South Korea has demonstrated leading global citizenship since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has also been reminded of its shortcomings on cultural diversity, said Lim Hyun-mook, the Director of Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding. “I think that the Republic of Korea has much to be improved with respect to cultural diversity. As we saw in the recent case of some visitors to Itaewon establishments who tested positive for COVID-19, Korean society s

Social Affairs June 22, 2020

South Korea’s health authorities on Friday urged the public to hold back on outdoor activities or gathering in groups over the weekend to halt the virus spread that is increasingly taking place at restaurants and bars. Since last month there have been four small-scale outbreaks tied to restaurants and six linked to bars, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Transmissions are happening at eateries and pubs. … If there is a patient present, the

Social Affairs June 19, 2020

South Korea’s public health authorities on Wednesday anticipated that novel coronavirus infections will persist, regardless of the season, until a vaccine is developed. “Until a vaccine or treatment is here, we expect COVID-19 to stay for a long period, irrelevant to changes in temperature,” Jung Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a daily afternoon briefing. “COVID-19 is not abating even though it is summer. In fact,

Social Affairs June 17, 2020

South Korea confirmed 43 more novel coronavirus cases Wednesday, with five occurring in the central city of Daejeon, health authorities said Wednesday. Korea had a total of 12,198 infections, up 43 from the previous day, as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, recording a slight increase in its daily tally after it hovered in the 40s for three days, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One patient died from COVID-19, pushing the death toll to 279, the KCDC added. Community

Social Affairs June 17, 2020

[Diplomatic circuit] Mumtaz Zahra Baloch (right), ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to South Korea, shakes hands with Herald Corp. CEO and Publisher Kwon Chung-won during a courtesy visit to Herald Corp. headquarters in central Seoul on Tuesday.

Diplomatic Circuit June 16, 2020

South Korea’s public health authorities on Tuesday warned of the persistent danger of the novel coronavirus spreading widely in the Seoul area, even as the country recorded its lowest number of locally transmitted infections in two weeks. Health authorities urged the public to stay on guard to avoid a resurgence like the one seen in Beijing, as higher temperatures here are increasingly taking a toll on virus prevention efforts. Korea reported 34 coronavirus cases Tuesday, of which 21

Social Affairs June 16, 2020

One in 10 coronavirus infections here in the past two weeks had unknown sources, with a considerable proportion of them in Greater Seoul, health authorities said Monday. This is twice the proportion suggested by them as one of the standard metrics for maintaining “everyday life quarantine.” Among 618 coronavirus cases reported June 1-14, 63, or 10.2 percent, had transmission routes that were untraceable, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 80

Social Affairs June 15, 2020

The US Embassy in Seoul hung a banner on its building Saturday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has spread across the US, the embassy said Sunday. “The US Embassy stands in solidarity with fellow Americans grieving and peacefully protesting to demand positive change,” the embassy said on social media Saturday. “Our #BlackLivesMatter banner shows our support for the fight against racial injustice and police brutality as we strive to be a more inclusive &

Foreign Affairs June 14, 2020

Health authorities are doing all they can to trace and stop the chain of novel coronavirus transmissions, but without the public’s support and social distancing, the situation won’t get better, South Korean health authorities said Thursday. “The only way to stop the chain of virus breakouts in the capital area is your adherence to virus prevention and distancing rules,” said Yoon Tae-ho, a senior official at the Central Disaster Management Headquarters. “With con

Social Affairs June 11, 2020

Vibrant, and at times glitz and glam, South Korea’s nightlife scene attracts revelers from different age groups. And they haven’t stopped going out, even in an unprecedented global health emergency. But an employee at a karaoke bar in southern Seoul tested positive for COVID-19 in April, and since then outbreaks have occurred at other karaoke establishments as well as in the popular Seoul nightlife spot of Itaewon. These incidents have prompted Seoul and other municipalities to ord

Social Affairs June 10, 2020

One in four patients newly confirmed with the novel coronavirus in the past week were those aged 65 and over, the age bracket with the highest fatality rate, South Korea’s health authorities said Wednesday. Among patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between May 31-June 6, there were 74 people in the age group, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This was 24.7 times higher than three people recorded in the first week of May. “Elders should not go to me

Social Affairs June 10, 2020

South Korea’s new daily infections dropped to 38 on Monday, after hovering around 50 for a week, but health authorities warned the public to remain vigilant against community spread in the face of fresh outbreaks in the capital region. The slight decline did not offer relief, as infections tied to a table tennis club in Seoul spiraled, while eight people at a church-run shelter for the Korean Chinese in the capital tested positive for the virus. A high school senior, who had visited on

Social Affairs June 8, 2020

South Korea reported 38 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday after a week of daily figures in the 50s, health authorities said. Despite the decline, health authorities were on alert due to continued outbreaks in the capital region as well as the case of a high school senior who tested positive after visiting one of the biggest amusement parks in Seoul. As of Monday, the total number of coronavirus cases in Korea to date stood at 11,814 and the number of deaths remained unchanged from a day earli

Social Affairs June 8, 2020

Every June, South Korea commemorates the 1950-1953 Korean War that cemented the division of the Korean Peninsula.  This year marks the 70th anniversary of the war that began on June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded the South. Three foreign veterans are buried at the Seoul National Cemetery built to honor the brave soldiers and patriots who fought to defend Korea.  Two Chinese Korean veterans who fought on the front line during the Korean War are buried at the Graveyard for Foreigners

Defense June 6, 2020

The confluence of sporadic outbreaks in the capital area and untraceable infections have deepened public health concerns here, particularly as the fourth and last phase to reopening schools is scheduled next week, health authorities said Friday. In the past two weeks, mass infections in the community made up 73.2 percent, or 385 patients, while those whose transmission route was unknown came to 51 people, or 9.7 percent, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. &ldq

Social Affairs June 5, 2020