Public transit agencies under financial pressure as pandemic cuts passenger numbers

Seoul’s public transportation operators are in serious financial trouble as the number of bus and subway users sharply dropped last year due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that 1.45 billion passengers used regular city and local “maeul” buses last year, down 23.6 percent from 1.95 billion a year earlier. The number of airport bus users dropped 85.4 percent on-year to 2.12 million passengers. The sharp decline in passengers caused

Feb. 10, 2021

Virus dampens homebound travel on Lunar New Year

The coronavirus pandemic put a damper on travel this Lunar New Year, with fewer people flocking to train stations and airports for the annual visit home. At 8:30 a.m., people dressed in long padded coats waited for their trains at Seoul Station, some carrying traditional gifts such as fruits and beef, and others sipping on coffee or looking at their phones. In the waiting area, people on benches left the middle seats empty to comply with social distancing protocols, while sanitation workers wa

Feb. 10, 2021

S. Korea investigating new suspected cases of bird flu, total now 88

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it is currently investigating two more suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu, with the total caseload standing at 88. The latest suspected case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from a duck farm in Buan, 280 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The country is also looking into another suspected case at a duck farm in Eumseong, 131 kilometers south of the capital city. Th

Feb. 10, 2021

New virus cases at 6-day high ahead of long Lunar New Year holiday

South Korea reported a spike in daily coronavirus cases Wednesday as clusters of infections continued to emerge, with health authorities urging people to avoid family gatherings during the Lunar New Year holiday. The country added 444 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including 414 local infections, raising the total caseload to 81,930, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The figure was the highest since Feb. 4, when the nation recorded 451 new cases. It also m

Feb. 10, 2021

Two clusters in Bucheon report 53 COVID-19 cases

As many as 53 coronavirus infections were reported in a single day from two virus clusters in a city in the Seoul metropolitan area, municipal officials said Tuesday. The latest infection clusters occurred at a religious facility and a cram school in Bucheon, a Gyeonggi Province city on the southwestern outskirts of Seoul, the officials said. The religious facility, whose name was withheld, reported 20 coronavirus cases among its believers and others, while 33 students and lecturers from the s

Feb. 9, 2021

National Medical Center preps for mass vaccinations

The National Medical Center, which will be administering South Korea’s first COVID-19 jabs, conducted a trial run of their rollout on Tuesday in Seoul, with the goal of achieving up to 600 vaccinations a day. Once prospective vaccine takers step into the hospital’s vaccination center, they will be first checked for symptoms and be required to sanitize their hands. Then they will be asked to present their IDs and be verified for eligibility at the reception. The medical staff wil

Feb. 9, 2021

[News Focus] Number of foreigners in Korea declines by 440,000 in 10 months

SEJONG -- The tally of foreigners staying in South Korea -- both as long-term residents and short-term visitors -- has dropped to its lowest point in about three years amid the pandemic. Previously it climbed 116 percent in a decade, from 1.16 million in 2009 to 2.52 million in 2019. According to the Korea Immigration Service, the number of foreigners staying in Korea posted 2.07 million as of October 2020. It was 2.18 million in December 2017 and 2.04 million in December 2016. The 2020 figur

Feb. 9, 2021

Couple arrested for inflicting fatal abuse on live-in niece

A couple from Yongin, just south of Seoul, has been put under emergency arrest for allegedly having maltreated their live-in niece to death, police said Tuesday. The man and his wife, both in their 40s, are accused of having beaten their 10-year-old niece with a plastic broom and other objects and repeatedly throwing her into their home bathtub until she stopped breathing Monday. According to the Yongin Dongbu Police Station, the girl lost consciousness after being forcibly put in and out of b

Feb. 9, 2021

Caution remains high as new cases jumps back above 300

Local authorities remain cautious over a potential uptick in virus cases as South Korea approaches its second Lunar New Year holiday under COVID-19 pandemic. While the daily addition of new cases has been staying comparatively low for the past week, officials are keen on preventing people from traveling across regions this week as possibilities still remain high for the virus to stay strong during and after the holiday weekend. The government has also remained vigilant on maintaining its antiv

Feb. 9, 2021

26 more cases of COVID-19 variants confirmed, total now at 80

South Korea's health authorities said Tuesday they have identified 26 more cases of COVID-19 variants, vowing to step up monitoring on foreign arrivals to better detect potential cases. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 24 people were confirmed to have been infected with the variant from Britain, while one person was infected with the South African variant and another with the one from Brazil. Among them, four were domestically infected cases after coming in contact w

Feb. 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] Arrest warrant denied for ex-energy minister on nuclear reactor closure

A local court on Tuesday rejected an arrest warrant for former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Un-gyu for his role in the controversial closure of South Korea’s second-oldest nuclear reactor. The Daejeon District Court on Tuesday denied the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant made Thursday against Paik on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of business. The court said the prosecution’s arguments are insufficient to prove Paik’s criminal involve

Feb. 9, 2021

S. Korea implements tougher rules on animal abuse, pet owners

South Korea said Tuesday it plans to implement revised rules on animal abuse this week that center on tougher punishment and more regulations on pet owners. Starting Friday, those who slaughter animals cruelly will face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of 30 million won ($26,840), according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It compares with the previous ceiling of two years. Owners of fierce dogs are obligated to purchase insurance packages, and violators will

Feb. 9, 2021

S. Korea to start COVID-19 vaccinations on Feb. 26

South Korea will start vaccinating its population against COVID-19 on Feb. 26 if final approval for the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine for elderly people is made this week, health authorities said Tuesday. The announcement by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency came as the nation reported a slight rise in daily coronavirus cases, with authorities still on high alert ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. It was the first time that the KDCA set a start date for the vaccinations, rais

Feb. 9, 2021

AstraZeneca to start supplying COVID-19 vaccines from Feb. 24

AstraZeneca will start delivering the first batch of its COVID-19 vaccine to South Korea starting from Feb. 24, South Korean health authorities said Monday.  The virus response control tower said in a statement that AstraZeneca's vaccine will be supplied in phases from Feb. 24 over the following several days, without elaborating on the amount of doses and other details. The announcement came after Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in a parliamentary meeting that he expects the first phas

Feb. 8, 2021

COVID-19 variants strengthen calls to tighten borders

New COVID-19 variants pose an imminent threat to South Korea’s efforts in curbing the pandemic with a vaccine rollout still weeks away, health authorities say, as experts urged for tighter border restrictions to prevent their arrival here. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency chief Jung Eun-kyeong voiced concerns over these variants, which appear to be more transmissible, saying they are “threatening Korea’s progress in the pandemic.” “Increasingly more c

Feb. 8, 2021

Sungkyunkwan’s business school ranks 35th in world

Sungkyunkwan University’s Graduate School of Business has ranked No. 35 in the world in the 2021 Financial Times Global MBA Ranking. In Asia, the institution ranked seventh, as it maintained the top spot for Korea. The Financial Times Global MBA Ranking is an annual indicator of business schools’ overall status and quality. Unlike other rankings centered on US MBA programs, the FT ranking is global and assesses business schools around the world. Sungkyunkwan University Graduate Sc

Feb. 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] Warrant sought for former energy minister over nuclear plant closure

Former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Un-gyu on Monday faced potential arrest for his role in the controversial closure of South Korea’s second-oldest nuclear reactor. The Daejeon District Court on Monday afternoon started an arrest warrant hearing for Paik on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of business following a request from the prosecution on Thursday. Paik is under investigation for allegedly abusing his authority to negatively influence the viability assessme

Feb. 8, 2021

Employment insurance growth hits 17-year low in Jan. amid pandemic

Subscriptions to state employment insurance increased by the smallest number in 17 years in January amid the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the labor ministry said Monday. The number of subscribers reached 13.84 million in January, up 151,000, or 1.1 percent, from the same month last year, according to the ministry's monthly report on the labor market. That figure is the smallest since February 2004, when the increase was 138,000. It is also less than the 155,000 recorded in May 2020

Feb. 8, 2021

15 USFK-affiliated people test positive for coronavirus

Thirteen American service members and two civilians affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for the coronavirus upon arrival here from the United States recently, USFK said Monday. Eleven service members, one civilian and one contractor arrived on international commercial flights at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, between Jan. 21 and Feb. 6, according to USFK. The other two service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, around 70 kilometers south

Feb. 8, 2021

3 Filipinos given prison terms for trafficking illicit drugs into S. Korea

CHANGWON -- Three Filipinos have been given prison terms for trafficking illegal drugs into South Korea, a local court said Monday. The Changwon District Court, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, recently sentenced the three Philippine nationals to three to five years in prison for violating the Narcotics Control Act. The court also handed down prison terms ranging from one to 2 1/2 years, suspended for two to four years, to three other Filipinos on the same charge. The six were indicte

Feb. 8, 2021