Health authorities to supply treatments for 260,000 COVID-19 patients

Health authorities said Friday they plan to supply treatments for 260,000 COVID-19 patients, as the nation saw a surge in cases due to a summer wave. "We have started contacting global pharmaceutical companies after recognizing that treatments are being used more widely than before, and the supply will start this week," Park Ji-young, a senior official from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said. The KDCA added that it will have treatments available nationwide by

Aug. 16, 2024

Badminton star An Se-young urges for more flexibility in support practices

Olympic badminton champion An Se-young broke her long silence Friday, clarifying her recent criticism of the national badminton federation. The 22-year-old gold medalist sparked controversy when she lashed out at her national team and the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) for their poor handling of her knee injury, and for outdated and inefficient operations, among other things, soon after winning the women's singles event at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 5. But she had not commented further o

Aug. 16, 2024

Pension reform plan to benefit military, mothers

South Korea's pension reform plan will include a proposal to increase benefits for those who served in the military and women who give birth. Aiming to ease the pension burden on young adults, as most military service members and women who give birth are in their 20s and 30s, the presidential office and the government have ramped up measures to credit those who contribute to the community. The government also has decided to apply the “maternity credit,” which is granted from the

Aug. 16, 2024

More patients transferred amid unresolved medical standoff

Government data showed Friday that patient transfers at major hospitals from February to May increased 17.2 percent on-year, amid the mass walkout of trainee doctors across the country since February due the government's announcement of its plan to raise the medical school admissions quota. During this period, there were 289,952 cases in which the patient was sent to a tertiary hospital and then transferred to another medical facility, up from 247,465 in the same period the year before, a

Aug. 16, 2024

Seoul Metro to increase clinics, pharmacies in subway stations

Seoul Metro, the operator of most of the city's subway lines, said Friday it would increase the number of its Metro Medical Zones in the stations from current eight to 12 within this year. The Metro Medical Zones are sections of the subway that provide medical services between 9:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., 365 days a year, housing both the fully-operational medical clinic and the pharmacy. The service first launched with two medical zones in 2022, and have since expanded to have eight zones in oper

Aug. 16, 2024

Seoul records 26 consecutive tropical nights, most on record

  Seoul has endured the longest streak of tropical nights on record, running for 26 consecutive days, and the hot weather is expected to continue. The current streak, from July 21 to Aug. 15, ties the previous record set in 2018 for the most tropical nights observed since modern weather monitoring began in 1907. With the lowest temperature predicted to be 29 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the capital city is expected to surpass this record. Tropical nights are those when the nighttime tempera

Aug. 16, 2024

Vietnamese women who divorced Koreans suffer financially after returning home: report

Vietnamese divorcees of international marriage with South Koreans face financial difficulties after returning to their home country, a recent report by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed. The ministry conducted a study between September of last year and January of this year, on 161 Vietnamese women who had previously been married to South Korean men, along with their 130 children. The average age of the women was 37. The study showed that 36 women had no regular income while 18 ma

Aug. 16, 2024

Hospitals set to wrap up hiring of more trainee doctors

Hospitals were set to wrap up the hiring of more junior doctors Friday, but there are expected to be few applicants as many trainee doctors have defied the government's medical reform for nearly seven months, officials said. Hospitals issued new recruitment notices for trainee doctors last week after the medical community was lukewarm to the initial round that ended last month. Some medical professors have even warned of a potential boycott of training new applicants. During the previous ro

Aug. 16, 2024

Over 1,500 reports of N. Korea's trash balloons submitted this year

South Korean authorities have received 1,567 reports of trash-carrying balloons sent by North Korea this year, according to National Fire Agency data revealed Thursday. Over 10,000 firefighters and 2,400 fire engines have been dispatched to deal with the totalitarian communist state's balloons from Jan. 1 to Aug. 13, according to the NFA data submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Amid the currently icy inter-Korean relations, North Korea has been fl

Aug. 15, 2024

KBS apologize for airing opera set in Japan on Liberation Day

State-broadcaster Korean Broadcasting System issued an apology after sparking controversy by airing the opera "Madama Butterfly" on National Liberation Day. Aug. 15 is celebrated as National Liberation Day in Korea, commemorating the nation's liberation from Japan in 1945. Early Thursday, KBS aired "Madama Butterfly," a Giacomo Puccini opera set in Japan, as part of its liberal arts program, "KBS Relay Seat." The opera, set in Japan's Nagasaki shortly afte

Aug. 15, 2024

Heat wave death toll rises to 22

A man in his 20s died on Tuesday from what is thought to be an acute reaction from extreme heat exposure, raising the nationwide death toll due to heat-related illnesses to 22 as of Thursday. Twenty-two people have died of the 2,570 who have been diagnosed with heat-related illnesses since May 20 until 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's latest tally during what has been one of the most severe heat waves in recent years. The total number of peop

Aug. 15, 2024

Removal of Dokdo models from subway stations stirs controversy

The recent removal of models of South Korea's Dokdo islets, originally installed in high-traffic Seoul Metro stations as part of an effort to educate the public and counter Japan's disputed claims to the islets, has ignited widespread controversy. Originally set up in 2010 in six Seoul subway stations -- Jamsil, Gwanghwamun, Jongno-3-ga (later moved to Anguk), City Hall, Itaewon and Gimpo Airport -- the models were part of an initiative based on a 2009 recommendation from the Seoul Met

Aug. 15, 2024

SNU slammed over boastful bumper stickers for parents

Seoul National University, South Korea's top-ranked university, has ignited debate with its decision to distribute stickers to students' parents. The SNU Foundation, the university's official fundraising organization, announced Wednesday that it will begin distributing stickers to display on one's car as souvenirs to students' parents who sign up to receive the foundation’s newsletters. The bumper stickers revealed by the foundation have four different designs, eac

Aug. 15, 2024

COVID-19 surge fuels fears of hidden spread, with less data, fewer tests

The recent surge in COVID-19 infections is stoking concerns of hidden, unchecked community spread, intensified by reduced data collection from Korean government agencies and a decline in testing rates. Health authorities are reporting a steady rise in cases since the beginning of July as part of a summertime wave that is expected to peak later this month. That peak would coincide with the end of the vacation season and the return of students to schools. The number of patients hospitalized with

Aug. 15, 2024

Many in Korea deem sexual communication with partner necessary

A considerable number of South Koreans believe that sex-related conversations between romantic partners are necessary, a recent survey indicated. In a survey conducted by local matchmaker Duo with 500 unmarried men and women between ages 25 and 39, 69 percent of the respondents answered that such talks are essential in a romantic relationship. Of those responding such, 69 percent said it was because they believe sex is an area in which both sides should take efforts to adjust to the other. Twe

Aug. 15, 2024

S. Korea records 5-year high in obstruction of public duties, with most offenses against police

A police data showed that over 10,000 cases of obstruction of public duties occurred last year, the highest figure in the past five years. The provisional National Police Agency data for 2023 was 10,120 local media outlets reported Wednesday, citing a report compiled by Rep. Lee Dal-hee of the ruling People Power Party. There were 9,588 of such cases in 2019, 9,538 in 2020, 8,216 in 2021, and 9,569 in 2023. Obstruction of the performance of official duties, stipulated in the Article 136 of the C

Aug. 15, 2024

Most counterfeits seized by customs from China: report

An overwhelming majority of the counterfeit products seized by South Korean customs in the first half of this year were from China, Korea Customs Service data showed Thursday. From January to June, 93.4 billion won ($68.6 million) worth of fake goods were seized while being smuggled into the country. Imports from China accounted for 24 of the 34 cases, worth 78.1 billion won, according to the customs data in a report compiled by Rep. Park Seong-hoon of the ruling People Power Party. Most of th

Aug. 15, 2024

Independence activist groups, opposition parties to boycott govt.-organized Liberation Day ceremony

Independence activist groups and opposition parties were set to boycott the government's ceremony to mark the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day on Thursday in protest over the appointment of a new president of the Independence Hall of Korea. The Heritage of Korean Independence (HKI), a state-funded association of independence fighters and their descendants, has vowed to skip the ceremony and organize its own at Hyochang Park in central Seoul in protest of the appointment of Kim Hyoung-suk, accu

Aug. 15, 2024

Gov't to secure additional COVID-19 treatments this month: presidential office

The government will secure and distribute additional COVID-19 treatments before the end of this month to fight a resurgence of infections nationwide, a presidential official said Wednesday. South Korea has seen a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, with virus hospitalizations at 220 major medical institutions nationwide having risen sixfold in a month to come to 861 as of the first week of August, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. "We

Aug. 14, 2024

Bus driver accused of negligent homicide of disembarking passenger

A Seoul bus driver is under investigation after a passenger was killed when the vehicle sped off before they had fully disembarked, police said Wednesday. The Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station have filed a case against the driver for professional negligence resulting in death for the fatal accident that occurred in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Monday. The victim, in her 80s, fell to the ground while disembarking when the vehicle began to move. She got caught in the rear wheel and was later pronounc

Aug. 14, 2024