Nighttime bus services reduced; Daycare centers closed in Seoul

Level 2 social distancing measures were restored in the capital region beginning Tuesday, but Seoul has enacted its own, tighter rules through the rest of the year. In what the city government called an “emergency standstill,” nighttime bus service has been slashed by 20 percent from Tuesday. Starting Friday, there will be no subway operations after 11 p.m., an hour earlier than the current closing time. The changes in bus service take effect Tuesday, and the new subway hours sta

Nov. 24, 2020

S. Korea to ban free-range poultry through Feb. amid bird flu outbreak

South Korea said Tuesday it has decided to ban free-range chickens and ducks until early next year as the nation is struggling to prevent the outbreak of avian influenza. Local farms will be advised to keep poultry indoors to prevent them from coming in contact with wild birds or their droppings, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The ban came as the country has reported six cases of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu across the country since late October, wi

Nov. 24, 2020

Forgo year-end gathering plans: health authority

Health authorities on Tuesday urged members of the public to minimize social contact to help rein in a nationwide wave of COVID-19 infections as the country’s new daily cases bounced back to over 300. 　 The country reported 349 new coronavirus cases -- 320 locally transmitted and 29 imported from overseas -- in the 24 hours ending Monday at midnight, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.　 　 “Please forgo your plans for year-end gatherings this year to preven

Nov. 24, 2020

1 killed, 23 injured in Busan apartment fire

BUSAN -- A fire broke out at an apartment building in the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday, leaving one dead and 23 injured, fire authorities said. The fire started at around 6:50 a.m. on the 12th floor of a 24-story apartment building in the northern ward of Geumjeong in the city, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. A man in his 40s was found dead in the bedroom of his home on the 12th floor, while 23 others, including his teenage son, have been sent to a nearby hospital for smoke i

Nov. 24, 2020

Antibody tests reveal undetected infections among people in 20s

Antibody tests on young enlistees in the nation’s military showed immunity levels three times higher than average for all age groups, government data revealed Monday. Of the 6,959 enlisted soldiers aged between 20 and 22, whose samples were collected in September and October, 15 tested positive without having been previously diagnosed with COVID-19. Ten others with a history of COVID-19 also tested positive. This means 0.22 percent of the people considered uninfected had an immune r

Nov. 23, 2020

XR exhibition to open at Incheon Airport

An exhibition of extended reality content will open at Incheon Airport on Tuesday, as part of the 24th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. Co-organized by the Embassy of France in Seoul and the French Institute, the exhibition, titled “Beyond Reality over Incheon Airport,” will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Dec. 13 at the airport’s Terminal 1. Under the theme of “traveling,” the exhibition features virtual reality projects – 360-degree vide

Nov. 23, 2020

Watchdog advises police to guarantee interpretation service to foreign nationals during probe

The state human rights watchdog on Monday advised police to make interpretation services available when questioning foreign nationals involved in a criminal case. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) advised the National Police Agency chief to improve the system and remove language barriers in order to protect the lawful rights of foreign nationals under investigation. The recommendation came as a result of a petition by a South Korean woman to the commission that her Morocca

Nov. 23, 2020

Winter phase of pandemic may be ‘toughest yet,’ experts say

Experts dread that the latest surge in novel coronavirus infections in South Korea is likely to grow into the “biggest and toughest wave” the nation experiences, as the push for reopening backfires and winter arrives. Over the weekend, a senior official at Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency issued a chilling warning: “Korea may be facing the biggest wave of coronavirus infections yet -- much worse than the previous waves that hit in the spring and summer.” Cas

Nov. 23, 2020

Discount coupon program for arts, leisure sectors to be suspended amid virus resurgence

The government announced Monday that it will suspend a nationwide discount coupon program aimed at promoting spending in the arts and leisure industries, as health authorities and local governments remain on alert over a new wave of COVID-19 cases. The culture ministry said it will halt the program that offers coupons in six areas -- concerts, exhibitions, films, sports, lodging and travel -- starting Tuesday. The decision was announced in line with the government's plan to adopt tougher Leve

Nov. 23, 2020

22 more USFK-affiliated people infected with coronavirus

Twenty-two more people affiliated with US Forces Korea (USFK), including 18 service members, have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival in South Korea this month, the US military said Monday. Eight service members and three dependents arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights, while the other 10 service members and a civilian contractor arrived here on commercial flights via Incheon International Airport, west of the capital,

Nov. 23, 2020

People with tattoos can be police officers under new police recruitment rules

People with tattoos can become police officers, as long as the tattoos are covered by their uniforms and are not repulsive, under revised rules on police recruitment. Until now, the police have judged whether a tattoo on an officer candidate was appropriate based on the “motive of the procedure, meaning and size of the tattoo.” Under revised rules, however, the National Police Agency will look at what the tattoos express, and if they show when the uniform is worn. “Tattoos w

Nov. 23, 2020

Monday was coldest day this fall in Seoul

Temperatures fell to minus 1.5 degrees Celsius in Seoul on Monday morning, making it the coldest day so far this fall season. Due to the inflow of cold air from the northwest overnight, temperatures fell by between 4 and 12 degrees nationwide to below freezing in central inland regions and inland areas of the Gyeongsang provinces, the Korea Meteorological Agency said. They fell between 0 and 5 degrees in other regions. The mercury dipped below 0 degrees Celsius in 11 towns and counties in Nort

Nov. 23, 2020

Seoul city toughens antivirus measures until year-end

The Seoul city government on Monday announced toughened antivirus measures until the end of the year, including reduced public transport by night and a ban on rallies involving 10 or more people. The measures will take effect Tuesday under a new campaign named "Emergency pause period for 10 million citizens" amid a spike in new COVID-19 cases in Seoul and the greater capital area. At midnight Monday, the same region will raise its social distancing rules to Level 2, the third highest

Nov. 23, 2020

Military reports highest daily COVID-19 cases over cluster infection at border unit

The military reported 33 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, the highest daily total among service members, as cluster infections broke out at an Army unit in the border town of Cheorwon amid the nationwide spread of the virus. Of the total, 26 enlisted soldiers and five Army officers were from the same base in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, while an Army officer at another unit in the town was confirmed to have been infected and the other case is an Army officer based in the northeastern coun

Nov. 23, 2020

Nightclubs, late-night dining banned in greater Seoul under tougher virus curbs

Nightclubs and late-night dining will be banned in the greater Seoul area under toughened distancing guidelines, as authorities are scrambling to contain the recent coronavirus flare-up ahead of a nationwide college exam. Health authorities raised the social distancing by one notch to Level 2 in the Seoul metropolitan area effective for two weeks starting Tuesday, only three days after enforcing Level 1.5 distancing in the nation's most populous region. Level 2, the third-highest in the five-

Nov. 23, 2020

Seoul morning temperature dips below zero

The morning temperature in Seoul dropped to minus 1.5 degrees Celsius on Monday, marking the coldest weather this fall, according to the state weather agency. The Korea Meteorological Administration said cold air from the northwest caused temperatures to drop by 4-12 degrees from Sunday, leading to below-zero temperatures in the central inland region and the eastern Gyeongsang provinces. In the northwestern border city of Paju, the mercury dropped to minus 4.8 C, while the central border count

Nov. 23, 2020

New virus cases below 300 for first time in 6 days; tougher virus curbs imminent in greater Seoul

The number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea fell below 300 for the first time in six days on Monday due to less testing on the weekend, as the greater Seoul area is set to be under tougher virus curbs starting Tuesday to prevent another wave of the pandemic. The country added 271 more COVID-19 cases, including 255 local infections, raising the total caseload to 31,004, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest figure fell from

Nov. 23, 2020

Korea to raise social distancing level in greater Seoul area to 3rd highest

Korea on Sunday decided to enforce tougher distancing regulations for the greater Seoul area and the southwestern region as health authorities try to stem a resurgence of the novel coronavirus.     The government announced that the Level 2 distancing, the third-highest in the country's five-tier COVID-19 alert system, will be applied to the nation's capital area, while North and South Jeolla Provinces will be under the Level 1.5 distancing for two weeks starting Tuesday. &nbs

Nov. 22, 2020

Asian experts to discuss COVID-19 legislation

Asian legal and public health professionals will share their experience at an international forum this week, and will discuss how to shape laws to counter infectious diseases and ways to work together in the post-COVID-19 era. The Ministry of Government Legislation will host the eighth Asian Legislative Experts Symposium under the theme “Legislations on Infectious Diseases and Cooperative Measures of Asia Countries in the post-COVID-19 Era” at the Millennium Hilton Seoul on Wedn

Nov. 22, 2020

On verge of third wave, Seoul area walks back reopening

Stricter social distancing measures will be restored in the Seoul metropolitan region beginning Tuesday, the South Korean public health authorities said Sunday. The country has now reported 300-plus daily novel coronavirus infection tallies for five consecutive days. Korea on Saturday performed 9,460 tests and found 330 more positive cases -- 302 locally transmitted and 28 imported -- according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency updates. The cumulative number of official cases

Nov. 22, 2020