Jeju to raise social distancing rules to Level 2 next week

Jeju Island, South Korea's most popular holiday destination, will raise itsanti-COVID-19 social distancing measures by one notch to Level 2 at the end of this month to cope with growing local transmissions of the coronavirus, the provincial government said Friday. The Level 2 posture, the third highest in the country's five-tier COVID-19 alert system, will be enforced for two weeks beginning Monday, the government said, noting the operating hours of facilities used by the general public will be

May 28, 2021

New virus cases back under 600, potential uptick still worrisome

South Korea's new daily coronavirus cases fell below 600 on Friday, but sporadic cluster infections traced to entertainment facilities still hampered the virus fight, sparking concerns over yet another uptick in additional cases. The country reported 587 more COVID-19 cases, including 571 local infections, raising the total caseload to 138,898, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload stood at 629 cases the previous day after reporting a nearly two-week h

May 28, 2021

Citizens complain of scarcity of 'no-show' vaccines

South Korea on Thursday launched an innovative pilot program to help non-priority people receive AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines made available from canceled appointments, but the so-called leftover vaccines can hardly be found in reality, many citizens said. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency began the test operation of the search and reservation system for AstraZeneca vaccines available from appointment no-shows through the country's largest web portal Naver and top mobile messenge

May 27, 2021

[Newsmaker] P4G Seoul Summit to discuss ways to tackle famine

SEJONG -- The topic of food and agriculture will likely come under the spotlight as one of the core items on the agenda for the 2021 P4G Seoul Summit, set for May 30-31. P4G -- Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 -- is a global initiative launched in 2017 to accelerate the response to climate change and the implementation of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Twelve countries, including South Korea, are taking part in the gathering. While the internatio

May 27, 2021

Post-vaccine return to normal leaves out children

Come fall, things will largely return to normal with the vast majority of people in Korea having received at least one COVID-19 shot, health officials say. Masks will become optional outdoors for vaccinated people in the summer, and they will be able to socialize again beyond their close circles. But the conversations about moving past the pandemic ways of life leave out children, who will be the last group to be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. That means for them, the point of return to n

May 27, 2021

[KH Explains] How to get yourself a COVID-19 vaccine earlier than scheduled

Starting Thursday, South Korea launched a system for people to reserve leftover COVID-19 vaccines on a daily basis through mobile applications. For those concerned about vaccine supplies, the news could be exciting, as they now have a chance to skip ahead of the line. The system could also play a role in helping the country carry out its vaccination plan on time, or even sooner than originally scheduled. Korea aims to inoculate 13 million people by the end of June and achieve herd immunity by

May 27, 2021

Jeju flooded with locals avoiding overseas travel amid COVID-19

Jeju Island, South Korea's most popular holiday destination, appears to be increasingly favored by locals as an alternative to overseas travel amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, a report indicated Thursday. The report released by the state-funded Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI) showed that domestic tourism to the southern resort island has been almost fully restored to the pre-coronavirus level amid overseas travel restrictions. It said the number of Koreans who went abroad in Ma

May 27, 2021

S. Korea to ease bird culling measures

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Thursday it will ease some preventive measures against avian influenza and instead provide more incentives to chicken farms. Under the plan, the ministry will spare birds from poultry farms that have strictly followed preventive measures in case of another outbreak of the highly contagious animal disease in the region, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Currently, birds of the same species within a 1-kilometer radius of in

May 27, 2021

New COVID-19 cases under 700 again, cluster infections still hampering virus battle

South Korea's new daily coronavirus cases fell back below 700 again Thursday, but the country is grappling with sporadic cluster infections amid the rising number of travelers enjoying warm weather. The country reported 629 more COVID-19 cases, including 620 local infections, raising the total caseload to 138,311, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily cases reached a two-week high of 707 the previous day, rising from 516 tallied Tuesday. There were three additiona

May 27, 2021

COVID-19 nurse found dead in Busan in apparent suicide

A nurse working with COVID-19 patients in this southeastern city was found dead in an apparent suicide this week, her family and labor union said Wednesday, blaming her death on depression from overwork. The 33-year-old woman, identified only by her surname Lee, worked at a public health center in Busan before she was found dead at her home on Sunday morning. Her family said she had recently been assigned to manage a local hospital that was placed under cohort isolation following an outbreak

May 26, 2021

S. Korea's childbirths at fresh record low in March

The number of babies born in South Korea fell to a fresh record low in March, data showed Wednesday, underscoring the country's gloomy demographic situation with the chronically low birth rate. A total of 24,054 babies were born in March, down 0.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest for any March since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. In the first quarter, the number of childbirths reached a record

May 26, 2021

Koreans can ditch masks outdoors after first COVID-19 shot

South Koreans who have received at least one COVID-19 shot will get to enjoy some of the perks of vaccinated status this summer. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that two weeks after receiving a first dose of either one of the vaccines offered in the country -- from AstraZeneca or Pfizer -- people will be able to relax on social distancing and face mask-wearing. Both AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines require two doses for maximum protection. More specifically, semi-vaccinated

May 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Leftover vaccines available for online reservation from Thursday

Coronavirus vaccines left over after people do not show up for inoculations will be available for anyone who wants to get vaccinated via online reservations starting later this week, health authorities said Wednesday. Starting on Thursday, people will be able to sign up to get the leftover doses through the country's major internet portal Naver and top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. People can search for the number of available COVID-19

May 26, 2021

Seoul City eases redevelopment rules in bid to tame real estate prices

South Korea’s capital city will shorten its approval procedures for real estate reconstruction projects and ease regulatory limits in line with the new mayor’s plan to supply 240,000 new housing units by 2025. Mayor Oh Se-hoon said in a press briefing Wednesday that his office had prepared six deregulatory measures to combat rising home prices, expedite reconstruction projects and allow new apartment complexes to be built. “Measures centered on limiting supplies over the pas

May 26, 2021

First ‘blood moon’ in three years expected Wednesday night

A total lunar eclipse will take place Wednesday night, according to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. The eclipse, which can be observed in the Americas, Asia, Australia and Antarctica, and over the Pacific and Indian oceans, will peak for about 18 minutes starting at 8:09 p.m. Korean Standard Time. Although the unusual celestial alignment will begin before moonrise, the full visual effects will only be clear once the moon has risen fully. It will be South Korea’s first

May 26, 2021

Seoul sees first decline in number of tourist hotels due to COVID-19

The number of tourist hotels in Seoul decreased for the first time last year due to the outbreaks of COVID-19, government data showed Wednesday. As of the end of 2020, there were 331 tourist hotels in Seoul, down two from a year ago, according to the data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. It was the first such decline in the capital since records began in 2008. The figure had steadily increased in the previous years, rising from 125 in 2008 to 151 in 2012, 211 in 2014, 308 in 2

May 26, 2021

[From the Scene] Itaewon, Myeong-dong still struggling as COVID-19 deters visitors

Itaewon, once a bustling neighborhood in Seoul crowded with locals and foreigners, has lost so many visitors that more than a third of its shops have had to close their doors. The area, long known for its vibrant nightlife and international flair, had already grown quieter since the United States military started relocating to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, but the situation got much worse with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The district lost much of its appeal as a tourist attraction in

May 26, 2021

People given first dose of coronavirus vaccine can go maskless outdoors starting in July: govt.

South Korea announced Wednesday that people who have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will no longer be required to wear masks outdoors starting in July, as part of incentives for those participating in the public vaccine campaign. The incentive program announced at a daily interagency coronavirus response meeting also included a plan to lift the gathering ban for direct family members who have had their first vaccine dose. South Korea launched its two-dose vaccination regimen campa

May 26, 2021

New cases spike above 700, vaccine takers to be exempt from certain curbs

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases sharply bounced back to a nearly two-week high Wednesday as sporadic cluster infections, along with more transmissible variant cases, continued to pop up across the country. The health authorities said those who are vaccinated will be partly exempted from wearing masks and other virus restrictions in an effort to encourage more people to get COVID-19 jabs. The country reported 707 more COVID-19 cases, including 684 local infections, raising the total c

May 26, 2021

Only half of Koreans in their 60s sign up for vaccinations

South Koreans in their 60s to early 70s, for whom AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine becomes available Thursday, are reluctant to get vaccinated, the latest figures suggest. So far only 55 percent of people aged between 60 and 74 have made an appointment, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. There have been some notable age-related disparities in the vaccine appointment rates so far, according to Lee Jin-sook, the director of a public health center in Ch

May 25, 2021