‘Child abuse is still a family matter, not a crime, in Korea’

South Korea lacks a “big picture” for dealing with child abuse, and must break away from the idea that child abuse is a “family problem,” experts say. Although this is slowly changing, child abuse is still perceived as a family issue instead of a crime that society needs to intervene to stop. Even before the horrific death in October of a 16-month-old girl named Jeong-in, child abuse was nothing new. In 2020, a 9-year-old boy who was abused by his stepmother died afte

Jan. 20, 2021

Seoul city's bike service users soar amid pandemic

The accumulated membership of Seoul's public bike service has surpassed 2.78 million, largely due to high demand for personal transport means amid the coronavirus pandemic, the city government said Wednesday. The tally translated into one in every four Seoul citizens using the city's unmanned bike rental service, dubbed Ttaereungyi in Korean. The growth was particularly great last year, when nearly 1.21 million people newly became members, amounting for 43.3 percent of the total users. "

Jan. 20, 2021

Additional bird flu case confirmed, total now at 68

South Korea's agricultural ministry Wednesday confirmed yet another highly pathogenic bird flu case traced to a farm, with the total caseload of confirmed infections reaching 68. The latest confirmed case of the malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Eumseong, 131 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm was raising 400,000 chickens. Authorities have issued a seven-day standstill order on all poultry farms in

Jan. 20, 2021

Delivery chaos looms as parcel workers consider full-scale strike ahead of Lunar New Year

South Korea may be headed for delivery chaos ahead of next month’s Lunar New Year holiday, as unionized parcel delivery workers consider a full-scale walkout next week in their fight for better working conditions and wages. The Parcel Delivery Workers’ Solidarity Union said Wednesday that a nationwide vote among its 5,500 members has started and will end Thursday. The members will decide whether to go ahead with the collective action as its negotiations with logistics firms and the

Jan. 20, 2021

Seoul women spend nearly four times longer than men on housework: report

Women in Seoul spent almost four times longer than men on household chores and were paid less in 2019, highlighting the persistent gender disparity in the country’s capital, according to a report by the Seoul city government. Girls and women aged 15 or older spent about two hours and 26 minutes on housework in 2019, about 3.6 times longer than men who devoted 41 minutes, according to the 2020 Seoul gender statistics report on residents’ work-life balance. In double-income househo

Jan. 20, 2021

New virus cases rise from low plateau 1 year after COVID-19 outbreak

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases hovered around 400 for the third straight day Wednesday as the country struggles to further slow down the third wave of the pandemic with an enhanced social distancing scheme. The country added 404 more COVID-19 cases, including 373 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 73,518, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Wednesday's figure was slightly up from 386 cases reported the previous day. Since the first c

Jan. 20, 2021

S. Korea confirms 67th case of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea on Tuesday confirmed another case of highly pathogenic bird flu in poultry, raising the total caseload to 67. The latest case of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Yongin, just south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The ministry will administer screening tests and impose a 30-day movement ban on all poultry farms within a 10-kilometer radius of the affected farm. The restriction also applies to all poultry farms

Jan. 19, 2021

[Herald Interview] Front-liners who treated first COVID-19 patients look back on experience

The novel coronavirus has been in South Korea for one full year as of Wednesday, and medical professionals have been on the front lines of the ongoing struggle. Ahead of COVID-19’s one-year anniversary, three front-line workers who treated the country’s very first COVID-19 patients spoke to The Korea Herald on Tuesday about their encounters with the brand-new disease. The first people confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus in Korea had either traveled to Wuhan, China, or c

Jan. 19, 2021

S. Korea's Buddhist leader vows to seek inter-Korean exchanges through COVID-19 relief

The leader of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, said Tuesday that he will strive to promote inter-Korean religious exchanges this year by helping the North's battle against the novel coronavirus. "We will closely confer with our North Korean counterpart on projects to facilitate exchanges and cooperation between the Buddhist communities of the two Koreas," Ven. Wonhaeng, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, said in an online press conference. "I'll

Jan. 19, 2021

31 USFK-linked people test positive for coronavirus upon arrival in S. Korea

Twenty-six American service members and five civilians affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival here over the past few weeks, the US military said Tuesday. Of them, 13 service members and three family members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on government-chartered flights, while 13 other service members, one civilian worker and one dependent came here on commercial flights via Incheon Interna

Jan. 19, 2021

Special Sewol probe ends, clears most of allegations

A special investigation unit tasked with reinvestigating the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster announced Tuesday that it had put most of the allegations to rest without additional indictments, ending its 14-month investigation. The team said, “A total of 20 people were indicted after confirming that the Coast Guard command had violated its duty of care and that government officials such as Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries interfered with the special investigation

Jan. 19, 2021

UK flight ban extended by 1 week, arrivals from Brazil required to prove virus-free

South Korea's health authorities said Tuesday that the ban on flights from Britain will be extended by one week again and arrivals from Brazil will have to prove that they are virus-free as the country stepped up measures against new coronavirus variants that are known to be more transmissible. A total of 18 COVID-19 variant cases have been reported in the country, including 15 from Britain, two from South Africa and one from Brazil, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

Jan. 19, 2021

Seoul women spend nearly four times more hours on housework than men: report

Women in Seoul spend nearly four times more hours on housework than men, a city government report showed Tuesday. According to the 2020 Seoul gender statistics report, girls and women aged 15 or older spent 2 hours and 26 minutes on household chores every day, which was about 3.6 times longer than men's 41 minutes. The report was based on 2019 data from Statistics Korea and the city government's own research. Women's labor force participation rate rose to 55.2 percent in 2019, up from 52.5 pe

Jan. 19, 2021

COVID spread slows, with fewer than 400 new cases for 2nd day

The number of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea remained below 400 for the second day on Tuesday, signaling a continued slowdown in the spread of the coronavirus, while the authorities called for continued vigilance. A total of 386 new cases were added, raising the total number of people infected so far to 73,115, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily number of new cases over the past 15 days went from 714 to 838, 869, 674, 641, 657, 451, 537, 561, 524, 513, 580, 520,

Jan. 19, 2021

S. Korea to ease anti-graft law implementation over Lunar New Year

South Korea said Tuesday it has decided to ease the existing anti-graft law over the upcoming Lunar New Year's holiday in order to help boost local demand for agricultural and fisheries products amid the new coronavirus pandemic. Under the revision, the ceiling on the value of gifts that can be received by public servants, educators and journalists will be set at 200,000 won ($180), according to the Anti‑Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and the agricultural and fisheries ministries. The

Jan. 19, 2021

5 military-affiliated people test positive for new coronavirus

Four military officers and one civilian worker of the Air Force have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Two Navy officers, one Air Force officer and the civilian worker, all stationed in the southern city of Sacheon, were confirmed to have been infected after undergoing tests following two earlier COVID-19 cases at their base, according to the ministry. "We are administering tests for all members of the unit, and contact tracing is under way,"

Jan. 19, 2021

S. Korea investigating 2 suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Tuesday it is investigating two suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from poultry farms as the country continued to cull more chickens in a preventive measure. The latest suspected case of the malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza came from an egg farm in Yongin, just south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The total caseload here reached 66 as of Tuesday, with Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul ac

Jan. 19, 2021

New infection cases under 400 for 2nd day; virus curve sliding downhill

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed under 400 for the second straight day Tuesday as infections sharply slowed down on tightened social distancing measures, but health authorities still remain vigilant over potential upticks amid partially eased curbs. The country added 386 more COVID-19 cases, including 351 domestic infections, raising the total caseload to 73,115, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The third wave of COVID-19 here reached its pea

Jan. 19, 2021

S. Korea culls 18.8m poultry to prevent spread of bird flu

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it has completed destroying 18.8 million poultry to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic bird flu among local farms, with the number set to further rise down the road on the piling up of new cases. The country has confirmed 66 cases of the malign H5N8 strain of avian influenza since late November, including the latest case from a duck farm in Gimje, about 260 kilometers southwest of Seoul, the previous day, according to the Ministry of Agricult

Jan. 19, 2021

Consumer watchdog finds ‘not safe’ heated vests

Four types of heated vest products were found to fail safety standards due to high surface temperatures, the Korea Consumer Agency said Monday. Based on a consumer survey, the watchdog selected 10 heated vests, one each from among the top 10 most popular brands, and conducted various tests on the safety, warmth and usability of the products. As the vests use batteries for the heating element, they have to follow electrical appliance safety standards, which require heated clothing’s sur

Jan. 18, 2021