Tropical nights continue to grip Seoul, major cities

The tropical night phenomenon continued in Seoul and other major cities across the country, the state weather agency said Monday. The minimum temperature between Sunday night and Monday morning was 27.5 C in Seoul, 27.1 C in Incheon, 25.6 C in Busan and 26.8 C on Jeju Island, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). A tropical night occurs when the temperature does not fall under 25 C during the nighttime. The country has been in the grip of an intense heat wave for about t

July 26, 2021

Seoul’s bike rental service hits over 3 million users, yet losses continue

Seoul’s city-run bike rental service, Ddareungi, has proven a success, but its popularity is feeding financial concerns for the city. According to Seoul city government data, the number of accumulated users for Ddareungi reached 3 million as of May, accounting for nearly one-third of the city’s population. The number of users skyrocketed since reaching 1 million in 2018, surpassing 2 million in May 2020 and adding 1 million more in just a year to hit 3 million in the first half o

July 26, 2021

New cases spiking outside Seoul; toughened distancing extended

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 1,400 Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but more cases continued to pop up outside the greater Seoul area amid the summer vacation season. The country added 1,318 COVID-19 cases, including 1,264 local infections, raising the total caseload to 190,166, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload was down 169 from the previous day. The country added four more COVID-19 deaths, raising the d

July 26, 2021

[News Focus] Male 20-somethings far outstrip others in jobless rate

SEJONG -- South Korean men in their 20s have the highest unemployment rate of all age and gender groups, government data shows. According to Statistics Korea, the nation’s unemployment rate was 3.8 percent as of June with the number of jobless posting 1.09 million. This is compared to 3.4 percent and 940,000 unemployed people in December 2019, or a month before COVID-19 initially hit Korea. Though the unemployment rate -- which showed a spike in the wake of the pandemic between 2020 and

July 25, 2021

Russian mountaineer accuses climbers of passing by missing Korean mountaineer

Russian mountaineer Vitaly Lazo has openly accused climbers of passing by Kim Hong-bin, a disabled South Korean mountaineer who went missing July 18 after reaching the Broad Peak in Pakistan -- one of the 14 highest mountain peaks in the world -- and ignoring the stranded 56-year-old for hours without even sending an SOS to the base camp. Lazo, who tried to rescue Kim, according to Korean officials at the base camp, posted his message Friday on the Instagram account of Death Zone Freeride, a R

July 25, 2021

Rescue chopper returns without sighting missing S. Korean mountaineer

A rescue helicopter that was sent to search for a missing South Korean mountaineer in the Himalayas returned to a base camp Sunday with no sighting of the man, officials said. Kim Hong-bin, who lost all his fingers to frostbite about 30 years ago, reached the summit of the 8,047-meter-high Broad Peak located in the Karakoram Range on the Pakistani-Chinese border last Sunday, becoming the world's first disabled person to ascend all 14 eight-thousanders in the Himalayas. During his descent, howe

July 25, 2021

Reporting guidelines reduced number of suicides: study

Revised media guidelines on reporting of celebrity suicides resulted in reduced rate of suicides among the general public in South Korea, research results showed. A team of researchers led by Dr. Jeon Hong-jin in the psychiatry department of Samsung Medical Center analyzed the suicide rates from 2005 through 2017, and found that after media guidelines were revised in 2013, there was a significant downward trend in the average daily suicides. The paper, titled “Effect of suicide preventio

July 25, 2021

Despite quasi-lockdown, virus spread continues across Korea

Reporting over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the 19th consecutive day Sunday, South Korea is struggling to contain a stubborn fourth wave of infections even with the stiffest social distancing measures in place.  The number of newly confirmed cases in the 24 hours ending Saturday at midnight was 1,487, marking the highest daily tally reported on a weekend since the coronavirus outbreak started early last year. Due to a surge in the number of infections in the Greater Seoul area earlier t

July 25, 2021

Non-Seoul areas to be placed under 2nd highest virus curbs starting Tuesday

SEOUL/DAEJEON -- South Korea will apply the second highest level of virus restrictions for non-capital areas starting this week, health officials said Sunday, in the latest step to stem the rapid spread of the virus in provincial regions at the peak of the summer holiday season. The announcement was made during a government response meeting, presided over by President Moon Jae-in, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said.  The heightened distancing rules are expe

July 25, 2021

NLCS Jeju students excel in IB Diploma exam again

North London Collegiate School Jeju’s Class of 2021 scored an average of 39 points in the International Baccalaureate diploma program, demonstrating academic excellence even with the virus-ridden year. The IB diploma program is a two-year educational assessment that provides internationally accepted qualification for entry into top universities across the globe. According to NLCS, it marked the second year in a row for the school’s graduate class to post an average score of 39. T

July 25, 2021

New cases under 1,500 on fewer tests; non-Seoul areas under toughened curbs

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 1,500 Sunday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but infections outside the capital area continued to pile up, triggering toughened restrictions. The country added 1,487 COVID-19 cases, including 1,422 local infections, raising the total caseload to 188,848, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections fell from 1,629 on Saturday, 1,630 on Friday and a record high of 1,842 on Thursday, when 270 infec

July 25, 2021

Pet owners scramble to protect animals from scorching summer heat

Pet owners in the country appear to be doing everything they can to keep their animals cool in the sweltering summer weather. Temperatures have climbed to the high 30s in many regions, putting dogs and cats, in particular, at risk of danger if they are left alone at home. A 29-year-old office worker who lives in Yongsan, central Seoul, said he bought a marble mat and a cooling pillow for his two dogs. He also put ice packs under the sofa and in other parts of the house where the dogs like to b

July 25, 2021

Despite heat wave, beaches nationwide quiet amid tough anti-COVID-19 restrictions

Despite an extended heat wave scorching South Korea for nearly a week, almost all popular beaches nationwide were noticeably quieter than usual on Saturday, apparently due to growing public jitters over the spread of COVID-19. Unrelenting hot weather continued in most parts of the country for the sixth consecutive day, with daily maximum temperatures reaching 36 C in Seoul and elsewhere, according to the state weather agency. Contrary to expectations, however, many public beaches and other pop

July 24, 2021

New cases above 1,600 amid stepped-up fight against 4th wave of pandemic

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases remained above 1,600 Saturday, as the authorities struggled to stem the fourth wave of COVID-19 with the extension of the toughest virus curbs in the greater Seoul area. The country added 1,629 COVID-19 cases, including 1,573 local infections, raising the total caseload to 187,362, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The latest tally was down from 1,630 on Friday and a record high of 1,842 on Thursday, when 270 infected member

July 24, 2021

Korea is delaying second Pfizer, Moderna shots -- is it safe?

Korea’s top health agency decided Friday to delay the second doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines by up to six weeks, deviating from the recommended protocol of a shorter time span, amid a tight supply and uncertainties in the delivery schedule. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s deputy chief Kwon Jun-wook told a briefing that depending on vaccine availability, an inter-dose interval of six weeks will be permitted for the two mRNA-type vaccines from next M

July 23, 2021

Korea keeps wider Seoul under tight social distancing for another two weeks

Seoul and nearby cities -- the epicenter of Korea’s current, largest wave of COVID-19 yet -- will stay under strict social distancing rules for another two weeks, health officials said Friday, as cases continue to break records. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s spokesperson Son Young-rae said in a briefing that the strictest social distancing tier would remain in place at least until Aug. 8, after two weeks of the same restrictions failed to squash the surge in cases. &ldqu

July 23, 2021

Court rules against US composer in plagiarism suit over 'Baby Shark'

A Seoul court on Friday ruled against an American composer in a plagiarism suit he brought against the producer of the popular South Korean children's song "Baby Shark" two years ago. The Seoul Central District Court rejected a claim by New York-based composer Johnny Only that "Baby Shark," a world-famous song released by South Korean education startup SmartStudy in 2015, copied his 2011 song. The rhythmic two-minute song featuring a shark family and their underwater hunt f

July 23, 2021

Greater Seoul to be under toughest curbs for 2 more weeks

South Korea will extend the toughest virus restrictions in the greater Seoul area for another two weeks amid no signs of a letup in the fourth wave of new COVID-19 outbreaks, health authorities said Friday. Seoul, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western port city of Incheon have been placed under Level 4, the highest in the four-tier virus curbs, since July 12, and the measures will be extended for another two weeks starting Monday until Aug. 8, according to the authorities. Gatherin

July 23, 2021

New cases above 1,600 amid 4th wave of pandemic; toughest curbs in wider Seoul extended

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases dropped Friday from the previous day's all-time high, but authorities extended the toughest virus curbs in the wider Seoul area to curb a further rise in new infections. The country added 1,630 COVID-19 cases, including 1,574 local infections, raising the total caseload to 185,733, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest figure was down from a record high of 1,842 on Thursday when 270 patients from a virus-hit Ch

July 23, 2021

Korea sees record daily cases despite toughest distancing rules

Ten days into the toughest level of distancing curbs in Greater Seoul, the nation has continued to see record-breaking daily case numbers. The current restrictions that end Sunday are likely to be extended to curb further spread. As of Wednesday at midnight, the number of new daily confirmed cases reached a record high of 1,842 people. The figure includes 270 infected sailors of the 301-strong Cheonghae unit on an anti-piracy mission in waters off Africa. Of the newly confirmed cases, 1,53

July 22, 2021