New virus cases stay in 400s for 3rd day

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 400s for the third day in a row on Saturday, as health authorities scrambled to contain cluster infections linked to mission schools nationwide. The country added 458 more COVID-19 cases, including 423 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 77,850, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The figure was down from 469 on Friday and compared with 497 on Thursday and 559 on Wednesday. The countr

Jan. 30, 2021

1 missing, 2 injured as high winds sweep S. Korea

A freezing cold snap, accompanied by high winds, swept across South Korea on Friday, leaving one person missing and two others injured, authorities said. The day‘s lowest temperatures dropped below minus 10 C in Seoul and central regions and below minus 8 C in southern regions, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Seoul’s morning low plunged to minus 11.6 C, while low temperatures fell to minus 13.9 C in Dongducheon, just north of the capital; minus 14.4 C in Cheor

Jan. 29, 2021

Christian leaders apologize over clusters, urge distancing at churches

The National Council of Churches in Korea, along with Young Men’s Christian Association and Young Women’s Christian Association, apologized on Friday for Christian organizations’ frequent links coronavirus cluster infections and called on churches to follow distancing guidelines. “We look back on the reality of how Korean churches have been recognized as one of the main institutions causing harm to public health and sincerely apologize to the people of Korea,” sai

Jan. 29, 2021

Key suspect in Lime fund scandal gets 15-year prison sentence

A key suspect at the center of a financial fraud scandal involving Lime Asset Management was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday. The Seoul Southern District Court handed down the prison term to Lee Jong-pil, the hedge fund's former vice president, along with a fine of 4 billion won ($3.57 million) and a forfeit of 1.4 billion won. The court found him guilty of deceiving investors by concealing the massive loss the company's fraudulent fund product was making. Lime Asset, founded in 201

Jan. 29, 2021

School official sentenced to 3 yrs in prison for leaking SAT papers

A high school faculty member has been sentenced to three years in prison for leaking the US Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) papers, judicial sources said Friday. According to the sources, the Seoul Central District Court handed down a three-year prison term to the 38-year-old US citizen, surnamed Lee, on charges of obstruction of business. Lee began to work at a high school in Yongin, about 50 kilometers south of Seoul, in 2009 and became its SAT coordinator in 2013. In mid-2017, a broker appr

Jan. 29, 2021

S. Korea to publicize Japan’s distortion of history over Hashima Island

South Korea is pushing to publicize attempts to distort the history of the Japanese historical industrial sites, including Hashima Island, inscribed on the UNESCO’s world heritage list, the country’s cultural agency said Friday. As one such effort, the Cultural Heritage Administration published a report taking issue with Tokyo’s failure to deliver on its promise to address the full history of the island, also known as Battleship Island, including Koreans coerced into labor dur

Jan. 29, 2021

Cigarette sales in S. Korea up 4.1% in 2020

Sales of cigarettes in South Korea rose 4.1 percent on-year last year as smokers' purchases via duty-free channels were thwarted amid the pandemic, the finance ministry said Friday. South Korean smokers purchased 3.59 billion 20-cigarette packs last year, compared with 3.45 billion packs the previous year, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The rise in domestic sales came as tobacco sales at duty-free shops sharply fell due to low overseas travel amid the pandemic, which helped

Jan. 29, 2021

Gwangju to ban in-person church worship following cluster infections

GWANGJU -- The southwestern city of Gwangju has decided to temporarily ban in-person church services following spikes in coronavirus infections centered on religious facilities, including a missionary organization, its mayor said Friday. The city, located 330 kilometers south of Seoul, reported about 210 church-related cases this week mostly linked to two unauthorized schools run by a Christian group called the International Mission (IM). "In-person worship at all churches in Gwangju will

Jan. 29, 2021

S. Korea’s vaccination plan: Key questions answered

In a few weeks from now, South Korean will kick off its long-awaited plan for nationwide vaccination, following the steps of other countries to overcome the pandemic by obtaining herd immunity within this year. Under the government’s plan unveiled Thursday, the country will vaccinate 1.3 million people by March, 9 million by June and the rest of the 33.25 million in following months. Korea is also installing 250 vaccination centers to handle some vaccines that are harder to store and tran

Jan. 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul steps back on plan to raise tobacco price

South Korean health authorities have backtracked on a plan to raise tobacco prices to match the average levels of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, denying reports that it would hike up cigarette prices to 8,000 won a pack. In a set of plans unveiled on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said it would increase its health promotion levy on tobacco over the next 10 years to raise its price to the average level of OECD countries. The average retail price of a pack of

Jan. 29, 2021

Delivery workers end strike after reaching deal with logistics firms

Unionized delivery workers ended a strike Friday, saying they have reached a new agreement with logistics companies on ways to prevent them from overworking. The Parcel Delivery Workers' Solidarity Union said its 5,500 members, who began and ended the walkout the same day, will return to work Saturday, with less than two weeks until the Feb. 11-13 Lunar New Year holiday, when demand for deliveries is expected to soar. The decision came after a vote Friday, in which 89 percent of the union memb

Jan. 29, 2021

Extreme weather caused property damage worth W1.2tr in 2020: report

Extreme weather events such as an unusually long monsoon season and frequent typhoons last year caused 1.2 trillion won of property in South Korea, according to a report by the country’s weather agency. The Korea Meteorological Administration published a report on Thursday on last year’s extreme weather events and their social and economic impact on society, jointly with 24 related ministries and agencies.  The annual report addresses the causes of abnormal weather patterns

Jan. 29, 2021

Freezing temperatures, high winds sweep S. Korea

A freezing cold snap, accompanied by high winds, swept across South Korea on Friday, with temperatures dipping far below zero in all regions, except the southern resort island of Jeju. The day's lowest temperatures dropped below minus 10 C in Seoul and central regions and below minus 8 C in southern regions, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. Seoul's morning low plunged to minus 11.6 C, while low temperatures fell to minus 13.9 C in Dongducheon, just north of the capital; minu

Jan. 29, 2021

Ex-coach of local triathlon team sentenced to 7 yrs in prison in abuse case

DAEGU -- A former triathlon coach accused of abusing triathlete Choi Sook-hyeon was sentenced to seven years in prison on fraud and assault charges on Friday. The Daegu District Court handed down the term to Kim Gyu-bong, former head coach of the triathlon team at Gyeongju City Hall, for verbally and physically abusing Choi and taking money from athletes. Jang Yun-jung, the team's former captain, and teammate Kim Do-hwan were given a four-year prison term and a suspended prison term of 1 1/2 ye

Jan. 29, 2021

Seoul city to close some charnel facilities during Lunar New Year amid pandemic

The Seoul city government said Friday that some of its charnel houses will close during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus. The city-affiliated Seoul Facilities Corp. (SFC), which operates 15 cemeteries and memorial parks, will close five indoor charnel houses in Goyang and Paju in nearby Gyeonggi Province from Feb. 6-7 and Feb. 11-14. The Lunar New Year holiday falls on Feb. 11-13 this year. Many Koreans, as a custom, visit their ancestors' g

Jan. 29, 2021

One Army official tests positive for new coronavirus

An Army official stationed in the inter-Korean border city of Hwacheon tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Friday. The official underwent a virus test after showing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 while on vacation ahead of his planned discharge from the military, according to the ministry. The latest case raised the total number of infections reported among the military population to 547. Currently, 170 service members are in isolation in accordance with heal

Jan. 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Another suspected bird flu case reported, total now at 79

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Friday it is investigating another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu, with the total confirmed caseload reaching 79. The latest suspected case of the malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza was reported from Anseong, 77 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm was raising 790,000 chickens. The number of cases from wild birds also piled up to reach 117. Authorities have so far destroy

Jan. 29, 2021

New virus cases in 400s again; virus curbs set to be tweaked

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell back to below 500 again Friday due to fewer tests amid cold weather despite a continued rise in clusters tied to religious facilities, which has put health authorities in a more prudent mode about relaxing virus curbs. The country added 469 more COVID-19 cases, including 445 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 77,395, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was down from 497 on Thur

Jan. 29, 2021

5 USFK-affiliated people test positive for new coronavirus

One US service member based in South Korea and four individuals affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US military said Friday. The service member stationed in Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive Wednesday after undergoing a virus test as part of the command's enhanced surveillance scheme, according to the USFK. One civilian worker based in its Yongsan garrison in central Seoul and two family mem

Jan. 29, 2021

Prosecution indicts former Busan mayor for sexual assault

The prosecution has indicted former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don on charges of sexual assault, officials said Thursday. He resigned as the leader of the nation's second largest city on April 23, 2020, after admitting to his misconduct. The Busan District Prosecutors Office charged him on four counts, also including attempted indecent assault, inflicting injury and false accusation. Oh is accused of sexually assaulting two female employees and injuring one of them in 2018 and 2020. He is also charg

Jan. 28, 2021