Over 35% of Koreans drink tap water: survey

More than 3 in 10 Koreans drink tap water or boil it before drinking, a survey showed Wednesday. According to the Environment Ministry’s survey on people’s tap water consumption, 36 percent of the respondents said they drink water straight from the tap or boil it before drinking. The Environment Ministry conducted the first tap water drinking habit survey from April to June under the revised Water Supply and Waterworks Installation Act, which was amended in October last year. The

Oct. 27, 2021

Public officials caught for DUI to face tougher disciplinary rules

Government employees will be subject to much tougher rules against drunk driving and inhumane misconduct under a soon-to-be-revised law, the Ministry of Personnel Management said Wednesday. The ministry issued an advance notice of a revision of the Decree on Disciplinary Action against Public Officials, saying any government employee caught driving drunk with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.2 percent or higher can be expelled from office. According to the revision, public officials refusing

Oct. 27, 2021

S. Korea's childbirths at fresh low in August

The number of babies born in South Korea dropped to a record low in August, data showed Wednesday, underscoring the country's gloomy demographic situation with its chronically low birthrate. A total of 22,291 babies were born in August, down 0.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest tally for any August since the country began compiling related data in 1981. South Korea has been struggling with a constant fall in childbirths as m

Oct. 27, 2021

New virus cases soar to nearly 2,000 ahead of start of phased return to normalcy

South Korea's new coronavirus cases soared to nearly 2,000 Wednesday, as fresh concerns emerge over people letting their guard down ahead of the start of a gradual easing of virus curbs aimed at returning to normalcy. The country added 1,952 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,930 local infections, raising the total caseload to 356,305, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest count is a big jump from the previous day's 1,266 and 1,190 reported on Monday, al

Oct. 27, 2021

IAP launches regional office for eastern Europe, Central Asia

The members of the International Association of Prosecutors decided to launch a regional office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in St. Petersburg, Russia, organizers said Tuesday. The decision was reached during the IAP’s 52nd Executive Committee Meeting and 26th General Meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, from Oct. 20-22. At the opening event on Oct. 20, IAP President Hwang Cheol-kyu, who is the chief prosecutor of the International Center for Criminal Justice in Korea, and Deputy Pr

Oct. 26, 2021

UNESCO’s Learning Cities conference kicks off in Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu

The fifth International Conference on Learning Cities, held by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, kicks off in Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu on Wednesday to promote lifelong education for sustainable and healthy urban lives. Upholding learning cities’ green goal, the conference is set to be “paperless,” fully utilizing electronic documents. It is the district office’s effort to keep in step with UNESCO’s values and to meet its sustainable development goals, ac

Oct. 26, 2021

S. Korean culture sector in high spirits ahead of 'living with COVID-19' mode

Concert organizers, movie theaters, singers and other members of the cultural sector are gearing up to resume long-suspended shows, concerts and performances after the government unveiled a roadmap for a gradual return to normalcy from the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the roadmap, most coronavirus restrictions, such as nighttime curfews on cafes, restaurants and other multi-use facilities, will be phased out starting next week as the country's vaccination rate surpassed the key milestone of

Oct. 26, 2021

Changing the fate of ‘dog meat’ Jindos

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province -- Until a few weeks ago, they were eating food waste in small, dirty cages, helplessly watching their friends die. The 65 Jindo dogs were destined to die as Boknal approached. Those are the three hottest days of summer, during which South Koreans typically eat ginseng chicken soup or dog soup, although the latter is becoming rarer. But the dogs survived because nearby residents of Jindo County, South Jeolla Province, reported the situation to the authoritie

Oct. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Korea to be supplied with first batch of locally-manufactured Moderna doses

Some 2.4 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that Samsung Biologics has helped manufacture are being supplied for domestic use for the first time, South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday. The ministry said the 2.4 million doses are among the first batch of Moderna’s vaccine from the plant in Incheon. The country’s drug regulators authorized the Samsung Biologics-produced doses for emergency use Monday, the ministry said, which differs from th

Oct. 26, 2021

New virus cases below 1,500 for third day amid preparations for return to normalcy

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 1,500 for the third consecutive day Tuesday, less than a week to go before the beginning of a gradual return to normal life with eased social distancing rules. The country added 1,266 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,246 local infections, raising the total caseload to 354,355, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally inched up from 1,190 new cases reported the previous day, though it remained under 1,500

Oct. 26, 2021

[Graphic News] 3 in 4 Koreans support shift to ‘living with COVID-19’: poll

Three-quarters of South Koreans agree with the need to shift to the “living with COVID-19” scheme, according to a recent poll, as the government is moving to phase out coronavirus restrictions under the new policy next month. According to the survey conducted early this month with 1,083 people aged 19 to 69, 76.5 percent expressed support for the government‘s planned transition to coexistence with the coronavirus. In a similar poll carried out in August, only 56.9 percent wer

Oct. 26, 2021

Busan police bust 27 sex trafficking suspects, including court official

Police in this southeastern port city have apprehended 27 sex trafficking suspects, including one identified as a court official, the local police agency said Monday. The suspects are accused of operating 95 prostitution establishments in Busan and adjacent areas of Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province, mediating prostitution over 8,800 times and taking 700 million won (US$599,000) in profits from March last year to last month, according to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. Notably, a civil

Oct. 25, 2021

Korea unveils 3-month plan to exit pandemic

South Korea on Monday unveiled its road map for a “return to normal,” about a year and nine months since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed here. The government COVID-19 response headquarters, comprising several ministries and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said social distancing restrictions and other public health precautions will be lifted on a phased basis stretching over a dozen weeks. The timeline put forth shows Korea will be entering phase one on

Oct. 25, 2021

Over 80,000 crimes by romantic partners reported in last 5 years: lawmaker

More than 80,000 crimes by romantic partners were reported in the past five years, with the numbers showing an upward trend, data showed Monday. Of the 81,056 reports, 61,133 involved violent crimes such as murder, sexual assault, other assault, battery or criminal intimidation, according to the data submitted by the National Police Agency to Rep. Yang Ki-dae of the ruling Democratic Party. There were 227 murder reports involving romantic partners during the five-year period. According to the

Oct. 25, 2021

VANK, Yi Je-seok launch campaign to correct names of Dokdo, East Sea

On the occasion of Dokdo Day, local civic group Voluntary Agency Network of Korea has developed an online campaign in collaboration with advertising guru Yi Je-seok to encourage the public to check and report errors of names of Dokdo and East Sea in maps on overseas sites.  The models for this campaign are independence activists, Ahn Jung-geun, Yun Bong-gil and Ryu Gwan-sun, who are portrayed as discovering and correcting errors on overseas sites using cellphones and computers. The c

Oct. 25, 2021

[Us and Them] Public sector fuels xenophobia in S. Korea

South Korean authorities’ overzealous approach to the COVID-19 response regarding foreigners has raised concerns about discrimination and xenophobia. “When a Korean person catches COVID-19, people in the area are notified that someone has been infected. The alert goes right to their phone. When someone who isn’t Korean catches COVID-19, that same message suddenly is amended to state the nationality of the infected person. Why is it important to know the person’s nationa

Oct. 25, 2021

Moon says S. Korea to begin gradual return to normal life from November

South Korea will take steps toward a gradual return to normal life from the COVID-19 pandemic next month, as the nation's vaccination rate surpassed the key milestone of 70 percent, President Moon Jae-in said Monday. Despite the measures, however, some anti-virus restrictions, including a mask-wearing rule, will remain in place after November to continue to slow the spread of the virus, Moon said in a budget speech at the National Assembly. Some 35.9 million of the nation's 51.3 million popula

Oct. 25, 2021

Infection rates continue to trend downward with S. Korea hitting vaccine milestone

South Korea reported 1,190 new cases Monday, continuing a sustained decline in the number of coronavirus cases as its vaccination rate reached the milestone of 70 percent over the weekend. Monday's tally, including 1,167 local infections, raised the total caseload to 353,089, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It is down from the 1,423 counted the previous day. New virus cases stayed below 2,000 for the 17th day in a row. The death toll came to 2,773, up seven from a

Oct. 25, 2021

[Graphic News] Car accidents involving unlicensed teenagers up 34%: data

Car accidents involving unlicensed teenagers soared by 34 percent between 2018 and 2020, road traffic data showed. According to a Korea Road Traffic Authority report submitted to Rep. Kang Deuk-gu of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, teenagers were in 833 accidents last year while driving without a license, a sharp jump from 618 and 689 accidents in 2018 and 2019, respectively. More than 3,100 people suffered injuries and 63 died in the total 2,140 accidents involving unlicensed teenagers

Oct. 25, 2021

Over 80,000 dating violence cases reported in past 5 years: police data

More than 80,000 cases of dating violence were reported in the past five years nationwide, with more than 200 cases resulting in murder, police data showed Monday. According to the data of the National Police Agency, obtained by Rep. Yang Ki-dae of the ruling Democratic Party, 81,056 cases of dating abuse were reported to police between 2016 and last year. The annual total rose steadily from 9,364 in 2016 to 18,945 last year, the data showed. Of the total, 61,133 cases involved serious types

Oct. 25, 2021