The Korea Times

Supporters overwhelm opponents at pardoned ex-president's homecoming

Supporters of former President Park Geun-hye welcome her arrival at her new residence in Dalseong County, in the southeastern city of Daegu, March 24. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-suk'We love you:' Former president's return thrills supporters in DaeguBy Lee Hyo-jin DAEGU ― It was a day of excitement for Dalseong County in the southeastern city of Daegu, March 24, when former conservative President Park Geun-hye settled at her new home, after spending nearly five years in prison. From early morning, thousands of loyal supporters of Park, who still believe that she is the nation's leader, gathered in front of her new residence, located in a village in southwest Daegu, to welcome her return.Dalseong is Park's political hometown, where she started her career as a politician. She ran for the National Assembly election there in 1998 and was elected four times.The welcoming ceremony was organized by ultra-conservative minor Our Republican Party and attended by Park's diehard supporters, collectively called, “Park-Sa-Mo,” which literally means, “the group who loves Park Ge

Mar 27, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Supporters overwhelm opponents at pardoned ex-president's homecoming

Health

Traditional Korean medicine practitioners excluded from pandemic response scheme

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin Despite their willingness to participate in the battle against COVID-19, traditional Korean medicine practitioners are struggling to find their place in the pandemic response scheme, which is dominated by their Western medicine counterparts.They have been urging the government to recognize traditional Korean medicine as an official treatment method, and are demanding that traditional Korean medicine hospitals be included in the list of clinics offering rapid antigen tests. Their demands, however, haven't been met by the health authorities. Since December of last year, the Association of Korean Medicine (AKOM), which represents about 27,000 practitioners nationwide, has been offering traditional Korean medicine to COVID-19 patients undergoing home treatment, people suffering from side effects after vaccination, as well as those experiencing long-term symptoms of COVID-19 (long COVID).Through non-face-to-face consultations with a doctor, patients are prescribed with treatments based on individual diagnoses, after which the medicines are delivered to their

Mar 27, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Traditional Korean medicine practitioners excluded from pandemic response scheme

Society

Universities feel pinch over 1-year ban on recruiting foreign students

gettyimagesbankGov't penalizes universities that admitted foreign students who overstayed their visasBy Lee Hyo-jin The increasing number of international students in Korea who have been overstaying their student visas has been emerging as a major headache for provincial universities, many of which have been slapped with one-year bans on recruiting new students from overseas.Government data shows thousands of undocumented immigrants around the nation who came here initially as students, and then stayed in the country even after their academic or language programs ended and their student visas expired. The universities that originally invited these students who overstayed their visas are now facing the consequences, as the sanction measure bans them from admitting any students of foreign nationality for a year. This hits them hard financially as they had been relying heavily on tuition payments from international students, especially due to the growing shortage of domestic students caused by the nation's falling birthrate. Within the broader context of shrinking government support, ma

Mar 23, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Universities feel pinch over 1-year ban on recruiting foreign students

Health

Has Omicron wave crested in Korea?

People line up for COVID-19 testing at a screening center near Seoul Station, Monday. YonhapDaily new infections have slowed since last Wednesday By Lee Hyo-jin The peak of the Omicron wave in Korea may have passed, according to the health ministry, with daily new infections showing signs of slowing down. But concerns linger over another upsurge as the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron has been increasing its presence here amid eased social distancing rules.The country added 209,169 new infections for Sunday, a significant drop from 334,708 cases the previous day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure has been declining steadily after hitting an all-time high of 621,281 last Wednesday. The agency reported the second-largest number of COVID-19-related fatalities at 329, with 1,130 patients in critical condition.The government previously said the Omicron wave would reach its peak between March 12 and 22, after which the country may see a downward trend in infections.“Daily infection cases have been falling for four straight days after hitting a

Mar 21, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Global Community

Afghan children in Ulsan to start school on Monday

Parents at Seoboo Elementary School in Ulsan hold a rally protesting the government's decision to send Afghan children to the school, Feb. 9. NewsisBy Lee Hyo-jin Afghan children in Ulsan, who have not been able to attend school yet due to fierce protests from some Korean parents, will finally begin their school life next Monday, according to the local education office, Friday. The children of “Afghan special contributors” who were evacuated to Korea last August after their homeland was taken over by the Taliban, settled in the southeastern port city of Ulsan in February after their parent got jobs there.A total of 28 children aged between seven and 13 were enrolled at Seoboo Elementary School in Dong District, but their admission has been left in limbo due to protests by some Korean parents. Ulsan's education office announced Friday that the students will begin their school life on March 21, and they will be offered separate education programs depending on their Korean language skills.The students will be divided into three groups based on language skills, with each clas

Mar 19, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Afghan children in Ulsan to start school on Monday

Health

Gov't mulls lowering infectious disease level of COVID-19

A medical worker collects a sample from a visitor at a COVID-19 screening center near Seoul Station, Friday. Yonhap Limit on private gatherings eased to eightBy Lee Hyo-jin The government is reviewing whether to lower the infectious disease level of COVID-19, two years after the coronavirus was designated at “Level 1,” the highest level in its four-tier system, public health authorities said Friday. While the health authorities say downgrading the level would enable the more effective use of medical resources, medical experts view the move as premature, given that the country is currently at its worst point yet in the pandemic.The number of daily new COVID-19 infections for Thursday stood at 407,017, with 301 deaths and 1,049 patients in critical condition, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The country has added more than 1.4 million new cases in just the last three days, the highest ever here in such a short span of time.According

Mar 18, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Gov't mulls lowering infectious disease level of COVID-19

Struggling small merchants express frustration over meager virus curb relaxation

Health

Policy missteps, population density cause worst Omicron wave in Korea: experts

A screen at Songpa District Office in Seoul shows the all-time high of 621,328 daily COVID-19 cases reported for Wednesday. YonhapDaily infections jump 55 percent to 621,328; COVID-related deaths at all-time high of 429By Lee Hyo-jin The country's numbers of daily new COVID-19 infections, critical cases and deaths are ballooning to unprecedented levels as Korea enters the peak of the Omicron wave. The number of daily new infections for Wednesday hit an all-time high at 621,328, a 55-percent jump from 400,741 the previous day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The agency added 429 COVID-19-related deaths ― also an all-time high ― while 1,159 patients were in critical condition. The health ministry viewed that the spike in infections was attributable to aggressive testing using rapid antigen tests conducted by medical personnel at clinics, which have identified “hidden infections” that have not been detected using only PCR tests. Until this Monday, only PCR tests conducted at screening centers had been included in the official daily infect

Mar 17, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Policy missteps, population density cause worst Omicron wave in Korea: experts

Funeral facilities stretched thin as COVID-19 deaths rise

Global Community

Romanian nun awarded Korean citizenship for helping migrants, refugees

Sister Cristina Evelina Gal poses with children from multicultural backgrounds in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province in this undated photo. Courtesty of Sister Cristina Evelina GalBy Lee Hyo-jin Romanian nun, Sister Cristina Evelina Gal, has been awarded with Korean citizenship after her 15 years of dedication to supporting immigrants and refugees in the country.“I feel so grateful. I was very surprised to hear that I was selected as the awardee. I didn't expect to be rewarded for fulfilling my duty, helping those in need,” the 46-year-old nun said during a phone interview with The Korea Times.Sister Gal was among three foreign religious activists selected by the Ministry of Justice earlier in February as “special contributors,” in recognition for their years-long contributions to Korean society. While it is mandatory for naturalized Korean citizens to renounce their existing citizenship, the awardees are granted the privilege of dual citizenship.When Sister Gal was dispatched to Korea in 2007 by the Missionary Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit, she didn't speak any K

Mar 16, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Romanian nun awarded Korean citizenship for helping migrants, refugees

Global Community

Ukrainians in Korea devastated by war-torn homeland

Kostiantyn Kozoriz, a Ukrainian resident living in Seoul from Uman, central Ukraine, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at the newspaper's office, March 8. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minBy Lee Hyo-jin It was around midday on Feb. 24, when 23-year-old Kostiantyn Kozoriz, a Ukrainian resident in Seoul, saw on live broadcasts how Kyiv, the capital of his homeland, was being bombarded by Russian forces.Struck with horror, he immediately picked up his phone to call his family living in Uman, central Ukraine.“I told my mother to collect some documents, clothes and money and hide in a safe place. But she didn't realize what was going on at first,” said Kozoriz, who currently works as a research assistant at Korea University. “And then an hour later, my 13-year-old sister called me. She was screaming and crying with terror from the sound of rockets outside the window,” he said. “It was beyond awful.”More than two weeks have passed since then, but things have only become worse. With no end in sight after Russia launched an attack on its neig

Mar 15, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Ukrainians in Korea devastated by war-torn homeland

Health

'Less lethal' Omicron leads to record-high deaths, critical cases

People wait in lines to receive a COVID-19 test at a screening center near Seoul Station, Monday. YonhapCritical cases hit all-time high of 1,158By Lee Hyo-jin Korea is grappling with record-high deaths and critical cases due to the sheer volume of new infections fueled by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, although the variant has been found to be less lethal than previous variants of the coronavirus. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country reported 309,790 new infections for Sunday, raising the aggregated total to 6,866,222. The number of patients in severe condition in total came to 1,158, breaking the previous record of 1,151 set in the midst of the Delta wave on Dec. 29, 2021.The KDCA added 200 COVID-19-related fatalities for Sunday, down from Saturday's 251. Daily new deaths hit a record high on Friday at 269. Health ministry data showed that 60 percent of hospital beds reserved for severely ill COVID-19 patients were occupied as of last week, up by 10 percent points from the previous week. Although the Omicron variant is known to be th

Mar 14, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Lee Hyo-jin

Read more

Supporters overwhelm opponents at pardoned ex-president's homecoming

Traditional Korean medicine practitioners excluded from pandemic response scheme

Universities feel pinch over 1-year ban on recruiting foreign students

Has Omicron wave crested in Korea?

Afghan children in Ulsan to start school on Monday

Gov't mulls lowering infectious disease level of COVID-19

Policy missteps, population density cause worst Omicron wave in Korea: experts

Romanian nun awarded Korean citizenship for helping migrants, refugees

Ukrainians in Korea devastated by war-torn homeland

'Less lethal' Omicron leads to record-high deaths, critical cases

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