Govt. raises typhoon advisory to 'caution' as Tropical Storm Omais poised to hit southern areas

The government on Sunday raised the typhoon advisory by one notch to "caution" as Tropical Storm Omais was soon expected to land in the country's southern regions. The interior ministry issued the second-tier warning against Omais, forecast to enter the waters south of Jeju Island early Monday, up one notch from the previous entry-level "attention" warning. Weather authorities predict Omais to land near the southern coastal region near Gwangju late Monday and make its path

Aug. 22, 2021

Moderna to supply 7m doses of vaccines to Korea by early Sept.

South Korea will receive 7 million vaccine doses from Moderna over the next two weeks, officials said Sunday, a move to further boost the nation’s ongoing vaccination efforts. “Moderna informed us Saturday that it would supply 7.01 million doses by the first week of September,” said Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae in a press briefing. About 1.01 million doses of the Moderna vaccine are scheduled to arrive at Incheon Airport on Monday. The remaining 6 million doses w

Aug. 22, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul’s riverside parks to have cleaner restrooms, more women’s toilets

Seoul will upgrade the restrooms at its riverside parks and install new ones over the next four years to make the parks more inviting for visitors. The city government said Sunday that it will make investments starting this year to improve the ventilation of the restrooms at Seoul’s riverside parks and increase the number of toilets for women. Some public restrooms at the parks have been criticized over the years for being run-down and unhygienic. “As the number of visitors at riv

Aug. 22, 2021

Fare boxes in 171 Seoul buses to be removed under all-digital payment test program

The Seoul city government said Sunday it will remove fare collection boxes from more than 170 Seoul city buses starting in October to test the operation of an all-digital fare payment system. Fare boxes from 171 buses on eight Seoul city lines run by two companies will be removed from October until March, while new mobile QR codes will be placed at stations to allow purchases of digital bus cards, according to city officials. The number of bus units subject to the all-digital trial program rep

Aug. 22, 2021

New COVID-19 cases dip to 1,600s, virus curbs extended for 2 weeks

South Korea's daily new coronavirus fell back to the 1,600s on Sunday due to fewer tests over the weekend, health authorities said, yet tough restrictions are to be extended to battle the fast surge of the outbreak driven by the more transmissible delta variant. The country added 1,628 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,590 local infections, raising the total caseload to 236,366, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Sunday's tally was down from 2,052 on Friday and

Aug. 22, 2021

[Photo News] Jeju Island sees influx of travelers despite strong social distancing measures

Beachgoers play in the water at Geumneung Beach, Jeju Island, on Thursday despite the Level 4 social distancing rules, South Korea’s most stringent of a four-tier system, being in effect. Vacationers donning masks keep a safe distance from each other while enjoying the beach. According to the Level 4 social distancing rules on Jeju Island, all twelve beaches are to be closed and no more than two people can meet for personal reasons after 6 p.m. from August 19th to August 29th. In addit

Aug. 21, 2021

Moon says vaccinations 'faster than expected' as half of population gets first shots

President Moon Jae-in said Saturday that South Korea's vaccinations are proceeding at a faster pace than expected as over half of the population has received at least one shot as he vowed to speed up the inoculation drive to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 25.7 million people have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines as of 11 a.m., accounting for around 50 percent of the country's population, while those who are fully vaccinated reached 11.5 million, according to the Korea Dis

Aug. 21, 2021

New cases below 2,000 for first time in 2 days, virus curbs extended for 2 weeks

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 2,000 for the first time in two days Saturday, while authorities are set to extend the tough restrictions to battle the fast surge of the virus driven by the more transmissible delta variant. The country added 1,880 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,814 local infections, raising the total caseload to 234,739, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload was down from 2,152 on Thursday and 2,052 on Fr

Aug. 21, 2021

New cases over 2,000 for 2nd day; virus curbs extended for 2 weeks

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for the second straight day Friday amid little signs of letup, triggering the extension of the toughest level of virus restrictions for two more weeks. The country added 2,052 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,001 local infections, raising the total caseload to 232,859, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload reached 2,152 the previous day, the second-largest number recorded since th

Aug. 20, 2021

Can we ‘live with COVID-19?’ Korea may be able to find out after Chuseok

Korea may be able to find out whether it can “live with COVID-19” after Chuseok, the national holiday falling later in September this year, when more than 70 percent of the population will have received at least one dose of a vaccine. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s senior official Lee Ki-il told a news briefing Friday that discussions were underway to shift Korea’s strategy away from community mitigation that aims to prevent spread and protect all people. “

Aug. 20, 2021

Korea to ease COVID-19 rules for vaccinated people

South Korea will start easing social distancing rules for fully vaccinated people starting next week, with tougher rules reserved for those that are yet to be vaccinated. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Friday that after full vaccination -- 14 days after a single-dose vaccine or the second dose of a two-dose regimen --, people will be exempt from the two-people rule in the evening hours.  After 6 p.m., no more than two people can gather at a time under the curr

Aug. 20, 2021

Vaccine reservation rate for under-50s lower than expected

The reservation rate for COVID-19 vaccines among people between the ages of 18 and 49 has been lower than expected, creating an obstacle in the government’s plan to achieve herd immunity by November. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, the vaccine reservation rate for the age group, about 15.37 million people, was 61.3 percent as of Thursday at midnight. Online reservations for the age group opened on August 9 with a 10-day rotational booking system, in which people

Aug. 20, 2021

Heavy rainfall expected next week: weather agency

Heavy rains that swept both Japan and China this week is expected to affect Korea as early as this weekend and throughout next week. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the rain is forecast to begin in the regions of Jeju Island and southern coastal areas from the early hours on Saturday and expand throughout the country. “The North Pacific high pressure that caused the heavy rain in Japan is moving northward, and the cold dry air in the north that affected China is q

Aug. 20, 2021

7 additional video reunion centers for separated families to be completed this month

An additional seven video conference facilities for separated family reunions will be completed by the end of this month, the unification ministry said Friday. Earlier, a civilian-government committee on inter-Korean exchanges approved the decision to establish the additional video reunions centers outside Seoul, in addition to the existing 13. "We believe it is very important to build the conference centers in advance so the reunions can resume immediately when inter-Korean relations are

Aug. 20, 2021

Private spending recovery still uncertain amid virus resurgence: ministry

The South Korean economy is facing continued uncertainty about domestic demand as the latest flare-up in COVID-19 cases is hurting face-to-face service sectors, the finance ministry said Friday. In its monthly economic assessment report, the ministry said the country's exports remain robust and the job market has extended improvements amid an economic recovery. "But uncertainty over domestic demand has continued, centering on in-person service segments, due to the flare-up in COVID-19 cas

Aug. 20, 2021

USFK reports 12 COVID-19 cases

Twelve people affiliated with US Forces Korea (USFK), including seven service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus this week, the US military said Friday. A service member and a family member at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 after developing symptoms, while five troops and two family members at the base were found to have been infected after coming into contact with people who tested positive earlier, accor

Aug. 20, 2021

New cases over 2,000 for 2nd day; virus curbs extended for 2 weeks

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for the second straight day Friday amid little signs of letup, triggering the extension of the toughest level of virus restrictions for two more weeks. The country added 2,052 more COVID-19 cases, including 2,001 local infections, raising the total caseload to 232,859, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload reached 2,152 the previous day, the second-largest number recorded since th

Aug. 20, 2021

[Graphic News] 8 in 10 S. Koreans want college tuition to be halved: poll

　More than 8 out of 10 South Koreans think colleges are too expensive and that tuition should be halved from the current level, a poll showed. 　In the online poll of 1,000 people nationwide released by Young Men’s Christian Association Korea, 83.9 percent of the respondents said college tuition was overpriced. 　Only 14 percent said it was reasonable and 2.1 percent said it was low-priced. 　The poll also showed that 83 percent supported the idea of cutting college tuition in half, whil

Aug. 20, 2021

Gov't to extend restrictions on restaurant, cafe hours in areas under toughest distancing

South Korea decided to extend restrictions on the business hours restaurants and cafes under the toughest social distancing restrictions by one hour, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced Friday, as the country struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19. Restaurants and cafes in regions under Level 4 social distancing rules, the highest in the country's four-tier system, will be required to close at 9 p.m., an hour earlier than the current 10 p.m., starting Monday. The government, however, de

Aug. 20, 2021

Controversial Seoul church ordered to close for breaking COVID-19 rules

A Seoul church led by a controversial right-wing pastor was ordered Thursday to shut down for repeatedly holding in-person worship services in violation of COVID-19 rules.    The office of Seongbuk Ward said it delivered an official notice of closure to Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul in the afternoon.    The church, led by the provocative right-wing pastor Jun Kwang-hoon, has held in-person Sunday services for five straight weeks since July 18, violating the Level

Aug. 19, 2021