South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases on Thursday reached 68,000, up nearly 10 times than four weeks ago, fueled by the spread of a highly contagious new omicron strain, BA.5. The number of critically ill patients also surpassed 100 for the second straight day, government data showed Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 68,632 COVID-19 infections on Thursday. The daily tally is 9.5 times higher than 7,218 cases reported four weeks ago. The f

Health authorities estimate that the new omicron wave would peak at around 300,000 COVID-19 cases a day, the government said Wednesday. The government added that it would expand the country’s medical capacity to cope with the increasing number of infections and severe cases. ”The number of daily COVID-19 infections, at its peak, is expected to come to some 300,000,“ said Lee Ki-il, second vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, during a COVID-19 response meeting

South Korea‘s new coronavirus cases doubled again Monday from the previous week to surpass 70,000, amid a resurgence of infections fueled by the highly contagious new omicron strain BA.5. In figures released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Tuesday morning, the country reported 73,582 additional cases. That was more than double from a week earlier, when the country posted 37,360 cases. The figure is up more than fourfold from 18,147 cases two weeks ago. It is also

Second COVID-19 booster shots for people aged 50 and older began Monday as the country battles a resurgence in cases. The second boosters are also available for those aged 18 and older who have underlying health conditions, along with patients and workers at some facilities considered vulnerable to disease transmission, such as senior care centers. For people aged 50 and older, the government will send out text messages to inform them that they are eligible for booster shots. The governme

Seoul city is offering transport subsidies for pregnant women, but the measure is limited to Korean residents, casting questions on the inclusiveness of the city’s policies. The Seoul city government has been offering pregnant women living in the city 700,000 won ($538) each in transportation vouchers since July 1. However, depending on their residency status, some pregnant mothers may not receive the voucher, even if they are bearing a child of South Korean nationality. According to t

South Korea’s new COVID-19 infections continued to double from a week earlier on Saturday, largely due to the highly contagious BA.5 omicron subvariant and waning immunity among the people, government data showed Sunday. Health experts anticipated that daily infections could increase more than the government has projected, given the current pace of the spread. The introduction of a newer strain of omicron, BA.2.75, also known as ”centaurus,“poses another threat. According t

The Constitutional Court in South Korea held an open hearing Thursday on whether the death penalty is constitutional or not. It is the first time in 12 years and the third time in the country’s history that the death penalty has been challenged at the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the death penalty system both in 1996 and 2010, with 7-2 and 5-4 decisions, respectively. For The death penalty to be found unconstitutional, at least six out of nine have

The Seoul city government on Wednesday announced it would propose a record-breaking extra budget of 6.37 trillion won ($4.88 billion). The city government will submit the proposal on the same day to the Seoul Metropolitan Council, which would start its review on Friday this week. The budget is the first supplementary budget proposal since Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon began his new term earlier this month. It is also the largest extra budget ever, following the previous record-high extra budget of 4.

Omicron strains are driving a new COVID-19 wave in South Korea. The daily infections reached a 2-month high, while the weekly average number of COVID-19 infections almost doubled last week. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 37,360 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Monday. The daily count is the highest since May 11, when the country reported 43,908 cases. Tuesday’s figure was an almost twofold increase compared to 19,371 cases

Renewed discussions on the seven-day mandatory quarantine for COVID-19 patients have begun, but related restrictions appear likely to remain in place due to the recent resurgence of cases. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s new expert committee for infectious disease, under the wing of the prime minister‘s office, will discuss whether to keep the quarantine measure in place, and the government will announce its decision Wednesday. Other antivirus measures are also to be discusse

The South Korean government announced Friday that it would introduce anti-epidemic measures for the inter-seasonal resurgence of COVID-19 next week. During a COVID-19 response meeting on Friday, Lee Ki-il, the second vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, officially confirmed that the country is going through a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee added the government is currently consulting with medical experts for anti-epidemic measures to counter the resurgence that has re

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon has tested positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Justice announced Friday. According to the ministry, Han received a PCR test on Thursday after he arrived at Incheon Airport from his eight-day visit to the US, which included a meeting with the director of the FBI. The ministry noted Han would work from home until Wednesday next week, following the country‘s mandatory seven-day self-quarantine rule applied to those infected with COVID-19. Han had visited

A letter of apology will have a smaller impact in court, beginning in October this year, according to the Sentencing Commission, an independent agency affiliated with the Supreme Court, Thursday. An apology letter is a widely used measure in court, through which defendants can show that they are sorry for their offending behavior and fully understand the seriousness of their wrongdoings. However, while apology letters have been widely regarded as an effective measure to improve defendants&l

S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections reached the highest in the recent 40 days, raising concerns about a possible resurgence during the summer season. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 18,147 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Monday. The total caseload reached 18,413,997. The daily tally reported on Tuesday nearly doubled from 9,894 a week ago. It was also the biggest increase since last week when the country started to see sig

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections are going up again, ending the downward trend that continued since the omicron-driven wave that pushed up daily cases to over 620,000 in March. As the daily counts continue to increase, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s new antivirus measures will be put to the test soon. Over the last week, the increases in the county’s daily infections speeded up. On Monday, the number of COVID-19 infections went up just by 586 from the previous wee

South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases topped 10,000 for the second consecutive day, highlighting the risk of a resurgence in the country during the summer season that some experts have pointed out. During the 24 hours of Saturday, the country added 10,059 COVID-19 cases, bringing the total caseload to 18,389,611, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The country added eight COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 24,570. The fatality rate now stands at 0.13 p

South Korea‘s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the government would step up deterrence against North Korea amid its ongoing missile tests and nuclear threats during a meeting with reporters in Sejong, Tuesday. According to Han, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will prepare stronger measures to counter potential military threats from North Korea than the previous administration did. Unlike the previous government’s approach toward North Korea, which the public could perceive as n

The Seoul city government on Tuesday announced that it would offer online Korean classes during a six-month trial period, starting Friday this week. According to the city government, the online language classes will be available on the official website of King Sejong Institute Foundation, a public institution operated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The classes will be available, free of charge, to all foreign residents staying in Seoul as well as those staying in other regions

Park Eun-ha (Enna Park), Busan’s ambassador for international relations and former ambassador to the UK, is certain that Busan is capable of hosting the World Expo 2030. Park, who is helping Busan‘s bid, emphasizes that an all-out effort involving not only Busan but the whole country should be made so that the city can be selected as the venue for the upcoming Expo, during an interview with The Korea Herald on Friday. Having served the country as a diplomat for some 40 years, Par

South Korea’s first confirmed monkeypox patient, who entered the country from Germany, was found to have proceeded unchecked through Incheon Airport’s health inspection, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The KDCA said the monkeypox patient reported at the airport’s lobby after having passed the airport’s screening Tuesday. When entering the country, the patient’s symptoms were a low-grade fever of 37 degrees Celsius, sore throat, fati