South Korea - The Korea Times

Prime Minister hints at ending pre-arrival COVID-19 tests before Chuseok holiday

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, third from left, presides over a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Sejong, 112 kilometers south of Seoul, Aug. 30. YonhapPrime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday raised the possibility of lifting a requirement of pre-arrival COVID-19 tests for inbound travelers before the upcoming Chuseok fall harvest holiday. Asked when the government will further ease COVID-19 rules for cross-border travelers, including pre-arrival PCR tests, Han told reporters that the government is "intensively reviewing" the matter. "I think it will be decided before Chuseok. It can be done faster than you think," Han told reporters. The Chuseok holiday begins on Sept. 9.Currently, inbound travelers are required to show a negative result within 48 hours of their PCR tests or within 24 hours of their rapid antigen tests.Han also voiced hope for the new leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), Lee Jae-myung, to cooperate on a bill to ease a property tax for one-home owners. The DPK holds a majority in the National Assembly. (Yonhap)

Aug 30, 2022

Prime Minister hints at ending pre-arrival COVID-19 tests before Chuseok holiday

Korea likely to see 'twindemic' in upcoming flu season

New COVID-19 cases soar to over 115,000

Medical workers take COVID-19 swab samples from foreign travelers at testing booth set up in a main passenger terminal of Incheon International Airport, Aug. 29. YonhapKorea's new COVID-19 cases rebounded to over 115,000 Tuesday after declining for a few days, due largely to fewer tests, as the virus trend continues at a steady pace.The country reported 115,638 new COVID-19 infections, including 380 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,142,479, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Tuesday's tally is a jump from the previous day's 43,142, but is in the range of 100,000-150,000 reported last week, except for the weekend and Mondays when the infection numbers tend to dip as fewer people take diagnostic tests. The country added 71 COVID-19 deaths, putting the death toll at 26,689, the KDCA said. The fatality rate stood at 0.12 percent. The number of critically ill patients remained high at 591, slightly down from the four-month high of 597 reported Monday.Experts have predicted the latest new wave would not be as serious as the last time with the

Aug 30, 2022

New COVID-19 cases fall below 50,000; critically ill cases on the rise

Citizens arrive at a COVID-19 testing station in Seoul on Aug. 29. YonhapKorea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 50,000 on Monday, but the number of critically ill patients kept rising despite a slowing virus trend. The country reported 43,142 new COVID-19 infections, including 360 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,026,960, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's count is sharply down from 85,295 recorded the previous day. Daily cases tend to drop on Mondays due largely to fewer tests over the weekend. The country reported 49 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 26,618, the KDCA said. The fatality rate stood at 0.12 percent.The number of critically ill patients reached 597, up from Sunday's 581, hitting the highest level since late April. Korea saw the daily cases decrease on a steady pace from May through most of June, to as low as around 3,400, before the numbers bounced back to the six digits in late July amid a virus resurgence coupled with the summer holiday season. But the latest wave has managed to keep the daily caseload

Aug 29, 2022

New COVID-19 cases fall below 50,000; critically ill cases on the rise

New COVID-19 cases drop below 100,000

People wait in line to receive tests at a COVID-19 testing station in Seoul, Aug. 25. YonhapKorea's new COVID-19 cases dropped below 100,000 on Saturday, while the number of critically-ill patients reached the highest level since late April.The country added 95,604 new COVID-19 infections, including 398 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,898,523, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.It marked a decline from the previous day's 101,140 and the first time daily infections have fallen below 100,000 since Monday when there were 59,019 new cases. The country reported 86 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 26,499, the KDCA said. The fatality rate stood at 0.12 percent.The number of critically-ill patients came to 579, the most since late April.Daily infections jumped to 150,212 on Tuesday before dropping to 139,310 on Wednesday and 113,359 on Thursday. The KDCA earlier said it expected the number of daily infections to continue to decline through this week or next week.The recent decline in new infections raised cautious optimism that the latest

Aug 27, 2022

Korea mulls lifting pre-departure COVID-19 tests for inbound travelers

An arriving traveler waits to receive a PCR test at a testing site installed at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The government is reviewing whether to lift COVID-19 testing regulations for inbound travelers in response to calls from the tourism industry and businesses to drop the stringent border control measure that now remains in only a few countries. Under current measures, all travelers, regardless of their vaccination history and nationality, must submit the results of a PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to traveling to Korea or a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours prior to travel. Travelers should also receive a PCR test within one day after arriving in Korea.Korea is one of the few countries with such strict requirements, along with China and Japan.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), among OECD member states, 10 countries have COVID-19-related restrictions on overseas entrants such as the requirement of pre-departure tests or vaccinations. Currently, unvaccinated individuals are banned from traveling to t

Aug 26, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea mulls lifting pre-departure COVID-19 tests for inbound travelers

New COVID-19 cases over 100,000 for 4th day amid resurgence woes

People wait to take COVID-19 tests at a clinic in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Aug. 25. (Yonhap) South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 100,000 for the fourth consecutive day Friday amid concerns over a resurgence of the Omicron subvariant. The country added 101,140 new COVID-19 infections, including 358 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,802,985, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Daily infections jumped to 180,752 cases on Aug. 17 from 84,097 a day earlier. The daily tally then declined over the following five days, falling to 59,025 on Monday.But the daily caseload rebounded to 150,219 on Tuesday before dropping to 139,324 on Wednesday and 113,371 on Thursday. The country reported 81 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 26,413, the KDCA said. The fatality rate stood at 0.12 percent.The number of critically ill patients came to 575, up from 566 a day earlier.As of 9 p.m., South Korea had reported 91,038 new ca

Aug 26, 2022

New COVID-19 cases over 100,000 for 4th day amid resurgence woes

Surgeon shortage raises red flag

GettyimagesbankSurgery-related departments unpopular among medical studentsBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea is considered an advanced country when it comes to the provision of healthcare services, as essential medical services are offered at relatively affordable prices thanks to the nation's solid state-run medical insurance system. However, the recent death of a nurse working at one of the biggest hospitals in the country has revealed a serious vacuum in the medical system due to a dearth of surgeons.A 37-year-old nurse working at Asan Medical Center in Seoul fell unconscious after showing symptoms of a brain hemorrhage, July 24. She received emergency treatment for the embolization but there was no neurosurgeon at the hospital who could perform a craniotomy, a type of surgery where a bone flap is temporarily removed from the skull so as to gain access to the brain.The patient was transferred to Seoul National University Hospital, located some 10 kilometers away, where she was pronounced dead after having missed the golden hour for the life-saving procedure.Officials at Asan Medical Center lat

Aug 25, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Gov't seeks to apply stricter health insurance criteria on foreigners

gettyimagebankChinese nationals reap highest benefits among foreign residentsBy Lee Hyo-jin The government plans to apply stricter standards on National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) coverage of foreign residents' dependents, hoping to control expenditures by the public health insurance system.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that it is looking into applying tougher measures to screen health insurance coverage of foreign residents' dependents. One of the options under discussion is obligating them to continuously reside in Korea for at least six months in order to become eligible for the state healthcare program. At present, salaried workers of foreign nationality wishing to apply for NHIS coverage are required to live in Korea for at least six months to sign up for the program through their employers and pay monthly premiums.But their dependents ― spouse, children or immediate family members ― are not subject to such requirements and thus are eligible to sign up regardless of their duration of stay here, as long as they meet certain criteria such as income and ass

Aug 24, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin

Gov't seeks to apply stricter health insurance criteria on foreigners

Childbirths hit all-time low in Q2; deaths climb to record high

Newborn babies are sleeping in cradles at a hospital in Seoul in this undated photo. YonhapThe number of babies born in Korea hit a record low in the second quarter, while deaths rose to an all-time high in the cited period amid rapid aging and the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday.A total of 59,961 babies were born in the April-June period, down 9.3 percent from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest number for any second quarter since the statistics agency started compiling related data in 1981.Korea has faced a chronic decline in childbirths as many young people delay or give up on getting married or having babies in the face of an economic slowdown and high home prices, combined with changing social norms about marriage.The country's total fertility rate ― the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime ― came to 0.75 child in the second quarter, down from 0.82 from a year ago. It marked the lowest for any second quarter.In June, the number of newborns came to 18,830, down 12.4 percent from a year ago.The impact of

Aug 24, 2022

Childbirths hit all-time low in Q2; deaths climb to record high

Korea's total fertility rate hits record low in 2021

Korea's new infections over 100,000 for 2nd day amid resurgence woes

People take tests at a COVID-19 testing station in Seoul, Aug. 24, when the country reported 139,339 cases, down 10,919 from a day before. YonhapKorea's new daily COVID-19 cases stayed above 100,000 for the second straight day Wednesday amid concerns over a resurgence of the Omicron subvariant.The country added 139,883 new COVID-19 infections, including 456 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 22,588,640, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Daily infections jumped to 180,763 cases last Wednesday from 84,099 a day earlier. The daily tally then fell over the past five days, tallying 59,046 on Monday. But rebounded to 150,258 on Tuesday. The country reported 63 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 26,224, the KDCA said. The fatality rate stood at 0.12 percent.The number of critically ill patients came to 573, up 86 from the previous day.The recent decline in new infections raised cautious optimism that the latest virus wave may have passed its peak. But authorities remain on high alert over a possible resurgence in the COVID-19 pandemic this fall