Curfews on restaurants, entertainment facilities in greater Seoul to be eased from July

Restaurants, cafes and entertainment facilities in the greater Seoul area will be able to open until midnight starting next month as the country is moving to gradually ease virus curbs in line with an accelerating vaccination rate, the health ministry said Friday. Starting in July, restaurants, cafes, karaoke businesses and other entertainment establishments can operate until midnight in the greater Seoul area, two hours more than the current curfew at 10:00 p.m., according to the Ministry of H

June 11, 2021

ASEAN-Korean Center launches second season of interview series ‘ASEAN Issue’

The ASEAN-Korea Center is set to launch a second season of its own YouTube interview series, “ASEAN Issue,” on Friday. The interview series, aimed at promoting Southeast Asian cultures as well as ASEAN-Korean partnerships, started last year and featured diverse perspectives of the regions. The new season of the interview series will also feature a wide range of topics from culture, history, economies and industries of ASEAN-Korea relations. The first episode, scheduled to be rele

June 11, 2021

[#WeFACE] Climate activists calling for big changes, now

Efforts from individuals are important in the fight against the climate crisis, but to save the Earth changes at a larger scale must happen now, climate activists said Thursday. Under the theme of climate change activism, the third session of Herald Corp.’s first H.eco Forum brought climate activists together to discuss solutions and share ideas. “We have only six years and seven months to respond to the climate crisis. The climate crisis is not a small problem and it cannot be s

June 10, 2021

[#WeFACE] H.eco Forum 2021 calls for climate action to create net-zero society

Herald Corp.’s first H.eco Forum opened in Seoul on Thursday, delivering a reality check -- that the Earth has about six years and 235 days to prevent the effects of global warming from becoming irreversible -- and yet signaling hope that we can still avert a climate catastrophe. Under the theme “We face the Climate Clock,” the forum, which was livestreamed, gathered global leaders, businesspeople and activists to discuss solutions to the climate emergency at every level and

June 10, 2021

S. Korea aims for more vaccine supply next year: official

South Korea has begun preparation to secure more vaccines for next year as the COVID-19 pandemic here is expected to continue even after achieving much-awaited herd immunity this year, a ranking health official said Thursday. The country has already secured enough vaccines to inoculate some 100 million people in a country of 52 million. The vaccines are made by five pharmaceutical firms -- AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen, Moderna and Novavax. Over 10 million of the populat

June 10, 2021

[#WeFACE] H.eco Forum promotes sustainability with green products

In line with the environmentally friendly message of Herald Corp.’s first H.eco Forum, the venue was filled with plastic-free, reusable and recyclable products. These included paper banners and souvenirs made of coffee grounds. Under the theme “We Face the Climate Clock,” H.eco Forum 2021 was held Thursday in a multipurpose hall on Nodeulseom, an artificial island in the middle of the Han River that features an ecological park.  “The forum ditched the use of on

June 10, 2021

Seoul to ease distancing at some sports facilities

Seoul City will implement a one-month pilot project and ease social distancing rules at some private sports facilities, officials said Thursday, amid growing vaccination rates in the city. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would allow fitness centers and indoor golf practice centers in the Mapo-gu and Gangdong-gu areas to operate until midnight for a month starting Saturday. The facilities in the two areas will be allowed to extend their hours for two hours beyond the current 10 p.m.

June 10, 2021

Top court remands bribery case of disgraced ex-vice justice minister

The top court on Thursday sent the bribery case of former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-ui back to a lower court for a retrial, calling into question the reliability of testimony used against him. The Supreme Court said it "cannot rule out the possibility" that a key witness could have changed his testimony that led to Kim's conviction, because of appeasement or pressure from the prosecution. The court said the prosecutors should "prove" that there were no such illegal acti

June 10, 2021

S. Korea on course toward vaccinating 14m by end-June

South Korea has inoculated over 10 million people amid its accelerating vaccination drive, making the country's goal to get about 14 million vaccinated by the end of this month attainable, health authorities said Thursday. A total of 10.06 million people had received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines as of 11 a.m., accounting for 19.6 percent of the country's population, since the country started its vaccination program on Feb. 26, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agen

June 10, 2021

New virus cases in 600s for 2nd day; virus curbs likely to be extended again

South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed over 600 for the second straight day Thursday as the current distancing rules are likely to be again extended without clear signs of letup in the coronavirus pandemic. The country reported 611 more COVID-19 cases, including 594 local infections, raising the total caseload to 146,303 the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily virus cases stayed in the 400s on Monday and Tuesday due to fewer tests over the weekend but spiked to t

June 10, 2021

S. Korea logs record high number of drug offenders in 2020: report

South Korea saw the annual number of drug offenders shoot up to a record high level last year, driven in part by an increase in juvenile and foreign drug criminals, a judicial report showed Thursday. According to the 2020 juridical yearbook, published recently by the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO), a total of 18,050 people were nabbed for drug-related crimes last year, up 12.5 percent from a year before. The 2020 figure marks the highest yearly number of drug offenders ever since the SPO beg

June 10, 2021

Natl. football team pays tribute to fallen star Yoo Sang-chul

The South Korean men's national football team paid respect to the late star Yoo Sang-chul before a World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday. Yoo died of cancer on Monday at age 49. The former midfielder was instrumental in South Korea's stunning march to the semifinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and was named to the All-Star Team after the tournament. He appeared in 128 international matches. Before South Korea's kickoff against Sri Lanka in the second round of the Asian qualifying for the 202

June 9, 2021

Building collapse in Gwangju leaves at least 9 dead

GWANGJU -- A building collapsed during demolition in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Wednesday, leaving at least nine people dead and eight others seriously injured, fire officials said. They received a report at 4:22 p.m. that the 5-story building had collapsed and fell onto a bus that was stopped at a station near the construction site. As of 8:40 p.m., nine people were confirmed dead and eight others were seriously injured and taken to nearby hospitals. All of them are bus passengers.

June 9, 2021

S. Korea names 26 more overseas Korean-language institutes

South Korea has designated 26 new state-funded Korean language institutes abroad, the culture ministry said Wednesday, as part of efforts to help more people learn about the Korean culture and language. The 26 new institutes are located in 18 countries, including Bolivia, Morocco, Nepal, Slovenia and Tanzania, where such institutes will first open, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Some 85 organizations in 43 countries had applied to be selected as a King Sejong Institu

June 9, 2021

No evidence of external influence found in mishandling of ex-vice minister's assault case: police

Police announced Wednesday they have found no evidence of undue external influence in a botched investigation of an assault incident involving former Vice Justice Minister Lee Yong-gu, following a monthslong review of the police's handling of the high-profile case. Police have been investigating the circumstances and their response surrounding Lee's alleged assault of a taxi driver in November. Lee, who was then a private attorney, allegedly hurled insults at the driver and grabbed him by the c

June 9, 2021

Jeju records nation's highest COVID-19 incidence rate over past week

Jeju Island, South Korea's most popular holiday destination, registered the highest rate of incidence of coronavirus cases over the recent week among local regions, authorities said Wednesday. Jeju's provincial government said 102 people tested positive for COVID-19 on the southern resort island during the past seven days, posting a weekly incidence rate of 20.9 people per 1 million. The weekly incidence rate is an indicator of how many people are infected per day per 1 million in the area dur

June 9, 2021

[#WeFACE] H.eco Forum ready to discuss climate solutions

If emissions continue at the current rate, the Earth has about six years and 235 days before the effects of global warming become irreversible. That is what the Climate Clock installed on the roof of Herald Corp. headquarters shows as of June. To turn back the Climate Clock, Herald Corp., which owns South Korea’s two major news outlets -- The Korea Herald and The Herald Business -- holds its first H.eco Forum on Thursday in Seoul. To give an overview of where we stand in terms of climate

June 9, 2021

Parliament to review petition to retain National Security Act

A petition against abolishing the National Security Act received the consent of over 100,000 South Koreans, meeting the condition for the parliament to review it. The National Assembly said Wednesday that the online petition, which was posted May 13 in opposition to another petition calling for the abolition of the National Security Act, had garnered over 100,000 signatures. The petitioner wrote that Koreans had never been more worried about national security, and that he felt as if his life w

June 9, 2021

Videos of child abuse disclosed at court

Video clips of a couple making their 10-year-old niece swallow dog feces and forcing her head underwater during weeks of abuse that led to the girl’s death were disclosed during a court trial on Wednesday. A shaman surnamed Lee, 34, and her 33-year-old husband, a Korean classical musician, are on trial for the murder of their niece, who they believed was possessed by the devil. During Wednesday’s trial at the Suwon District Court, prosecutors played video clips of child abuse from

June 9, 2021

Unionized couriers launch strike after failed talks with govt. and logistics firms

Unionized delivery workers in South Korea launched a full-scale strike Wednesday following the failure of talks with the government and logistics firms on improving working conditions. The Parcel Delivery Workers’ Solidarity Union announced Tuesday that 2,100 of its 6,500 members would stage an indefinite walkout starting Wednesday, as the dialogue fell through due to the absence of the association of delivery service branches from the talks. The union has asked firms to implement what i

June 9, 2021