At least 56 people in the southern city of Seosan were injured Wednesday following an explosion at Lotte Chemical Corp.'s plant. Four company employees and residents were among those injured, Lotte said, adding that two of them have been hospitalized with serious burns. No deaths have been reported. "We are truly sorry for causing big concern among the public," Lotte Chemical CEO Lim Byung-yun said in a news conference. He said the company is doing its best to clean up the scene an

Social Affairs March 4, 2020

Hanjin KAL Corp., the holding company of logistics-centered Hanjin Group, recommended the group's heir apparent as a member of its boardroom ahead of a vote showdown this month amid a family feud over the throne of the group. Hanjin KAL Corp., which owns shares in Korean Air Lines Co., said its board members have suggested Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae and Korean Air Chief Financial Officer Ha Eun-yong as executive directors at the holding firm, the company said in a statement. "The

Mobility March 4, 2020

Nearly two-thirds of foreign firms in South Korea expect their sales to drop due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, a poll showed Wednesday. The survey of 150 foreign-invested corporations showed 67.3 percent of the respondents anticipating a decline in their shipments due to the fast-spreading epidemic. The survey was conducted on foreign firms with a workforce of 100 or more between Feb. 17 and 21 by the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI), the research arm of the Federation of Ko

Industry March 4, 2020

A total of 92 countries and territories were imposing entry restrictions or stricter quarantine procedures on people from coronavirus-hit South Korea on Wednesday, with Qatar being the latest to slap an entry ban. As of 9 a.m., 38 countries and territories barred the entry of travelers who have visited Korea in at least the past two weeks, according to the foreign ministry website. Qatar began to enforce an entry ban starting Monday on foreigners with a record of visits to South Korea, China,

Foreign Affairs March 4, 2020

Three more service personnel tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the military to 34 on Wednesday, the defense ministry said. Two of the new COVID-19 cases were from the Army -- a rank-and-file soldier and an officer in Yongin, 50 kilometers south of Seoul -- and the other was an officer at a unit under the direct control of the ministry in the central city of Daejeon, it said. Of the total, 19 were in the Army, 11 in the Air Force, two in

Defense March 4, 2020

South Korea reported 516 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the nation's total number of infections to 5,328, with the outbreak in the southeastern city of Daegu, the hotspot here, showing little sign of a slowdown. So far, 32 people, mostly elderly patients with underlying illnesses, have died in South Korea from the respiratory virus that emerged in China late last year, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said. About 60 percent of confirmed cases ha

Social Affairs March 4, 2020

Global super band BTS debuted three of its new songs on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for this week on Wednesday while topping a string of other Billboard charts with its new album, "Map of the Soul: 7." According to the weekly Billboard chart updates, "ON," the lead track of "7," ranked 4th on the Hot 100 chart dated March 7, as previously announced by the music magazine. It was BTS' first top 5 hit on the Hot 100. "My Time," a solo song by Jungk

K-pop March 4, 2020

  The debt owed by households and small businesses in South Korea rose at one of the world's fastest rates in 2019 in terms of its ratio to the country's gross domestic product (GDP), data showed Wednesday. According to the data from the Bank for International Settlement, outstanding debt extended to households and small businesses here came to 1,790.5 trillion won ($1.5 trillion) as of the end of September, up 4.5 percent from a year earlier. The rate of increase was the 25th-highest am

Economy March 4, 2020

South Korea's foreign exchange (FX) reserves dropped slightly from a month earlier in February, central bank data showed Wednesday, largely on the strengthening of the US dollar that reduced the dollar value of the country's reserves held in other currencies. The country's FX reserves came to $409.17 billion as of end-February, down $480 million from the record high of $409.65 billion tallied a month before, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The BOK attributed the drop to the

Market March 4, 2020

SEOUL/SEOSAN -- At least 31 people in the southern city of Seosan were injured Wednesday following an explosion at Lotte Chemical Corp.'s plant here. The fire broke out following an explosion at 2:59 a.m. at the Lotte affiliate's plant in South Chungcheong Province, according to fire officials. No death has been reported so far. The fire was mostly put out by 5:12 a.m., after 240 fire fighters and 38 vehicles were mobilized in a major fire response. Lotte Chemical said the explosion occurred

Social Affairs March 4, 2020

  러시아 극동 자치공화국의 한 도시가 반려견 주인들에게 이른바 '애견세'를 물리는 방안을 추진하자 러시아 국가두마(연방 하원) 일각에서 반론이 제기되는 등 논란이 가열되고 있다. 3일 인테르팍스 통신 등에 따르면 사하(야쿠티야)공화국의 수도인 야쿠츠크시 사르다나 압크센티예바 시장은 최근 시 의회에서 이런 내용을 담은 조례안 제정 방침을 공개했다. 압크센티예바 시장은 "유럽의 여러 국가에서 동물들에 대한 과세가 있다"며 반려견을 기르는 주민들에게 세금이나 수수료를 부과하는 방안을 검토하겠다고 조례안 추진 방침을 설명했다. 실제 독일 등 일부 국가에서는 반려견을 키우는 사람에게 세금을 부과하고 있다. 무책임하게 동물을 입양해 유기하는 것을 막자는 취지에서다. 압크센티예바 시장은 떠돌이견을 관리(포획·검역·접종)하는 데 쓰이는 돈이 지역 아동들을 위한 보조금보다 많이 든다면서 의견 수렴을 위한 토론회를 열겠다고도 했다. 러시

한국어판 March 4, 2020

"갑자기 학숙 운영을 중단하겠다고 통보하면 어디로 가라고요?" 경북 안동에 사는 김모(20)씨는 대구의 한 4년제 대학교 입학을 앞두고 도에서 마련한 A학숙에 들어갈 예정이었다. 교내 기숙사에도 합격했지만 A학숙 생활비가 저렴하고 숙식도 제공한다는 장점 때문에 이곳을 택했다. 그러나 입사를 불과 1주일 남긴 지난 2일 A학숙이 '신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19) 생활치료센터로 지정됨에 따라 운영을 중단한다'는 연락을 받았다. 당장 수백만 원에 달하는 보증금을 구해야 하는 어려움에 부닥쳤다. 김씨는 "학교 주변 자취방 보증금이 400만∼500만원인데 이 목돈을 당장 어디서 구해야 하는지 모르겠다"며 "대학 근처 원룸도 일찌감치 계약을 끝낸 곳이 많아 빈방이 없다"고 말했다. 그는 "코로나19 사태가 긴박하게 돌아가는 것은 알지만 이런 식으로 대안없이 통보하면 당사자들은 어떻게 하라는 건지 모르겠다&

한국어판 March 4, 2020

신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19)이 확산되면서 영국에서도 인종차별 범죄가 발생하고 있다. 3일(현지시간) 스카이 뉴스에 따르면 싱가포르 출신으로 영국에서 대학을 다니고 있는 조너선 목(23) 씨는 페이스북을 통해 자신이 폭행당한 사실을 털어놨다. 목 씨는 지난달 24일 오후 9시 15분께 런던 최중심 가인 옥스퍼드 가를 걷고 있었다. 자신이 지나갈 때 여러 명의 남성과 한 명의 여성이 속한 무리가 "코로나바이러스"라고 말하는 것을 들은 목씨가 이들을 쳐다보자 무리는 갑자기 목씨를 폭행하기 시작했다. 무리 중 한 명은 목씨에게 "너의 코로나바이러스가 우리나라에 있는 것을 원하지 않는다"며 주먹을 날리기도 했다. 이로 인해 목씨는 안면 골절 부상을 입었고, 재건수술을 받아야 할 수도 있다고 전했다. 런던경찰청은 인종차별적 가중폭행 사건에 대한 조사를 시작했으며, 용의자들을 확인하기 위해 폐쇄회로(CC)TV 등을 살펴보고 있다고 밝혔다

한국어판 March 4, 2020

A string of blossom festivals that symbolize the onset of spring in South Korea have been canceled this year amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak here. The city of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, said last week that it will cancel this spring's Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, originally set to begin on March 27. It was the first cancellation of the festival, one of the biggest spring outdoor events in South Korea, in its 58-year history. Featuring blooming cherry trees in the city and a s

Social Affairs March 3, 2020

A grenade exploded on a Navy vessel during a maritime firing drill off the southern coast on Tuesday, wounding seven sailors, two of them seriously, the Navy said. The explosion occurred for unidentified reasons at around 12:20 p.m. on the 130-ton Chamsuri-class patrol killer boat affiliated with the Third Fleet in waters near Geoje Island, according to the Navy. Two were wounded seriously, though the injuries are not life-threatening, while five others sustained light wounds, the Navy said

Defense March 3, 2020