S. Korea's COVID-19 vaccinations ramp up amid safety woes

South Korea is accelerating its COVID-19 vaccination campaign one week after its first vaccine rollout, and more people are expected to receive their first shots despite controversies over recent reports of deaths. On Friday, the country began its long-awaited inoculation program, with health care workers and patients aged under 65 at long-term care facilities, as well as front-line medical workers, among the first in line to receive their first shots. An accumulated 154,421 people were admini

March 4, 2021

New virus cases stay in 400s for 2nd day as vaccinations gather pace amid safety concerns

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 400s for the second consecutive day Thursday as the country pushes forward with its vaccination drive amid looming safety concerns. The country reported 424 more COVID-19 cases, including 401 local infections, raising the total caseload to 91,240, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally was slightly down from the 444 recorded the previous day. The country added seven more deaths from COVID-19, raising the

March 4, 2021

Korea may allow AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for older people

The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently being used only for at-risk groups under the age of 65 in Korea, might be put to wider use sooner than expected, thanks to “reassuring data” from countries that were first to be vaccinated. A senior official at the KDCA said Tuesday the agency was “examining the possibility of giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to the older population based on emerging data and another round of review by the advisory board.” Last month,

March 3, 2021

Dispute brews over Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine’s 7th extra dose in Korea

Korea’s National Medical Center says it intends to make the most out of Pfizer vaccines by extracting up to seven doses from a vial using special syringes. As standard, each Pfizer vial yields five to six doses. Dr. Oh Myoung-don, heading the NMC’s COVID-19 immunization program, said on Wednesday in a text message response to a question from The Korea Herald that “wasting the extra dose could not be justified when the vaccines do so much to save lives.” “When we

March 3, 2021

Experts vouch for safety of COVID-19 vaccines

South Korean public health authorities are investigating reports of suspected adverse events among people who received a COVID-19 vaccine. As of midnight Tuesday, 87,428 people in Korea had received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine -- around 85,000 of them being the AstraZeneca vaccine and the rest Pfizer vaccine -- with 209 of them reporting “adverse reactions.” The vast majority -- 204 cases -- of the reported events were known, mild side effects such as headaches, low-grade fever

March 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] Chief prosecutor’s outcry against loss of investigative rights draws mixed responses

Chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl’s outcry against the ruling party’s move to deprive the prosecution of investigative rights by creating a new crime agency drew mixed reactions Wednesday, with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun saying he was acting like a politician. Following a yearlong brawl with former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over investigative rights, the prosecutor general strongly criticized the plan to launch a new agency for “serious crimes,” modeled after Britain&

March 3, 2021

Apartment prices in Seoul have kept rising despite 25 rounds of countermeasures by Moon govt. : civic group

Apartment prices in Seoul have continued to rise under the Moon Jae-in government, except for four months, despite a string of measures to stabilize the market, a civic group survey showed Wednesday. Such a policy failure has sharply widened the gap in the values of assets owned by homeowners and those who do not possess houses, according to the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ). It made public the results of an analysis of tracking data on the prices of 117,000 units in a total

March 3, 2021

Govt. to intensify monitoring of coronavirus misinformation

The South Korean government will step up efforts to contain misleading information online about coronavirus vaccines, as the country began its mass inoculation program last week. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on Wednesday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) will work together with internet portal sites and social media services to remove coronavirus falsehoods swiftly from their platforms. Un

March 3, 2021

Seoul’s population falls below 10 million for first time in 32 years

Seoul’s population fell below 10 million for the first time in 32 years, as the number of foreign residents in the city sharply dropped amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The city government said Wednesday that its population as of late last year reached 9.91 million, down 99,895 people from the same period a year earlier. It is the first time in 32 years that the capital’s population sat below 10 million, since it breached that mark at 10.29 million in 1988. By the end of 2020, Seoul had

March 3, 2021

2 patients die after AstraZeneca vaccine shots; study under way over potential connection

GOYANG/PYEONGTAEK -- Two patients at long-term care hospitals in Gyeonggi Province died Wednesday after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, the first cases of deaths since the country began its nationwide vaccination program last week. A 50-something patient with multiple underlying diseases died at a hospital in Goyang, just outside of Seoul's northwestern border, after receiving the vaccine shot Tuesday morning, health officials said. The patient began to show symptoms of he

March 3, 2021

S. Korea to create more jobs in pandemic-hit service sector

South Korea's finance minister said Wednesday the government will make efforts to create some 300,000 jobs by 2025 in the service sector that has borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki unveiled a road map on developing the service industry, under which the country will focus on helping the service segment do business in a non-contact and digitalized manner. "The country's service industry has lagged behind the manufacturing sector in terms of productivity a

March 3, 2021

Two Marines, Army soldier test positive for COVID-19

Two Marines and an Army soldier have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Wednesday. A Marine officer in the southeastern city of Pohang was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 in a virus test conducted after a vacation in Seoul, according to the ministry. The other Marine tested positive prior to newly joining a unit in Gimpo, west of Seoul. In Sejong, some 120 kilometers south of the capital, a soldier was found infected after a virus case was reported at hi

March 3, 2021

New virus cases bounce back to over 400 as vaccinations gather pace

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases bounced back to over 400 on Wednesday as the country's vaccination campaign picked up steam amid sporadic cluster infections. The country reported 444 more COVID-19 cases, including 426 local infections, raising the total caseload to 90,816, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally was a sharp increase from the 344 recorded previous day after health officials confirmed more than 90 cases among nearly 4,000 expatriates livi

March 3, 2021

Activists raise allegations of speculative land buying against LH employees

A civic group and a lawyers' association on Tuesday raised allegations that employees at a state housing cooperation bought plots of land in two cities in Gyeonggi Province before the government announced a massive development plan there. At a press conference, the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Minbyun, an association of progressive lawyers, accused 14 employees at the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) of speculative land buying in Gwangmyeong and Shiheung. "T

March 2, 2021

Over 80 foreigners test positive for COVID-19 in Dongducheon

More than 80 foreigners have tested positive for COVID-19 in Dongducheon, north of Seoul, officials said Tuesday. The local government has been testing all foreign nationals living in the city 40 kilometers north of the capital after neighboring cities, such as Yangju, reported increases in the number of foreigners infected with COVID-19. A total of 509 people got tested on Sunday, including foreign residents and locals, according to the authorities. The city currently has 3,966 foreign reside

March 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Yoon slams move for new investigative agency

Chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl blasted the ruling party’s move to create a separate agency to investigate six types of crime such as abuse of power and corruption, calling it an attempt to “disband the prosecution” and “annihilate the rule of law.” The prosecutor general, who fought a yearlong battle against former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae over investigative rights, said the move amounted to “regression of democracy and destruction of the spirit of the Co

March 2, 2021

More than 23,000 vaccinated as officials warn against fake news

Authorities on Tuesday have sounded an alarm over fast-spreading, false news about vaccines, as more than 23,000 doses of the vaccines have been administered. The number of daily confirmed cases has remained in the mid-300s for three consecutive days. The country added 344 COVID-19 cases, pushing the total caseload to 90,372 as of Tuesday midnight, according to the government’s central response team. The number of new confirmed cases declined by 11 from the previous day. Of the 344 cas

March 2, 2021

S. Korea to set official road map toward carbon neutrality in June: Environment Ministry

South Korea this year will prepare a road map to achieving its carbon-neutrality goal of 2050 while increasing the share of renewable energy sources and promoting the use of eco-friendly vehicles. The Ministry of Environment said in a press briefing Tuesday it will prepare a detailed plan and set of initiatives to help Korea become carbon neutral by 2050. The idea of achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions has risen as a priority on the global agenda since the Paris Agreement took effect in

March 2, 2021

Seoul backtracks from its plan to install more trash cans

Seoul Metropolitan Government has removed nearly 700 trash cans since June, walking back from its earlier promise to install 657 new public trash bins by last year’s end. A source at the Seoul government confirmed last week the city had a total of 6,242 trash cans as of Wednesday, down 698 from 6,940 bins counted in June 2020. The fall was largely attributed to removals in Songpa District and Dongdaemun District. The city government official could not confirm why the trash cans were remo

March 2, 2021

[Seoul Struggles 1] Quest for trash bin far from easy in Seoul

Finding a trash can in Seoul is much harder than it would seem for many citizens and visitors, which has limited 27-year-old Yook Jimin from caring to buy and eat snacks during the day. He became accustomed to carrying trash inside his backpack, all of which had to be taken care of after arriving home. What was consumed on the streets ended up in his own trash bag back in his room, and he is one of many Seoul citizens unhappy with the lack of public trash cans. “I really do try to look f

March 2, 2021