S. Korea ranks 4th in relative poverty among OECD nations

South Korea ranks fourth in relative poverty among major economies in the world, data showed Monday, in a sign of its high income inequality. The country's relative poverty rate, referring to the percentage of people with an income below 50 percent of the median income, came to 16.7 percent in 2018-19, according to the data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is the fourth-highest rate among 37 member countries of the Paris-based club of rich nations. Sout

Oct. 25, 2021

Delayed response blamed in COVID-19 patient’s death at home

A Seoul man in his 60s who was being treated at home for COVID-19 died on Thursday before he could receive hospital care, raising concerns over potential safety problems with the at-home program. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare announcements, the 68-year-old patient, who was not vaccinated, died while under home isolation Thursday, just a day after testing positive. He is the first known patient to die at home since the eligibility criteria were expanded last month. Mo

Oct. 24, 2021

[News Focus] Foreign-owned land in Korea increases 32% since 2011

SEJONG -- Land owned by foreigners in South Korea has reached an all-time high in terms of combined size, amid their active purchases of apartments or sites for business, such as manufacturing and leisure facilities, government data showed. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, foreigners owned 253.3 million square meters of land as of December 2020, which is the latest figure available. Though this accounts for less than 0.3 percent of the nation’s entire terri

Oct. 24, 2021

Prosecutors resummon key suspects amid growing calls for special probe

Prosecutors on Sunday again summoned key suspects of the high-profile land development scandal for continued questioning amid growing calls for an independent counsel investigation into the case. Kim Man-bae, who is believed to be the founder and a major stakeholder in Hwacheon Daeyu, appeared at the prosecutor‘s office for the fourth round of questioning, which came just three days after a round of questioning on Thursday. Another key figure, Nam Wook, the second-largest stakeholder of

Oct. 24, 2021

Seoul city moves to normalize coronavirus-affected public transit service

The Seoul city government said Sunday it will begin normalizing late-night public transportation operations on weekdays, months after they were reduced due to social distancing measures against COVID-19. It plans to put intra-city buses and subway lines No. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 back in normal operation Monday followed by subway lines No. 3 and 4 on Dec. 1. The city has reduced its public transit services after 10 a.m. on weekdays by up to 20 percent since July. The measure led to an average 35

Oct. 24, 2021

Coast Guard seizes Chinese boat for fishing in S. Korea's EEZ without permit

JEJU -- South Korea's Coast Guard has seized a Chinese boat for fishing without a permit in the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off the southern resort island of Jeju, its officials said Sunday. The 272-ton vessel carrying 11 crew members is suspected of conducting fishing activities in waters 116 kilometers south of the city of Seogwipo on the island at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday without any authorization. The vessel is also alleged to have attempted to flee despite the Coast Guard's repe

Oct. 24, 2021

New virus cases below 1,500 amid progress in vaccination campaign

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases fell below 1,500 on Sunday amid signs of a letup in the fourth wave of the pandemic, with the country seeking to phase out social distancing restrictions, as its vaccination rate reached the milestone of 70 percent. The country reported 1,423 new cases, including 1,395 local infections, raising the total caseload to 351,899, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Sunday's tally is down from the 1,508 counted the previous day. New virus

Oct. 24, 2021

70% of population fully vaccinated in S. Korea; en route to ‘new normal’

South Korea on Saturday achieved its goal of fully inoculating over 70 percent of the country‘s population earlier than scheduled amid its accelerating vaccination drive. A total of 35.94 million people have received their both shots of COVID-19 vaccines as of 2 p.m., accounting for 70 percent of the country’s 51.3 million population, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). South Korea began its nationwide vaccination campaign in late February. The ach

Oct. 23, 2021

[Eye Plus] Digital library makes learning interactive

The National Library of Korea is welcoming visitors looking for a new way of reading books through its digital library, called Silgam Seojae. The digital library aims to bring books, especially old texts, closer to readers with the latest technologies.  Visitors can search for books on a touch screen where they receive book suggestions based on the search results, which they can share with other visitors. Old texts are offered digitally for reading, with annotations to help readers who are

Oct. 23, 2021

[Photo News] Rice Reaping Experience for Students

Yangcheon Urban Agricultural Park is hosting various events from Thursday to Oct. 29 at Sintree Park, located in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, to give children an opportunity to experience various events that aren’t easily accessible in the city. The program offers safety education on agricultural equipment and hands-on experiences with activities such as rice cutting and threshing machine observation -- with the supervision of a farming instructor.  After the hands-on activities, children c

Oct. 23, 2021

Chemical leak kills 2, injures 9 at building construction site

A chemical used for fire suppression leaked from the basement of a high-rise building under construction in southwestern Seoul on Saturday, leaving two workers dead and nine others injured, firefighters said. The fatal chemical leak occurred on the third basement floor of the 18-story Gasan Metro Knowledge Industry Center building under construction in the capital‘s southwestern ward of Geumcheon shortly before 9 a.m., they said. Two male workers aged 50 and 45, respectively, were rushe

Oct. 23, 2021

New virus cases below 2,000 for 15th day as vaccination rate nears 70% milestone

South Korea saw its new coronavirus cases rise slightly Saturday, but the daily caseload stayed below 2,000 for the 15th straight day, as the country‘s vaccination rate was nearing a key milestone of 70 percent. The country reported 1,508 new cases, including 1,487 local infections, raising the total caseload to 350,476, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Saturday’s tally is up from the 1,439 counted the previous day. The death toll came to 2,745, up 20

Oct. 23, 2021

Justice ministry orders military to drop its plan to appeal against transgender soldier ruling

The justice ministry on Friday ordered the military to drop its plan to challenge a court ruling that said it was unjust for the military to discharge a transgender soldier over her gender reassignment surgery. Justice Minister Park Beom-kye accepted a recommendation from an advising committee on administrative suits which reviewed the case of Byun Hee-soo. "The court's ruling is not intended to allow transgender people to serve in the military, but it's saying that the military's compul

Oct. 22, 2021

Gender Ministry argues for its existence as opposition pushes to abolish it

Whether the Ministry of Gender Equality & Family should remain in existence again surfaced as a hot button issue Friday, as opposition lawmakers criticized its work over the past year in caring for women in need. During the annual audit of the ministry by the National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee, lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party grilled Minister of Gender Equality and Family Chung Young-ai on whether her office was helpful in caring for women&rsq

Oct. 22, 2021

Chinese fishing boat seized for alleged illegal fishing in S. Korean waters

A Chinese fishing boat was seized Friday for fishing illegally in South Korean waters in the Yellow Sea, Korea Coast Guard officials said. The 60-ton boat was caught operating in waters about 25 kilometers west of the island of Baengnyeong at around 2:40 a.m. after crossing 7 kilometers into South Korean waters from north of the inter-Korean sea border, known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL). A 500-ton Coast Guard vessel patrolling the area found the Chinese boat and sent a speedboat to seize

Oct. 22, 2021

Easing restrictions should be centered on fully vaccinated people: PM

Easing quarantine measures should be centered around fully vaccinated people in the initial stages of returning to normalcy, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday. “While expanding the scope of recovery for daily life, we will try to find a balancing point that can stably manage quarantine,” Kim said in the meeting of the government-private sector committee to draft a road map to normalcy. “Vaccination greatly impacts infection prevention and reduces severity and mortalit

Oct. 22, 2021

S. Korea to hold nationwide shopping festival next month

South Korea will launch a nationwide shopping festival next month to boost domestic consumption amid the pandemic, the industry ministry said Friday. The annual Korea Sale FESTA will kick off Nov. 1 for a 15-day run, both online and offline, and a total of 1,276 companies have expressed their intention to take part in the event, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The government plans to issue discount coupons and hold various events in cooperation with retailers and 17 pr

Oct. 22, 2021

Robust vaccination campaign keeps new infections largely in check

South Korea reported 1,440 new daily cases Friday in a downward trend in its coronavirus infections as its strong vaccination push seems to be helping prevent the spread of the coronavirus from spinning out of control. The new tally, including 1,420 local infections, brought the total caseload to 348,969, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's number is down one from the 1,441 counted the previous day. It is also down 117 from a week ago. The death toll came to

Oct. 22, 2021

2.4 magnitude quake hits S. Korea's central region: KMA

A 2.4 magnitude earthquake struck South Korea's central region Friday morning, the state weather agency said. The earthquake occurred about 26 kilometers south of Jecheon, 168 km southeast of Seoul, at 6:51 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter is estimated to be at a depth of 14 km. The earthquake was recorded at a maximum of Level 3 on the seismic intensity scale in North Chungcheong Province, where the epicenter was located. Gangwon Province in th

Oct. 22, 2021

Health minister pins Nov. 1 as Korea’s point of return to normal

South Korea could discontinue most of its COVID-19 restrictions within mere weeks, according to top health officials. Kwon Deok-cheol, the minister of health and welfare, told lawmakers Wednesday that Nov. 1 is the likely date for the country’s “return to normal.” He said during a parliamentary audit of the ministry that the COVID-19 response team was “considering the first day of November as the date of the transition.” Korea Disease Control and Prevention Ag

Oct. 21, 2021