby girl in Daejeon was murdered in June after months of physical and sexual abuse, apparently from her stepfather, and neglect by her biological mother. The toddler’s body was found in a cooler at the stepfather’s house with severe bruises and scars apparently from the abuse. Her stepfather was reported to have beaten her for more than an hour on the day of her death just because she was annoying him by crying too much. The stepfather reportedly testified during th

Jan. 15, 2022

Daily cases over 4,000 for 4th day amid extended virus curbs

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the fourth consecutive day Saturday, as health authorities keep a tight vigilance with the extension of strict social distancing measures for three more weeks. The country added 4,423 new COVID-19 infections, including 4,077 local infections, raising the total caseload to 687,984, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country reported 22 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,281, accordi

Jan. 15, 2022

Seoul court pauses vaccine pass mandates for minors

Seoul court on Friday afternoon has suspended the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s forthcoming policy requiring kids as young as 12 to be fully vaccinated or tested to access public spaces until a further decision is made. It also suspended the requirement for those entering large stores to have proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test. The requirement for minors was to begin taking effect from next month, or March at the latest. The court said “the incidence of hospi

Jan. 14, 2022

The days of 3T are over

When the inevitable omicron explosion descends on South Korea, the kind of restrictive approach to dealing with the virus will have run its course, top officials say. In a news briefing Friday, the Health and Economy ministries said Korea will focus on keeping its businesses and other aspects of daily life as open as possible once the new variant starts dominating the scene. The characteristics of omicron called for “a shift in a paradigm toward a more flexible response,” said He

Jan. 14, 2022

Unfriendly thank-you letter sparks criticism, question about letter-writing campaign to soldiers

An unfriendly letter that a high school girl wrote to a soldier in the mandatory military service surprised many this week, not only because of the letter's sarcastic tone but also due to the fact that the practice of having students send thank-you letters to troops still exists. In a nation facing a belligerent North Korea across the world's most heavily fortified border, writing letters to soldiers used to be a fixture for students in South Korea, especially elementary school pupils, when Col

Jan. 14, 2022

Search resumes for 4th day at Gwangju apartment building collapse site

GWANGJU -- Search and rescue operations resumed at an apartment building collapse site in the southwestern city of Gwangju for a fourth day Friday. According to the Gwangju Fire and Safety Headquarters, the search for six missing persons resumed at 7 a.m. with 71 rescue workers aided by 43 instruments and eight rescue dogs. Exterior walls of the 39-story building under construction in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, crumbled Tuesday, trapping construction workers at the site. Three wo

Jan. 14, 2022

Large-scale street rallies planned for Saturday in central Seoul

Large-scale labor rallies are set to hit the streets in central Seoul on Saturday, with police planning traffic blockades and other controls to disperse them, officials said Friday. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and other progressive groups are scheduled to launch a series of outdoor rallies in downtown Seoul, renewing calls for enhanced labor rights. According to advance declaration forms filed with the police, a total of 44 such rallies involving more than 8,000 people have been r

Jan. 14, 2022

Military reports 16 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Friday reported 16 additional COVID-19 cases, including 15 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,553. Of the new cases, nine are from the Army, five from the Air Force and two from a unit under the direct control of the ministry. Currently, 199 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,733 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

Jan. 14, 2022

As omicron sweeps US, ‘comfortable’ KF94 masks gain popularity

KF94 masks, the Korean version of an N95 mask, are gaining popularity in the United States, with experts calling for upgraded protective options over cloth masks as the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly throughout the country. Michael Baym, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School shared his review of using KF94 masks produced by Korean firm Dr. Puri. “They’re very comfortable. I was also happy to see on the CDC/NIOSH testing page that they test at ove

Jan. 14, 2022

Daily infections over 4,000 for 3rd day; imported cases hit fresh high

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the third consecutive day and imported cases reached an all-time high Friday, prompting the government to extend part of toughened social distancing rules for three more weeks. The country added 4,542 new COVID-19 infections, including 4,133 local infections, raising the total caseload to 683,566, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of imported cases hit a daily high of 409 on Friday amid t

Jan. 14, 2022

Govt. to raise private gathering size limit to 6, keep 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants: PM

The government decided to raise the private gathering size limit to six while keeping a 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants and cafes for the next three weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday. The decision came as the number of daily COVID-19 cases has been around 4,000 in recent days with the government's robust booster shot campaign and tightened antivirus curbs after reaching as high as over 7,000 last month. However, health authorities are still keeping their guard up due to the spread of

Jan. 14, 2022

1st batch of COVID-19 antiviral pills arrives in S. Korea

The first batch of Pfizer Inc.'s antiviral COVID-19 treatment pills arrived in South Korea on Thursday as the country is working to stem the spread of coronavirus infections, health officials said. The U.S. pharmaceutical giant's oral pills for 21,000 people landed at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, at around 2 p.m. and were delivered to a logistics center in Ochang, 120 kilometers south of the capital, at 5:25 p.m., according to the authorities. The Paxlovid pills will begin being administere

Jan. 13, 2022

[From the scene] Solution to bed crisis? Korea sets up clinics for self-isolating patients

Since fall last year, the majority of COVID-19 patients in South Korea have been recovering at home. While patients are homebound as a rule, they can now break isolation on one occasion -- to see a doctor. The revised guidelines follows the December hospital bed crisis, which spawned a dramatic rise in patients dying at home. To prevent patient oversight while reserving hospital spots for more urgent cases only, the country is letting self-isolating patients seek in-person care at clinics.

Jan. 13, 2022

Foreign creators excited over Korea’s upcoming Hallyu visa

Aiming to further cement its rising global profile as a soft power nation, South Korea is set to introduce a new visa program this year to draw global cultural talents.  Dubbed the Hallyu visa in reference to the Korean Wave of films, TV dramas and music sweeping across the world, the new program is designed to support the entry of foreigners eager to learn about the Korean culture and entertainment industry.  A senior Justice Ministry official explained that those who plan to stay m

Jan. 13, 2022

Discrimination against women, LGBT people ‘pervasive’ in Korea, Human Rights Watch says

Discrimination against women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and racial and ethnic minorities is pervasive in South Korea, a new report from the Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. The annual 32rd World Report 2022 highlights the human rights situation in nearly all of the 100 countries where the international organization works. Though South Korea has been described as an “established democracy that largely respects civil, political, economic, social, and cultural right

Jan. 13, 2022

Andre Jin Coquillard named Alumnus of the Year at Seoul Foreign School

Seoul Foreign School announced Thursday that Andre Jin Coquillard has been named Alumnus of the Year for his athletic achievement. The award is the highest honor the school grants on its alumni, who presented excellence in their chosen field of endeavor and outstanding service to the community or profession, as well as devotion to SFS. For Coquillard, the school thought highly of his efforts in South Korea’s national rugby team. In 2021, Andre represented South Korea in men’s ru

Jan. 13, 2022

School-age population estimated to dip below 5 million in 2026

The number of elementary and secondary school students in South Korea is expected to drop below 5 million for the first time in 2026, the government said Thursday, citing an ongoing decline of the school-age population. According to the Ministry of Education, the number of elementary, middle and high school students is expected to decrease each year, falling from 5.28 million this year to 5.21 million in 2023, 5.14 million in 2024 and 5.04 million in 2025. In 2026, when students born in 2007,

Jan. 13, 2022

Anyang announces big plans across the board for 2022

Anyang City, located in Gyeonggi Province, is expecting big changes this year, such as expansion of the local job market, improvements in its railroad network, upcoming renovation projects and more. Mayor Choi Dae-ho addressed some important agenda for the city in his New Year’s message. Amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Choi, who took the helm in July 2018, stressed community health to be the foremost agenda of the year, highlighting that the city would strengthen its disease contr

Jan. 13, 2022

Gangnam's economy 22 times larger than Gangbuk: data

Of Seoul’s 25 districts, Gangnam-gu has the largest economy, with its total output being nearly 22 times the size of the smallest, Gangbuk-gu, data showed Thursday. 　 According to the Seoul metropolitan government, Gangnam-gu’s gross regional domestic product in 2019 stood at 71.85 trillion won ($6 billion), followed by Jung-gu’s 53.8 trillion, Yeongdeungpo-gu’s 36.1 trillion and Seocho-gu’s 35.6 trillion won. The smallest economy in terms of GRDP was Gangbuk-gu at

Jan. 13, 2022