South Korea’s new cases of the novel coronavirus dropped below 30 for the first time in five days on a slowdown in infections tied to a logistics center outbreak, health authorities said Sunday. Despite the decline in the daily virus tally, the threat of the virus has risen particularly in the capital region, which has seen cluster infections in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in central Seoul, and Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, according to Health Minister Park Neung-hoo. “Th

Amid a steady rise in the number of foreigners residing in Korea, four additional centers for immigrants are to open for one-stop services, the government said Tuesday. The new “Multicultural Immigrants Centers” will be established in different areas with a relatively large population of multinational residents -- one each in North Chungcheong Province and South Jeolla Province and two in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. “Among the four areas, Eumseo

The Seoul Metropolitan Government looks set to inject an additional 232.8 billion won ($188.4 million) into its emergency disaster relief fund after failing to accurately predict the number of beneficiaries. The city’s budget for the project, aimed at helping low-income citizens to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, will increase to 560 billion won, up 71.2 percent from the initial 327.1 billion won. To secure the extra funds, the city plans to submit another supplementary budget to the c

Life is getting back to some semblance of normality in South Korea, with people out and about on the streets and in parks, students returning to school in stages, and public transportation crammed during rush hours. Also getting back into gear is the police’s war against drunk driving. Police, who in the past months could only sparingly test drivers’ breath for alcohol due to virus fears, are now employing a new tool -- non-contact DUI testing equipment that does not require dri

Those riding public transportation in South Korea are required to have their masks on, as part of a new measure, effective Tuesday, to prevent community spread of the novel coronavirus, health authorities said Monday. The Central Disaster Management Headquarters said the face-covering mandate affects both passengers and staff on buses, taxis and subways. Masks are deemed critical in curbing COVID-19 here. Airline passengers on board all domestic and international flights will be instructed t

South Korea’s tally of coronavirus infections rose by 20 on Friday, with community spread of the disease lingering, health authorities said. Counting the new cases, the virus has sickened 11,142 patients here, while the death toll remained 264, according the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The proportion of patients in their 20s who contracted the virus at nightclubs, bars and karaoke establishments, among other places, is on the rise,” KCDC Director Gene

Most high school seniors here returned to school on Wednesday, but some schools were forced to postpone physical reopening due to virus-related risk factors, related officials said. Two high school seniors in Incheon tested positive for COVID-19, leading the school they attended as well as two nearby high schools to delay resumption of in-person classes by a day, according to the city’s education office. Students at 66 high schools across five districts in Incheon were directed to go ba

Four nurses at one of the largest hospitals in South Korea tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a new cluster of infections putting authorities on high alert again Tuesday. The infections have sounded the alarm about asymptomatic patients, as two of the four nurses had not displayed symptoms of the virus. The first case, involving a surgical nurse, was confirmed at Samsung Medical Center on Monday evening and three more nurses were diagnosed with COVID-19 early Tuesday, Seoul Mayor P

People who test positive for the novel coronavirus after making a full recovery do not transmit the disease to others, health authorities said Monday, reversing earlier guidance directing for an additional two-week quarantine in such cases. Jung Eun-kyeong, director general of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said health authorities arrived at this conclusion after examining 790 people who had come into contact with 285 patients who tested positive again post-recovery. &

South Korea’s daily count of new coronavirus cases stayed below 20 for the third day in a row on Monday, as the outbreak from Seoul’s party district of Itaewon seems to have been contained, health authorities said. The accumulated number of infections here reached 11,065, up 15 from the previous day, as of Monday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One patient succumbed to the virus, putting the death toll at 263. Of the new cases, 10 were imported

South Koreans can send more face masks to family members residing abroad, a government agency said Monday, announcing changes to the country’s mask rationing system. Koreans have been given the green light to send up to 36 masks to each family member per parcel every three months, according to the Korea Customs Service. The previous limit was 24. Under the mask rationing system, Koreans can now purchase three masks per week at a fixed price of 1,500 won each. “You can access in

South Korea commemorates the 40th anniversary of the country’s bloodiest moment on its turbulent path toward democracy -- the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement -- with critical questions still unanswered. The 10-day clampdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1980 is believed to have killed 160 people and injured thousands, but the figures are only estimates, due to the absence of an official clarification of the facts. With tensions running high, a memorial ceremony took place Sunday in

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul education office said Thursday that special inspections will be conducted at English immersive kindergartens and private academies that specialize in college entrance preparations, starting Friday and going through next month. “To halt the spread of mass infections stemming from Itaewon clubs, we will check (a combined) roughly 1,200 kindergartens taught in English, after-school SAT prep classes and large private academies to see whether they a

Diagnostic testing for the novel coronavirus linked to the Itaewon cluster surged eightfold on the back of anonymity guaranteed to encourage sexual minorities to get tested, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said Thursday. The number of tests carried out to date in connection with Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul, stood at 24,082 in the capital city, according to Park. “We are seeing the effects of anonymous testing. … After the implementation of anonymous testing, the aver

Secondary infections from a COVID-19 cluster stemming from the nightlife district of Itaewon put the country on high alert Wednesday, with experts expressing deep concern over the speed at which the virus is spreading nationwide. From a teacher at an after-school private academy to a high school senior, a public health doctor in North Jeolla Province and a clubgoer residing in Busan, a wide range of individuals who visited the area in late April and early May have become part of a surge in in

Metro passengers in Seoul are required to have their face masks on during rush hour, as of Wednesday, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, Seoul city government said. Passengers without face masks are banned on subways when the proportion of passengers to train capacity surpasses 150 percent, according to Seoul metropolitan government. Announcements will be made when the ratio reaches 150 percent to notify passengers to put on their masks, while train staff restrict mask-less pass

LGBT and human rights groups said Tuesday that they will make concerted efforts to support sexual minorities who could have been exposed to the novel coronavirus in a popular nightlife district in Seoul, helping them undergo virus testing in a fair manner. “We, sexual minorities, do not wish COVID-19 to spread further. We plan to communicate with health authorities to set aside any stumbling blocks holding back testing,” seven advocacy groups said in a joint press conference announ

Korean health authorities and politicians on Monday warned against the rise of discrimination against LGBT persons here in relation to the latest coronavirus breakout in Itaewon clubs, saying social stigmatization could send potential virus carriers into hiding. “In the case of infections tied to clubs in Itaewon, we are seeing some criticism and hatred toward confirmed patients and a specific group of people,” senior Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho said during the daily virus

Police said Monday that they had apprehended a creator of sex abuse chatrooms on Telegram that exploited over 70 women and girls. An arrest warrant has been sought for the 24-year-old creator of the so-called Nth Telegram chatroom, who is better known by his alias “God God,” on suspicion of breaching the act on the protection of children and youth against sex offenses and other potential charges, according to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency. “This is an ongoing inve

Amid mounting fears over a spike in coronavirus infections here, foreign nationals caught breaking their 14-day quarantine upon arrival are to be slapped with a 3 million won ($2,468.50) penalty, up sixfold from the previous amount, if a revised law proposed by the Justice Ministry is passed. The strengthened measure would be applied under a revision to the Immigration Act, which the ministry is aiming to implement within the month. First time quarantine breakers will face fines of 3 millio