The South Korean government on Friday began providing a live feed of the COVID-19 briefings with English interpretation. The government’s central response team holds two briefings daily, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The interpretation is being provided by the state-run English-language channel Arirang and Korea.net, the government’s official web portal. The 11 a.m. briefing can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yug09mAgTaI&feature=youtu.be. The government will release the lin

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2020

Nearly 500 medical professionals and administrative officials from the private sector have volunteered to serve in Daegu, the government announced Thursday. “Having recruited medical professionals to volunteer to work in Daegu area from 24th this month, 490 have volunteered as of 9 a.m. today,” Kim Gang-lip, vice health minister said Thursday. Kim also serves on the government’s central response team. By profession, the volunteers consist of 24 doctors, 167 nurses, 157 nur

Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2020

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called on the National Assembly to process proposed revisions to comprehensive real estate and income taxes, saying the changes are necessary to shore up the government’s real estate market stabilization measures. Speaking at the annual joint briefing session by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Moon also urged the ministries to implement policies as planned, saying their operations are closely conc

Politics Feb. 27, 2020

An economic aid package and extra budget will be drawn up as quickly as possible to combat the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, the presidential office, government and ruling Democratic Party of Korea agreed Tuesday. The move comes a day after President Moon Jae-in raised the possibility of the additional funds to manage the economic fallout of the outbreak. Speaking at Monday’s meeting with top aides and infectious disease experts, Moon called on the government to consider all possibl

Politics Feb. 25, 2020

President Moon Jae-in on Monday reiterated the call to focus resources on battling the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as its economic effects. On Monday, Moon held the weekly meeting with senior aides and the heads of major medical associations concerned with infectious diseases and quarantine. At the meeting, Moon said the government is engaging in related measures with “extraordinary determination,” and stressed that further spread of the disease must be prevented. “All ri

Politics Feb. 24, 2020

The high concentration of COVID-19 related deaths in patients at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, appears to be linked to existing medical conditions aggravated by the novel coronavirus. As of Monday, eight people confirmed for COVID-19 have died in Korea, five of whom were patients at Daenam Hospital: the first, second, fourth, sixth and seventh reported deaths. According to authorities, the first and second deaths resulted from COVID-19 aggravating existing pne

Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2020

President Moon Jae-in on Friday called for an inspection of events linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in tracking the COVID-19 outbreak. “A thorough inspection of attendees of services and the funeral is needed,” Moon said at an emergency briefing by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. The Shincheonji Church of Jesus is at the center of the COVID-19 outbreak in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. The religious sect is considered heretical by mainstream Christian churches. T

Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2020

The novel coronavirus outbreak in Korea has reached a turning point, with fears of transmission within local communities appearing to have been realized. As of Thursday evening, 104 people here have been confirmed to have the COVID-19 virus, with a large portion of new cases apparently having contracted the virus from the 31st patient, who has no recent record of traveling overseas or coming into contact with other confirmed patients. Following the developments, the government is changing it

Social Affairs Feb. 20, 2020

President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday again called on the government to do all it can to deal with the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Moon said the outbreak has created an “emergency economic situation” that calls for extraordinary measures, and stressed the need to cooperate with neighboring countries. “Extraordinary situations need extraordinary measures. Preemptive response and special measures for both the people’s safety a

Politics Feb. 18, 2020

President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for close cooperation among economy-related government bodies in reviving the economy and dealing with the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. “Economic ministries have the important task for realizing clear changes in people’s livelihoods and the economy. (Their) shoulders have become heavier due to the COVID-19 situation,” Moon said at the annual operations briefing by economy-related government organizations. The bodies that held t

Politics Feb. 17, 2020

President Moon Jae-in on Thursday urged the country’s corporate community to go ahead with investments as planned, calling on business leaders to work with the government to minimize the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking at a meeting with leaders of the country’s largest conglomerates and business associations at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Moon said the outbreak was holding back Korea’s economic recovery but the situation would end soon -

Politics Feb. 13, 2020

The isolation period ended Wednesday for three patients infected with the novel coronavirus, pushing up the number of fully recovered patients in Korea to seven. Including the recovered patients, the number of confirmed cases in Korea stands at 28. The third batch of evacuees from Wuhan, China’s Hubei province -- 147 Koreans and Chinese nationals who are family members of Korean nationals -- arrived here via a flight chartered by the Korean government. Seven of them were sent to a hospi

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2020

South Korea’s latest confirmed case of the coronavirus has raised alarm over the virus’s incubation period and the country’s quarantine measures. The latest case, the 28th patient, is a 30-year old Chinese national who was confirmed Tuesday. Authorities believe she is likely to have contracted the virus from the third patient. The third patient is a 54-year old Korean male who arrived in Korea from Wuhan on Jan. 20, and was confirmed and isolated Jan. 26. With the last con

Social Affairs Feb. 11, 2020

The South Korean government plans to airlift some 150 Korean nationals and their immediate family members from Wuhan, China, on Tuesday. The government’s coronavirus response team said Monday that plans are being finalized with Beijing and that this time Chinese nationals who are immediate family members of Koreans will be allowed to leave the Chinese city. Parents, partners and children of South Korean nationals are allowed to board the flight. China had prohibited Chinese nationals

Social Affairs Feb. 10, 2020

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that the Seoul Human Resource Development Center in southern Seoul will be used to house many of those currently in home quarantine for the new coronavirus.  The facility will be used to house people required to go into quarantine who have difficulty getting around or have no one living with them who can provide care, or if the infection is deemed likely to spread among family members. The head of the public health center in each distr

Social Affairs Feb. 7, 2020