The fight against COVID-19 for the past six months feels like running the first 10 kilometers of a marathon “at full speed” said Jeong Eun-kyeong, chief of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 　 Gearing up for an “inevitably long fight” against the novel coronavirus, Jeong laid out major tasks for Korea: developing a vaccine and treatment, building up medical capacity for a spike in COVID-19 patients – especially in seriously ill patients, enhancing p

At least three COVID-19 cases of secondary transmission from imported infections were confirmed across South Korea, health authorities said Friday, as the government grapples with a continued influx of the coronavirus infections from overseas. “There were some three to four cases involving those who came from overseas, which led to secondary transmission in the local community,” said Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Jeong Eun-kyeong at a briefing Friday.

The newly revised rules for the points-based residency visa will go into effect Dec. 1, amid an outcry from expats in South Korea who say the sweeping changes will crush their plans and dreams here.  　 The Justice Ministry on July 7 put up a public notice -- in Korean -- of the rule adjustments for the F-2-7 visa. The changes are final and the ministry is in the process of “translating it” for non-Korean speakers, a ministry official told The Korea Herald on Thursday. &nbs

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak hit Europe earlier this year, the European Union had faced a slew of challenges ranging from Brexit and climate change to migration. Germany’s six-month-long presidency of the EU Council, which began July 1, comes at a critical time as the EU seeks to cushion the economic and social fallout of the prolonged pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink the presidency,” German Ambassador to South Korea Stephen Auer said during a

Arrivals from two more countries with high infection rates of the novel coronavirus will be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result to enter South Korea starting from Monday, health authorities said Wednesday. Two more countries were added to the list, Sohn Young-rae, a senior Health Ministry official said, without revealing the names of the countries, citing diplomatic reasons. The two countries are believed to be the Philippines and Uzbekistan. Since Monday, the government has r

The COVID-19 was an unexpected twist that has profoundly changed how we live in South Korea. But for foreign students seeking to make most of their time here, the coronavirus is the ultimate unwelcome guest. Maria Sanchez, a 23-year-old student from Colombia, arrived in Seoul on Feb. 27 at the peak of the first wave of the novel coronavirus outbreak here when the virus caseloads were rising by hundreds daily. “My family and friends were worried about me because at that time the situat

Before you go on a grand tour around the places in Seoul, which has served as the capital of Korea for over 600 years, a brief stop at the National Palace Museum of Korea would help you prepare. The museum, which opened in 1992, displays more than 20,000 royal relics from palaces of the 1392-1910 Joseon dynasty. It collects, studies, preserves and presents the art and culture of the Joseon royal and the Korean imperial courts.  It has 11 exhibition halls where visitors can get a glimps

All foreign arrivals from countries with a high infection rate of the novel coronavirus will be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result to be allowed entry to South Korea, health authorities said Friday. Starting Monday, foreign nationals from countries that the government has internally designated as “high-risk” countries will have to submit certificates issued within 48 hours proving they tested negative for the coronavirus on a polymerase chain reaction test. Even w

Park Won-soon, 64, left his mark in South Korea’s civic activism as an avid activist and human rights lawyer, even before he was elected Seoul mayor in a 2011 by-election. He was voted to a third term in 2018, becoming the longest-serving mayor of the country’s capital, home to nearly 10 million people. A member of President Moon Jae-in’s liberal Democratic Party of Korea, Park had been considered a potential presidential candidate in the 2022 election. He had also not been

Only one out of 3,055 South Koreans sampled for coronavirus antibody tests were found with immunity to the virus, health authorities said Thursday, though they downplayed the outcome given the samples lacking in representation and numbers. 　 The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the result of a  antibody test performed on 3,055 people -- 1,555 samples from the National Nutrition Survey and 1,500 from a medical institution in Seoul -- to see how many people had immu

South Korea reported 50 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, with the government on alert over new clusters of infections linked to religious facilities in Daejeon and Gwangju. Of the new cases, 28 were locally transmitted and the rest imported from overseas, pushing the country’s total caseload to 13,293, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Of the 22 imported cases, five people were detected during the quarantine screening process at the border and the rest whil

About 91 percent of South Korea’s COVID-19 patients had mild symptoms but those in their 50s and older were more prone to severe symptoms, health authorities said Wednesday. 　 The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that after analyzing the treatment records of 8,976 patients who had died, or were released from quarantine by April 30. Some 62 percent of the patients received treatment at hospitals, 36 percent at treatment facilities set up for those with mild or no symp

South Korea’s daily new COVID-19 cases bounced back to above 60 Wednesday, with the record number of imported cases in about three months. Of the 63 new cases, 33 cases were imported and the rest locally transmitted, with the country’s total caseload at 13,224, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the imported cases, 11 people were detected during the quarantine screening process at the border and the rest while under home quarantine after arrival

South Korea is not yet in a situation where social distancing measures need to be tightened nationwide, although the government is still grappling with both small-scale outbreaks in the country as well as imported cases from overseas. 　 The nation reported 44 more COVID-19 cases Tuesday, with the number of imported cases exceeding domestic ones for the first time in two weeks, as many parts of the world grapple with surging coronavirus infections. The imported cases are less of a concern, he

South Korea reported 44 more COVID-19 cases Tuesday, with the number of imported cases exceeding domestic cases for the first time in two weeks as many parts of the world grapple with surging coronavirus infections. Of the total, 24 cases were imported and the rest locally transmitted, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the imported cases, 16 people were detected during the quarantine screening process at the border and the rest while under home quarantine a

The novel coronavirus spreading in South Korea now has its origin in Europe and the US, health authorities said Monday, and it is known to be six times as infectious as the original strain that emerged in China. The variant belongs to the GH clade, which has largely been circulated in Europe and the US, according to an analysis by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on 526 genome samples diagnosed with the COVID-19. This implies the virus could have arrived here via someone who

An appeal by a former Korean sergeant, who was forcibly discharged from the military after sex reassignment surgery, to revoke the decision to has been denied, the Army said Friday.  Byun Hee-soo, 22, was discharged from the military on Jan. 22 after undergoing sex reassignment surgery while enlisted, despite her wish to continue service as a female officer. What she has done “falls into reasons deemed unfit” for military service in accordance with the current law, the

In South Korea, known for its education fervor, the English widely taught at schools and private institutes is American English. Challenging the US dominance in the Korean English education market is one of the tasks facing the Embassy of Australia here, an Australian diplomat told The Korea Herald. “Australia wants to make clear to Koreans we should be the destination of choice for people who want to study English language,” James Bourne, second secretary at the Embassy of Aust

Korean health authorities said Tuesday they are testing the blood of 3,055 Koreans for antibodies for the novel coronavirus to better understand the degree of immunity in the country, as they gear up for a protracted antivirus fight amid the ongoing second wave of infections. 　 Some 3,055 Koreans are being tested for antibodies -- 1,555 samples collected from the National Nutrition Survey and 1,500 from a medical institution in Seoul. Antibodies are developed after a person is exposed to COVID

The police Monday raided a kindergarten in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, as part of an investigation into mass food poisoning that has sickened some 114 people so far. The Ansan Sangrok Police Station searched the kindergarten for about two hours, and seized CCTV footage and documents after parents of the pupils filed a complaint against the head of the kindergarten Saturday. The police are to look into why the kindergarten that failed preserve samples food or snacks it provided to the pupils.