Five people who went to a theater in Seoul last month have tested positive for COVID-19, the first time an infection has been confirmed among audience members, the city government said Friday. The five are among 22 confirmed COVID-19 patients traced to the theater in Jongno Ward. The first case was reported in a theater personnel member on June 29. "This is the first time we have confirmed infections among members of an audience at a theater, which we manage separately in case of cluster

Social Affairs July 9, 2021

The retail, hospitality and other service sectors in the wider capital area are expected to suffer another setback as the highest level of social distancing rules will be implemented amid the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, industry watchers said Friday. Under the Level 4 guidelines to go into effect Monday for two weeks in Seoul, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western port city of Incheon, entertainment establishments, including night clubs, will be ordered to shut down, while

Social Affairs July 9, 2021

The upcoming ban on private gatherings of three or more people in the greater Seoul area is driving owners of restaurants, bars, cafes and many other small businesses into utter despair. On Friday, the government announced a decision to put the capital area under the toughest social distancing rules of Level 4, halving the maximum number of people allowed for private gatherings to a mere two. Under the unprecedented restrictions set to be in effect for two weeks beginning Monday, gatherings of

Social Affairs July 9, 2021

Unionized workers at Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., South Korea's top shipbuilder, have decided to extend their ongoing walkout for another week to up the ante in their wage negotiations with the management as the company urged them to return to work, the labor union said Friday. The unionized workers were to end the strike on the day, which started Tuesday, occupying a shipbuilding crane in Ulsan, 414 kilometers southeast of Seoul, after the wage deal fell through. In response to the walkout,

Industry July 9, 2021

South Korea's electricity consumption continued to rise in May amid an accelerating economic rebound, data showed Friday. Asia's fourth-largest economy used 40,842 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power in May, up 6.6 percent from a year ago, according to the data from the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO). It marked the seventh consecutive month for the power consumption to increase on-year. By segment, power consumption of the industrial sector rebounded a whopping 10.3 percent, and that of shops a

Economy July 9, 2021

South Korea's leading steelmaker POSCO estimated Friday its second-quarter operating profit hit the highest point in 15 years on robust demand amid a global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating profit for the April-June quarter jumped to 2.2 trillion won (US$1.9 billion) from 121.2 billion won during the same period of last year, the company said in a regulatory filing. It marked the highest quarterly operating profit since 2006, when the steelmaker reported its quarterly ea

Industry July 9, 2021

The main opposition party outstripped the rival ruling party in public support for the first time since a major corruption scandal involving former conservative President Park Geun-hye about five years ago, an opinion poll showed Friday. The latest survey by Gallup Korea showed the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) garnered 32 percent of support while the ruling Democratic Party (DP) had 31 percent. The poll was conducted on 1,000 voters nationwide from Tuesday-Thursday. T

Politics July 9, 2021

All schools in the greater Seoul area will switch to virtual instruction full-time, as the government decided to raise the virus alert level to the highest next week amid record-breaking COVID-19 cases. The measure will go into effect Wednesday at schools in Seoul, Incheon, 40 kilometers west of the capital, and Gyeonggi Province until July 25, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said during a briefing Friday. Cram schools should shut down at 10 p.m. starting Monday. School summer vacation normally

Social Affairs July 9, 2021

The US Forces Korea (USFK) decided to implement tougher antivirus rules for two weeks, banning visits to bars and clubs and mandating mask wearing, amid the fast spread of the pandemic in South Korea, the US military said Friday. South Korea has seen a drastic surge in the daily COVID-19 caseload over the past several days, reporting the highest-ever figure on Friday since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. The Seoul government decided to impose the toughest social distancing scheme in the

Social Affairs July 9, 2021

Two members of the South Korean baseball club NC Dinos have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, forcing the league to cancel two games scheduled for Friday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the game between the Dinos and the Kiwoom Heroes set to take place at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Friday evening will be rescheduled for a later date. Another game in Seoul, between the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, has also been canceled out of precaution, becau

Social Affairs July 9, 2021

A Japanese-language album by superband BTS has received a million-seller certification in Japan, the group's agency said Friday. "BTS, The Best," the seven-piece band's album released in the Asian country in June, received the certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, according to Big Hit Music. It is the first million-seller certified album in Japan this year. For BTS, it is their first album to receive the million-seller certification by the industry associatio

K-pop July 9, 2021

Professional sports games and Olympic football tuneup matches in the greater Seoul area will be played without spectators starting next week, under heightened social distancing rules in place in the region. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and the Korea Professional Football League (K League) both announced Friday that games in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will be held behind closed doors. Earlier in the day, the government announced it will place Seoul and its nearby regions, cov

Olympic Games July 9, 2021

President Moon Jae-in will hold an emergency inter-agency meeting to discuss the COVID-19 crisis in the greater Seoul area early next week, his office said Friday. Moon instructed that the "special" session be convened at Cheong Wa Dae on Monday, according to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee. Participants will include Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun, as well as Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and Jeong Eun-kyeong, head

Politics July 9, 2021

Ham Sang-wook, deputy foreign minister for multilateral affairs, met senior officials of the Republic of the Congo to discuss bilateral ties and economic cooperation during his trip there this week, the foreign ministry said Friday. On Wednesday, Ham paid courtesy calls on Foreign Minister Jean-Claude Gakosso and Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso, the minister of international cooperation and promotion of public-private partnership. Ham's trip to the capital city of Brazzaville was designed to dee

Foreign Affairs July 9, 2021

Military prosecutors have indicted 10 people over the death of an Air Force sexual harassment victim following a monthlong investigation into a string of irregularities that led to the noncommissioned officer taking her own life, the defense ministry said Friday. The number of officials to stand trial could further rise as a dozen others are still under investigation, the ministry said, announcing the interim results of its probe into the incident that sparked an intense public outcry over the

Social Affairs July 9, 2021