United Cities and Local Governments Secretary-General Emilia Saiz will visit the city of Daejeon to check preparations for the 2022 UCLG World Congress in October, the city government said Wednesday. Saiz and other representatives from the UCLG will stay in South Korea from Sunday to April 7 to meet with the working group here to discuss detailed plans for the upcoming event and undertake field tours to inspect related venues. The UCLG World Congress is a large-scale international event, thr

Foreign Affairs March 30, 2022

The number of severe COVID-19 cases in South Korea hit another record high during the 24 hours of Sunday, the country’s health authorities said Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country’s severe cases reached an all-time high of 1,273, increasing 57 from the previous day’s 1,216. The bed occupancy rate for COVID-19 patients also reached 70 percent, up 2.2 percentage points from the previous day, as the number of severe cases remained

Social Affairs March 28, 2022

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases have decreased for four straight days, according to data reported by the country’s health authorities, Sunday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country recorded 318,130 COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Saturday, staying below 400,000 for the fourth consecutive day. The total caseload reached 11,815,841. The country’s daily COVID-19 cases have been decreasing since Tuesday, when the figure surpassed

Social Affairs March 27, 2022

South Korea reported the highest number of daily COVID-19 deaths during the 24 hours of Wednesday, the country’s health authorities said Thursday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 470 deaths in a single day, breaking the previous record of 429 reported a week ago. The total deaths from COVID-19 reached 13,902. Of the total, 7,130 deaths were reported between February and March, along with the rapid spread of the omicron variant here. The

Social Affairs March 24, 2022

South Korea added nearly 500,000 daily COVID-19 cases during the 24 hours of Tuesday, pushing the country’s accumulated figure over the 10 million mark. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country’s daily COVID-19 cases reached 490,881, the second-highest daily tally, after 621,205 cases reported Thursday last week. The country’s accumulated caseload surpassed 10,427,247, which accounts for around 20 percent of the country’s total populat

Social Affairs March 23, 2022

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections jumped back up above 350,000 on Monday, the country’s health authorities said Tuesday, while the rapid spread of the stealth omicron variant cast doubt on the government’s projection that the peak of the current wave is ending. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 353,980 new COVID-19 cases during the 24 hours of Monday, rising sharply from 209,169 reported a day earlier. The total caseload c

Social Affairs March 22, 2022

South Korea‘s daily COVID-19 infections fell below 300,000 for the first time in 10 days on Sunday, prompting the authorities to speculate that the worst may be over. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 209,169 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday. The country’s total caseload came to 9,582,815. South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases have been dropping for four straight days since the country reached an all-time high of 621,281 COVID-19

Social Affairs March 21, 2022

As the highly transmissible omicron variant continues to surge, South Korea’s cumulative number of COVID-19 infections nears 10 million since the country reported its first confirmed case around 26 months ago. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency‘s report on Sunday, the country added 334,708 new COVID-19 cases during the 24 hours of Saturday. The country’s total caseload neared 10 million at 9,373,646 as of midnight Saturday, accounting for some 20

Social Affairs March 20, 2022

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections surged to surpass 600,000 for the first time, the country’s health authorities reported Thursday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 621,328 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Wednesday. The total caseload also jumped to 8,250,592. South Korea has been the world‘s largest COVID-19 hot spot in recent days. According to statistics-tracking website Worldometer, the country’s da

Social Affairs March 17, 2022

North Korea on Wednesday fired an unidentified projectile, in its first launch since the conservative People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol’s win in the March 9 presidential election. But, the launch appears to have failed immediately after liftoff, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. According to South Korea’s military, North Korea launched the projectile at 9:30 a.m. from an airfield in Sunan, an airfield outside the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. The projectile,

North Korea March 16, 2022

Parents in South Korea are wary of a government plan to vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 against COVID-19 starting later this month, with many worried about the potential side effects. The government on Monday announced that it will begin inoculating children in that age group on March 31 at around 1,200 designated medical facilities. Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty, which was approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for child vaccination last month, is expected to be used.

Social Affairs March 15, 2022

South Korea will make COVID-19 vaccinations available to children aged between 5 and 11 later this month, the government announced Monday. According to Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol‘s announcement at a COVID-19 response meeting Monday, the government will begin inoculating children on March 31 at around 1,200 designated medical facilities. The country’s health authorities will take reservations from March 24, Jeon added. Jeon said the government’s decision came amid an i

Social Affairs March 14, 2022

South Korea‘s daily COVID-19 infections stayed over 350,000 for two days in a row, government data showed, Sunday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country reported 350,190 new COVID-19 cases during the 24 hours of Saturday. The daily tally was slightly down from the all-time high of 383,665 seen the previous day. The decrease was likely due to fewer people being tested during the weekend. Of the locally transmitted cases reported, infections from Seoul a

Social Affairs March 13, 2022

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases have surpassed 300,000 for two days straight, government data showed Thursday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 327,549 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Wednesday, slightly down from the previous day. The country’s daily infections first topped the 300,000 mark a day earlier with 342,446 cases, the country’s current record-high tally. The daily tally currently appears to go beyon

Social Affairs March 10, 2022

The ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea’s Lee Jae-myung and the conservative People Power Party’s Yoon Suk-yeol are running neck and neck in the presidential election, exit polls showed Wednesday evening. According to an exit poll conducted by the country’s three major broadcast companies -- SBS, KBS and MBC -- the People Power Party’s Yoon is expected to take over 48.4 percent of the vote, edging out his competitor Lee at 47.8 percent. On the other hand, accordi

Politics March 9, 2022