[Newsmaker] Coupang deliveryman found dead attempting late-night delivery

A deliveryman was found dead while working after midnight for Coupang. The exact cause of death is not known. According to the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union on Sunday, the 46-year-old contract worker, surnamed Kim, was found Thursday around 2 a.m. between the fourth and fifth floors of a residential building in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The building had no elevator. “Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, deliveries of heavy daily necessities such as rice, drinking wa

IndustryMarch 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] Defective CCTVs, lax discipline blamed for civilians' intrusion into Jeju naval base

Defective security cameras and lax discipline led to a Navy unit on the southern island of Jeju failing to detect civic activists intruding into its compound earlier this month, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday, promising to strongly reprimand the officers responsible. On March 7, four activists who have long opposed the construction of the naval base cut the barbed-wire fences surrounding the installation, and two of them entered the base and wandered around for about two hours before be

Social AffairsMarch 15, 2020

[Newsmaker] 8 in 10 coronavirus cases in S. Korea linked to cluster infections

Eight in 10 coronavirus cases in South Korea have been linked to cluster infections, health authorities said Saturday, as the recent trend of spread shows a continued slowdown. Despite the slowdown in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the areas hit hardest by the virus outbreak here, authorities are grappling with the new clusters including a call center in southwestern Seoul and the administrative city of Sejong. Korea reported 107 new cases Saturday, bringing the number of infections to

Social AffairsMarch 14, 2020

[Newsmaker] Korean punched in the face in NY for not wearing mask

A 23-year-old South Korean student was punched in the face for not wearing a face mask in New York, in what appears to be a hate crime against Asians amid virus fears, reports said Friday. According to the reports, the student was entering a building in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday morning when she was grabbed by the hair and punched in the face. The alleged attacker reportedly attends an institution located in the same building as the victim’s language school. The attacker assaulted th

Social AffairsMarch 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] Tom Hanks announces positive test for coronavirus

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have both tested positive for coronavirus, the US actor said Wednesday. Hanks, 63, said he and Wilson came down with a fever while in Australia, where he is set to film a new movie about the life of Elvis Presley. "To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the coronavirus, and were found to be positive," he wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. Hanks is the first major Hollywood star to

World NewsMarch 12, 2020

[Newsmaker] Coronavirus triggers ‘untact’ recruitment trend

Korean companies are turning to remote hiring processes to resume recruitment disrupted by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. According to industry sources, major companies are shifting recruitment procedures online, replacing face-to-face interviews with video interviews to keep applicants safe and to curb the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. The increasingly important trend of minimizing contact has been encompassed in the “untact” movement -- to “undo contact” where

IndustryMarch 11, 2020

[Newsmaker] Digital mask-supply services kick off in S. Korea

Various South Korean providers launched digital services providing real-time information about the availability of face masks at designated stores on Wednesday as the country strives to solve a mask supply crunch amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Ten mobile application and online service developers have started to offer information on mask stockpiles at state-designated retailers, according to the National Information Society Agency. An open application programming interface has been pub

Social AffairsMarch 11, 2020

[Newsmaker] Basic income scheme of W51tr spurs controversy

With the novel coronavirus outbreak dealing a major blow to South Korea’s economy, a far-reaching welfare measure to give every citizen 1 million won ($839,00) is igniting a heated debate. Suggested as a temporary scheme, primarily designed to support citizens financially crippled by the rapid spread of COVID-19, politicians and liberal-leaning opinion leaders claim it could also stimulate the sluggish economy. There are mixed responses, with some questioning who the beneficiaries sho

EconomyMarch 10, 2020

[Newsmaker] Shincheonji faces biggest crisis over coronavirus outbreak

The novel coronavirus was apparently brought into the country from Wuhan, China. But it was a branch of an enigmatic Christian sect in Daegu that provided it with a breeding ground at home. The Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which operates under a veil of secrecy, abruptly came to the center of attention after one of its congregants tested positive for the virus Feb. 18. The case of the 61-year-old woman, known as COVID-19 patient No. 31, was linked to many others among followers who attended

Social AffairsMarch 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] Mask rationing system kicks off, confusion in some areas

South Korea on Monday launched a mask rationing system aimed at stabilizing supply amid the coronavirus outbreak, but confusion was reported in some areas as consumers adjusted to the new system. Under the measure that took effect earlier in the day, citizens can only buy up to two protective masks per week from pharmacies, on designated days of the week, depending on the final digit of their year of birth. Public frustration has built up due to a mask supply crunch, triggered by growing dema

Social AffairsMarch 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] 46 infections confirmed at apartment complex in Daegu

Forty-six residents of an apartment complex in Daegu, the city at the center of South Korea’s novel coronavirus outbreak, were confirmed to have contracted the virus. 　 All 46 confirmed patients from the apartment block were followers of a fringe religious sect and were admitted to hospitals or community treatment centers for quarantine, according to the Daegu Metropolitan Government. 　 Daegu authorities faced criticism for their failure to detect early signs of epidemiological links to

Social AffairsMarch 8, 2020

[Newsmaker] Shincheonji’s W12b donation rejected

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus said Friday that its donation of 12 billion won ($10.1 million) to aid the country’s fight against the coronavirus outbreak has been rejected. Shincheonji is a Christian sect that is at the center of the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Korea, with more than half of the country’s over 6,300 confirmed cases being members of its congregation. Apparently mindful of the widespread criticism that it is not taking full responsibility for the ongoing public h

Social AffairsMarch 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] No. of coronavirus cases in military remains unchanged at 34

The military reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among service personnel for the second straight day on Friday, with the total number of infections remaining unchanged at 34, the defense ministry said. Of the total COVID-19 cases, 19 were in the Army, 11 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry, it said. Around 5,020 service members are quarantined at their bases. Of them, around 820 have either show

DefenseMarch 6, 2020

[Newsmaker] Former Big Bang member Seungri to start military service March 9

Seungri, formerly of boy band Big Bang, will begin his mandatory military service on Monday. According to reports, Seungri will go through a five-week training program at the 6th Infantry Division in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. This is the same training facility bandmate Taeyang began his enlistment at in March 2018. Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, enlistment ceremonies have been suspended until further notice. Some of Seungri’s close associates posted pictures of what seemed to

PerformanceMarch 5, 2020

[Newsmaker] How the coronavirus has hit global sport

  PARIS (AFP) -- The International Olympic Committee insist that a potential cancellation or postponement of this year's Tokyo Olympics due to the global spread of the deadly coronavirus were "not mentioned" at a meeting of their Executive Board on Wednesday. However, the virus, which has killed 3,200 people while infecting 90,000 in more than 60 countries worldwide, is having a major impact on world sport. AFP Sport looks at the latest effects on Wednesday: TOKYO OLYMPICS Int

World NewsMarch 5, 2020

[Newsmaker] Plastic surgery clinics endure drop in Chinese customers over coronavirus

South Korea’s 5-trillion-won ($4.2 billion) plastic surgery industry is bleeding Chinese demand amidst the worsening coronavirus outbreak. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute said that Chinese patients are canceling plastic surgeries while the Ministry of Health and Welfare is recommending hospitals to delay their medical services to foreigners after February to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. “After monitoring whether major hospitals and plastic surgery clinics are foll

IndustryMarch 4, 2020

[Newsmaker] Confirmed virus-infected man caught queuing to buy mask

A man confirmed with COVID-19 infection was caught violating the self-quarantine order to buy a face mask in Daegu, and was handed over to health authorities by police on Monday. The man in his 50s was queueing to buy a mask at the post office in Daegu’s Pojeong-dong, Jung-gu, at around 11:40 a.m. on Monday, according to the Daegu Jungbu Police Station. He told a reporter of broadcaster KBS there that he was informed of his COVID-19 infection that morning, and came out to buy a mask. T

Social AffairsMarch 3, 2020

[Newsmaker] Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee refuses to answer question about eternal life

Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee, the figure at the center of the spread of COVID-19 in Korea, refused to answer a question about eternal life, concerning a claim he is said to have made to his believers, during a press briefing held in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. As of 4 p.m. on Monday, the number of novel coronavirus patients had jumped to 4,335 in Korea with more than half of the patients either Shincheonji Church of Jesus followers or those who had contact with them. Before the

CultureMarch 2, 2020

[Newsmaker] Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee tested for coronavirus

The founder of a religious sect at the center of a coronavirus outbreak in South Korea underwent testing Saturday for the new virus, reports said Sunday. The results were not available as of press time. Lee Man-hee, 88, started Shincheonji Church of Jesus in 1984 which now has 12 branches nationwide and some more in other countries. ‘(He) has been in self-isolation like other (Shincheonji) believers,” an official at the church said. Shincheonji, regarded a heretic by main

Social AffairsMarch 1, 2020

[Newsmaker] Asiana flight turns back en route to Vietnam on coronavirus

A South Korean flight turned back while en route to Vietnam on Saturday after the Vietnamese authorities prevented it from landing in Hanoi, with more flights connecting the two countries expected to be suspended amid the spread of the new coronavirus. The flight of Asiana Airlines Inc., the country's second-biggest carrier, arrived back at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around two hours after departing for Hanoi at 10:30 a.m. Asiana said it decided to return flight OZ729 when

MobilityMarch 1, 2020