War memorial to hold photo exhibition on Canadian veterans of Korean War

South Korea's national war memorial said Friday it will open a photo exhibition next week to pay tribute to Canadian soldiers who fought during the 1950-53 Korean War. The exhibition, titled Kapyong 70: A Tribute to the Canadian Veterans of the Korean War, was co-organized with the Canadian Embassy in Seoul to mark the 70th anniversary of a battle in the northern county of Gapyeong. During the battle that took place in April 1951 at the height of the three-year war, the 27th British Commonweal

April 16, 2021

New virus cases in 600s for 2nd day, virus battle at inflection point

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 600s for the second straight day Friday as the country's virus fight is at a critical juncture of bracing for another wave of the pandemic. The country reported 673 more COVID-19 cases, including 652 local infections, raising the total caseload to 112,789, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's daily caseload was down from 698 on Thursday and 731 on Wednesday, which marked the highest since Jan. 7. The coun

April 16, 2021

Korea lags behind vaccination timetable

  South Korea’s sluggish immunization drive, coupled with blood clot investigations into two of its purchased vaccines, is clouding the country’s prospects of achieving herd immunity before the year’s end. So far Korea has administered about 1.34 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since the mass vaccination campaign launched in end-February. This translates to about 27,000 shots administered a day, falling far below the government’s previously touted capacity of o

April 15, 2021

Seoul city looking at schools as 1st venue for COVID-19 self-test kits

The Seoul metropolitan government said Thursday it is looking at schools as the first venue to introduce COVID-19 self-test kits following consultations with the central government. Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official at the city government, told a press briefing that there were many opinions in favor of introducing the kits in schools for a trial run during an advisory meeting with experts on Wednesday. "(The experts) spoke of the need to be careful in introducing self-test kits in a

April 15, 2021

Drug crimes by foreign nationals rise

The number of foreign nationals booked for drug offenses in South Korea has risen 140 percent in two years, despite an overall decrease on the foreign crime rate here, police data showed. According to Rep. Kang Ki-yoon of the People Power Party, National Police Agency data, based on the number of bookings, shows a gradual increase in crimes committed by foreign nationals, coming to 36,069 in 2017, 34,832 in 2018, 39,249 in 2019 and 39,140 in 2020. The increase has been slower than the overal

April 15, 2021

Police tighten security measures in Muslim communities for safety during Ramadan

The police have stepped up security measures around Muslim communities across the country as safety precautions during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, according to police sources Thursday. The National Police Agency recently ordered provincial and local police authorities in 18 regions to increase security in Muslim communities during the Ramadan period, sources said. It also recommended authorities to look out for online activities that could portend dangerous activities or public disrupti

April 15, 2021

[Seoul Struggles 5] Electric scooters, the urban ‘beasts’ of Seoul

Choi Keun-ho, a 34-year-old elementary school teacher in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, used to ride an electric scooter to and from work every day. He was one of a growing number of consumers in South Korea opting to use this rather novel personal mobility option. But in January, after crashing into a woman and seriously bruising her, he stopped riding his scooter and instead opted to walk and take the bus. Choi said he paid the woman’s hospital bills and apologized multiple times, which the

April 15, 2021

Drunk driver gets 8-yr prison term for hitting and killing Taiwanese student

A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for causing a car accident under the influence that resulted in the death of a Taiwanese student studying here last year, a Seoul court said Thursday. The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday handed down the prison term to the 52-year-old man, surnamed Kim, on charges of violating the anti-DUI law. The man was indicted for hitting and killing Tseng Yi-lin, a 28-year-old Taiwanese woman, while drunk driving in the southern Seoul ward of Ga

April 15, 2021

New virus cases around 700 for 2nd day; further spike in offing

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed around 700 on Thursday, as sporadic infections across the country complicate antivirus efforts, prompting authorities to mull tougher virus curbs to contain the pandemic. The country reported 698 more COVID-19 cases, including 670 local infections, raising the total caseload to 112,117, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's daily caseload was down from 731 the previous day, which marked the highest since Jan. 7.

April 15, 2021

S. Korea to deliver new book on Germany's medical aid during Korean War to envoy

The government has updated a book on foreign medical help received during the 1950-53 Korean War to add Germany to the list of helping countries and a copy will be delivered to Germany's ambassador on Thursday, an official said. UN "Sending States" had long been defined as 21 countries -- 16 nations that provided combat troops and five nations that sent medical teams. In June 2018, however, South Korea officially added Germany to the list for its medical aid in the post-war era. Betw

April 15, 2021

Prosecutors demand death penalty for adoptive mother in death of toddler

Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for the adoptive mother in a highly publicized child abuse case that led to the death of a 16-month-old baby girl. Prosecutors also requested during the trial at the Seoul Southern District Court that the defendant, surnamed Jang, be ordered to wear a tracking device for 30 years and be put under a five-year probation. For Jang's husband, who was also indicted along with her, the prosecution demanded a 7 1/2-year prison term. Jang was ind

April 14, 2021

Clot questions may force Korea to pivot vaccine rollout

Further challenges are presaged for South Korea’s already lagging immunization program as another COVID-19 vaccine comes under scrutiny by an overseas regulator over rare, potentially fatal blood clots. The US Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday recommended an immediate pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six recipients came down with a rare and severe type of blood clot in the brain. All six were women between the ages of 18 and 48. One has died and another is in criti

April 14, 2021

S. Koreans escalate protests against Japan's planned release of radioactive water

South Koreans are stepping up protests against Japan's decision to release contaminated water from its wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, as a dozen government leaders on Wednesday joined civic activists and fishermen in condemning the move as an irreparable disaster for the world's marine ecosystem. Heads of local governments nationwide successively issued statements or held news conferences to denounce Japan's planned release of radioactive water as a threat to the safety and

April 14, 2021

[#WeFACE] Where should Seoul’s garbage go?

A conflict over landfills has arisen with Incheon refusing to receive garbage from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province beginning in 2025. Experts say Seoul and Gyeonggi Province should look to reducing garbage to better persuade Incheon. Sudokwon Landfill in Incheon has been taking waste from the metropolitan area since 1992. The first and second parts of the landfills were used between 1992 and 2018. The initial phase of the third part, or 3-1 landfill, is being used between 2018 and 2025 by Seoul, I

April 14, 2021

KIS Jeju students to advance to top-tier universities globally as school enters 10th year

Korea International School, Jeju Campus, has achieved a high level of excellence in its 10th year with the vast majority of its senior students earning admission to prestigious global universities. The school announced Wednesday that students from this year’s graduating class -- KIS Jeju’s sixth -- had been admitted to top-tier universities in the United States, including Ivy League schools such as Columbia University and Cornell University, as well as Johns Hopkins University, Wash

April 14, 2021

S. Korea again marks world's lowest birthrate: UN report

South Korea continues to have the lowest birthrate in the world this year amid fast growth of its elderly population, a United Nations report showed Tuesday. The country's total fertility rate per woman amounted to 1.1 in 2021, unchanged from a year earlier, according to the report from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). The fertility rate refers to the average number of children each woman is expected to give birth to over her lifetime. South Korea's rate is the lowest among all 198 countries s

April 14, 2021

Unseasonable cold snap grips South Korea

Mid-April's warm spring weather suddenly turned back into early winter across South Korea on Wednesday, as the state weather agency said temperatures dived more than 10 degrees from the previous day. The morning low plummeted below zero in many parts of the country, with the Mount Seorak area in Gangwon Province logging a low of minus 7.8 C, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The KMA issued a cold wave advisory for parts of central and southern provinces, including the

April 14, 2021

New virus cases back over 700 as fourth wave of pandemic looms

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rebounded to over 700 on Wednesday, the most in over three months, as health authorities are looking at the option of raising social distancing rules to contain the virus resurgence. The country reported 731 more COVID-19 cases, including 714 local infections, raising the total caseload to 111,419, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's daily caseload was the highest since Jan. 7, when 869 new cases were confirmed. The

April 14, 2021

[News Focus] US nationals overtake Chinese in inbound visitors

SEJONG – Chinese travelers were the largest group of foreign visitors to South Korea by nationality before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But state data shows that the rankings in foreign visitor numbers have changed in recent months: The US accounted for the largest portion of inbound visitors among foreign nationals. According to the Korea Immigration Service, the number of inbound travelers from China was 20,938 (including 6,095 ethnic Koreans residing in China) during the January-Februa

April 13, 2021

Seoul mayor's self-test kit plan faces widespread opposition

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s idea of using self-test kits as part of a “Seoul-type social distancing” is facing opposition from medical experts, the ruling party and the central government, who question their effectiveness. On Monday, Oh proposed a plan to allow customers to enter restaurants, bars and karaoke late at night after conducting self-tests using kits. This could help ease restrictions on business hours, allowing nightlife entertainment businesses to remain open until

April 13, 2021