Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung urged Thursday residents and medical professionals to have a high-level of readiness to fight against the novel coronavirus, warning of a tsunami-like shock they haven’t experienced before. Calling the recent resurgence in number of COVID-19 patients a second wave of pandemic, Lee called for active cooperation of hospitals, private companies, residents and medical staffers to prepare for a sharp increase in infections which could overwhelm the health

Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2020

Seoul Metoropolitan government said Thursday that it will ban all rallies of 10 or more people until Aug. 30. The new rule will come into effect on Friday. The city government said it decided to act preemptively to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the city has a great chance of chain transmissions due to a high population density and its floating population. The city reported 135 new cases Thursday, the highest number in the country, followed by its surrounding Gyeonggi Province with 81

Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2020

The new wave of coronavirus infections in South Korea looks similar to what the country experienced earlier this year: The first peak in late February and early March was driven by chain transmissions among members of the religious sect the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, while the infections that are spiking now are mainly linked to a Seoul-based church. 　 As of Wednesday at noon, 623 confirmed cases have been traced to the Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, since the first case

Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2020

South Korean health authorities are racing against time to prevent a massive second wave of coronavirus infections, as contact tracing is fraught with challenges. At the center of the problems is a church led by a far-right pastor and vocal critic of President Moon Jae-in, with followers from all over the country -- many of them participated in a massive anti-government rally Saturday. An accumulated number of cases traced to the church stood at 457 as of Tuesday noon, up 138 from a day

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2020

Yoo Myung-hee, minister for trade of South Korea, announced her bid to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization, along with seven other candidates. These candidates are from the UK, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Mexico, Moldova, and Saudi Arabia. The candidates will be narrowed to five from voting among 164 members, with four votes for each member. Two candidates will then be shortlisted from two votes cast by each member, and ultimately, the appointment will be made in the

Politics Aug. 18, 2020

A conservative pastor who leads a Christian church in Seoul that has become the country’s second-largest mass infection cluster tested positive for COVID-19, health authorities said Monday. Jun Kwang-hoon, head of the Christian Council of Korea and pastor of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, has come under fire for attending an anti-government rally on Saturday while he was under self-isolation orders. Over 2,000 church members were undergoing tests following the confirmatio

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2020

A conservative pastor who leads the church in Seoul that has become the country’s second-largest mass infection cluster tested positive for COVID-19, a Seoul district office said Monday. According to the Seongbuk District Office, Jun Kwang-hoon, pastor of Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, and a vocal critic of President Moon Jae-in, was confirmed with the virus amid a growing criticism for the church’s breach of virus protection rules and uncooperative response to antiviru

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2020

On the surface, life seems to have pretty much returned to the way it was before the deadly coronavirus struck South Korea. Schools are open, although many in summer vacation now, malls are bustling with shoppers and sports fans have returned to stadiums -- albeit with face masks and some other restrictions. The virus curve, which showed a steep spike in February, remains more or less flat with small fluctuations. Still, the fight against the deadly pathogen is far from over. There is a wid

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2020

Time seems to have stopped at the 70-year-old Choseong-ri Station in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province.  Having started out as a logistics center for the United Nations military forces in October 1950, the station had its heyday when US soldiers and local merchants flocked there. But after a unit of United States military engineers left town, the volume of passengers dropped off significantly. Now, no trains stop here.  When the American soldiers and engineers were around, peopl

Culture Aug. 8, 2020

More than 2,500 people have been displaced from a week of heavy rain in much of the country, leading the government to designate seven hard-hit areas as special disaster zones. President Moon Jae-in declared Chungju, Jaecheon and Umseong in North Chungcheong Province and Asan in South Chungcheong Province as well as Anseong in Gyeonggi Province and Cheorwon in Gangwon Province emergency disaster zones, allowing them to receive state aid and other necessary support. When designated as special

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2020

A shelter booth designed to protect passengers from sunlight, dust and even from viruses while waiting for a bus to arrive was unveiled on the streets of Seoul.  Starting Wednesday, the Seongdong-gu District Office runs smart bus shelters at its 10 busiest bus stations in the district to improve the public transit experience in and around the bus stop.  The district is the first to introduce a bus shelter equipped with ultraviolet light air sterilizers for preventing transmission of

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2020

New legislation levying steep taxes on owners of multiple homes and protecting the rights of tenants faces strong resistance from landlords and civic groups, despite the government’s commitment to stamp out housing speculation. Angry landlords are planning to hold a candlelight vigil in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, Aug. 15, which would be the latest in a series of rallies held to protest the government’s real estate policies. The organizers call themselves a “tax resistanc

Politics Aug. 6, 2020

The National Assembly on Tuesday approved a package of real estate-related bills that would introduce the heftiest-ever levy on homeowners, despite resistance from opposition lawmakers. A total of 11 bills passed through the parliament during Tuesday’s voting session pertaining to income tax, corporate tax and property ownership tax on multiple-home owners, as part of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s campaign to deliver nonhomeowners a better chance at owning a house. 　 C

Politics Aug. 4, 2020

Decentralization has been an important yet neglected issue in S. Korea, where half of the country’s population of 51.8 million people live in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area, which accounts for 11 percent of the nation’s total land area. In the early 2000s, iconoclastic president Roh Moo-hyun envisioned a new capital to be built near the geographic center of the country, but he was stopped by the Constitutional Court, which famously ruled that Seoul being the capital

Politics Aug. 3, 2020

Torrential rains pounded South Korea’s central regions over the weekend, leaving at least five dead, several missing and thousands forced to evacuate their homes. North Chungcheong Province and Gyeonggi Province were hit the hardest, with more than 200 millimeters of rain pouring down from Saturday evening till Sunday morning, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, in a meeting Sunday, directed ministries and provincial governments to tak

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2020