[Newsmaker] Monkeypox feared to trigger fresh wave of homophobia

The COVID-19 pandemic is not quite over yet, but the world is on alert for the next virus: monkeypox.  To date, more than 6,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 58 countries, with over 80 percent of the cases in Europe, according to the World Health Organization.  Korea confirmed its first case of the virus on June 22. The first patient is a Korean citizen who returned from a trip to Germany and showed symptoms of fever, sore throat, lethargy and skin lesions, the Korea Dise

July 7, 2022

[Newsmaker] 'Monkeypox test kits may not reap big rewards'

South Korean companies are dashing to develop diagnostic kits for monkeypox as the country confirmed the first case of the rare infectious disease last month. A number of firms that had success with the development of COVID-19 diagnostic kits in the earlier days of the pandemic, including Bioneer, Boditech Med, Genes Laboratories, Seasun Biomaterials, Seegene and Wells Bio, have already developed testing kits for monkeypox. According to companies, most Korean-made diagnostic kits can show th

July 4, 2022

[Newsmaker] 'Revolutionary' high court term on abortion, guns and more

WASHINGTON -- Abortion, guns and religion -- a major change in the law in any one of these areas would have made for a fateful Supreme Court term. In its first full term together, the court's conservative majority ruled in all three and issued other significant decisions limiting the government's regulatory powers. And it has signaled no plans to slow down. With former President Donald Trump's appointees in their 50s, the six-justice conservative majority seems poised to keep control of the cour

July 3, 2022

[Newsmaker] Adoptee readies for legal fight to be recognized as daughter of Korean father

The life story of Eva Yoo Ri Brussaard, a Korean adoptee in the Netherlands, is heartbreaking, yet it is sadly familiar. At age 2, she was abandoned by her biological father and was sent oversea with her blind sister to be adopted by a Dutch couple. The couple got divorced only three years later, her sister was sent to an orphanage, and she stayed with the Dutch mother, only to live in neglect. “I always dreamt about my (birth) parents and thought that I could have a better life in Kor

July 1, 2022

[Newsmaker] Internet-only banks lure customers with Tamagotchi-like savings accounts, digital piggy banks

Saving money is never fun. But when combined with a digital pet that grows alongside the size of your savings, it can be more motivating. South Korea’s three internet-only banks -- KakaoBank, K bank and Toss Bank -- have launched unique products such as Tamagotchi-like savings accounts, mobile joint accounts and digital piggy banks to lure customers attracted to the trends. Toss Bank, launched in October last year, has registered 3.6 million users in just eight months through a slew of

July 1, 2022

[Newsmaker] Hong Kong in limbo 25 years after British handover to China

HONG KONG (AP) -- When the British handed Hong Kong to Beijing in 1997, it was promised 50 years of self-government and freedoms of assembly, speech and press that are not allowed on the Communist-ruled Chinese mainland. As the city of 7.4 million people marks 25 years under Beijing's rule on Friday, those promises are wearing thin. Hong Kong's honeymoon period, when it carried on much as it always had, has passed, and its future remains uncertain, determined by forces beyond its control. Before

June 30, 2022

[Newsmaker] South Korea’s COVID-19 numbers may be as good as they can be

The thousands of cases South Korea is still counting every day may be as low as the numbers are going to get, according to some top public health officials. In the last 24 hours ending Tuesday midnight, South Korea logged 10,463 new cases, exceeding the 10,000 mark for the first time in nearly three weeks.  Lim Sook-young, a senior Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency official, told a news briefing Tuesday that the downward slope of the country’s COVID-19 curve may have hit

June 29, 2022

[Newsmaker] US abortion ruling ignites legal battles over state bans

Battles over abortion shifted to state courts on Monday after the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to the procedure nationwide, as judges blocked statewide bans in Louisiana and Utah and clinics in Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi and Texas sued seeking similar relief.  The six are among the 13 states with "trigger laws" designed to ban or severely restrict abortions once the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized right to th

June 28, 2022

[Newsmaker] S. Korean Chun In-gee wins 3rd career LPGA major

South Korean Chun In-gee has captured her third career LPGA major in Maryland, ending the country's drought in big tournaments at seven in the process. Chun won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in wire-to-wire fashion, as she closed out her victory with a final round of 3-over 75 at the Congressional Country Club's Blue Course in Bethesda, Maryland, on Sunday (local time). At 5-under 283 for the championship, Chun beat Lexi Thompson of the United States and Minjee Lee of Australia by one stroke

June 27, 2022

[Newsmaker] Biden signs landmark gun measure, says 'lives will be saved'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden on Saturday signed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades, a bipartisan compromise that seemed unimaginable until a recent series of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school. "Time is of the essence. Lives will be saved," he said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. Citing the families of shooting victims he has met, the president said, "Their message to us was, `Do somet

June 26, 2022

[Newsmaker] Approval of South Korea’s 1st homegrown vaccine likely next week

South Korea is inching closer to approving its first homegrown vaccine with expectations that the government’s official announcement could come as early as next week. According to pharmaceutical industry sources Friday, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has been considering the review process for SK Bioscience’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate GBP510 since the company submitted a request for the approval of its biologics license application under the name “SKYCovione” in

June 24, 2022

[Newsmaker] What are arsonists thinking?

Just before 11 a.m. on June 9, a 53-year-old man surnamed Chon walked into a five-story building in Daegu, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, holding two plastic bottles.   His destination was the office of a lawyer who shared the office space with several others on the second floor of the building. There, he took out a backpacking knife and wielded it at the lawyers and paralegals he encountered. Two men were stabbed.  Chon then set the office on fire, with flammable liquid

June 23, 2022

[Newsmaker] Could Korea’s gun control offer any lessons?

A police officer in South Korea is awaiting punishment after he lost his bullet holder with six rounds of ammunition in it on May 18.  The incident, belatedly revealed to the media, made headlines, as he belonged to a special police unit in charge of security services for the office of President Yoon Suk-yeol in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Criticism ensued over the police‘s lax management of firearms and slack discipline. In the aftermath, the police unit’s leader was replaced on Wedne

June 22, 2022

[Newsmaker] From workplace to partisan politics, clash of MZ vs. kkondae in S. Korea

Korean language has no shortage of insults, but “kkondae” seems to hold a special place in the country right now. While the term‘s definition and usage have expanded over the years from condescending seniors at work to people of older generations in general who come into conflicts with younger people over values and resources, the fear of being labeled as such has grown in tandem. At Kyobo Book Center, a keyword search for “kkondae” returns some 75 entries with

June 21, 2022

[Newsmaker] South Korean pianist Lim Yun-chan becomes the youngest winner of Van Cliburn Int'l Piano Competition

Lim Yun-chan, an 18-year-old South Korean pianist, became the winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, the organizer announced Saturday. Lim, the youngest to win the competition’s gold medal, also took home two additional awards: the audience award and the best performance of a new work. Lim also won a cash prize of $100,000 for the gold medal and $7,500 for the special awards. For the next three years, he will also get substantial man

June 19, 2022

[Newsmaker] Gender Ministry abolition is ‘definite’: minister

The abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is “definite,” its new minister said Thursday. 　 “Things have changed over time, and the abolition of the ministry will clearly come,” Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook told reporters at a press event in central Seoul, though she said that there has not yet been detailed discussion on its abolition. Kim is a former lawmaker who has been in office for a month. Abolishing the ministry was one of the biggest

June 16, 2022

[Newsmaker] Should e-cigarettes be subject to more regulation?

South Korea’s fight against smoking has had some success. In 1998, when the first nationwide survey of smoking prevalence was conducted in the country, more than 35 out of every 100 Korean adults were smokers. Now, it is just about 19. A closer look at the data, however, reveals some disturbing trends: e-cigarettes and unconventional tobacco products are gaining a strong foothold here, on top of growing tobacco use among youth and women. The country’s latest anti-smoking campai

June 15, 2022

[Newsmaker] S. Korea may shorten COVID-19 quarantine mandate to five days

The South Korean government is expected to shorten the country’s COVID-19 quarantine mandate to five days, according to health officials on Tuesday. A government task force has reportedly been discussing the possibility of lifting the mandatory quarantine, but some experts from the group currently see lifting the mandatory quarantine as still risky. At the moment, it is more likely that the government could shorten the quarantine time or just keep the seven-day quarantine measure for a l

June 14, 2022

[Newsmaker] [Herald Interview] ‘Even in bearish market, K-pop-themed ETF will shine’

Unlike stocks, it is rare for an investment like an exchange-traded fund (ETF) to draw global attention. But KPOP ETF went viral in April when plans for the fund hit the news, reflecting the popularity of one of South Korea’s most high-profile exports. The orchestrator behind the ETF -- set to debut in the US market on July 5 – is Seoul-based intellectual property mogul, and Contents Technologies CEO, Lee Jang-won who recently sat down with The Korea Herald to discuss whether the K

June 13, 2022

[Newsmaker] McDonald’s Korea back on sale after six years

McDonald’s Korea, the local unit wholly owned by the US fast-food giant, is seeking a new owner -- joining the latest burger chain sales rush here. The company confirmed Friday that its US headquarters is selling its entire stake in the Korean unit as well as its business license after its first failed attempt six years ago. According to news reports, Mirae Asset Securities, the deal’s lead manager, plans to send letters as early as next month to invite potential bidders. With

June 12, 2022