The heaviest snow so far this winter hit most parts of South Korea on Monday, disrupting road traffic and causing flight cancellations. At least three people were killed as cars crashed on icy roads, while nearly 40 were injured. Dozens of flights to and from the provinces of Jeju, Gangwon, Jeolla and Gyeongsang have either been canceled or delayed. Around 20 vehicles piled up inside a tunnel on a highway connecting Suncheon and Wanju in North Jeolla Province at 12:23 p.m., leaving three peo

Social Affairs Feb. 17, 2020

Seven hundred people airlifted from China’s coronavirus-hit Wuhan were released from two weeks of isolation over the weekend. On Sunday, 334 people left the quarantine facility in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, after testing negative for COVID-19. They had stayed in solitary units for 14 days -- the virus’s assumed maximum incubation period -- since arriving here Feb. 1 in the second evacuation from the city in Hubei province. Another 366 people, brought here Jan. 31 in the

Social Affairs Feb. 16, 2020

All South Korean patients infected with the new coronavirus are in stable condition, with two or three of them likely to be discharged from hospitals soon, health authorities said Thursday. Korea has 28 cases of the virus, now called COVID-19, with no new case reported Thursday. Of them, seven patients have fully recovered and were declared free of the virus. “Elderly patients or those with underlying diseases need to use anti-virus medicine actively … but young and healthy pat

Social Affairs Feb. 13, 2020

Thae Yong-ho, who was North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom before defecting to South Korea in 2016, is aiming for a parliamentary seat.  　Announcing his run in the April general elections under the conservative Liberty Korea Party, the high-profile defector said Tuesday that his mission is to contribute to the reunification of the two Koreas. 　“I know North Korea better and deeper than anyone else in South Korea. With my knowledge and experience, I hope to

Politics Feb. 11, 2020

Nearly 3,000 people who entered Korea from China’s Wuhan have cleared the two-week monitoring period for possible coronavirus infection, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. The virus’s incubation period passed as of Monday for 2,991 people, including 1,831 foreigners, who entered Korea from Jan. 13-26 after visiting Wuhan, where the new coronavirus was first detected in December. Since they arrived here, KCDC officials have checked on their condition

Social Affairs Feb. 10, 2020

The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Monday urged President Moon Jae-in to come clean on allegations involving former and incumbent presidential secretaries in an election-meddling scandal, threatening to launch an impeachment campaign. “As soon as the 21st National Assembly is formed, we will push for a parliamentary probe and special investigation. Should President Moon be found to have been involved in any way, we will push for his impeachment,” the party’s floor l

Politics Feb. 10, 2020

Complaints about suspected illegal profiteering over face masks are skyrocketing after the government opened channels for civil reports in a bid to stamp out those seeking to reap big profits amid concerns over a new coronavirus. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Wednesday opened a section in its homepage and blog for submission of cases concerning market cornering and price gouging of face masks and hand sanitizers. To offer greater accessibility, the ministry created 21 hotlines, resp

Social Affairs Feb. 6, 2020

General elections are about two months away and South Korea’s political landscape is undergoing a transformation, with party splits, mergers and even the arrival of the nation’s very first “satellite” party. 　The main opposition Liberty Korea Party on Wednesday launched the Future Korea Party, the satellite group created for the sole purpose of securing additional proportionate representative seats in the next parliament. LKP’s four-term lawmaker Han Sun-kyo switc

Politics Feb. 5, 2020

The coronavirus is forcing general election candidates to find ways to reach voters apart from street canvassing, with many turning to social media. 　 Campaign rally events often involve face-to-face conversations, handshakes and canvassing trucks with loudspeakers blaring music at places with a large flow of people and dense crowds. But fears over the contagious disease are driving candidates to run online campaigns. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has suggested party leaders suspend ele

Politics Feb. 4, 2020

The southern resort island of Jeju is struggling to track down those who came into contact with a Chinese tourist who tested positive for a deadly coronavirus after returning from a trip there. As fears mounted, health authorities said Monday that the Wuhan resident was unlikely to have had symptoms while traveling around the island for five days last month.  “The Chinese health authorities informed us that the patient was quarantined after showing symptoms like a fever on Jan.

Social Affairs Feb. 3, 2020

Over 700 South Korean nationals evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a coronavirus outbreak, are staying in solitary units, with medics checking on them twice a day for any sign of infection. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and related ministries, the evacuees, divided into two groups, spent their first weekend at quarantine centers in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, and Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, about 80 kilometers south of

Social Affairs Feb. 2, 2020

A former chief of staff to President Moon Jae-in accused the prosecutors investigating him and several other former and incumbent presidential secretaries of doing so with a “clear purpose” other than justice. Im Jong-seok, who served as the Cheong Wa Dae chief of staff from 2017-2019, made the remarks Thursday, before he faced a prosecutorial interrogation over his alleged role in a mayoral election-meddling scandal. “The prosecution should exercise its authority in a mo

Social Affairs Jan. 30, 2020

Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo is leaving the political party he co-founded two years ago to embark on a quest, once again, for “new politics.” In doing so, the entrepreneur-turned-centrist-politician seeks to revive his political fortunes in the April parliamentary elections and attract moderate voters who have grown disillusioned with the endless partisan battle of liberals and conservatives.   French President Emmanuel Macron appears to be his role mod

Politics Jan. 30, 2020

Jeju Island is considering suspending a visa-free entry program for Chinese visitors in a bid to prevent the inflow of those infected with the deadly coronavirus virus, the provincial government said Thursday. The government is discussing with the Ministry of Justice on imposing a temporary halt to the system that permits foreigners to stay on the island for 30 days without visa. “We are exchanging opinions such as measures to minimize the suspension period for Chinese visitors due t

Social Affairs Jan. 30, 2020

Former presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo said Wednesday he has decided to leave the party he co-founded two years ago, in an apparent move to create a new group for the April general elections. The former chief of the Bareunmirae Party, who returned from abroad last week after more than a year’s absence from the political scene, said he was giving up on the minor opposition party, blaming party leaders for failing to present a vision for new politics. The move came after the party&rsq

Politics Jan. 29, 2020