A growing number of novel coronavirus patients who have tested positive after recovery are keeping South Korea on its toes, despite the country reporting fewer than 40 new cases for the sixth straight day on Tuesday. At least 124 patients who were thought to be cleared of COVID-19 had tested positive again as of Tuesday, with the number of recurring cases having more than doubled from 51 on April 6, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Korea had a total of 10,56

Social Affairs April 14, 2020

South Korea reported 27 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 10,564. The country, which once had the largest outbreak outside China, saw less than 50 new cases of COVID-19 for the sixth straight day. Of all patients, 7,534 people, or 71.3 percent, have recovered, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the new cases, 12 came from overseas. Seven of those were detected at airport checkpoints. Korea is still

Social Affairs April 14, 2020

As spring has arrived and the daily new infections of COVID-19 hovered around 30 in recent days, life in South Korea appears to be cautiously returning to normal with signs of social distancing waning.   Over the weekend, mountains and parks were packed with families, friends and couples seeking to take in the fleeting spring blossoms -- with most of those venturing outside wearing masks.   　 Some churches resumed religious services over the Easter weekend and early voting

Social Affairs April 12, 2020

A total of 91 patients who recovered from novel coronavirus in South Korea have tested positive again, health authorities said Friday, raising fears that the virus can be reactivated. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director General Jeong Eun-kyeong said health authorities are conducting epidemiological and clinical studies into the cases to find out whether those who tested positive for the virus could infect others again. Relevant testing of cultivating and isolating t

Social Affairs April 10, 2020

South Korea reported the lowest number of new coronavirus cases for the 24 hours of Thursday since Feb. 20, with Daegu, the city at the center of the country’s virus outbreak, having reported no new cases.   　 The country confirmed 27 more novel coronavirus cases, the lowest daily increase since Feb. 20, a day before the spike in COVID-19 infections linked to a “super spreading event” at a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu.   　 Despite the downward

Social Affairs April 10, 2020

A sense of excitement and anxiety was missing from the classroom on the first day of the new spring semester. Middle school English teacher Yoon Suk-joon, 58, was all alone as lessons began, with no students around. He greeted his students in a virtual classroom, with a laptop, headset and projector. As the semester’s first class began for ninth graders in Soongmoon Middle School at 11 a.m., some 45 students clicked on a link via Google Classroom, a service that offers online learning

Social Affairs April 9, 2020

South Korea did not see a noticeable change in the number of short-term visitors during the past week despite the introduction of a 14-day mandatory quarantine on arrivals, authorities said Wednesday. 　 Imported cases of the new coronavirus have become a major concern in the country despite the slowing infection rate, leading the government to make it mandatory for everyone arriving in Korea from abroad to self-quarantine for two weeks starting on April 1. 　 In the wake of calls for more dras

Social Affairs April 8, 2020

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday ordered the closure of entertainment establishments such as nightclubs and room salons until April 19, amid mounting concerns that mass infections may have occurred at a bar in the city.  　 Mayor Park Won-soon announced the measure, which bans people’s gatherings at such entertainment venues, not the business itself, to last until April 19, when the country’s social distancing measures are due to be lifted. 　 “With my autho

Social Affairs April 8, 2020

South Korea is considering using electronic wristbands to track whereabouts of those placed under compulsory home quarantine, authorities said Tuesday. 　 But faced with concerns over privacy and human rights, the authorities stressed using wristbands is only one of the several options under consideration to counter increasing cases of self-quarantine violations. 　 The government is considering connecting the wristband to a mobile application installed on a smartphone. The wristband would trig

Social Affairs April 7, 2020

Public concerns are growing over a continued influx of COVID-19 cases from abroad, as more and more Koreans living overseas rush home amid increasing uncertainties in the wake of the global novel coronavirus crisis. Despite a stabilizing trend in new infections here, the country has seen an increasing number of imported cases in the past weeks, posing a threat to the country’s fight to stem the spread of the infectious virus. Kim Ji-young, a student doing her master’s degree at a

Social Affairs April 6, 2020

South Korea’s government and municipalities are introducing direct cash payments to citizens here to help them cope with the economic fallout of a prolonged coronavirus crisis. 　 Some details are still unresolved, but the government has said that foreign nationals, whether they pay taxes here or not, will largely be excluded from the assistance programs unless they are married to Korean citizens. 　 “In principle, foreigners are not eligible for the emergency funds. But in case of

Social Affairs April 5, 2020

Some English-immersive preschools began or are set to begin their new semesters, in comparison to regular kindergartens closed indefinitely amid fears over novel coronavirus. 　 All kindergartens and schools in South Korea are closed until April 9, when the new semester will begin online at high schools first.  　 Some English-only kindergartens, however, have already started offline classes, triggering concerns that they could facilitate transmission clusters of the virus. 　 South Korea

Social Affairs April 2, 2020

South Korea -- with its high-speed internet infrastructure and people quick to learn new technologies -- may seem like it is better prepared than any other country to herald in a new era of e-learning. 　 But, when the government announced that schools, ready or not, have to go online due to the coronavirus pandemic, many students and teachers were clueless what to expect. 　 “I just don’t have an idea how online classes will go,” Park Kyung-ah, a mother of two, said. “

Social Affairs April 1, 2020

South Korea said Tuesday it will begin a new semester for the country’s elementary, middle and high schools online starting April 9, as the government fights to stem the novel coronavirus spread. 　 Students could start going to schools as early as end-April, taking turns by their grades, classes and at different time tables to ensure safe distance among students. 　 “Taking into consideration infection cases and school situations, the government is reviewing an option of running on

Social Affairs March 31, 2020

With no end in sight in the global coronavirus outbreak, South Korea is pondering sustainable ways of continuing the quarantine system while also allowing for a return to normal.  The government said Monday it will launch a body encompassing public and private experts this week to devise guidelines on how people should go about their day while still helping to bring the spread of the virus under control. “The long-term goal is to control the size of infections to the level where h

Social Affairs March 30, 2020