The latest resurgence in COVID-19 infections in South Korea slowed down on Sunday, according to government data Monday. The resurgence, however, is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, coinciding with the summer holiday season, as well as the Chuseok holiday in early September. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s report on Monday, the country added 62,078 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday. The daily tally reported during the 24 hours of Sunday was

Social Affairs Aug. 15, 2022

Nearly 60 people died with the COVID-19 virus Wednesday, the highest in around three months, and is expected to keep rising along with cases. According to data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Thursday, South Korea added 59 deaths from the virus during the previous day, the highest since May 11, when the government added 63 deaths. The death toll came to 25,441, and the fatality rate was 0.12 percent. Health authorities added 89.8 percent or 53 deaths were

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2022

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections surpassed 150,000, reaching a four-month high since April, the government announced Wednesday. The number of critically ill patients also topped 400, amid a prolonged resurgence fueled by the fast spread of a highly contagious omicron strain. “The speed at which COVID-19 spreads is accelerating again,” Lee Ki-il, a deputy health minister, said during a COVID-19 response meeting on Wednesday. The country added 151,792 new COVID-19 case

Social Affairs Aug. 10, 2022

Monday’s record-breaking downpour was caused by an unusual rainband formation over the Korean Peninsula, experts say, with more rain on the way. Every year, South Korea suffers heavy rainfall in the period between July and August, during which almost two thirds of annual rainfall occurs. A rainband generally comes between June and July, while another one may occur in late August or early September. It is rather unusual for the second rainband to come in early August, particularly a stro

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2022

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Tuesday morning visited an apartment complex in Sadang-dong in Seoul to survey the area, after torrential rain hit Seoul and the surrounding areas from late Monday into the next morning. As part of the city’s emergency response, Oh inspected the embankment installed in the Kukdong Apartment complex that collapsed due to a landslide, according to the Seoul city government. There have been no reports of injury as a result of the collapse. Residents living in the

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2022

The South Korean government could reinstate electronic travel authorization in Jeju, following a number of cases involving foreign visitors overstaying their tourist visas. The Ministry of Justice confirmed Monday that the government plans to introduce the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) for the island. A spokesperson of the ministry, however, added it would still collect opinions from representatives from Jeju’s tourism organizations before making the final decision. Th

Social Affairs Aug. 8, 2022

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday that he would discuss with President Yoon Suk-yeol about granting pardons to business executives, including Samsung’s de-facto chief and heir Lee Jae-yong, on the occasion of Liberation Day on Aug. 15. It was the first time for the prime minister to officially mention that he would take the issue to the president. Han said, “I will propose them (pardons),” in response to Rep. Park Sung-joong’s question at a parliamentary inte

Politics Aug. 6, 2022

The South Korean government will introduce a reservation system for polymerase chain reaction tests amid a resurgence fueled by a highly contagious omicron subvariant, the government said Friday. The government also noted it would continue to secure additional hospital beds, while recommending local hospitals to spend more on oral antiviral pills for critically ill COVID-19 patients. According to a COVID-19 response meeting held on Friday, the government will allow people to make reservation

Social Affairs Aug. 5, 2022

The minimum hourly wage for next year has been finalized at 9,620 won ($7.38), up 5 percent, or 460 won, from this year, unchanged from the Minimum Wage Commission’s earlier decision, the Labor Ministry said Friday. The ministry officially published the 2023 minimum wage in the government gazette at 9 a.m. The new minimum wage translates to a monthly wage of 2.02 million won, when an individual works 209 hours a month. This will apply equally across all industries. Earlier on June 29,

Social Affairs Aug. 5, 2022

Former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung was discharged from prison on Thursday after he completed a 3 1/2 year-long prison term for raping his female secretary. An, who came out of the Yeoju Correctional Institution in Gyeonggi Province early in the morning, was greeted by some 60 friends and acquaintances who were waiting in front of the prison. The former governor was convicted on charges of sexually assaulting an official under his charge and sexual assault through abuse o

Politics Aug. 4, 2022

The South Korean government has backed away from plans it announced just days ago to lower the age at which children begin school to 5, but without actually scrapping the policy. Rep. Kang Deuk-gu of the Democratic Party on Wednesday unveiled a survey of 131,070 parents, students and school teaching staff, which showed 97.9 percent disapproved of the reform. The survey, conducted between Monday and early Wednesday, said 95.2 percent of the respondents were strongly against the reform. About

Social Affairs Aug. 3, 2022

The ruling People Power Party, which has been embroiled in an internal power struggle over its leadership, is expected to appoint interim party leaders soon. The ruling party on Tuesday decided to convene a meeting of the party‘s national committee, in which it would discuss switching to an emergency leadership system, where they are also likely to appoint interim party runners. A national committee meeting is expected to take place as early as Friday or next week. Four out of seven

Politics Aug. 2, 2022

South Korea’s Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong said on Sunday evening that the country could consider implementing ride-sharing services like Uber to fight off the country’s dire nighttime taxi shortage. During a speech posted to his personal YouTube channel, Won said the government would first try other measures to relieve the taxi shortage and, if unsolved, may introduce car- and ride-sharing services as “last resort.” Uber entered South Korea in 2013, but withdrew

Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2022

A proposal to allow all children to enter elementary school one year earlier at 5 years old, starting as early as 2025, has been met with support and criticism from the education sector. On Friday, Education Minister Park Soon-ae directly reported the reform of the school system, which would require amending the country’s education law, to President Yoon Suk-yeol at the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. Yoon ordered Park to push for the reform “immediately,” a

Social Affairs July 31, 2022

President Yoon Suk-yeol traveled to the southeastern port city of Ulsan to join a ceremony to celebrate the launch of the country’s first 8,200-ton Aegis destroyer, the Jeongjo the Great destroyer, on Thursday. “We have now become capable of building a world-class Aegis destroyer with our own technologies,” Yoon celebrated the launch of the new destroyer, during his speech at the ceremony held at the shipyard of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, joined by some 150 people, in

Defense July 28, 2022