South Korea - The Korea Times

Corgi YouTube star donates tons of pet food to abandoned animals every year

Baek-ho, a Welsh Corgi that became a YouTube sensation / Courtesy of Kang Seung-yeonBy Lee Hae-rinCorgi YouTube star Baek-ho's human owner Kang Seung-yeon, 32, is a regular donor to charities supporting abandoned animals. Kang creates and uploads videos of her daily life with Baek-ho on her YouTube and social media channels and donates all of the related income to animal welfare causes.Over 128,000 animal lovers have subscribed to Baek-ho's YouTube channel, “Baek-ho Next Door,” while over 640,000 people follow him on Twitter and Instagram combined. Baek-ho was on the cover of the April edition of Big Issue Korea, and before the pandemic used to have a regular “fan walk” with 300 to 400 subscribers.Baek-ho, a Welsh Corgi YouTube star, appears on the cover of the April edition of Big Issue Korea. / Courtesy of Kang Seung-yeon“It started out as something very personal in 2015 ― an online diary to look back when Baek-ho passes and a backup folder of his photos and videos in case I lose my phone,” Kang told The Korea Times. “I didn't know back the

Sep 30, 2021By Lee Hae-rin

Corgi YouTube star donates tons of pet food to abandoned animals every year

Migrant human rights groups denounce excessive use of force at immigration detention center

A Moroccan man is detained ― on his stomach with his feet and hands tied behind his back and with his head bound in protective head gear ― in solitary confinement at Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center in Gyeonggi Province, in this video footage taken in June. Courtesy of Duroo Association for Public Interest LawBy Lee Hyo-jin Civic groups for the human rights of migrants and foreign nationals here have denounced immigration authorities for the excessive use of force against a detainee at an immigration detention center, calling for punishment of those responsible and measures to prevent any recurrence. A coalition of these groups held a press conference, Wednesday, in front of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, calling for immediate release of the detainee, while demanding apologies from the head of Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center and the justice minister.A Moroccan man in his 30s, who has been detained at Hwaseong Detention Center in Gyeonggi Province for over six months, has been subject to inhumane treatment there, according to the groups.An immigration detent

Sep 29, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Migrant human rights groups denounce excessive use of force at immigration detention center

Health authorities alarmed by COVID-19 spike among foreign residents

A medical worker stands by at a temporary COVID-19 testing center at Seoul Station, Wednesday. YonhapMinistries to redouble efforts to boost vaccination rate of foreign residentsBy Jun Ji-hyeHealth authorities here are paying keen attention to a recent spike in COVID-19 infections among foreign residents amid no sign of a slowdown of the latest wave of the pandemic. Concerns are being raised because the infection rate per 100,000 foreign residents has been nine times higher than the rate per 100,000 Korean nationals over the past week, while the vaccination rate of the former has been lower than that of the latter.According to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, a total of 2,305 foreign residents were confirmed to have COVID-19 from Sept. 19 to 25, a high increase from the 940 cases tallied in the middle of August, in line with the continued increase in infections here amid the ongoing fourth wave of the pandemic.The 2,305 foreign patients accounted for 16.2 percent of the total, and among them, 64.5 percent lived in the Seoul metropolitan area that includes Incheon and Gye

Sep 29, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Health authorities alarmed by COVID-19 spike among foreign residents

New cases spike to 2nd highest

People wait to get coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Sept. 25. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed in the 2,000s for a fourth day Wednesday, bouncing back to the second largest since the outbreak of COVID-19 in January last year on a spike in infections in the greater Seoul area. The country reported 2,885 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,859 local infections, bringing the total caseload to 308,725, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The daily caseload touched a fresh high of 3,272 on Saturday due to a mass migration during the Chuseok holiday, the Korean autumn harvest celebration, which ran from Monday to Wednesday last week. It fell to 2,771 on Sunday, 2,383 on Monday and 2,289 on Tuesday, as fewer people took a virus tests over the weekend. Of the locally transmitted cases, the Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the nation's 52 million population, took up 76.6 percent of the total, which is up 2.6 percentage points from the previous day. Seoul reported 1,054 cases, and the surrounding Gyeonggi Provinc

Sep 29, 2021

Vaccinations to pick up pace next month

People are monitored for possible side effects after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Mapo District of Seoul, Tuesday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea's nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program is expected to pick up pace in October, as the government plans to expand inoculations to people who have yet to receive a single dose.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced Monday the inclusion of children aged between 12 and 17, along with pregnant women in its vaccination list for the fourth quarter. Starting Oct. 18, teenagers aged between 12 and 17, or those born between 2004 and 2009, will receive the Pfizer vaccine. The reservation system for children aged 16 and 17 will be open from Oct. 5 to 29, while appointments for those aged between 12 and 15 can be made from Oct. 18 through Nov. 12.The government also plans to roll out vaccinations for 136,000 pregnant women from mid-October. They will be administered with mRNA vaccines Moderna or Pfizer. Since the vaccination campaign kicked off on Feb. 26, 38.09 million people, or 75 percent of the p

Sep 28, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

New cases in 2,000s for 3rd day; infections resurge in non-greater Seoul

Cancer remains leading cause of death in Korea

gettyimagesbankCancer remained the top cause of death in South Korea, with the number of deaths hitting a record high last year, a government report showed Tuesday.In 2020, 304,948 deaths were reported in South Korea, up 3.3 percent from a year earlier. It marked the highest annual number since Statistics Korea began compiling such data in 1983. The statistics agency said 593.9 deaths were reported per 100,000 South Koreans last year. It also said 160.1 per 100,000 people died of cancer last year. Cancer has been the No. 1 cause of death in the country since record keeping began.Heart disease is the second-largest cause of death for South Koreans, with 63 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by pneumonia with 43.3 deaths.Last year, 950 people died from COVID-19, accounting for 0.3 percent of deaths. The 10 leading causes of death included cerebrovascular disease, suicide, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.Alzheimer's disease made it to the top 10 list in 2018 for the first time since 1983.Among the 10 leading causes of death, heart disease, pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease are on the

Sep 28, 2021

Cancer remains leading cause of death in Korea

New cases in 2,000s for 3rd day; infections resurge in non-greater Seoul

A medical worker in a booth takes a nasal sample from a police officer during coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Sept. 25. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily coronavirus cases remained in the 2,000s for a third day Tuesday as infections spiked outside the greater Seoul area in the aftermath of a mass migration during the Chuseok holiday.The country reported 2,289 new COVID-19 cases, including 2,270 local infections, bringing the total caseload to 303,553, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The daily caseload touched a fresh high of 3,272 on Saturday before slightly falling to 2,771 on Sunday.Health authorities were cautious about a possible nationwide spread of COVID-19 as the mass migration during the Chuseok holiday is expected to accelerate the virus spread across the country.The Chuseok holiday, the Korean autumn harvest celebration, ran from Monday to Wednesday last week. The country added eight more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,464.Daily cases have stayed over 1,000 for the last 84 days despite the country h

Sep 28, 2021

New cases in 2,000s for 3rd day; infections resurge in non-greater Seoul

Vaccinations to pick up pace next month

Korea aims to fully vaccinate 80% of adults by end of October

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong, right, speaks during a briefing on the government's vaccination plan for the fourth quarter at the KDCA office in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Monday. YonhapBooster shots to start with high-risk groupsBy Lee Hyo-jin Korea aims to fully vaccinate 80 percent of its adult population and 90 percent of the elderly population aged 60 and older by the end of October, in preparation for a gradual shift to a “live with COVID-19” era.The COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force, under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), unveiled its inoculation plan for the fourth quarter Monday, which includes the inoculation of children aged between 12 and 17, along with pregnant women.The health authorities plan to increase the rate of fully vaccinated individuals aged 18 and older to 80 percent, up from the current 53 percent; and fully immunize 90 percent of the elderly population by then, up from current 87 percent. As part of its efforts to speed up the administration of second doses, the go

Sep 27, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea aims to fully vaccinate 80% of adults by end of October

9 out of 10 Koreans believe ending COVID-19 impossible

9 out of 10 Koreans believe ending COVID-19 impossible

Merchants and residents wait in long lines for COVID-19 testing at Garak Market in Seoul's Songpa District, Monday, as the market has reported a high number of COVID-19 infections. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeNine in 10 Korean people believe that ending the COVID-19 pandemic is impossible and that people will need to get further shots against the coronavirus every year as they already do to cope with seasonal flu, according to the latest survey released by the National Medical Center (NMC), Monday. The public hospital said it had commissioned Gallup Korea to carry out the survey on 1,550 adults across the country. The survey was conducted from Aug. 18 to 23, and the respondents included 29 people who had been previously infected with the coronavirus and discharged from hospitals.In the survey, 89.6 percent of respondents said they expect the COVID-19 threat will be endless, and vaccines will need to be administered to people annually. About 54 percent said vaccines would help people overcome COVID-19 to some extent.Regarding ways of dealing with virus patients, 73.3 percent agreed with the ne

Sep 27, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

9 out of 10 Koreans believe ending COVID-19 impossible

Male admissions for nursing schools exceed 20% for 1st time in Korea

gettyimagesbankMen have taken up more than 20 percent of admissions for nursing universities in South Korea for the first time this year, data showed Monday.According to Jongro Academy, one of the country's leading educational institutions for college admissions, 2,249 male students entered nursing universities in 2021, accounting for 20.5 percent of the total 10,993.The tally was up by 161, or 7.7 percent, compared to 2,088 enrollments last year.This marked the first time the proportion of male admissions for nursing schools has surpassed the 20 percent mark. The rate is the highest since universities here began to recruit nursing students in 1974.This year's male enrollment was about 68.2 times higher than 33 in 2001. The total number of students entering nursing schools each year has also grown to exceed 10,000 in 2016. It was 2,527 in 2001.According to Jongro Academy, the number of male students who have acquired nursing licenses also surged over the past two decades to 3,504 this year from 46 in 2001."Nursing schools have become popular among male students because of job securit

Sep 27, 2021

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