[Newsmaker] Ex-President Chun found guilty of libel for denying civilians were shot from helicopters during Gwangju Uprising

Former President Chun Doo-hwan on Monday received a suspended prison sentence for libel with regard to the massacre of civilians during the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising. The Gwangju District Court found Chun guilty of defamation for comments he made about an activist priest who had shared eyewitness accounts of the bloody crackdown, which was led by the military virtually under Chun’s leadership, against pro-democracy activists in Gwangju. The court sentenced the 89-year-old former

Nov. 30, 2020

[News Focus] Nation braces for pandemic Suneung on Thursday

South Korea on Monday entered the final phase of preparation for Thursday’s annual college entrance exam, to be held amid a relentless resurgence of the new coronavirus. Test papers and answer sheets started to be delivered to 86 local test administration authorities across the country Monday, according to the Education Ministry. Over 400 government officials, escorted by police guards, were to ship the test materials by Wednesday for them to be distributed to 1,381 testing sites on the

Nov. 30, 2020

Gyms, saunas and other virus-prone facilities in capital area to shut down from Tuesday

South Korea will maintain the current social distancing level in the greater Seoul area but will raise antivirus curbs, including restricting additional gatherings and activities, starting Tuesday, health authorities said Monday. Seoul, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western port city of Incheon will be under the current Level 2 of the country's five-tier social distancing system for a week, according to the authorities. However, antivirus curbs in all other areas will be elevated t

Nov. 30, 2020

E-scooter firms to limit service for unlicensed minors despite revised law

Electric scooter sharing companies in South Korea will continue to prohibit unlicensed minors from using their services despite a new law easing the minimum age requirements, joining government-led efforts to address safety concerns, the transport ministry said Monday. Local e-scooter sharing platforms currently offer their services to customers aged 18 years and older, or 16-17 years old with motorcycle licenses, but safety concerns have risen over teen users after a new law lowering the mini

Nov. 30, 2020

Korean sign-ups begin for clinical trials of COVID treatments, vaccines

Some 3,500 people have expressed their intention over the past three weeks to take part in clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments under development in Korea. The Korea National Enterprise for Clinical Trials said Monday that it began receiving tenders on Nov. 10 for participating in clinical trials, and about 3,500 people have signed up since. The KoNECT plans to set up a system that links these people to hospitals so they can take part in the clinical trials should they be conf

Nov. 30, 2020

Embattled top prosecutor 2nd most favored presidential candidate: poll

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl came second in a poll on potential presidential candidates in the 2022 race, joining the ranks of ruling Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yon and Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung. In a survey of 2,538 Koreans aged 18 or above nationwide, conducted over five days from Nov. 23 by Realmeter, 19.8 percent picked Yoon as their preferred presidential candidate, up 2.6 percentage points since last month’s 17.2 percent, which was the highest since his name was

Nov. 30, 2020

Seoul city introduces small public bikes for younger population

The Seoul city government said Monday it has made small public bicycles available for younger populations aged 13 years or older. Starting Monday, younger users have access to smaller and lighter "Ttaereungyi" in the eastern wards of Songpa and Gangdong, as well as the northwestern Eunpyeong Ward. "Ttaereungyi" are Seoul's public bikes that can be rented at unmanned rental stations installed across the city. Previously, they were only available for those 15 years old or ol

Nov. 30, 2020

2 service members test positive for new coronavirus

Two service members tested positive for the new coronavirus, the defense ministry said Monday. A soldier showed symptoms while being quarantined due to an infection cluster at his Army boot camp in the border county of Yeoncheon. The total number of infections there grew to 72, according to the ministry. "We've wrapped up virus tests for around 800 members at the base and have taken measures to better manage troops there. As contact tracing is under way, more could undergo tests," a

Nov. 30, 2020

S. Korea braces for 'toughest' virus battle in winter, people urged to follow antivirus curbs

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed in the 400 range for the second day in a row Monday due apparently to less testing over the weekend, and health authorities warned that the country is bracing for the "biggest crisis" in the upcoming winter season. The country added 438 more COVID-19 cases, including 414 local infections, raising the total caseload to 34,201, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It reported three additional

Nov. 30, 2020

Injunction hearing opens over decision to suspend top prosecutor from duty

An injunction hearing will take place Monday to deliberate on the suspension of duty for the nation's chief prosecutor over a series of allegations. Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Tuesday suspended Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl from duty, as she sought a disciplinary measure against him over six counts of alleged misdeeds, including collecting personal information of justices in charge of cases related to a former justice minister and suspected election interference by presidential official

Nov. 30, 2020

Nation’s farms fight dual virus outbreaks in birds and pigs

On top of the national fight against COVID-19, South Korea is battling a growing specter of dual animal virus outbreaks this winter -- the highly pathogenic avian influenza and African swine fever. South Korea on Saturday raised its alert for bird flu to the highest level of “serious” after a highly pathogenic bird flu virus strain was found at a duck farm in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province. It was the first outbreak of the virulent strain among farmed poultry in 32 months. The A

Nov. 29, 2020

S. Korea decides against tightening rules despite third wave

The South Korean government once again defied its own COVID-19 blueprint and decided against moving up to a higher level of social distancing despite recent metrics that support more intensive intervention. In announcing the decision to remain in third tier of the 5-tier social distancing system, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said in Sunday’s emergency press conference that “excessive controls will lead to other sorts of losses that will ultimately be suffered by the

Nov. 29, 2020

S. Korea ups response against highly pathogenic bird flu

South Korea stepped up efforts to curb spread of the highly pathogenic bird flu as the country reported a case at a duck farm for the first time in 32 months, the agriculture ministry said Sunday. On Saturday, the country confirmed its first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) of the H5N8 strain among domestic poultry at a duck farm in Jeongeup, a North Jeolla Province city about 290 kilometers south of Seoul. The last confirmed case at a farm was reported in March 2018, according

Nov. 29, 2020

Scientists discover bones of sea lions from Ulleung

A group of South Korean scientists has found that a batch of animal bones discovered from Ulleung Island belonged to sea lions, which went extinct decades ago on the island, the maritime ministry said Sunday. The announcement came after a group of local scientists found 20 pieces of animal bones from Ulleung in the East Sea earlier this year. The bones were later confirmed through DNA analysis to be of sea lions, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. "Previously, there were o

Nov. 29, 2020

Infection tally below 500 for first time in 4 days; authorities mull tougher measures

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea fell back to below 500 for the first time in four days on Sunday due apparently to less testing over the weekend, as health authorities were set to possibly raise distancing measures in the greater Seoul area later in the day. The country added 450 more COVID-19 cases, including 413 local infections, raising the total caseload to 33,824, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It reported one additional corona

Nov. 29, 2020

No. of deaths after flu shots at 108

South Korea's health agency said Saturday that a total of 108 people died after receiving seasonal flu vaccines this year, with the authorities concluding 107 of the deaths had no direct causal relations with their inoculations. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency added one more death to its running tally of those who died after getting flu shots, amid public anxiety over the safety of vaccines. "As a result of epidemiological investigation and deliberations by a damage survey

Nov. 28, 2020

[Photo News] Students in line for COVID-19 testing in Gwangju

Students line up to get tested for COVID-19 on Thursday morning after a new case was reported at a middle school in Seo-gu in Gwangju. The infected student is said to have come into contact with another infected student from a different school and with family members as well. Medical workers in protective gear are preparing for COVID-19 testing at the school. COVID-19 cases are spreading in schools despite stricter social distancing levels. There are rising concerns over student COVID-19 cases

Nov. 28, 2020

[Photo News] Streets of Hongdae deserted amid pandemic

The “street of youth” full of people crowded together is no longer to be expected in western Seoul’s Hongdae.  As the nation‘s new daily COVID-19 infection cases faced a sudden rise that exceeded 500 on Thursday, the concern of a third wave of the pandemic has deepened. Meanwhile, the social distancing level has been raised to Level 2 in order to prevent the further spread of the virus. (Photos: Yonhap) By Lee Jae-Eun (leeje16@heraldcorp.com)

Nov. 28, 2020

[Newsmaker] Army artillery school reports 17 COVID-19 infections

An Army artillery school in southwestern South Korea has reported large-scale coronavirus infections among its soldiers, local health authorities said Saturday. Sixteen soldiers undergoing training or stationed at the Sangmudae Artillery School in Jangseong, 310 kilometers south of Seoul, were diagnosed with COVID-19 on Saturday after an Army officer from the same compound tested positive for the virus the previous day, the authorities said. All of the 16 new patients had come into contact wit

Nov. 28, 2020

S. Korea confirms this year's first case of avian flu in domestic poultry

South Korea on Saturday confirmed this year's first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) among domestic poultry at a duck farm in a southwestern province. The agriculture ministry said a virus detected from ducks at a farm in Jeongeup, a North Jeolla Province city about 290 kilometers south of Seoul, in a pre-shipment test Thursday has been confirmed as the highly pathogenic bird flu of the H5N8 strain. It marked the first confirmed case of highly pathogenic AI detected among domesti

Nov. 28, 2020