Presidential candidate Lee envisions state-sponsored workcation centers

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday pledged to establish “workcation” centers in rural areas of the country to allow people working remotely to stay and help struggling local economies. Under the COVID-19 pandemic, over 9 in 10 of the country’s biggest firms have adopted a telework system, according to Lee. “I will support a balanced life between work and rest in line with the changes in the new era and in the

Jan. 4, 2022

Nationalistic content takes new form in YouTube era

Toxic nationalism manifests online via ‘gukppong’ YouTube channels In 2015, when Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League acquired forward Son Heung-min -- arguably the best soccer player Korea has ever produced -- a curious fad emerged among Korean soccer fans. Whenever Son pulled off a remarkable performance, they would flood online comment sections with the word “Jumo!” It was meant as a compliment. The Korean word refers to the now-defunct profession of a f

Jan. 4, 2022

Vacation, vaccination bring down COVID-19 cases in Seoul schools

With schools going into winter vacation and more youths being vaccinated, the number of COVID-19 cases in schools have decreased to the 1,200s. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Tuesday, 1,237 students from kindergarten to high school tested positive for COVID-19 in Seoul last week, along with 107 faculty members. Cases of COVID-19 among students dropped by 34.2 percent, 642 cases from a total of 1,879 cases in the previous week. Of the total cases involving students

Jan. 4, 2022

Poll finds 9 in 10 Koreans feeling climate change firsthand

Nine out of 10 South Koreans feel climate change firsthand and are willing to accept any inconvenience caused by policies to solve the problem, a poll showed Tuesday. According to the poll of 1,000 adults nationwide by a civic group, 89.2 percent answered that they actually feel the effects of the climate crisis and 88.5 percent expressed a willingness to accept the inconvenience of policies introduced to address the crisis. The poll was conducted by pollster Research View from Dec. 14-18 at t

Jan. 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] Prosecutors close case on late Seoul Mayor Park’s alleged sexual harassment

Prosecutors have decided not to indict the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who was accused of sexually harassing his secretary, according to local reports Tuesday. The decision was reached by prosecutors at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday. Prosecutors closed the case as they no longer have the right of arraignment to file an indictment against the deceased Park. As prosecutors have closed the case, the connection of his death with the accusation will not b

Jan. 4, 2022

Seoul's daily COVID-19 cases under 1,000 for 2nd straight day

Seoul's daily COVID-19 cases on Tuesday remained under 1,000 for the second consecutive day in light of the country's extension of tighter social distancing measures for two weeks, officials said. The number of cases in the capital was recorded at 938, 52 fewer than the 990 tally Monday and down 351 compared with a week ago, according to city health officials. Of the total, 903 were local infections and 35 were from overseas. On Monday, Seoul's daily COVID-19 cases fell below 1,000 for the fir

Jan. 4, 2022

Military reports 4 infections among overseas troops

South Korea's military on Tuesday confirmed four cases of COVID-19 among troops stationed in Lebanon and South Sudan, amid growing concerns over the omicron variant around the globe. Two service members stationed in the Dongmyeong unit in Lebanon and two others based in the Hanbit unit in South Sudan have tested positive, according to the defense ministry. All of them have mild symptoms, it noted. South Korea has a total of around 1,000 troops stationed overseas, including the Akh unit in the

Jan. 4, 2022

Daily virus cases stay below 4,000 for 3rd day amid lingering omicron woes

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed below 4,000 for the third straight day Tuesday amid tightened social distancing rules, but health authorities are on high alert after the first omicron-linked deaths were reported a day earlier. The country added 3,024 new COVID-19 infections, including 2,889 local infections, raising the total caseload to 645,226, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was down 105 from a day earlier and down 841 compared wi

Jan. 4, 2022

Foreign travelers to S. Korea expected to have fallen below 1m last year

The number of foreign tourists who visited South Korea last year is expected to have fallen below the 1 million mark due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The data from the state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) showed 877,000 foreigners visited the country from January to November, down 64.3 percent from a year earlier. Considering that only 94,000 foreigners visited the country in November, it is certain the yearly tally of foreign tourist arrivals fell below 1 million for the first ti

Jan. 4, 2022

Aging S. Korea moves to issue conditional licenses for elderly drivers

Last month, a speeding car driven by an 80-something person rammed into another car and plowed into a grandmother and her granddaughter walking nearby in the southern port city of Busan, resulting in the death of the two pedestrians. Months earlier, multiple people were injured after a five-vehicle crash caused by a 73-year-old driver in the southeastern city of Changwon. Both drivers claimed their cars began suddenly accelerating without their control, but the accidents renewed safety concern

Jan. 4, 2022

Non-face-to-face therapy gains traction during pandemic

Lee Kyung-ran, who has been working as a therapist for the past 15 years, has ditched face-to-face consultations thanks to a growing demand for phone and virtual sessions after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since late 2019, she has been offering therapy sessions through Naver eXpert, a service launched by the country’s largest portal Naver. Naver eXpert provides a wide range of one-on-one online consultations and classes from experts including lawyers, accountants and asset con

Jan. 3, 2022

[Newsmaker] Daily COVID-19 cases remain below 4,000 for second day

South Korea’s new coronavirus cases remained below 4,000 for the second straight day as of midnight Sunday, but the number of critically ill patients continued to surpass 1,000. Two deaths in connection with the omicron variant of the coronavirus were reported on Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, South Korea added 3,129 new COVID-19 cases during Sunday, raising the total to 642,207. It was down from that of the previous day, which recorded 3,833 cases

Jan. 3, 2022

Celltrion's COVID-19 candidate treatment shows safety in clinical trial

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion Inc. said Monday that its antibody treatment candidate against COVID-19 has shown safety in its clinical trial. Celltrion said it has enrolled 24 healthy volunteers in its global phase one clinical trial and confirmed the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of CT-P63. Separately, Celltrion said that CT-P63 has maintained strong neutralizing ability against the omicron variant during pseudo-virus testing conducted by the U.S. National Institutes

Jan. 3, 2022

Man arrested for assaulting Mongolians

A man has been taken into custody for assaulting three Mongolian men, according to Seoul police. The suspect, who was not identified, is being questioned for his part in an assault that occurred around 3:20 a.m. on Sunday near Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. Police believe other people took part in the attack, and are trying to track them down. The incident follows other assaults that have taken place involving Korean and Mongolian nationals in an apparent tit-for-tat. Early last mo

Jan. 3, 2022

COVID-19 infections declining among students

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among young students has been on the decline in accordance with their rising vaccination rate, the beginning of winter break and a downward trend in the nation's total infections, the government said Monday. According to the education ministry, the daily average of virus infections among kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school students from last Thursday to Sunday was 487.3. The daily average for students peaked at 963.9 from Dec. 9-15 before dec

Jan. 3, 2022

Budget carriers reschedule int'l flights due to omicron variant

South Korea's low-cost carriers said Monday they have delayed or reduced their flights on international routes due to the spread of the omicron variant. Air Seoul Inc., a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines Inc., has delayed its planned flights to Guam from Jan. 29 to March 27. Air Seoul has offered one flight a week, respectively, on the routes from Incheon to Qingdao and Yantai in China since the summer of 2020 to meet business travel demands. Jeju Air Co., the country's biggest low-cost

Jan. 3, 2022

6 Afghan evacuees find jobs in S. Korea: justice ministry

Six Afghan evacuees airlifted to South Korea from Afghanistan taken over by the Taliban last year have found jobs, the justice ministry said Monday. The six recently got employed at a manufacturer in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, and other companies, while another person was admitted to a graduate school in an unidentified regional city. Accordingly, a total of 20 evacuees from seven households will start leaving their temporary residences in the southwestern city of Yeosu early this m

Jan. 3, 2022

Upcoming extension of vaccine pass to big grocery stores inflames protests

The upcoming expansion of South Korea's vaccine pass requirement to big box and department stores is inflaming protests that the measure represents discrimination against unvaccinated people and a breach of their right to basic needs. Under a revised vaccine pass scheme announced Friday, people will be required to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result to shop at discount or department stores measuring 3,000 square meters or more, starting Jan. 10. The fresh addition o

Jan. 3, 2022

2 omicron-linked deaths reported in S. Korea: officials

Two deaths in connection with the omicron variant of the coronavirus were reported in South Korea on Monday, reportedly the first deaths in the country linked to the highly transmissible variant, officials said. Health authorizes in Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, said two recently deceased coronavirus patients in the city, both in their 90s, have posthumously tested positive for the omicron variant. The patients, who died last Monday and Wednesday, respectively, both tested positive f

Jan. 3, 2022

Seoul's daily COVID-19 cases drop below 1,000 for 1st time since mid-Nov.

Seoul's daily COVID-19 cases on Monday fell below 1,000 for the first time since mid-November, as the country has extended the enforcement of tighter social distancing measures for two more weeks, officials said. The number of cases in the capital was recorded at 993, 190 fewer compared than the 1,183 tally on Sunday and down 503 compared with a week ago, according to city health officials. Of the total, 964 were local infections and 29 were from overseas. It marked the first time Seoul's dail

Jan. 3, 2022