More petitions filed with Constitutional Court over pandemic-induced collapse in business

Associations of small merchants filed a petition on Thursday with the Constitutional Court, asking it to review whether virus-related restrictions violate their basic property rights. The petition is the third of its kind, with the first one filed by bar and internet cafe owners on Jan. 5 and the second one by gym owners and others on Jan. 29. This time, more indoor sports facilities, karaoke rooms, cafes and bakery owners participated in the legal action, supported by civic groups, including

Feb. 4, 2021

Tests on 17,890 people find only 55 have coronavirus antibodies in S. Korea: KDCA

Only 55 of 17,890 people have antibodies against the novel coronavirus in South Korea, health authorities said Thursday, underscoring that the country's aggressive containment efforts might have curbed the prevalence of the virus. The antibody rate of 0.31 percent in South Korea is extremely low compared with other nations and global cities, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Data from the World Health Organization shows that the rate is less than 10 percent in

Feb. 4, 2021

Seoulites work less, spend more time on media amid coronavirus pandemic

People in Seoul spent less time working than usual and more time on media during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, a city government survey showed Thursday. According to the online survey of 1,000 Seoul citizens aged 18 to 69, people worked an average of 5 hours and 19 minutes a day in 2020, down 12 minutes from 2019. Time spent on media use went up, however, from 1 hour and 46 minutes in 2019 to 2 hours and 4 minutes in 2020. These activities included reading books and newspapers, watching te

Feb. 4, 2021

Appeals court reduces prison term for ex-presidential aide in influence-peddling scandal

An appellate court on Thursday handed down a reduced sentence to Woo Byung-woo, a former senior aide to ousted President Park Geun-hye, in a corruption scandal that led to Park's removal from office in 2017. The Seoul High Court sentenced Woo, who served as presidential secretary for civil affairs for Park from 2015-2016, to one year in prison for illegal surveillance of officials. The court cleared him of other charges, including dereliction of duty and a violation of the act on testimony befo

Feb. 4, 2021

Online ads for private prostitution surge amid social distancing

Online advertising for prostitution surged in Seoul last year amid social distancing measures, with over 40,000 such instances detected by a monitoring group, the city government said Thursday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said its online citizen monitoring group detected a total of 68,711 cases of illegal and harmful information on internet sites, blogs and social media last year. Among them, advertising for illicit massages and arranged meetups for sex outside brothels marked around 42,

Feb. 4, 2021

5 USFK-affiliated people test positive for virus, total exceeds 700

Four American service members and a US Forces Korea retiree tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here last month, USFK said Thursday. The latest cases raised the total number of COVID-19 infections reported among the USFK population to 701, most of whom tested positive upon their arrival here from the United States. Of the newly reported cases, one service member arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on a US government chartered flight

Feb. 4, 2021

Authorities on alert over first community transmission of coronavirus variants

The discovery of the first cases of community transmission of more contagious coronavirus variants is putting authorities on high alert, prompting worries that this will set back South Korea’s efforts to curb the ongoing third COVID-19 wave and may signal the start of another more serious wave. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun urged officials Thursday to increase their efforts to prevent additional community transmission of variants traced to the UK, South Africa and Brazil. The Korea Disea

Feb. 4, 2021

Navy cadet tests positive for coronavirus

A Naval Academy cadet has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Thursday, raising the total caseload reported among the military population to 553. The cadet at the academy in the southeastern city of Jinhae was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 upon return from vacation, according to the ministry. All other cadets who were tested after returning from vacation tested negative for the virus, it said. Nationwide, South Korea added 451 new virus cases Thursday, b

Feb. 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea culls 25.4m poultry amid bird flu outbreak

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Thursday it has completed culling 25.4 million poultry amid the outbreak of avian influenza among local farms, with the confirmed caseload reaching 85. The latest case of the malign H5N8 strain of bird flu was reported from a duck farm in Chungju, about 150 kilometers south of Seoul, the previous day, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said. Since the country reported the first highly pathogenic bird flu case traced to poultry farms in

Feb. 4, 2021

Nearly one-third of S. Koreans experienced online violence last year

Over 30 percent of South Koreans experienced online violence either as a victim or an abuser last year, according to a survey by the country's media regulator Thursday. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said 32.7 percent responded that they had experienced online violence last year in a survey of 7,458 people, down 0.8 percentage point from 2019. The survey found that experience in online violence as a victim last year reached 29.7 percent, compared with that as an abuser at 16.8 perce

Feb. 4, 2021

New virus cases over 400 for 2nd day; no letup in cluster infections

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed above 400 for a second straight day on Thursday as cluster infections continue to pop up across the country despite extended virus curbs. The country added 451 more COVID-19 cases, including 429 local infections, raising the total caseload to 79,762, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload bounced back to over 400 on Wednesday after staying under 400 the three previous days. New virus infections h

Feb. 4, 2021

Govt. to announce plan to supply 850,000 homes to cool property market

The government is expected to announce a plan this week to provide a total of 850,000 homes to cool down the overheated property market, government and parliamentary officials said Wednesday.    Under the plan, likely to be unveiled Thursday, about 325,000 units will be supplied in Seoul, and the rest in other major cities, including Busan, Daegu and Gwangju, where property prices have soared over the recent months, the officials said.    Public companies like Korea Land

Feb. 3, 2021

Civic groups file petition over human rights violations by chatbot Luda

South Korean civic groups on Wednesday filed a petition with the country’s human rights watchdog over a now-suspended artificial intelligence chatbot for its prejudiced and offensive language against women and minorities. An association of civic groups asked the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to look into human rights violations in connection with the chatbot Lee Luda, which was developed by local startup Scatter Lab. The groups, which include the People’s Solidarity

Feb. 3, 2021

Govt. to improve living infrastructure for foreigners, N. Korean defectors

The government will put efforts into improving the basic living infrastructure for foreigners and North Korean defectors, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Wednesday.  The ministry plans to provide a total of 2 billion won ($1.8 million) for the project.  Local governments across the country can apply for the financial support with their individual plans to help foreigners and North Korean defectors in each region.  If selected, each applicant can receive up to 200

Feb. 3, 2021

Public outcry grows against welfare grants for child rapist

Public outrage is mounting after it was reported that Cho Doo-soon, one of Korea’s most notorious child rapists, and his wife are receiving basic livelihood grants and the pension for senior citizens. Cho, 68, who was released from prison on Dec. 12 after serving a reduced sentence of just over a decade for kidnapping, beating and grotesquely raping a young girl, now lives with his wife in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and is unemployed. After news surfaced that Cho and his wife began to re

Feb. 3, 2021

Swindler sentenced to 2 yrs in prison for mask-related fraud

DAEGU -- A person was sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding people of more than 200 million won ($179,000) by promising to buy them protective face masks at a cheap price, among other things, a local court said Wednesday. The Daegu District Court, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, convicted the 48-year-old of fraud, saying the defendant used the money to repay personal debts and cover entertainment expenses. "Stern punishment is required as there are serious concerns the

Feb. 3, 2021

S. Korea confirms 5 domestic cases of COVID-19 variants, total now at 39

South Korea's health authorities said Wednesday they have identified five more cases of contagious variants of COVID-19, which were all domestically transmitted, sparking concerns over the spread of the more transmissible virus here. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said four people were confirmed to have been infected with a variant from Britain and one tested positive for the South African variant, raising the total caseload to 39. Four patients with the British strain

Feb. 3, 2021

Preliminary heavy snow advisory issued for Seoul, surrounding areas

A heavy snow advisory has been issued for Wednesday evening in the greater Seoul area, the state weather agency said. The advisory goes into effect at 5 p.m. in Incheon and parts of Gyeonggi Province and at 7 p.m. in Seoul and the rest of Gyeonggi, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The warning is given when the snowfall is expected to reach 5 centimeters or more within 24 hours. Snowfall will be heaviest between 9 p.m. Wednesday and 3 a.m. Thursday in the capital area, the

Feb. 3, 2021

New park on Mount Nam to retrace history of colonialism, military dictatorship

Seoul's landmark Mount Nam will have a new park by May, offering plenty of greenery and memorials to the country's turbulent history under military dictatorships and Japanese colonial rule, the city government said Wednesday. The park, which was built on the former martial arts training grounds of soldiers during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), is made up of an upper area consisting of a 13,036-square-meter forest and a lower underground area dedicated to memorializing the past, according to th

Feb. 3, 2021

Farmers oppose improved shelter requirements for foreign workers

Local farmers are protesting strengthened regulations on living shelters for foreign laborers introduced in the wake of a Cambodian worker’s death, claiming the measures are ill-devised and demanding more support from the government. In a press conference Tuesday near the Ministry of the Employment and Labor building in Sejong, the Korean Advanced Farmers Federation demanded the government retract the measure that stipulates improved shelter conditions for foreign workers. “Chaos i

Feb. 3, 2021