[Newsmaker] Schools to reduce attendance, reintroduce online classes

Schools will return to a mix of online and offline classes from Monday, as the country reinstates stricter social distancing measures due to rising cases of COVID-19. The Ministry of Education announced Thursday that schools in Korea will reduce student density to prevent classroom transmissions starting Monday, less than a month after schools returned to in-person classes on Nov. 22. The ministry said as the rate of transmission in schools is not high, they will continue to have in-person cl

Dec. 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] In Suneung, half a percent has big implications

Nearly a month of trouble over a two-point question on this year’s college entrance test was settled in court on Wednesday, highlighting once again the weight the annual test carries in Korean society. On Wednesday, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled that a question in the bioscience part of the recent college scholastic ability test was inaccurate, and ordered the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation to cancel its designated answer. “There is not a distinguished diff

Dec. 15, 2021

[Newsmaker] Student vaccine pass mandate may be adjusted

Though South Korea is to go ahead with its controversial “vaccine pass” plans for teenagers, details of the scheme may be adjusted. The government’s decision to expand the vaccine certification system to those aged 12 to 18 from Feb. 1 has been met with criticism from many students and parents. Faced with opposition, the Ministry of Education is considering making some adjustments regarding the expansion of the vaccine pass system. “Though we have announced that t

Dec. 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Nth room prevention law draws fire for censorship, invasion of privacy

The so-called "Nth room prevention law" is facing growing criticism from the public, with critics accusing the measure of censorship and violation of free speech. A legislative revision to the Telecommunications Business Act went into effect Friday, requiring internet platforms with yearly sales of 1 billion won ($848,800) or those with more than 100,000 daily users to engage in removing illegal content from their servers. The revision was nicknamed the Nth room prevention law after

Dec. 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] BTS win big at MAMA with nine trophies, top honors

BTS ruled the night at 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards on Saturday even without attending, as the K-pop megastars nabbed a total of nine trophies, including four grand prizes. The event, held at CJ ENM Content Studio in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, was conducted in person for the first time in two years since the COVID-19 outbreak. After making history at the American Music Awards last month as the first Asian act to grab the top honor, BTS extended their winning streak, taking home all four main p

Dec. 12, 2021

[Newsmaker] Dunkin’ Donuts whistleblower forwarded to prosecution

Police on Thursday transferred to the prosecution a man who recorded a video that created a controversy over the unsanitary conditions of a factory baking products for Dunkin’ Donuts. The Anyang Dongan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province has been investigating the worker who took the video of the factory in Anyang for suspicions of business obstruction after BR Korea, an affiliate of the SPC Group, which operates the donut chain, filed a complaint against him. The video stirred public u

Dec. 10, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vice FM hints at Seoul veering away from diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games

South Korea is seeking to play its “role as the previous host nation” of the Winter Olympics, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said Thursday, alluding that Seoul is less likely join the US in a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Games. 　 Choi made the remarks during an interview with local radio station TBS, stressing that the upcoming Beijing Olympics are a “relay of Northeast Asian Olympics from PyeongChang to Tokyo and Beijing and are very meaningful.”

Dec. 9, 2021

[Newsmaker] SK chief says sustainability, not size, priority in chip investment

While Samsung makes a multibillion dollar bet on a new chip fab in the US, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is seeking to chart a different path in the semiconductor business, emphasizing “sustainability” as a prime factor to consider before making major investment decisions. While attending 2021 Trans-Pacific Dialogue held near Washington, DC, on Tuesday, the 61-year-old leader underscored that the key of the chip business is sustainability, not size, when asked of his plan on makin

Dec. 8, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seoul agrees to accept foreign vaccination records

South Korea is devising a system to accept foreigners’ overseas vaccination records, a government official confirmed to The Korea Herald on Tuesday. “We’re drafting a ‘vaccine status form’ for foreign nationals vaccinated abroad,” an official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The plan will leave more people in the country eligible for booster shots, with more details to be announced Thursday, the official added. The comments came j

Dec. 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] [Election 2022] Yoon mends fences in team, officially kicks off election committee

Smoothing over a month of discord in the party, Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party, has officially kicked off his election committee and pledged to reform the government and country, Monday. “The Korea I dream of is a country with strong fundamentals. It should not be the people for the country, but the country for the people,” Yoon said in the inauguration ceremony of his central election committee that will lead his electioneering

Dec. 6, 2021

[Newsmaker] Vaccine Pass: What foreign residents vaccinated abroad have to go through in Korea

From Monday, restaurants, cafes, cinemas and other public places in Korea will ask for proof of vaccination or a negative test for entry, as South Korea brings back stricter social distancing rules in the face of growing daily cases and the new omicron variant.  This means foreign nationals vaccinated overseas are highly likely to be denied access to such venues.  Currently, the country’s vaccination verification system, the Health Ministry-run mobile app COOV, does not recogni

Dec. 5, 2021

[Newsmaker] S. Korea to increase number of highway EV chargers to over 1,000

South Korea will increase the number of electric vehicle chargers at highway service areas nationwide to over 1,000 by the end of 2022, the transport ministry said Sunday. Currently, there are 435 EV chargers at the country's highway rest stops. The government plans to increase the number to 730 by the end of this month and then add more than 300 chargers next year, it said in a press statement. The move is meant to help meet rising demand for EVs and the charging infrastructure, as the gover

Dec. 5, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lee Hyun-jung, a second Korean NBA player in making?

Days after Lee Hyun-jung of the Davidson Wildcats scorched the University of North Caroline at Charlotte 49ers with a career-high 32 points on Nov. 30, all the buzz around the Korean-born scorer focused on three letters: NBA. Now in his junior year, the 21-year-old native of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, has been making regular appearances in mock NBA drafts since he became the first Davidson Wildcat to record a 50-40-90 season -- at least 50 percent, 40 percent and 90 percent in field goal, thre

Dec. 3, 2021

[Newsmaker] People Power Party’s turmoil continues with chairman AWOL

Chaos is growing in the main opposition People Power Party with conflict between its chairman and the election campaign committee appearing to deepen. People Power Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok reportedly left for Busan with his aides Tuesday and held meetings with officials there without any prior notice. He is believed to be avoiding the press for the time being and continuing his schedule without public notice. Lee's scheduled meeting with Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, the party’s secretary-g

Dec. 1, 2021

[Newsmaker] Cardinal Yeom retires after 10 years of service

Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung on Tuesday retired as the Catholic archbishop of Seoul, after some 10 years of service in the post. Yeom, who also held the post of apostolic administrator of the diocese, Pyongyang of North Korea, will soon leave Myeongdong Cathedral and move to Bishop’s Hall at the Catholic University of Korea Songsin Campus in Seoul where many of the country’s priests are educated. “Even after I leave the diocese, I will be grateful for every moment and pra

Nov. 30, 2021

[Newsmaker] Presidential race riddled with accusations, denunciations

The race to the presidency has turned into a mudslinging contest, with the two leading candidates appearing to focus mainly on dragging each other down with accusations. The two-way race between Lee Jae-myung of the ruling party and his main opposition counterpart, Yoon Suk-yeol, has consisted largely of remarks questioning each other’s fitness for the chief post. The main opposition People Power Party on Monday called on Lee to accept a special counsel probe concerning a controversial l

Nov. 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] Home prices in Banpo poised to top W100m per ‘pyeong’

SEJONG -- Banpo-dong, Seoul, is likely to see the average trading price of homes exceed 100 million won ($83,800) per “pyeong” in the coming months. Apgujeong-dong, Seoul is poised to follow suit. In the nation, a pyeong is a basic unit used for real estate prices, equal to 3.3 square meters. These two districts in the capital’s Gangnam-gu, located just south of Han River, are the priciest in South Korea. According to Naver.com and KB Kookmin Bank, Banpo-dong’s home pr

Nov. 26, 2021

[Newsmaker] Dog meat consumption to be put to test

Two months after President Moon Jae-in said South Korea should consider banning dog meat consumption, the government is to officially launch a consultative body to discuss the matter. 　 Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum held a meeting Thursday and announced the decision to launch a consultative body to discuss dog meat consumption. The body, consisting of representatives of concerned groups, experts and government officials, will hold discussions from December to April.　   “The controv

Nov. 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] Over 1 million face comprehensive real estate tax

SEJONG -- The tally of those subject to the comprehensive real estate holding tax -- individuals or corporations -- exceeded 1 million this year for the first time since the nation introduced the tax in June 2005. According to the National Tax Service, almost 1.03 million individuals and corporations are supposed to pay comprehensive real estate taxes in 2021. The figure consists of 947,000 homeowners and 79,600 landowners. This shows that the number of comprehensive real estate holding tax ta

Nov. 24, 2021

[Newsmaker] Korea extends COVID-19 home care to elderly patients as beds fall short

South Korea is extending COVID-19 home recovery to elderly patients amid critical shortages of hospital beds, after ordering hospitals to free up beds twice in the past month. In Seoul, which has long dealt with the largest surge of cases, patients aged 70 and older can now be prescribed home recovery if they are vaccinated and have other household members taking care of them. The city said as demand for hospital beds soar, more patients were being offered at-home care as an alternative. As

Nov. 23, 2021