Another wave of COVID-19 infections might be on the horizon, health authorities warned Tuesday, as South Korea continues to see small-scale outbreaks tied to churches, private cram schools and workplaces.  　 Korea added 38 more cases of the novel coronavirus Tuesday, 37 of which were reported in Seoul, the adjacent areas of Incheon and Gyeonggi Province -- home to nearly half of the country’s population. One other case was detected at the airport, according to data by the Korea Cent

Social Affairs June 2, 2020

It takes only a few clicks online in South Korea to have almost everything -- from fresh vegetables to household essentials -- delivered right to your door within several hours. The convenience of online shopping and quick delivery has even been noted as one of the secrets behind the country’s early success in its fight against the novel coronavirus, making social distancing possible for many. But the latest COVID-19 outbreak in e-commerce logistics centers reveals that there is a d

Social Affairs May 31, 2020

Yoon Mi-hyang, lawmaker-elect for the ruling Democratic Party and longtime activist for victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, on Friday denied alleged misappropriation of donations raised for the victims. Breaking silence after nearly weeks and one day before her four-year parliamentary term begins, Yoon apologized to the public for causing concerns, vowed to clarify suspicions and to serve as a lawmaker “responsibly.” “It is a false claim that funds raised for t

Social Affairs May 29, 2020

As schools in South Korea sent some 2.37 million more students back to classrooms Wednesday, 561 kindergartens and schools in cities at high risk of community transmission of COVID-19 postponed reopening. About 2.7 percent of the schools that were supposed to reopen Wednesday remained closed as of the afternoon, according to Education Ministry data. Most were in Seoul; Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province; and Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province; where most of the country’s new infections were report

Social Affairs May 27, 2020

A five-day online global summit aimed at preparing for the post-coronavirus era will be held next week, during which Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon will suggest the creation of a global organization of municipal governments to better respond to infectious diseases. Hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Cities Against Covid-19 Global Summit 2020 will bring together mayors of more than 40 cities around the globe, city officials, experts and scholars to discuss 10 major topics through vide

Social Affairs May 27, 2020

Despite lingering concerns over coronavirus, South Korea will take another step toward normalizing life Wednesday, sending some 2.37 million pupils across the country back to classrooms. In the second phase of the country’s staged school reopening, which began a week ago with high school seniors, in-person classes will resume for students in kindergarten, second year of high school, third year of middle school and first two years of elementary school. About 200 schools in high-risk ar

Social Affairs May 26, 2020

A surviving victim of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery on Monday slammed a longstanding advocacy group for selling out the victims to raise donations in its 30-year campaign for the victims. Lee Yong-soo, 92, also called for due punishment of the group -- Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan -- and its former President Yoon Mi-hyang over their alleged mishandling of donations. “I was tricked and used. We did the work and onl

Social Affairs May 25, 2020

Early coronavirus cases linked to bars and clubs in Itaewon, one of Seoul’s main party districts, appear to have originated from Europe and the US, suggesting the virus has been carried over from those who arrived in South Korea from overseas, health authorities said Friday. The coronavirus samples from the 14 early infections traced to the Itaewon cluster are similar to what is found in infected patients who few from the US and Europe, according to genome analysis on virus samples. &

Social Affairs May 22, 2020

In the wake of COVID-19 crisis, never has it been more important to understand the value of thinking globally and broadly, having empathy for others and taking action for collective well-being. Seoul Foreign School, which has been serving the international community in Seoul for over a hundred years, and Inspire Citizens, an educational consulting collaborative that has worked with thousands of teachers across the globe, have partnered over the last couple years to help students to learn

Social Affairs May 21, 2020

Most high school seniors nationwide who are back in their classrooms took a mock test for this year’s college entrance exam Thursday, a day after schools physically reopened. The mock exam comes as plans to resume in-person classes continue to be disrupted by new COVID-19 infections involving high school seniors who are in a race against time until the national test in December.  A high school in Daegu was closed down Thursday after its student tested positive for the coronavirus.

Social Affairs May 21, 2020

Nongovernmental organizations at the forefront of advocating for Korean victims of wartime sexual enslavement by the Japanese military are facing snowballing allegations, threatening the legacy of the 30-year campaign for former sex slaves. Prosecutors on Wednesday raided the office of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan in western Seoul, as part of the investigation into allegations over misuse of donations and poor accounting pra

Social Affairs May 20, 2020

Amid lingering safety concerns over the novel coronavirus, third-year high school students will finally return to classrooms Wednesday, kicking off South Korea’s school normalization. The high school seniors were chosen as the first group to return, as they face a hectic academic schedule until they sit for the country’s college entrance exam, which has been pushed back to Dec. 3. “In the situation where we don’t know when the COVID-19 (pandemic) will end, we cannot i

Social Affairs May 19, 2020

Female workers bear the brunt of the coronavirus outbreak, women’s rights groups said Monday, explaining that women shoulder heavier burdens of housework and child care while also facing a greater risk of losing their jobs. As schools and nurseries throughout the country closed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, it was women who had to spend more hours taking care of children and doing household chores. And they are the first to be laid off or take pay cuts, the groups said at a

Social Affairs May 18, 2020

Karaoke rooms emerged as a route of secondary and tertiary transmissions of COVID-19, with some new infections with unclear links found to be traced to a karaoke facility visited by a confirmed patient. Health authorities have identified a link between recent five infections at the university district of Hongdae, western Seoul, and cases linked to nightclubs and bars in Itaewon -- the same karaoke room. One of the patients in Hongdae, whose routes of transmission remained unidentified, had

Social Affairs May 15, 2020

A prison officer working at a detention center just outside of Seoul tested positive for COVID-19, authorities said Friday, triggering concerns that the prison could become a new cluster of infections. A 28-year-old man, who works at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday. He neither visited bars and clubs in Itaewon nor contacted anyone who had been to the party district in Seoul. The officer was found to have been infected through a f

Social Affairs May 15, 2020