[Newsmaker] After recovery from coronavirus, Korean woman tests positive again

A Korean woman who had been discharged after recovering from the novel coronavirus has tested positive for the disease again, health officials said Saturday.  Kwon Jun-wook, director of the National Institute of Health, said it was not believed to be a case of reinfection from someone else. He said the virus was thought to have been dormant in the patient, and the illness was able to recur because she was old and had a weak immune system. “A normal person would have been able to de

Social AffairsFeb. 29, 2020

[Newsmaker] Arrested pastor sticks to mass Sunday service plan

Seoul police and the city government plan to block a joint worship service, slated to take place at a plaza in central Seoul on Sunday, amid concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak. Led by a controversial pastor, who is now in police custody for violating the election law, a civic group has held street rallies opposing President Moon Jae-in for months, with some in the form of outdoor worship services. Despite repeated warnings, the group, which calls itself the “Pan-national Alliance for

Social AffairsFeb. 28, 2020

[Newsmaker] BOK holds first press briefing via YouTube amid coronavirus fears

The Bank of Korea held a press conference on its rate decision via YouTube on Thursday, in a first for the central bank. The conference was held online as part of the central bank’s efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus and ensure the safety of its officials and reporters, a BOK official said. Following the announcement of its decision to keep its interest rates unchanged at 1.25 percent, BOK Gov. Lee Ju-yeol answered questions from reporters in the livestream on YouTube.

EconomyFeb. 27, 2020

[Newsmaker] Shincheonji Wuhan church emerges as possible link to Korea virus spread

Members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus reportedly held meetings in the Chinese city of Wuhan until late last year, raising the possibility that the group’s South Korean members could have contracted COVID-19 virus there and brought it back to Korea. Korea now has the greatest number of COVID-19 infections outside China with over 1,000 confirmed cases. The majority are tied either to the religious sect’s church in Daegu or to the Cheongdo Daenam Hospital in the nearby county of C

Social AffairsFeb. 26, 2020

[Newsmaker] Gyeonggi authorities seize PCs from Shincheonji to obtain list of members

Gyeonggi Provincial authorities on Tuesday seized computers from an annex building of the Christian sect confirmed as a transmission cluster for a novel coronavirus, as part of efforts to track the potential spread of the disease and contain it. A list of 42,000 followers of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus was secured during a digital forensics investigation, according to the provincial government. The move came after a 33-year-old resident of Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, tested positive for

Social AffairsFeb. 25, 2020

[Newsmaker] US CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel to S. Korea over coronavirus

WASHINGTON -- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday issued the highest type of travel health notice for South Korea, recommending that Americans avoid all nonessential travel to the country due to the spread of the coronavirus there. The Level 3 notice constitutes a "warning" to avoid all nonessential travel over the high risk posed to travelers by the outbreak and the absence of precautions to protect against the risk. The new action came only two days after t

Foreign AffairsFeb. 25, 2020

[Newsmaker] Six countries deny entry to Koreans over COVID-19

Following the rapid spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in South Korea, a growing number of countries are denying entry to Koreans and others who have traveled here. 　 Jordan on Sunday announced an entry ban for Koreans and foreigners who have traveled via Korea within the past two weeks, becoming the sixth country to do so. The Middle Eastern country also barred people from China and Iran. 　 As of Monday, six countries or territories have slapped entry restrictions on Koreans. They are Jo

Social AffairsFeb. 24, 2020

[Newsmaker] 4-year-old becomes youngest COVID-19 patient

A 4-year-old girl in Daegu has been confirmed with the novel coronavirus, in the first case involving a patient under the age of 10, fueling fears of the virus affecting young children, local authorities said Sunday. She is the youngest patient among 556 cases in Korea. Prior to her confirmation, the youngest patient was 11 years old. She had been in self-isolation with a mild fever after a teacher at her nursery tested positive for the virus. “The 4-year-old child has a minor sickne

Social AffairsFeb. 23, 2020

[Newsmaker] Virus-infected hospital staff stoke concerns over further transmission to patients

Some nurses at a hospital here have contracted the new coronavirus, fueling fears that more virus cases will be identified, public health officials said Friday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), and public health authorities in North Gyeongsang Province said Thursday that five nurses at the psychiatric ward at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, have all tested positive for COVID-19. The country's first death from the virus was reported

Social AffairsFeb. 21, 2020

[Newsmaker] Religious groups respond to COVID-19 outbreak

Religious organizations are on alert after a drastic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases was linked to a church in Daegu. As of 5 p.m. Thursday, the South Korean government had reported 22 new cases of the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. The total number of infections in Korea had jumped to 104. It is suspected that the nation’s 31st patient hastened its spread by visiting a church in Daegu, which is associated with a minor religious sect. Amid the quick sprea

CultureFeb. 20, 2020

[Newsmaker] Actor Ha Jung-woo denies illegal drug use

Actor Ha Jung-woo on Tuesday denied all accusations that he had illegally taken the anesthetic propofol at a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. Propofol is a short-acting anesthetic that is highly addictive. Plastic surgery clinics normally administer it to patients undergoing surgery. The news first broke last Thursday when a local news outlet reported that prosecutors were looking into about 10 people suspected of abusing drugs, including a famous actor. Although Ha’s name was

FilmFeb. 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] Transgender soldier files petition against discharge decision

A former noncommissioned officer forcibly discharged from the military after sex reassignment surgery has filed an appeal seeking reinstatement, sources said Wednesday. Byun Hee-soo, 22, filed the petition with the Army Headquarters, the sources said, after a military committee ruled last month based on a medical examination that the staff sergeant is unable to continue to serve. Byun underwent the transition surgery late last year in Thailand and has expressed a desire to keep serving in the

Social AffairsFeb. 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] Cabinet passes bill on soldiers’ child care leave

The Cabinet on Tuesday passed a revised bill that encourages soldiers to take longer periods of leave for child care. Government officials including soldiers can take child care leave of up to three years per child. Currently, up to a year of child care leave for a soldier for his or her first child is included in the minimum period of service required for promotion. Under the revised bill, soldiers will be able to take child care leave of more than one year for their first child without dela

Social AffairsFeb. 18, 2020

[Newsmaker] Chinese students in Korea advised 14-day self-isolation

The government said Monday that it will advise Chinese students enrolled in Korean universities to suspend attending classes and to stay in isolation for two weeks, in an effort to rein in the spread of the COVID-19 virus, as they are set to return for the new school year. 　 Questions remain, however, over the effectiveness of the measures as they are not legally binding. While there are no legal grounds for local authorities to punish students breaking self-isolation rules, some Chinese studen

Social AffairsFeb. 17, 2020

[Newsmaker] News presenter Lim Hyun-ju reignites bra-free debate

News presenter Lim Hyun-ju has reignited debate on going braless after appearing on an MBC documentary on Thursday. In the program “Series M -- Do We Need to Wear Bras” (unofficial translation), Lim went bra-free for a day. She prepared for and did a live television show without wearing a bra, and shared how she felt about it afterward. On Sunday, Lim said people had left hateful comments on her Instagram account after she shared more information and her feelings about the exper

TelevisionFeb. 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] Actor suspected of propofol abuse

Prosecutors are looking into about 10 people suspected of drug abuse, including a famous actor, a chaebol scion, an entertainment agency CEO and a well-known fashion designer, SBS reported Thursday. Those suspected allegedly got habitual propofol injections for non-medical purposes over the past several years at a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul’s Gangnam, the broadcaster said.　 The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requested for an investigation, as the clinic used excessive amounts of

Social AffairsFeb. 14, 2020

[Newsmaker] Samsung denies heir’s drug abuse allegations

Samsung Electronics flatly denied Thursday allegations that its heir apparent and Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong illegally received injections of propofol, a short-acting sedative and anesthetic drug. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office began looking into the accusations after the state anti-corruption watchdog, which received a tip from a whistleblower on Lee’s alleged drug use, referred the case to the prosecution last month. The case came to light after investigative local new

Social AffairsFeb. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] Hands-on: What you can do with Galaxy Z Flip when folded

SAN FRANCISCO -- There are more things that can be done on a tiny 1.1-inch display on the cover of Samsung Electronics’ palm-sized foldable Galaxy Z Flip than many would have thought, which maximizes both fun and convenient elements of the brand new mobile form factor. The Korea Herald got a chance to check out the new flip-type foldable gadget at the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 held in San Francisco on Tuesday. The tech giant highlighted that its foldable device can now be folded into a sma

TechnologyFeb. 12, 2020

[Newsmaker] Nongshim ups promotion of ‘ram-don’ from ‘Parasite’

In light of Korean filmmaker Bong joon-ho’s historical victory at the Oscars with his film “Parasite,” the Korean manufacturer of instant noodles featured in the film is riding high on the bandwagon. Jjapaguri -- translated as “ram-don” in the English subtitles -- is a mixture of Chapaghetti black bean instant noodles and soup-based Neoguri ramen. Having aroused the curiosity of cinemagoers around the world, the recipe quickly spread via social media, with Bong&rs

ConsumerFeb. 11, 2020

[Newsmaker] 8 stars of ‘Parasite’

When “Parasite” became the first non-English-language movie to win the top honor of best ensemble cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, actor Lee Sun-kyun joked, “I am a little embarrassed. It feels like we are parasites of Hollywood now.” He was being humble. Bong Joon-ho’s satire-thriller “Parasite” on Monday won best picture, best director, best international feature film and best original screenplay at the Academy Awards, becoming the first Kor

FilmFeb. 10, 2020