Reporting over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases for the 19th consecutive day Sunday, South Korea is struggling to contain a stubborn fourth wave of infections even with the stiffest social distancing measures in place.  The number of newly confirmed cases in the 24 hours ending Saturday at midnight was 1,487, marking the highest daily tally reported on a weekend since the coronavirus outbreak started early last year. Due to a surge in the number of infections in the Greater Seoul area earlier t

Social Affairs July 25, 2021

North London Collegiate School Jeju’s Class of 2021 scored an average of 39 points in the International Baccalaureate diploma program, demonstrating academic excellence even with the virus-ridden year. The IB diploma program is a two-year educational assessment that provides internationally accepted qualification for entry into top universities across the globe. According to NLCS, it marked the second year in a row for the school’s graduate class to post an average score of 39. T

Social Affairs July 25, 2021

Buddhist monks are facing criticism after seven of them were caught having a private gathering in violation of local social distancing guidelines. According to the local government of Haenam in South Jeolla Province, there was a report of several Buddhist monks having a meal together with alcoholic drinks on Monday evening, when the region’s social distancing guidelines prohibiting private gatherings of more than four people had come into effect. A photograph showed eight people sitting

Social Affairs July 22, 2021

Korea’s Environment Minister Han Jeoung-ae will attend the G-20 environment ministers’ meeting and climate and energy ministers’ meeting that kicks off Thursday in Italy, the Ministry of Environment said Wednesday. As a multilateral forum that addresses major global issues such as international finance, climate change and sustainable development, the G-20 consists of 19 countries and the European Union. The countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, F

Foreign Affairs July 21, 2021

The Ministry of Environment has once again come up empty-handed in its attempt to find a local government willing to build an alternative landfill to take in waste generated from Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. Incheon’s Sudokwon Landfill has been handling garbage from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province since 1992, but the city government announced last year that it would scrap the arrangement after 2025 when the contract expires. The Environment Ministry first conducted a search for po

Social Affairs July 20, 2021

The Korean military is facing mounting criticism after more than 80 percent of the 301-strong Cheonghae unit tested positive for the coronavirus while carrying out anti-piracy operations in the waters off Africa. “The (COVID-19) test results on all 301 crew members of the unit showed that 247 tested positive and 50 negative. The samples of four individuals were undecipherable,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday. The government sent two KC-330 tanker transport planes to bring

Defense July 19, 2021

High school seniors began receiving their coronavirus shots Monday, becoming the first teenagers in the country to be inoculated. According to the Education Ministry and health authorities, high school faculty members including teachers, school administrative staffers and other workers who are in close contact with students started getting their shots Monday along with the teenagers. The students and teachers are getting Pfizer’s vaccine. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved i

Social Affairs July 19, 2021

An area rich in history and culture, the hill street of Ahyeon-dong has one of 10 walking paths that Seoul’s western district of Mapo is promoting to visitors. The district has set up multiple signposts marking notable sights along the paths.  The course begins at Ahyeon Market, near Ahyeon Station on Subway Line No. 2, Exit No. 4. Since the market opened in 1930, it has embodied a typical Korean traditional street market.  On a corner along the hill street, Doijissal Supermark

Travel July 17, 2021

Only about 6 in 10 university faculty members, including professors and graduate students, are aware of what research misconduct is and the process of investigating it, according to a report by the National Research Foundation of Korea. Titled “2021 Study on the Level of Research Ethics Recognition of University Faculty Members,” the report conducted a nationwide survey on 2,292 professors and graduate students who had participated in NRF research projects in the past two years.

Social Affairs July 16, 2021

Under the theme “The World Connected,” the International Youth Fellowship’s 2021 online world camp kicked off its five-day journey on Monday evening. Back for its 24th edition, the IYF world camp invited university students from 90 countries across the world for the online event. Before moving online due to the coronavirus pandemic, the camp used to be held across the country every year. As this year’s event is streamed live via the IYF’s YouTube channel in six d

Social Affairs July 15, 2021

Seoul recorded the year’s first “tropical night” from Monday evening through Tuesday morning, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Tuesday. Usually observed during summertime in Korea, tropical nights are defined as when minimum temperatures hit 25 degrees Celsius or above after 6 p.m. and before 9 a.m. According to the KMA, this year’s first tropical night in Seoul happened 23 days earlier than it did last year. The sweaty nighttime phenomenon was also recor

Social Affairs July 13, 2021

Starting Monday, the most restrictive social distancing measures are taking effect in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi Province and Incheon for the next two weeks to control the surging number of COVID-19 cases in the country. The number of newly confirmed cases recorded 1,324 in the 24 hours ending Saturday at midnight, marking the third day in a row that the figure had stayed in the 1,300s. On Friday the country set a record for the highest number of new infections reported in one day, with 1,378 p

Social Affairs July 11, 2021

The International Youth Fellowship has grown into a global youth organization that has opened nearly 100 branches worldwide since it was founded as a non-governmental organization in 2001. “There was a problem with a student (who was participating in illegal activities, such as drugs) in LA and his mother asked me to help him,” the Rev. Park Ock-soo, founder of the IYF, said during a recent interview with The Korea Herald at the IYF headquarters in southern Seoul. “But how c

Social Affairs July 8, 2021

People aged 50 or older are expected to account for half of the South Korean population in the next decade, government data showed Wednesday. According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s population statistics, based on the resident registration system as of June 30, people in their 50s accounted for the largest percentage of the total population at 16.6 percent or 8.6 million people. The second-largest group was the 40-somethings, who made up 15.6 percent of the total. Analyz

Social Affairs July 7, 2021

Gov. Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province asserted his determination to root out unfairness and inequality in a recorded speech released Thursday, in which he announced his presidential bid. The video was made public on social media. Reiterating his signature policy, universal basic income, Lee vowed to turn a crisis into an opportunity to make Korea a world-leading economy, with the public sector paving the way for the private sector to increase investment and innovation. Similarly, the Gyeon

Politics July 2, 2021