South Korea reported 50 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, with the government on alert over new clusters of infections linked to religious facilities in Daejeon and Gwangju. Of the new cases, 28 were locally transmitted and the rest imported from overseas, pushing the country’s total caseload to 13,293, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Of the 22 imported cases, five people were detected during the quarantine screening process at the border and the rest whil

Social Affairs July 9, 2020

About 91 percent of South Korea’s COVID-19 patients had mild symptoms but those in their 50s and older were more prone to severe symptoms, health authorities said Wednesday. 　 The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that after analyzing the treatment records of 8,976 patients who had died, or were released from quarantine by April 30. Some 62 percent of the patients received treatment at hospitals, 36 percent at treatment facilities set up for those with mild or no symp

Social Affairs July 8, 2020

South Korea’s daily new COVID-19 cases bounced back to above 60 Wednesday, with the record number of imported cases in about three months. Of the 63 new cases, 33 cases were imported and the rest locally transmitted, with the country’s total caseload at 13,224, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the imported cases, 11 people were detected during the quarantine screening process at the border and the rest while under home quarantine after arrival

Social Affairs July 8, 2020

South Korea is not yet in a situation where social distancing measures need to be tightened nationwide, although the government is still grappling with both small-scale outbreaks in the country as well as imported cases from overseas. 　 The nation reported 44 more COVID-19 cases Tuesday, with the number of imported cases exceeding domestic ones for the first time in two weeks, as many parts of the world grapple with surging coronavirus infections. The imported cases are less of a concern, he

Social Affairs July 7, 2020

South Korea reported 44 more COVID-19 cases Tuesday, with the number of imported cases exceeding domestic cases for the first time in two weeks as many parts of the world grapple with surging coronavirus infections. Of the total, 24 cases were imported and the rest locally transmitted, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the imported cases, 16 people were detected during the quarantine screening process at the border and the rest while under home quarantine a

Social Affairs July 7, 2020

The novel coronavirus spreading in South Korea now has its origin in Europe and the US, health authorities said Monday, and it is known to be six times as infectious as the original strain that emerged in China. The variant belongs to the GH clade, which has largely been circulated in Europe and the US, according to an analysis by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on 526 genome samples diagnosed with the COVID-19. This implies the virus could have arrived here via someone who

Social Affairs July 6, 2020

An appeal by a former Korean sergeant, who was forcibly discharged from the military after sex reassignment surgery, to revoke the decision to has been denied, the Army said Friday.  Byun Hee-soo, 22, was discharged from the military on Jan. 22 after undergoing sex reassignment surgery while enlisted, despite her wish to continue service as a female officer. What she has done “falls into reasons deemed unfit” for military service in accordance with the current law, the

Social Affairs July 3, 2020

In South Korea, known for its education fervor, the English widely taught at schools and private institutes is American English. Challenging the US dominance in the Korean English education market is one of the tasks facing the Embassy of Australia here, an Australian diplomat told The Korea Herald. “Australia wants to make clear to Koreans we should be the destination of choice for people who want to study English language,” James Bourne, second secretary at the Embassy of Aust

Diplomatic Circuit July 2, 2020

Korean health authorities said Tuesday they are testing the blood of 3,055 Koreans for antibodies for the novel coronavirus to better understand the degree of immunity in the country, as they gear up for a protracted antivirus fight amid the ongoing second wave of infections. 　 Some 3,055 Koreans are being tested for antibodies -- 1,555 samples collected from the National Nutrition Survey and 1,500 from a medical institution in Seoul. Antibodies are developed after a person is exposed to COVID

Social Affairs June 30, 2020

The police Monday raided a kindergarten in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, as part of an investigation into mass food poisoning that has sickened some 114 people so far. The Ansan Sangrok Police Station searched the kindergarten for about two hours, and seized CCTV footage and documents after parents of the pupils filed a complaint against the head of the kindergarten Saturday. The police are to look into why the kindergarten that failed preserve samples food or snacks it provided to the pupils.

Social Affairs June 29, 2020

BUSAN -- As some 140 people of different ethnic backgrounds handed out hand sanitizer and greeted passersby at the entrance to Gwangalli Beach in the port city of Busan, many laid curious eyes on the signs they were holding. The signs read, “Black Lives Matter.” On a busy Saturday afternoon, expats here, mostly from English-speaking countries, and South Koreans gathered at the beach clad in black to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality a

Social Affairs June 22, 2020

BUSAN -- With the arrival of summer holiday season, beaches are getting crowded in South Korea despite growing fears of a second wave of COVID-19 infections, causing a headache to health authorities in their efforts to contain the spread of the virus. 　 On Saturday afternoon the country’s most-visited beach, at Busan’s Haeundae, was brimming with early vacationers enjoying the sun. 　 Families, friends and couples sunbathed in groups, eating food on the beach and playing in the wat

Social Affairs June 21, 2020

The majority of South Koreans perceive that the society is discriminative and human rights violations are serious, though they believe their own human rights are largely being respected, a survey showed Friday. A combined 69.1 percent of respondents think the degree of discrimination is serious -- “very serious” at 13.7 percent and “somewhat serious” at 55.4 percent -- while 29.2 percent answered “not serious” and 1.6 percent “not serious at all,&rdquo

Social Affairs June 19, 2020

Nkuka Lulendo and his family stepped on South Korean soil after a long, grueling 10 months of being trapped inside Incheon International Airport’s transit zone in October last year. But it was only the beginning of their journey to win refugee status. “Our hopes and dreams today are that we want the government to acknowledge us and give us refugee status,” Lulendo said in French during an interview with The Korea Herald. “We want a good education for our children, we a

Social Affairs June 18, 2020

Immigration detention centers in South Korea, where foreign nationals are held till deportation, have nearly reached their full capacity, with international flights rarely available amid the coronavirus pandemic. 　 As of May 18, the number of foreigners being held at three detention centers across the country surged by 85.1 percent -- from 389 in March to 720 in May, according to data from the Justice Ministry, released at the request of nongovernmental organization Friends of Asia. 　 The fac

Social Affairs June 17, 2020