Flowers in all hues to help you beat ‘corona blues’

  Spring has arrived even as COVID-19 continues to plague countries around the world. Although you may have to confine yourself at home and minimize social activities, there are still ways to get a taste of spring. One idea is ordering cut flowers or plants for home delivery, or stopping by a florist on your way home to pick up flowers for loved ones who are going through the “corona blues.” Kim Seo-yoon, who runs Baum and Blum in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, says although the

March 25, 2020

Government to inject W14b to develop DMZ Peace Trail

The South Korean government announced Wednesday that it has decided to inject 14 billion won ($11.38 million) to develop a trail adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone called the DMZ Peace Trail. The 248-kilometer-long DMZ, established in 1953, divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half. “We will make the DMZ Peace Trail more prosperous by turning it into a place where people can experience the precious values of peace and also making it a place where foreigners would like to visit,&rdq

March 25, 2020

Uigwe transcriptions by French researcher discovered in French museum

The Overseas Korean Culture Heritage Foundation has found transcriptions of Uigwe -- the royal protocol of the Joseon era -- at the National Museum of Asian Arts-Guimet in France. The books were created by French researcher Henri Chevalier and cover two Uigwe -- Heonjong Daewang Gukjang Dogam Uigwe and Hyohyeon Wanghu Gukjang Dogam Uigwe, which consist of 10 and six books, respectively. Heonjong Daewang Gukjang Dogam Uigwe records the state funeral ceremony held after King Heongjong died in

March 23, 2020

National Library of Korea introduces enhanced online service amid coronavirus spread

The National Library of Korea started providing its enhanced online service Digital Collection on Monday. “Digital Collection provides selected content curated by experts from different fields who also wrote commentaries. We hope that this cultural content can help people who are having a difficult time due to the delay of the new school semester and social distancing,” a National Library of Korea official said in a statement. The service can be accessed via the National Library

March 23, 2020

Feeling uneasy at home

Kim Yong-chul, a university graduate, has spent most of his time at home applying for jobs and studying for tests since late last year. But as the novel coronavirus has hit the country, in a crisis so far extending some two months, he has started to feel uneasy staying with his family at home for nearly 24 hours a day. “My father is working from home for over a month now, and it has become stressful for me to stay at home, even having three meals all together every day” Kim said. &

March 22, 2020

NK media outlets criticize Seoul’s plan to jointly seek UNESCO listing of DMZ

North Korea’s media outlets criticized the Cultural Heritage Administration’s plan to seek UNESCO listing of the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas jointly with North Korea, according to local news outlets on Friday. The response from the North Korean news outlets came after the CHA on March 11 announced having the DMZ recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of its projects for 2020. The CHA said it intended to submit a tentative list to UNESCO in conjunction with

March 20, 2020

[Newsmaker] Protestant church groups hope to normalize activities starting April 6

Mainstream Protestant church groups -- the National Council of Churches in Korea and the United Christian Churches of Korea -- apologized to the public on Thursday for the COVID-19 clusters that formed at churches. The statement also said the organizations hoped to normalize group activities and worship services from April 6. The joint statement followed an increase in the number of novel coronavirus clusters in South Korea this week among those attending Protestant church services. As of Fr

March 20, 2020

Christians worry that COVID-19 outbreaks at churches could feed anti-Christian hostility

As several COVID-19 infection clusters have emerged at churches, bringing religious institutions to the public’s attention as potential sources of contagion, some Christians worry that these incidents could feed hostility against Christianity. After the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, considered a cult by mainstream Protestant churches, became the epicenter of the outbreak in South Korea, cases have emerged at a number of other churches across the country. Criticism of churches escalated

March 19, 2020

Why do Sunday services continue service despite coronavirus spread?

As cluster infections of the novel coronavirus among those attending church worship services increase in Korea, public concerns about the issue are also on the rise. This week saw at least 66 coronavirus cases related to River of Grace Community Church in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. In response to rising concerns, the government of Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday issued an administrative order that imposes strict conditions on church worship services. The Gyeonggi Province government started

March 19, 2020

Esports find opportunity online

The novel coronavirus pandemic is having an impact on all sports globally, but esports remains among few areas that have been relatively less scathed. As matches go online, changes in lifestyle brought about by the new coronavirus are turning into an opportunity for esports. At first, esports matches played in stadiums without an audience. However, concerns for player safety led to the postponement of leagues throughout the world as COVID-19 spread quickly across borders. But then matches resu

March 19, 2020

Cultural Heritage Administration plans to jointly seek UNESCO listing of DMZ with North Korea

The Cultural Heritage Administration seeks to register the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with North Korea, according to its plan for 2020 announced last week. CHA’s DMZ plan came after President Moon Jae-in raised the issue during his 2020 New Year’s Address. “The DMZ’s value is enormous and relates to ecology, history, peace and reconciliation between the South and the North. Jointly registering the DMZ on the lis

March 17, 2020

[News Focus] Church services likely to lead to community spread of coronavirus

Another cluster outbreak of COVID-19 occurred near the capital, as 40 members of River of Grace Community Church in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, were newly confirmed with the novel coronavirus infection on Monday morning. Another person who came in contact with a church member was also confirmed Monday afternoon. The first patient at the church was confirmed on March 9, followed by a couple on Friday. On Saturday, one woman was confirmed and on Sunday, the head pastor and his wife, both asympt

March 16, 2020

‘The Plague’ by Albert Camus makes bestseller list

More and more Korean readers have found themselves cracking open “The Plague” by Albert Camus anew, amid the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Camus novel was published in 1947 and is set in the same time, though it is believed to be based on the cholera epidemic that killed a large percentage of the population in the French Algerian city of Oran in 1849. “The Plague,” which portrays people’s diverse responses to the plague, won the French Critics’ Pri

March 15, 2020

[Weekender] Love in a time of coronavirus

Roses are red, violets are blue. The season of love is here, and the coronavirus is too. “I was supposed to get married on White Day but I delayed it to this fall due to the coronavirus,” a bride-to-be commented on Naver blog Make My Wedding, a popular online community with more than 38,997 members who are preparing for weddings. In Korea, White Day, which falls on March 14, sees men giving candy to women. On Valentine’s Day, women typically give chocolate to men. “I

March 13, 2020

[Weekender] Handmade masks comfort marginalized people amid serious shortage

When Park Jin-ryoung, a Daegu resident, saw people waiting in line for hours to buy a face mask -- a must-have survival item in the city, which accounts for nearly 70 percent of COVID-19 cases in South Korea -- her thoughts went to people in need. So she took out her sewing machine. She visited offline and online stores to buy the materials she needed to make 120 fabric face masks: elastic braids, wire cords, filters and fabric. Park and her two daughters -- whose elementary school graduatio

March 12, 2020

Local libraries provide drive-thru service as coronavirus spreads

More and more local public libraries in Korea are starting to provide drive-thru book services as a solution for the shutting down of libraries due to the spread of coronavirus. A public library in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday said it was providing a drive-thru service to check out books. The library said that it is a temporary service and will operate until March 22. Anyone who would like to check out books from this library can call (02) 2204-6440 from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to

March 12, 2020

Clubs overturn decision to open as coronavirus continues to spread

Clubs in Gangnam, a posh area south of the Han River known for its thriving nightlife, decided to remain shut this week too, after some earlier announced that they would reopen as early as Wednesday, amid the novel coronavirus spread. “We are planning to advise businesses such as coin-noraebangs, clubs and cola-theques, among others, that put people in close contact like the call center -- where the latest infection outbreak took place -- to temporarily close doors,” said Seoul May

March 12, 2020

Faithful flock to screens for Sunday service

Changes to how the faithful worship were inevitable as many churches went online for Sunday services due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Churchgoers sat in front of laptops and TV screens to watch the service, some alone, others with their families. According to Sarang Church in Seoul, one of the several megachurches in South Korea, over 40,000 people viewed the online stream last Sunday through its website and YouTube channel. “Having Sunday service online reminds us how preci

March 10, 2020

E-book service provider Millie’s Library provides free service for coronavirus patients

Millie’s Library, a subscription-based e-book service provider, on Tuesday announced that it was offering two months of free service to COVID-19 patients and those in home quarantine in conjunction with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. “We hope that reading can be of some comfort for everyone who is struggling with COVID-19 until they get better and return to their daily life,” Millie’s Library CEO Seo Young-taek said in a statement. According to the startup,

March 10, 2020

Anxiety grows after COVID-19 infection of dog reported in Hong Kong

Chung Min-su, who has three bichon frise dogs at home, began to worry about the possibility of her pets catching COVID-19 after hearing news last week that a dog had tested positive for the new coronavirus in Hong Kong. The outbreak has now affected more than 7,000 people in South Korea. “I am more cautious when I am with my dogs in an enclosed space with other people, like in an elevator,” Chung said. “When I walk my dogs outside, they sniff around everywhere, and I freak ou

March 9, 2020