USFK reports 11 more COVID-19 cases

The US military in South Korea reported 11 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the total number of its infections to 1,297. Five infections were reported from Osan Air Base and three COVID-19 patients -- one soldier and two civilian workers -- were identified from Camp Humphreys, both located in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, according to US Forces Korea. USFK said three family members from its base in Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, also tested positive. The

Aug. 28, 2021

S. Korea struggling to curb surges in coronavirus infections among foreign workers

South Korea is grappling with a growing number of coronavirus cases among migrant workers, many of whom are living and working in conditions highly vulnerable to cluster infections. New COVID-19 cases among foreign nationals last week reached 1,665, a 20.7 percent increase from the previous week, according to health authorities. They accounted for 13.6 percent of all new cases during the period, up 2.5 percentage points from 11.1 percent a week earlier and much higher than the proportion of t

Aug. 27, 2021

Unionized health workers to go on strike Sept. 2 amid prolonged pandemic

Unionized health workers will go on strike next week to demand better working conditions and the expansion of public health infrastructure amid the pandemic, their union said Friday, raising concerns over a workforce shortage in hospitals as South Korea is battling the worst wave of COVID-19. The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) said 82 percent of 56,091 members from 124 hospitals and treatment facilities cast their ballot, and nearly 90 percent of them voted in favor of the str

Aug. 27, 2021

[Newsmaker] Doctors protest operating room surveillance bill

Doctors in South Korea are fiercely opposing the passage of a bill that would require surveillance cameras being installed inside operating rooms, as they believe the move would negatively influence surgical procedures and serve as potential leak of personal data. The Korean Medical Association has been staging a one-person rally since Tuesday to oppose the bill from being enacted on coming Monday during the next plenary meeting of the National Assembly. KMA head Lee Pil-soo started the rally o

Aug. 27, 2021

Seoul installs QR codes to guide visitors at riverside parks

Seoul has placed QR codes at all of its riverside parks that would serve as tourist information centers. The city government said Friday that it has posted 176 QR code posters across 11 riverside parks in Seoul for visitors to scan and receive guides on where to tour, locate nearby facilities and receive tour guides on their smartphones. The QR code will direct users to a website designated for each riverside park and provide links to use audio guide for tourism courses, give directions to nea

Aug. 27, 2021

New cases under 1,900 for 2nd day, critical patients on rise

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hovered under 1,900 for the second day Friday, while the number of critical patients continued to rise, as health authorities stepped up vaccination campaigns to control the worst wave driven by the highly infectious delta variant. The country added 1,841 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,811 local infections, raising the total caseload to 245,158, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Friday's tally compares with 1,882 o

Aug. 27, 2021

Seoul city rejects queer festival organizer's application to set up non-profit foundation

The Seoul city government said Thursday it has rejected an application from a LGBTQ festival organizer to establish a non-profit foundation, citing concerns of social conflict if the request were to be approved. The city government sent a letter Wednesday to the Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) Organizing Committee explaining its reasons for rejecting the application filed in October of 2019. The city government said it "assessed there being factors that could disrupt the public intere

Aug. 26, 2021

Letting under-50s take AstraZeneca vaccine ‘not risk-assessed’: KDCA director

No risk assessment was carried out before letting people as young as 30 take AstraZeneca’s vaccine again starting last week, the director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s COVID-19 vaccination council revealed. The director said in a phone call with The Korea Herald on Wednesday that the KDCA “did not conduct a cost-benefit analysis” that supports permitting AstraZeneca vaccination in younger people, while reaffirming that the shot is “only rec

Aug. 26, 2021

Korea aims to move closer to ‘half-price college tuition’

South Korea on Thursday announced details of 87 youth policy measures that will affect housing, education, welfare and jobs. The highlights include plans to halve college tuition for the whole country and to subsidize rental payments for financially struggling young people. “In a situation where job opportunities for young people decrease due to digitalization, automation and robotization, the living conditions of young people are worsening due to COVID-19,” said Koo Yoon-cheol, he

Aug. 26, 2021

Korea to revise law to grant Afghan helpers long-term visas

“Today, the Korean government accepts Afghans who have assisted its activities in Afghanistan, along with their family members,” Justice Minister Park Beom-kye said at a press briefing at Incheon Airport on Thursday, an hour before they arrived. The evacuated Afghans include those who worked at the Korean Embassy, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, a hospital and vocational training institute run by the Korean government and Korean military bases, he said. More than half o

Aug. 26, 2021

Disabled people suffer more than 2 sex crimes daily on average: report

More than two cases of sex crimes are committed against disabled people per day on average in South Korea, a police report showed Thursday. According to the National Police Agency report submitted to independent lawmaker Lee Yong-ho, a total of 2,432 cases of sex offenses targeted disabled people from 2017-19, which roughly translates into a daily average of 2.2 cases a day. The yearly tally stood at 785 in 2017, 843 in 2018 and 804 in 2019. Of the total, a supermajority of 2,242 cases, or 92

Aug. 26, 2021

[Graphic News] No. of households with minors falls below 5m in 2019: data

　The number of households with children under 18 years old fell below 5 million for the first time in 2019, amid a chronically low birthrate, data showed. 　The number of households with children under 18 came to 4.87 million in 2019, down from 5.04 million the previous year, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　Such households made up 23.3 percent of the total 20.9 million households in 2019, down 1.3 percentage points from 2018, the data showed. 　As of Nov. 1, 2019, the numbe

Aug. 26, 2021

New COVID-19 cases hover under 1,900, largest death toll since 4th wave

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hovered near 1,900 on Thursday, and daily COVID-19 deaths hit the highest number since the fourth wave of the pandemic began, as health authorities scrambled to add critical-care hospital beds. The country added 1,882 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,829 local infections, raising the total caseload to 243,317, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Thursday's tally compares with 2,155 on Wednesday, 1,509 on Tuesday, 1,418

Aug. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Public remains poles apart over accepting Afghan refugees

A public debate over whether Korea should accept Afghan refugees continues to heat up with the government granting special stay permits for Afghans here while airlifting nationals who worked for Korea in the war-torn country. Since the Taliban took control of Kabul earlier this month, opinions are split over whether Korea should help Afghan nationals. A national petition against the idea of taking in Afghan refugees posted on the presidential website of Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday has gained ove

Aug. 25, 2021

Delta variants are 9 out of 10 in confirmed cases: PM

South Korea has been speeding up its vaccination efforts, with 1 in 4 now fully vaccinated, but a surge in the delta variant is hampering the country‘s efforts to contain the pandemic. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Wednesday, “The number of confirmed cases exceeded 2,000 again after five days. The delta variant is being found in 9 out of 10 confirmed cases in Korea.” He added that the delta variant emits up to 300 times more virus than conventional COVID-19 viruses. &l

Aug. 25, 2021

Seoul City to offer free online courses for 110,000 citizens in need

Seoul will provide free online lectures to 110,000 underprivileged students and young people as a means to bridge the growing achievement gap among students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that the free academic package will be provided to elementary, middle and high school students from low-income families, starting Friday, as well as to adolescents who are not in school and those from multicultural families. The online courses will b

Aug. 25, 2021

New cases spike to over 2,000 again, infections in Seoul at record high

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases spiked to over 2,000 again Wednesday, as the Seoul metropolitan area reported a record high daily caseload since the pandemic began amid growing concerns over untraceable and variant cases. The country added 2,155 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,114 local infections, from the previous day, raising the total caseload to 241,439, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The latest tally marked a sharp rise from 1,418 cases Monday

Aug. 25, 2021

Top 500 firms' hiring rises in H1 despite pandemic

South Korea's major companies increased their hiring of new employees in the first half of the year despite the coronavirus pandemic, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. According to CEO Score, 460 out of the country's top 500 firms by sales had a combined workforce of 1,503,643 as of end-June, up 13,667 from a year earlier. Their net employment came to 5,259 in the January-June period, which contrasts with a decrease of 3,930 a year earlier. CEO Score said those large companies jacked up hir

Aug. 25, 2021

Korea mulls ‘living with COVID-19’ after reaching 70% vaccine target

Public health officials and political leaders in South Korea are teasing the possibility of adopting a new exit plan of “living with COVID-19” in a couple of months’ time, when the country expects to reach its target vaccination rate of 70 percent. Jeong Eun-kyeong, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s commissioner, told a Monday meeting of the parliamentary Health and Welfare Committee that around October, the country may be able to switch to a new strate

Aug. 24, 2021

Gov't to offer university tuition support to some families with multiple kids

The government has decided to provide low-to middle-income families with multiple children with university tuition support as part of policies for youth, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. President Moon Jae-in received a briefing on the scheme, details of which will be made public on Thursday, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Under the plan, households in the bottom 80 percent income bracket are expected to receive full college tuition support starting with their third child.

Aug. 24, 2021