South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 7,000 for the second consecutive day Sunday, but critical cases hit an all-time high again, deepening concerns over medical capacity amid the continued spread of the new omicron variant. The country added 6,689 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 517,271, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections soared to a record high of 7,174 cases on Wednesday and remained above 7,000 for the follo

Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2021

  President Moon Jae-in called Saturday for speeding up booster shots for the elderly as the country struggles to tackle the fast spread of coronavirus infections, including cases of the new omicron variant. The country added 6,977 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 510,538, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections soared to a record high of 7,174 cases on Wednesday and remained above 7,000 for the following two days. Th

Politics Dec. 11, 2021

  Seven out of 10 South Koreans believe the government's "living with COVID-19" campaign has elevated the risk of virus transmission, according to a poll released Saturday. The survey -- commissioned by a research team led by Prof. Yoo Myung-soon of Seoul National University's graduate school of public health -- found that 69 percent of respondents said they saw the public risk related to COVID-19 as having increased after implementation of the scheme aimed at returning to norm

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2021

  South Korean stocks are likely to undergo volatility next week due to uncertainty about the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting and the latest spike in COVID-19 cases, analysts said Saturday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 3,010.23 points Friday, up 1.41 percent from 2,968.33 points a week ago. The key stock index gained for the seventh straight session Thursday amid expectations of chip price hikes and eased concerns about the new omicron

Market Dec. 11, 2021

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 7,000 for the first time in four days Saturday as the country struggles to tackle the fast spread of infections, including the new omicron variant cases. The country added 6,977 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total caseload to 510,538, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections soared to a record high of 7,174 cases on Wednesday and remained above 7,000 for the following two days. The number of

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2021

President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea is an "exemplary testament" to the value of democracy, citing the Korean people's struggle against authoritarianism and move for peaceful revolutions. Moon made the remarks at a virtual democracy summit of leaders of more than 110 countries hosted by US President Joe Biden. The summit was a campaign promise of Biden, who has prioritized achieving the goal of rallying the nations of the world against the forces of authoritarianism. K

National Dec. 10, 2021

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), called on the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Friday to agree to immediately execute its own proposal to spend 100 trillion won ($85 billion) on compensating small businesses hit by the pandemic. Lee suggested the rival parties jointly pass a supplementary budget through a provisional session of the National Assembly this month to fund the payments. "When it comes to people's livelihoods, there is no

Politics Dec. 10, 2021

South Korean stocks ended their seven-session winning streak on Friday as investor sentiment was hurt by concerns that the latest spike in COVID-19 cases could sap an economic recovery. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 19.34 points, or 0.64 percent, to close at 3,010.23 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 444 million shares worth some 8.1 trillion won ($6.9 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 418 to 4

Market Dec. 10, 2021

A high-school student and others filed a constitutional petition Friday against the government's plan to expand the COVID-19 vaccine pass program to teenagers next year. Starting February, the government plans to require not only adults but also children aged 12 to 18 to present COVID-19 vaccination or negative test certificates at multiuse facilities, including public study rooms and cram schools. The plan was announced last week along with toughened gathering restrictions amid the latest vir

Social Affairs Dec. 10, 2021

Krafton Inc., a South Korean gaming giant, said Friday that its global smash hit "PUBG: Battlegrounds" will be going free to play starting next month. The game will start a free-to-play mode on all platforms, including computers and consoles, on Jan. 12, 2022, to enable more people to enjoy the battle royale style game, Krafton said. The global-hit game, in which users fight to remain the last person alive, launched in 2017 as a paid game. It has quickly gained global popularity, s

Technology Dec. 10, 2021

South Korea has successfully conducted key performance tests of a homegrown ship-based guided missile ahead of its deployment next year, the state-run defense quality assessment agency and Navy officials said Friday. The Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ) said that the missile, called the Haegung, hit the intended target in two tests, one conducted on Wednesday and one Friday. Haegung means sea bow in Korean. The missile is designed to intercept incoming missiles or shoot down

Defense Dec. 10, 2021

INCHEON -- Prosecutors sought a five-year prison sentence Friday for a former high school teacher charged with luring one of her students into having sex with her. The former teacher at a high school in Incheon, west of Seoul, was indicted on charges of sexually abusing the student by having sex with him multiple times between 2019 and 2020 when she was the student's homeroom teacher. In April this year, the Incheon District Court sentenced her to 1 1/2 years in prison, suspended for three yea

Social Affairs Dec. 10, 2021

Hanwha Engineering and Construction Corp. has been picked as the preferred bidder for a project to build a new major sports and convention industry complex in southeastern Seoul, the city government announced Friday. Seoul aims to develop some 350,000 square meters around Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul's southeastern Songpa Ward into a comprehensive commercial complex encompassing a wide range of sectors, including sports, MICE, culture and shopping through private investments. MICE refers to

Industry Dec. 10, 2021

South Korean boy group Monsta X released a new English-language album Friday for its international fans, the group's management agency said. The full-length album titled "The Dreaming" hit various music services at midnight, Starship Entertainment said. It is the group's second English album after "All Above Luv" released in February 2020. "This album will once again make us realize that all of us, some of whom have lost lots of things and some others have found hope

K-pop Dec. 10, 2021

South Korea's Defense Minister Suh Wook instructed senior military officials Friday to "strictly" maintain political neutrality ahead of next year's presidential poll, casting the armed forces as "the last bulwark of national defense." Suh made the remarks during a year-end meeting of top commanders from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as the country's political parties are quickening their preparations for the March 9 presidential election. "I emphasize th

Defense Dec. 10, 2021