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Leading presidential candidates offer differing healthcare pledges

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, left, and main opposition People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol / YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin With about 60 days left until the March 9 presidential election, the campaign pledges on healthcare and pandemic response measures introduced by the leading candidates are drawing significant attention, as the country enters its third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the two major presidential candidates ― Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) ― have both pledged to eradicate the pandemic, they have proposed differing policies for handling the public health crisis. Lee has vowed to strengthen the public healthcare system in order to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and prepare for future crises. He laid out his plans on Dec. 31 to expand access to public healthcare services across the country, saying that his administration will guarantee every resident equal access to medical treatment.To bridge the gap between the Seoul metropolitan

Jan 6, 2022By Lee Hyo-jin
Leading presidential candidates offer differing healthcare pledges

Court's vaccine pass suspension decision likely to affect entire vaccine pass scheme

A worker at a study cafe in Seoul removes a notice on the vaccine pass requirement, Tuesday, after the court suspended the government's enforcement of the vaccine pass system for private education facilities. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiA court decision to suspend the government's COVID-19 vaccine pass mandate for private academies and education facilities is expected to shake up the nation's entire vaccine pass scheme, as it ruled the system infringes on people's basic rights and the right to self-determination.It is likely to cause a series of similar suits by operators of other facilities where the vaccine certificate system is ― or will be ― applied, complicating the government's plan to expand its vaccine pass requirement.The Seoul Administrative Court, Tuesday, accepted the injunction request from groups of parents and private institutions to suspend the vaccine pass scheme for cram schools (“hagwon” in Korean), study rooms, study cafes, libraries and vocational training institutions. The suspension will continue until the court makes a separate ruling on their complaint to

Jan 5, 2022By Bahk Eun-ji
Court's vaccine pass suspension decision likely to affect entire vaccine pass scheme

Court decision halting vaccine pass at study facilities fuels debate over personal rights

gettyimagesbankThis week's court decision halting vaccine pass enforcement at cram schools and private education facilities has further fueled the debate over how far the government can or should exert its executive authority in safeguarding public health at the expense of personal rights and liberty.On Tuesday, the Seoul Administrative Court ordered the suspension of the rule that requires proof of vaccination or negative test results before accessing private institutes, public study rooms, study cafes and vocational training institutions, pending a lawsuit parents and the industry have filed against the measure.Groups of parents and private institute owners filed the case last month, claiming that the vaccine pass mandate, launched in November along with the government's "Living with COVID-19" strategy, infringed on students' freedom and learning rights and amounts to enforcing vaccination upon minors.Amid a fast growth rate of infections among students, the government announced a plan to expand the mandate to include teenagers in March, which prompted the case in the first place.

Jan 5, 2022
Court decision halting vaccine pass at study facilities fuels debate over personal rights

Daily virus cases rebound to above 4,000 amid Omicron concerns

Medical workers wearing protective gear prepare to collect samples at a temporary COVID-19 screening clinic in Seoul, Dec. 31. AP-YonhapDaily COVID-19 infections rebounded to above 4,000 for the first time in three days for Tuesday, putting the health authorities on high alert over a possible resurgence amid Omicron concerns.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 4,444 new cases, including 4,233 local ones, raising the total caseload to 649,669.Tuesday's figure was up 1,420 from a day earlier, but down 963 compared with the same day last week. The KDCA also recorded 57 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the toll to 5,838. The figure was slightly higher than the previous day's 51 deaths.The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients was the lowest in two weeks at 953, with critical cases staying below 1,000 for the second straight day.In early November, the government eased long-enforced antivirus restrictions as part of efforts to return to normalcy in phases under the "Living with COVID-19" strategy.Daily cases, however, soared to a record high of 7,848, Dec. 15,

Jan 5, 2022
Daily virus cases rebound to above 4,000 amid Omicron concerns

Daily virus cases stay below 4,000 for 3rd day

People queue for a COVID-19 test at a temporary screening clinic for the coronavirus in Seoul, Dec. 31. AP-YonhapNew daily COVID-19 infections stayed below 4,000 for the third straight day Monday amid tightened social distancing rules, but the health authorities are on high alert after the first Omicron-linked deaths were reported a day earlier.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 3,024 new cases, including 2,889 local ones, raising the total caseload to 645,226.The figure was down 105 from a day earlier and down 841 compared with the same day last week. The KDCA also recorded 51 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the toll to 5,781. The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients dropped by 42 from a day earlier to 973, falling below 1,000 for the first time in 15 days.Daily cases are showing signs of slowing recently after the government reintroduced tough antivirus curbs.In early November, the government eased its long-enforced pandemic-era restrictions as part of efforts to return to normalcy in phases under the "Living with COVID-19" strategy. Daily cases, ho

Jan 4, 2022
Daily virus cases stay below 4,000 for 3rd day

South Korea's military launches new branch to bolster space capabilities

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle II, also known as Nuri, emits fire and exhaust gases before lifting off from a launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, in this Oct. 21 file photo. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff has created a new branch of the military dedicated to developing the country's space security capabilities, its officials said Monday. Joint Press CorpsThe Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday it has created a new branch of the military dedicated to developing the country's space security capabilities.The launch of the Military Space Branch, Saturday, came as South Korea has been striving to craft space operation concepts and strategies based on inter-service cooperation amid an intensifying rivalry among major space powers in the emerging security domain."Space powers, including the United States, China, Russia and Japan, have been expanding budgets substantially to get the upper hand in the space domain and making all-out efforts to develop related technologies," the JCS said in a press release.The JCS also stressed that a country's abili

Jan 3, 2022
South Korea's military launches new branch to bolster space capabilities

Extension of vaccine pass to big grocery stores inflames protests

gettyimagesbankThe upcoming expansion of South Korea's vaccine pass requirement to big box and department stores is inflaming protests that the measure represents discrimination against unvaccinated people and a breach of their right to basic needs.Under a revised vaccine pass system announced Friday, people will be required to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result to shop at discount or department stores measuring 3,000 square meters or more, starting Jan. 10.The addition of these stores to a host of multiuse facilities subject to the vaccine pass regime, including cafes, gyms and cultural facilities, comes as the government is struggling to rein in the upsurge of virus cases amid the spread of the Omicron variant od COVID-19. The updated regulation will leave big box and department stores inaccessible to shoppers without a vaccine pass, even to those who shop alone.An outburst of online protests followed the decision, decrying what critics said amounts to an infringement of basic rights, incrimination of the unvaccinated and coercion to get them vaccinated

Jan 3, 2022
Extension of vaccine pass to big grocery stores inflames protests

2 Omicron-linked deaths reported: officials

Health workers wearing protective gear prepare for public testing at a temporary COVID-119 screening clinic in Seoul, Dec. 31. AP-YonhapSouth Korea reported two deaths connected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Monday, the first fatalities here linked to the highly transmissible strain of the coronavirus.The Health authorities in Gwangju, 329 kilometers south of Seoul, said two recently deceased coronavirus patients in the city, both in their 90s, tested positive for the Omicron variant posthumously.The patients, who died last Monday and Wednesday, respectively, both tested positive for COVID-19 at a senior care hospital in the city at an earlier date.They are reportedly the first deaths connected to the Omicron variant in the country. The health authorities are looking into the exact causes of the deaths. (Yonhap)

Jan 3, 2022
2 Omicron-linked deaths reported: officials

Daily virus cases stay below 4,000 for 2nd straight day amid tighter antivirus curbs

Health workers wearing protective gear prepare for public testing at a temporary COVID-19 screening clinic in Seoul, Dec. 31. AP-YonhapDaily COVID-19 infections stayed below 4,000 for the second straight day Sunday after the government extended the enforcement of its tighter social distancing measures for two more weeks to stem a surge in cases amid the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 3,129 new cases, including 2,993 local ones, raising the total caseload to 642,207.This marked the second straight day that daily cases fell below 4,000 following 3,833 infections reported for Saturday. The KDCA also recorded 36 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 5,730. The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients came to 1,015, down nine from a day earlier. Critical cases have stayed above 1,000 for 14 consecutive days, with their all-time high hitting 1,151, Wednesday.Weekend infection figures are usually lower than those on weekdays in part due to less testing, but the pace of the spread of the virus appea

Jan 3, 2022
Daily virus cases stay below 4,000 for 2nd straight day amid tighter antivirus curbs
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