South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections spiked during the 24 hours of Tuesday to hit an all-time high of over 340,000, increasing more rapidly than the country’s health authorities had expected. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Wednesday, the country added 342,446 new COVID-19 cases. It was up 139,726 from the previous day’s 202,720. The previous record was the 266,847 reported Friday last week. The daily figure has increased faster than the

The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients in South Korea reached a two-month high as of midnight Monday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Tuesday. The country’s health authorities said severe and critical cases hit 1,007, up 52 from a day earlier. It was the first time in 64 days since the figure surpassed 1,000. The country added 186 more COVID-19 deaths, the second-highest figure since the government has collected related data. The death toll reached

South Korea‘s daily COVID-19 infections stayed above 200,000 for a fourth straight day, according to the country‘s health authorities on Monday. Although the daily figure‘s growth slowed down over the weekend, the government expects it to rebound this week. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s report on Monday, the country added 210,716 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Sunday. The total caseload increased to 4,666,977, nearing a gr

The South Korean government announced Friday that it has decided to push back the curfew on cafes and restaurants by one hour to 11 p.m. while keeping the private gathering size limit at six. Interior Minister Jeon Hae-cheol announced it during a COVID-19 response meeting on Friday. Jeon explained that the decision was made largely to help business owners and small merchants, who have been suffering from financial distress during the pandemic. The government’s decision came amid the c

South Korea on Thursday reported 128 COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily tally since the pandemic began, while the daily caseload hovered near the 200,000 mark. According to health authorities, the number of daily cases reported during the 24 hours of Wednesday came to 198,803. The total caseload thus came to 3,691,488, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The figure was down from that of the previous day, when it reached the highest figure of 219,241. The country&rs

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases surpassed the 100,000 mark for the first time since the country reported the first COVID-19 infection in January 2020. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 109,831 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Thursday. The total caseload came to 1,755,806. Daily infection numbers have been surging due to the omicron wave. On Jan. 26, the country added 13,004 new infections, the first time that the country&

South Korea has decided to partly ease current social distancing curbs, the government announced Friday. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the current 9 p.m. curfew for dining out at restaurants and other businesses will be pushed back by an hour to 10 p.m. Kim, however, noted that the government will keep the six-person limit on private gatherings. The change will become effective from Saturday to March 13. Kim noted further changes can also take place, depending on how the omicron wave develo

The number of critically ill patients in Korea rose to 389 on daily figures released Thursday, up 76 from the previous day. COVID-19 cases reported during the 24 hours of Wednesday increased to hit another high of over 93,000, health authorities said. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Thursday that the country’s daily COVID-19 cases reached a fresh high of 93,135, which raised the total caseload to 1,645,978. The figure was up from the previous day’s 90,443. Th

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections jumped to an all-time high of 90,443 as the omicron wave intensifies, but the number of critical cases are rising at a slower pace, the government said Wednesday. With the cases rising by more than 30,000 in a day, the government issued an apology for failing to control a spiraling omicron variant outbreak. The government added that it will soon decide whether it will ease current social distancing curbs or not. According to the Korea Disease Con

South Korea has added 85,114 COVID-19 infections as of 9 p.m. on Tuesday, the government said Tuesday. It is the first time that the country’s daily COVID-19 case number has surpassed 80,000. The country’s daily case figure spiked on Tuesday as the omicron wave continued its nationwide rampage. On Monday, the country added 57,177 COVID-10 cases.

The number of COVID-19 related deaths in South Korea spiked in figures reported Tuesday, as cases continued to reach record levels. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country reported 57,177 new COVID-19 infections in the 24 hours leading up to midnight Monday, raising the total number of cases Korea has had to 1,462,421. The daily figure has been over 50,000 for six straight days amid the recent omicron wave, according to government data. The government said i

Chungcheong Megacity 2027 World University Games Bid Committee, a joint organization launched by local governments in the Chungcheong region for the bid to host the 2027 FISU Summer World University Games, said earlier this month that the region has been officially selected as one of the candidates for the international multisport event. The committee, which includes officials from four local governments in the central region of South Korea -- Daejeon, Sejong and the North and South Chungcheong

The committee behind the Chungcheong Megacity bid for the 2027 World University Games has pledged to exert its utmost efforts to host the event. “Chungcheong will present the best World University Games of all time,” said Kim Yoon-suk, secretary-general of Chungcheong Megacity’s bid committee, told The Korea Herald. Kim was also secretary-general of the committee behind Gwangju’s successful bid for the 28th World University Games in 2015. And now he thinks Chungcheon

South Korea‘s daily COVID-19 cases nearly reached 50,000 during the 24 hours of Tuesday, due to the quickly-spreading omicron variant, the government said Wednesday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country reported 49,567 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, raising the total to 1,131,248. It is the first time that the country’s daily figure has surpassed 40,000, according to government data. The figure was around 11,000 more than the previous dail

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections stayed above 35,000 for a fourth straight day for the 24 hours of Monday, government data showed Tuesday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country’s daily COVID-19 cases for the day marked 36,719, raising the total to 1,081,681. The daily infections Monday was a twofold increase from the same day of the prior week, when the country’s COVID-19 cases reached 18,340. The figure is also around four times

South Korean police have launched an investigation into a fight between two gangs at a funeral in North Jeolla Province, it said Monday. According to the North Jeolla Provincial Police Agency, two gangs got into a fight at the funeral of a former triad member held in Iksan around 2 a.m. Sunday. Police officers were dispatched after local police received a call from a citizen who had witnessed the brawl. But the involved parties had already fled the scene before the officers arrived, accordin

As the omicron variant spreads rapidly in South Korea, related figures have also hit fresh highs, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Monday. As of midnight Sunday, the percentage of tests that were positive out of all tests administered in the country reached 26 percent, up 5.2 percentage points from the previous day’s 20.8 percent. This means that 1 out of 4 people who received a PCR test got a positive result for COVID-19. The figure has been increasing r

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections on Thursday hit a fresh high of 27,443 amid the omicron wave, government data showed Friday. The government also announced Friday that it has decided to extend the current social distancing restrictions for two more weeks until Feb. 20. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the daily cases went up by 4,536 from the previous day’s 22,907. The cumulative total for confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country also reached 934

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases as of midnight Tuesday surpassed 20,000 for the first time since the country reported its first virus case in January 2020. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s announcement Wednesday, the country added 20,270 new COVID-19 infections for the 24 hours of Tuesday, due to the fast spread of the omicron variant. Of the total, 20,111 were locally transmitted cases, while the number of imported cases reached 159. Among the l

Police are investigating a first-year teacher’s alleged sexual harassment of female students at a middle school in Busan. The Yeonje Police Station in Busan said Thursday that it launched the investigation earlier this month after the 30-something male teacher’s wrongdoings were reported. According to the police probe, the teacher had sent sexually harassing messages to a several female students. Through the messages, the teacher made inappropriate compliments about the female st