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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Concerns rise over increasing mass rallies

Members of the Our Republican Party march on the street in Gwanghwamun area in central Seoul, Saturday. YonhapBy Kim RahnMass demonstrations and rallies are now being allowed with the government's “return to normalcy” plan that has eased social distancing regulations against COVID-19, raising concerns over the possible spread of the coronavirus among participants. On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets in downtown Seoul in demonstrations organized by more than 20 civic groups. They marched on the streets around the Gwanghwamun area, causing traffic jams in central Seoul.Most of the organizers reported to the police that their rallies would have 499 participants ― in line with the government's “Living with COVID-19” plan that allows up to 99 people to participate in a rally and up to 499 when including 400 fully vaccinated people.The police said they checked the demonstrators' vaccine certificates and did limit the numbers to 499 per rally, but could not prevent more people from joining in the middle of street marches.More rallies are planned foll

Nov 8, 2021By Kim Rahn
Concerns rise over increasing mass rallies
  • Outdoor drinking at nighttime in Han River parks allowed again

Outdoor drinking at nighttime in Han River parks allowed again

Police officers patrol Yeouido Hangang Park Seoul, watching for violations of gathering and nighttime drinking bans, July 9. YonhapBy Lee Hae-rinNighttime drinking in parks along the Han River has been allowed again after four months of being restricted as part of the measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said that it lifted the ban on outdoor drinking after 10 p.m. on Monday, following the central government's “Living with COVID-19” strategy. The venues with the lifted ban include all Han River parks, Cheonggye Stream area, Seoul Forest, Gyeongui Line Forest Park and Seonyudo Park.The city government imposed the ban on July 6 in response to the fourth wave of infections amid the spread of the Delta variant. The ban was intended to prevent people from continuing to drink outdoors in parks after the curfew shut down restaurants and bars. Those violating the regulation were subject to fines of up to 100,000 won ($83), and convenience stores on Han River parks were also banned from selling alcoholic beverages after 10 p.m.&ldquo

Nov 8, 2021By Lee Hae-rin
Outdoor drinking at nighttime in Han River parks allowed again
  • Concerns rise over increasing mass rallies

New infections fall below 2,000 in six days

gettyimagesbankSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 2,000 for the first time in six days Monday as fewer people took virus tests over the weekend, but health authorities remain on alert as new infections could rise under eased social distancing rules.Last week, the government began its "living with COVID-19" scheme as part of a broader plan to gradually lift the virus restrictions by the end of February.The country reported 1,760 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 381,694, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload fell below 2,000 after reporting more than 2,000 cases for five days in a row.Daily virus caseloads tend to decrease on weekends and holidays due to fewer virus tests.Of the total, 1,733 were local infections, the KDCA said. Twenty-seven cases came from overseas, putting the cumulative total at 15,270.Of the locally transmitted cases, Seoul had 700 cases, with the surrounding Gyeonggi Province logging 538 cases and Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, 97 cases.The death toll rose by 13 to 2,980 on Monday, the h

Nov 8, 2021
New infections fall below 2,000 in six days
  • Asiana to increase flights to Singapore on travel bubble deal

Concerns growing over consistent rise in COVID-related deaths

People enjoy a sunny day at Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul, Sunday, marking the first weekend since the government implemented its “Living with COVID-19” plan, Nov. 1. YonhapDeath toll rises among elderly patients and unvaccinated By Jun Ji-hyeConcerns are growing over a consistent increase in the number of deaths related to COVID-19 amid the prolonged fourth wave of the pandemic that began in early July. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Sunday, the average daily number of COVID-19-realted deaths stood at 17.4 this month, nearly nine times higher than 1.96 tallied in June just before the fourth wave of the pandemic began.On Nov. 3, the death toll rose to a 10-month high of 24, and on Nov. 4, 20 more virus patients died. In general, when the death toll increases, the number of critically ill patients decreases. But this time, the number of such patients has also risen from 365 on Nov. 3 to 382 on Nov. 4. Health authorities are bracing for a continued increase in the number of critically ill patients and deaths, as the government's sh

Nov 7, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Concerns growing over consistent rise in COVID-related deaths
  • Nearly 1,500 caught drunk driving in first 4 days of 'Living with COVID-19': police

Gov't urged to recognize overseas vaccination of foreigners

Passengers stand in line to go through the check-in process at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, Friday. YonhapKDCA plans to allow registration to all foreigners, but fails to give exact dateBy Lee Hyo-jin Residents of foreign nationality who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 abroad are experiencing inconvenience here as they are ineligible to register their vaccination record with the government system unless they have a quarantine exemption certification. Under current measures, Korean nationals who have been vaccinated overseas may register their inoculation record on the COVID-19 vaccine app (COOV) by visiting a local health center, while non-Korean nationals can make the registration only if they have a quarantine exemption certificate.Quarantine exemption certificates are issued by diplomatic establishments abroad for urgent and inevitable entry for business, academic, public or humanitarian reasons.As such, foreign nationals without a quarantine waiver cannot prove their vaccination history, which leaves them categorized as “unvaccinated” in th

Nov 7, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't urged to recognize overseas vaccination of foreigners
  • New COVID-19 cases stay over 2,000 for 5th straight day amid relaxed virus curbs

New COVID-19 cases stay over 2,000 for 5th straight day amid relaxed virus curbs

A woman gets tested for COVID-19 at a testing center in Seoul Plaza, downtown Seoul, Nov. 6. YonhapSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 2,000 for the fifth consecutive day Sunday amid worries over a resurgence of infections after the country relaxed virus curbs to gradually return to normalcy under its "living with COVID-19" scheme.The country reported 2,224 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,204 local infections, raising the total caseload to 379,935, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure is slightly down from 2,248 cases but marked the fifth straight day it has been over 2,000 since surging to 2,667 on Wednesday. The death toll rose by 11 to 2,967, falling from the previous day's 20. The fatality rate stands at 0.78 percent.Health authorities are bracing for a rise in infections for the time being as people are expected to expand their outdoor activities and private gatherings under recently relaxed social distancing rules. Last Monday, the government introduced the "living with COVID-19" scheme under which it eased social distanci

Nov 7, 2021
New COVID-19 cases stay over 2,000 for 5th straight day amid relaxed virus curbs
  • Gov't urged to recognize overseas vaccination of foreigners

New cases over 2,000 for 4th day amid relaxed virus curbs

A man wearing a face mask exercises during a lunch break at a park in Seoul, Nov. 3. AP-YonhapNew COVID-19 infections stayed above 2,000 for the fourth consecutive day Friday following the government's relaxing of its social distancing measures under its "Living with COVID-19" plan that allows people to gradually return to normalcy.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 2,248 new cases, including 2,219 local ones, raising the total caseload to 377,712. Friday's number is down from 2,344 cases for the previous day but still substantially larger than this week's low of 1,589, Tuesday. The country's daily infection tally has remained in the quadruple digits since July 7. The death toll rose by 20 ― for the third consecutive day ― to 2,956 with a fatality rate of 0.78 percent. The health authorities are worried about potential upticks in cases following the Halloween weekend after once-empty popular nightlife districts bustled again with visitors.The authorities implemented eased social distancing rules Monday under the "Living with COVID-19" plan after the count

Nov 6, 2021
New cases over 2,000 for 4th day amid relaxed virus curbs

Gene linked to doubling risk of COVID-19 death found by UK scientists

gettyimagesbankBritish scientists said on Friday they had identified a gene in the human body that doubles the risk of dying due to COVID-19, providing new insight into how the illness affects patients and possibly help in developing specific treatments.Around 60 percent of people with South Asian ancestry carry the high-risk genetic signal, researchers at Oxford University said, adding the discovery partly explains the high number of deaths seen in some British communities, and the affect of COVID-19 in the Indian subcontinent. (Reuters)

Nov 5, 2021
Gene linked to doubling risk of COVID-19 death found by UK scientists

Korea buys 60 million Pfizer vaccine doses for 2022

A man, who got a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, leaves a COVID-19 vaccination center in Seoul, Oct. 29. Reuters-YonhapSouth Korea on Friday signed a deal with U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. to buy 30 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to be administered next year, bringing the total amount to 60 million, health authorities here said. The deal is a follow-up to an earlier deal signed in August that secured 30 million doses and had an option for an additional 30 million doses, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The contract is part of South Korea's plan to secure enough vaccine doses to cover the first shots of the country's 52 million people next year, the KDCA said. In June, the country began preparations to secure more vaccines for next year as the COVID-19 pandemic here is expected to continue even after achieving much-awaited herd immunity.Since the country launched its vaccination program in late February, 76.1 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated and 80.6 percent received their first shots. (Yonhap)

Nov 5, 2021
Korea buys 60 million Pfizer vaccine doses for 2022
  • New infections over 2,300 for 3rd day amid eased virus curbs

New infections over 2,300 for 3rd day amid eased virus curbs

A visitor wears plastic gloves to help curb the spread of the coronavirus as they wait in a line for the tests at a temporary screening clinic for coronavirus in Seoul, Nov. 2. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 2,300 for the third consecutive day Friday, four days after the country relaxed its virus restrictions nationwide in line with its "living with COVID-19" scheme.The country reported 2,344 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 375,464, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. New cases slipped a bit from the previous day's 2,482, but a jump from 2,124 recorded last Friday, the KDCA said.Of the total, 2,324 were local infections, the KDCA said. Twenty cases came from overseas, putting the cumulative total at 15,194.Of the locally transmitted cases, Seoul had 974 cases, with the surrounding Gyeonggi Province logging 740 cases and Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, 152 cases.The death toll rose by 20 to 2,936 on Friday, the health authorities said. The fatality rate came to 0.78 percent.The health authorities warned virus

Nov 5, 2021
New infections over 2,300 for 3rd day amid eased virus curbs
  • Korea buys 60 million Pfizer vaccine doses for 2022
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