Despite the weekslong social distancing campaign, South Korea is not seeing a sharp drop in COVID-19 infections as sporadic clusters of infections continue to be detected and the virus spreads silently through people with no symptoms or only mild symptoms, health authorities said Wednesday. 　 Korea reported 156 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday -- 144 locally transmitted and 12 imported -- bringing the total caseload to 21,588, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 　 &

Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2020

South Korea plans to mass-produce an antibody-based therapy for COVID-19 later this month, health authorities said Tuesday. 　 The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is currently reviewing plans for Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials of the antibody-based treatment, and a large quantity of commercial coronavirus antibodies will be produced this month, said Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 　 The Phase 1 trials were approved in July, he added

Social Affairs Sept. 8, 2020

South Korea’s daily count of new COVID-19 cases stayed below 200 for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday, though health authorities are on alert over untraceable cases and sporadic outbreaks.　 　 Korea reported 136 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday -- 120 locally transmitted and 16 imported -- bringing the total caseload to 21,432, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 　 With tightened social distancing rules in place nationwide, Korea appears to be entering a stabil

Social Affairs Sept. 8, 2020

The National Assembly resumed operations on Saturday after a brief shutdown caused by a main opposition party official testing positive for the new coronavirus. "Everyone who had been selectively checked has turned out not to have been infected with the coronavirus. A no-entry restriction on the main building, the members' office building and an annex building will be lifted from 10 a.m.," the assembly's secretariat said in a notice. The National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul,

Politics Sept. 5, 2020

　 South Korea’s daily count of new COVID-19 cases stayed below 200 for the third consecutive day on Saturday, though health authorities are on alert over untraceable cases, sporadic outbreaks and the high number of critically ill patients. 　 Korea reported 168 new COVID-19 cases Saturday -- 158 locally transmitted and 10 imported -- posting fewer than 200 for the third consecutive day. The total caseload rose to 21,010, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 　

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2020

Level 2.5 social distancing rules will remain in place for another week in the Greater Seoul area with no definite slowdown in the infection rate. 　 Korea reported 198 new COVID-19 cases Friday - 189 locally transmitted and nine imported -- posting fewer than 200 for the second consecutive day. The total caseload rose to 20,842, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With tightened social distancing rules in place, the “explosive” spread of the virus wa

Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2020

The British Embassy in South Korea is accepting applications from Korean students for the United Kingdom’s Chevening Scholarships until Nov. 3 for the 2021-2022 academic year, the embassy said Thursday. Korean nationals with a bachelors’ degree and more than two years of work experience are eligible to apply for the UK government’s global scholarship program that offers an opportunity to pursue a one-year master’s degree in any subject at any university in the United

Diplomatic Circuit Sept. 3, 2020

SINGAPOREAN ENVOY’S VISIT -- Herald Corp. CEO and Publisher Kwon Chung-won (left) greets Eric Teo, ambassador of Singapore to South Korea, during a courtesy visit to the Herald Corp. headquarters in central Seoul on Thursday. 

Foreign Affairs Sept. 3, 2020

South Korea’s health authorities said Thursday that the tightened social distancing campaign appears to be paying off, slowing the coroanvirus’s spread to fewer than 200 new infections per day. Still, a spike in the number of critically ill patients remains a major concern, they said. 　 The country reported 195 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, posting fewer than 200 for the first time in more than two weeks. Some 188 of the new cases were locally transmitted and seven imported, while th

Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2020

The number of COVID-19 patients in serious or critical condition hit a record high of 124 on Wednesday, increasing fears over a possible shortage of hospital beds and a spike in fatalities. The country reported 267 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday -- 253 locally transmitted and 14 imported -- pushing the total caseload to 20,449, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. South Korea’s daily new COVID-19 case count stayed below 300 for a fourth consecutive day Wedne

Social Affairs Sept. 2, 2020

More than half of South Koreans support the government’s plan to increase the number of doctors, while 9 in 10 doctors oppose it, a survey showed Tuesday, amid escalating tensions between the government and doctors. The government laid out a plan to boost the number of medical students by 4,000 over 10 years starting in 2022, and to open a new public medical school as part of efforts to expand access to health care services. But this drew strong opposition from doctors, who say the c

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2020

The resurgence of COVID-19 in South Korea and around the globe has not stopped diplomatic efforts to shore up a post-pandemic economy. 　 Despite having to undergo COVID-19 testing three times -- in Santiago, Chile; in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and again in Incheon -- Rodrigo Yanez, Chile’s vice trade minister, recently visited Korea, the country’s fifth-largest trading partner and its first Asian partner in a free trade agreement. 　 “Trade, as you know, will be the dr

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2020

A fortnight-long lecture series “Facets of Modern India” will be held via video conference from Tuesday, aiming to provide a better understanding of the world’s largest democracy and one of the fastest growing economies. Hosted by the Embassy of India and the Indian Cultural Centre in Seoul, renowned experts from India will speak on themes such as India’s strategic thinking, foreign policy, economy, democracy, media and its approach to international security during the

Foreign Affairs Aug. 30, 2020

Social distancing rules stricter than the current Level 2 are set to come into effect in the Greater Seoul area starting Sunday to contain the fast spread of COVID-19, with operating hours slashed for restaurants, only takeout allowed at franchise coffee chains and private cram schools shut down. “While keeping social distancing guidelines at Level 2, the government has decided to implement stronger quarantine measures starting Sunday for eight days,” Health and Welfare

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2020

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday that the South Korea will maintain Level 2 social distancing rules nationwide for another week, despite growing calls for raising the level of social distancing to the highest amid the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus across the country. The country reported 371 new COVID-19 cases Friday -- 359 locally transmitted and 12 imported -- pushing the total caseload to 19,077, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite c

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2020