[Herald Interview] Korea kindles talks for eco-based ‘pan Yellow Sea’ economy

South Korea has taken the initiative in pushing forward protecting the maritime ecosystem and biodiversity of the Yellow Sea -- also called the West Sea here -- as part of its efforts to achieve regional sustainable development for oceans via carbon neutrality. During the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on Dec. 12, 2015, 192 UN members unanimously adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals as common goals for the international community to attain together by 2030. T

Dec. 13, 2020

2 more military members test positive for COVID-19

The military reported two new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday. A civilian worker for the Navy in Jinhae in the southeastern city of Changwon tested positive for COVID-19 before his release from quarantine, after a fellow worker was confirmed to have been infected on Dec. 1 upon returning from a recent business trip to Colombia, according to the defense ministry In Samcheok, Gangwon Province, an Army officer was also confirmed to have been infected with the virus following his recent trip t

Dec. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi Gov. Lee seeks emergency mobilization of college dorm to treat COVID-19 patients

SUWON -- Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung said Sunday that he will seek an emergency measure to mobilize a private university dormitory to accommodate new coronavirus patients. In a tweet, Lee announced his first such plan to mobilize a private facility to tackle the public health care crisis, as the province is running short on hospital beds and other facilities to treat the growing number of COVID-19 patients. Earlier in the day, the provincial government sent a document to Kyonggi Unive

Dec. 13, 2020

Govt. to offer free virus tests at 150 new testing sites amid spike in COVID-19 cases

Health authorities will begin offering free virus tests at 150 new makeshift COVID-19 testing sites in Seoul and its surrounding areas under a three-week containment campaign, officials said Sunday, as the daily virus count breached the 1000 mark. The Central Disease Control Headquarters said that from Monday until Jan. 3, it will administer the tests at facilities at Seoul and Yongsan Stations, major university districts and other high-risk areas in the greater Seoul metropolitan area. They wi

Dec. 13, 2020

Seoul receives first measurable snowfall of season

Seoul received the first measurable snowfall of the season on Sunday as the state weather agency issued a heavy snow advisory for the metropolitan area and other parts of the country. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), Seoul received about 0.8 centimeters of snow as of 6 a.m. and is expected to receive up to 7 centimeters later in the day. KMA issued the advisory for Seoul and parts of the Gyeonggi Province, as well as for the eastern province of Gangwon. The advisory

Dec. 13, 2020

S. Korea’s new daily COVID-19 cases top 1,000 for first time

South Korea’ daily COVID-19 cases surpassed 1,000 for the first time on Sunday, the highest total since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak here in January, as the government’s antivirus restrictions appear to be bearing little fruit. Calling the current situation “the biggest crisis” since the pandemic arrived here, President Moon Jae-in warned that the country will have to consider enforcing the toughest-level social distancing rules if the virus doesn’t s

Dec. 13, 2020

[News Focus] Korea’s single-person households top 9 million

SEJONG -- The number of single-person households in South Korea has surpassed the 9 million mark for the first time since the nation started compiling the data. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the tally for single-person households came to 9.009 million as of November, which made up 39.1 percent of the total 23.03 million households nationwide. The figure contrasts with 34.4 percent (7.23 million), posted five years earlier in November 2015 and 33.3 percent (6.61 million) a d

Dec. 13, 2020

Moon vows to mobilize all resources to fight COVID-19 as new cases hit record

President Moon Jae-in vowed Saturday to use all available resources to stem the spread of the new coronavirus as the country's new daily infection number hit a record high of 950. Calling the current state an "emergency," Moon apologized for failing to promptly stabilize the COVID-19 situation despite tightened social distancing measures taken at the cost of citizens' inconvenience and economic damage. "We will consider this as an emergency situation and put all out efforts in a

Dec. 12, 2020

Five more soldiers, 1 Marine test positive for COVID-19

Five more soldiers and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Saturday. Three Army officers and a Marine officer at the Sangmudae Artillery School in the southwestern county of Jangseong were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 before their release from quarantine following a series of infections at their base, according to the ministry. In the northeastern county of Hwacheon, a soldier and an officer were also confirmed to have been infected with th

Dec. 12, 2020

[Newsmaker] Notorious child rapist released from prison amid strong protests

Cho Doo-soon, one of South Korea's most notorious child rapists in recent memory, was released from prison on Saturday amid strong protests against the heinous criminal's return to society. Cho served a 12-year term for kidnapping and raping an 8-year-old girl in a church bathroom in Ansan, 42 kilometers southwest of Seoul, in December 2008. A huge public outcry has erupted over what has been seen as too lenient a punishment for a horrendous sexual crime against a minor. He left the correction

Dec. 12, 2020

Korea's new virus cases hit record high of 950

South Korea reported 950 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, a record figure since the country reported its first virus case nearly 11 months ago. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency counted 928 local infections and 22 imported cases. Seven of the imported cases were from the US and three from Russia. Korea's accumulated confirmed COVID-19 cases now stands at 41,736. Saturday's new caseload marks a sharp increase from 689 the previous day. It is the highest mark since January, when the

Dec. 12, 2020

Court rejects appeals by Japanese firm over rulings on forced labor

A South Korean court struck down appeals filed by a Japanese firm against a ruling that ordered a freeze of its assets here to compensate victims of wartime forced labor. According to the Daegu District Court in southeastern Korea on Friday, its Pohang branch rejected Thursday two appeals filed earlier this week by Japan's Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp over the court's decision to seize its assets. The court dismissed a similar appeal in August, calling the plaintiff's claim "ba

Dec. 11, 2020

South Korea mobilizes Army, police to ramp up COVID-19 contract tracing

Hundreds of Army and police personnel will be dispatched to break the chain of infection of the novel coronavirus, which has seen an average of more than 600 cases diagnosed each day over the past week here. Despite the government’s stronger social distancing measures implemented from earlier this week, cases have continued to grow daily with no signs of abating. Sharp upticks in new cases, which began in mid-November and centered on Seoul and surrounding areas, have drawn concerns t

Dec. 11, 2020

Half of S. Koreans lose jobs or suffer lower income amid pandemic

Almost half of South Koreans either lost their jobs or saw their income fall due to the new coronavirus outbreak, a report showed Friday, in a sign that the job market remains sluggish amid the pandemic. The report by Statistics Korea showed that 49.7 percent of respondents said the pandemic affected their income level or job posts, with 26.7 percent of them saying that their income shrank, though they kept working. The statistics agency said 50.3 percent said they had not lost their jobs and

Dec. 11, 2020

Seoul City Hall to be lit up in green to mark 5th year of Paris Agreement

The Seoul metropolitan government said Friday it will light up its city hall in green this weekend as part of a global event to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. The main building of the Seoul City Hall complex will glow green for an hour from 6 p.m. Saturday, according to the city government. A total of 96 cities around the world, including Paris, New York and Los Angeles, will bathe their landmark buildings in green that night, joining an event hosted by the C40 Cities Clima

Dec. 11, 2020

[Newsmaker] Officials on alert over release of infamous child rapist

Local authorities are on alert with the scheduled release of infamous child rapist Cho Doo-soon less than 24 hours away, as they seek to protect nearby residents and prevent possible acts of revenge against him. Cho, 68, will be released Saturday morning after serving 12 years in prison for brutally assaulting an 8-year-old girl in 2008. It is not known which correctional center he will be released from, but he will be set free between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. Upon release, Cho will be tracked at all

Dec. 11, 2020

Arrest warrant granted for prosecutor-turned-politician in Lime financial scandal

A local court issued an arrest warrant for former high-ranking prosecutor Yun Gap-geun for his involvement in a financial fraud scandal involving Lime Asset Management. The Seoul Southern District Court on Friday morning issued the warrant for Yun, chief of the main opposition People Power Party’s North Chungcheong Province office, who had served as head of the Daegu High Prosecutors Office until 2017. The court said the arrest warrant was issued to prevent Yun from fleeing or destroying

Dec. 11, 2020

New virus cases nearing 700 for 3rd day, strongest curbs not considered

South Korea's daily number of new cases neared 700 for the third consecutive day Friday amid concerns over a bigger and longer-than-expected wave of the pandemic during the winter. But health authorities remained cautious in adopting the toughest virus curbs as they could deal a hard blow to the economy. The country reported 689 new virus cases, including 673 domestically transmitted ones, raising the total caseload to 40,786, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Dec. 11, 2020

S. Korea on alert over bird flu as highly pathogenic cases near 10

South Korea remained on alert over a further rise in highly pathogenic bird flu cases Friday as the number of highly pathogenic cases in farms approached 10 in less than two months. The country reported this year's ninth case of highly pathogenic bird flu from a duck farm in Jangseong, about 250 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It was also the fourth case from South Jeolla Province. Local authorities are investigating another suspecte

Dec. 11, 2020

Arrest warrant issued for prosecutor-turned-politician in Lime Asset probe

A court issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for former high-ranking prosecutor Yun Gap-geun in a financial fraud scandal involving Lime Asset Management. The Seoul Southern District Court granted the warrant for Yun, who served as the chief prosecutor of the Daegu High Prosecutors Office and now leads the main opposition People Power Party's North Chungcheong Province office, citing, "fear of fleeing or destroying evidence." The prosecutor-turned-politician is accused of having rece

Dec. 11, 2020