Nearly half of new COVID-19 cases in South Korea over the past two weeks were breakthrough infections, health authorities said Tuesday. There were 8,336 breakthrough cases out of 17,325 new COVID-19 patients, or 48.1 percent, between Oct. 17 and Oct. 30, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Breakthrough infections are those who test positive even after receiving the full-dose vaccine regimen. The rate of breakthrough cases occurring in people aged in their 70s was the h

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2021

South Korea's financial watchdog is closely monitoring the recent fast-rising interest rates banks impose on loans, its head said Tuesday, amid the government's beefed-up efforts to tighten regulations on household borrowing. Jeong Eun-bo, chief of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), made the remarks amid complaints that some top-tier banks are imposing higher interest rates on loans than cooperative banks, an unusual reversal of borrowing costs. "Interest rates are determined by the

Economy Nov. 9, 2021

South Korea's No. 2 retailer Shinsegae Inc. said Tuesday that its third-quarter net income steeply increased as its department store business got a boost from pent-up demand amid the extended coronavirus pandemic. Net income came to 188.9 billion won ($160.3 million) on a consolidated basis in the July-September period, sharply up from a profit of 858 million won a year ago, according to a corporate regulatory filing. Operating income rose 307.1 percent on-year to 102.4 billion won, and sales

Industry Nov. 9, 2021

Unionized construction workers on Tuesday called upon the government to come up with measures to resolve the urea water solution crisis, claiming the shortage of the material essential to diesel vehicles threatens their livelihoods. The Korean Construction Workers' Union urged the government to promptly resolve the lack of urea water supply, punish hoarding of the material and aid construction workers facing difficulties operating their equipment due to the crisis. "My urea water reserves

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2021

The labor ministry has recognized that a workplace bullying incident occurred within e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. early this year, refuting a finding reached by the company through an internal probe, the company's union said Tuesday. In response to a petition filed by a Coupang logistics center worker, the ministry's branch office in northern Incheon, west of Seoul, concluded a supervisor's reprimanding of a worker's job performance in connection with union activities constitutes workplace bul

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2021

Some sleet was witnessed on the mountains on the outskirts of Seoul on Tuesday due to a sudden drop in temperatures but fell short of being recorded as the first snow of the season, the state weather agency said. The weather became as cold as winter amid light rainfall in the morning, raising expectations for the first snow of the season in the capital. Indeed, some sleet fell on suburban Seoul mountains, such as Dobong, Bukhan and Gwanak, where temperatures were lower than in the downtown and

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2021

South Korea is expected to send an Air Force transport aircraft to Australia this week to import 27,000 liters of urea water solution, a military source said Tuesday, in an effort to ease a supply shortage of the fluid. A KC-330 tanker transport plane is expected to take off at Gimhae International Airport in the southeastern port city of Busan on Wednesday, the source said, noting details for the operation of the plane have yet to be finalized. The mobilization of the plane comes amid the gov

Defense Nov. 9, 2021

President Moon Jae-in will attend a virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this week during which he will focus on the pandemic recovery and vaccine donations, a presidential spokesperson said Tuesday. Leaders of the 21-nation APEC will hold the virtual summit Friday, with the region's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chains and carbon neutrality expected to be high on the agenda. During the summit, Moon plans to emphasize South Korea's role

Politics Nov. 9, 2021

South Korea's top military officer embarked on a weeklong trip to Belgium and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday to promote bilateral defense exchanges and cooperation, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. During his visit to Brussels from Wednesday to Friday, JCS Chairman Gen. Won In-choul plans to meet senior officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including Military Committee Chairman Adm. Rob Bauer. Won is also scheduled to hold talks with European Union Militar

Defense Nov. 9, 2021

South Korea is closely monitoring signs of North Korea's reopening of its border long closed due to the coronavirus, a unification ministry official said Tuesday, amid reports a train in operation was spotted in the region bordering China. Local media broadcast footage of a train crossing the bridge over the Amnok River connecting Sinuiju in North Korea to the Chinese port city of Dandong on Monday, saying it appears to be a test operation ahead of an imminent border reopening. Yet, Seoul's un

North Korea Nov. 9, 2021

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday it will try to provide COVID-19 relief handouts to all people in January after earmarking the money in the next year's national budget despite opposition from the government and its rival party.  The DP plans to use this year's excess tax revenue to fund its universal relief grant scheme. If the government does not issue additional state bonds, the party believes 200,000-250,000 won ($170-$210) can be given to each person. "We will try

Politics Nov. 9, 2021

The agricultural ministry said Tuesday it is investigating suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from a local farm as it issued a nationwide standstill order to help contain its spread. The suspected cases of the avian influenza were reported from a quail farm in the central county of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It is the first time in about seven months that suspected bird flu cases were reported from a farm,

Social Affairs Nov. 9, 2021

The justice ministry announced Tuesday it has come up with a law revision to allow capable singles to become eligible for full adoptions. The ministry said it plans to submit the bill to revise the current civil law to allow singles 25 and older capable of supporting the well-being of an adoptee to become eligible for full adoptions. According to the current law, full adoptions, which cuts off all legal ties of an adoptee with the original family, are allowed only for married couples, while s

Politics Nov. 9, 2021

Doosan Bears' left-hander Ariel Miranda has been named South Korean baseball's top player for October, the month in which he also set an all-time strikeout record for a season. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Tuesday that the Cuban ace beat five other candidates for the Player of the Month honor for the final month of the regular season. Miranda earned 15 out of 32 votes from media, and 144,942 out of 277,106 online votes cast by fans. He went 2-0 in five October starts and re

Baseball Nov. 9, 2021

South Korea's tax agency said Tuesday it has launched probes into suspected tax evasion by 30 people who pocketed corporate profits for personal gains or handed down wealth to their children by illegal means. The National Tax Service (NTS) said it has cracked down on corporate chiefs and their family members who allegedly misused corporate profits or made illegal off-shore tax evasions and capital transactions. Of them, nine people made illegal property-related transactions or traded intangibl

Economy Nov. 9, 2021