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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.

Vaccination rate surpasses 60%

People wait to receive coronavirus inoculations at a vaccination center in Mapo District, Seoul, Tuesday. As of that day, 60.1 percent of the population have received at least their first shot of a vaccine. The government is targeting a 70 percent first-shot vaccination rate before the Chuseok long weekend, which falls from Sept. 18 to 22. Yonhap

Sep 7, 2021
Vaccination rate surpasses 60%

Local governments encourage foreign residents to get vaccinated

Foreign residents wait to receive COVID-19 vaccine shots at a vaccination center in Gwangju, Sunday. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiLocal governments are ramping up efforts to encourage foreign residents to receive vaccinations against COVID-19 as the number of new infections among foreign nationals is steadily increasing. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Tuesday, 15.2 percent of newly confirmed patients between Aug. 29 and Sept. 4 were foreign nationals. In particular, more than half of confirmed cases were non-Koreans in some cities and counties which have a large number of migrant workers due to the large presence of factories and farms there ― 55 percent in Hwaseong and 50.5 percent in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, and 67.6 percent in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, over the same period. For Seoul, 6.3 percent of new patients were foreigners in July, but the figure jumped to 9.2 percent in August.The health authorities believe rising infections among foreign residents could be attributed to the low inoculation rate resulting from a lack of information on

Sep 7, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Local governments encourage foreign residents to get vaccinated

Controversy arises over move to allow singles to adopt children

Jeong Jae-min, an official at the Ministry of Justice, speaks during a briefing in Seoul, Monday, on the ministry's plan to allow single people to adopt children. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin A controversy is arising over the government's move to allow single people to legally adopt children, with the decision being welcomed by those who agree on the need to recognize diverse forms of family, while others express concerns over possible child abuse by the adoptive parent. The Ministry of Justice announced Monday a plan to amend the law to allow an adult who is single to adopt children if they meet certain requirements proving their capability of raising a child.Under the current law, only couples who have been married for three years are allowed to adopt a child. Unmarried people are ineligible for adoption based on the traditional view that they would face more difficulties in raising a child than married couples.But a ministry taskforce created to devise policies for single-member households said that many single people are as capable as married people of raising children, and thus the elig

Sep 7, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Controversy arises over move to allow singles to adopt children

Korea on track to inoculate 70% of population by Chuseok holiday

gettyimagesbankSouth Korea's vaccinations are proceeding at a faster than expected pace as over 60 percent of the population has received at least one shot, bringing the country a step closer to achieving its 70-percent goal by Chuseok holiday later this month.A total of 38.7 million people have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines as of 10:30 a.m., accounting for around 60.1 percent of the country's population, while those who are fully vaccinated reached 18.5 million, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). If the current pace continues, health authorities expect the nation to be able to partially inoculate 70 percent of the population before the Chuseok holiday, which is scheduled for Sept. 20-22.More than 1.36 million people received COVID-19 vaccines Monday, marking the largest single-day tally since the country launched its inoculation campaign on Feb. 26, the KDCA said.Currently, those aged 18-49 are receiving their first jabs, following inoculations on priority groups, including the elderly population and healthcare workers. (Yonhap)

Sep 7, 2021
Korea on track to inoculate 70% of population by Chuseok holiday
  • Breakthrough cases reach 4,000, most frequent among those in 30s

Breakthrough cases reach 4,000, most frequent among those in 30s

gettyimagesbankSouth Korea has reported nearly 4,000 coronavirus infections involving people who tested positive for COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated, health authorities said Tuesday.Out of more than 9.75 million people who have received the full-dose vaccine regimen, there were 3,855 breakthrough cases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.The rate of breakthrough cases occurring in people in their 30s was the highest at 0.092 percent, with the rate decreasing among the elderly, the KDCA said. The rate of breakthrough cases among those who have received jabs supplied by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson came to 0.131 percent, trailed by AstraZeneca with 0.042 percent and Pfizer with 0.023 percent.The KDCA said similar cases may increase as the country's vaccine rollout revs up, though the proportion of breakthrough cases is extremely low.Since its nationwide inoculation campaign began in late February, more than 60 percent of the country's 52 million population, have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines, the KDCA said.The rate of

Sep 7, 2021
Breakthrough cases reach 4,000, most frequent among those in 30s
  • New cases bounce back to near 1,600
  • Delta variant cases near 20,000 in Korea
  • Korea on track to inoculate 70% of population by Chuseok holiday

Delta variant cases near 20,000 in Korea

A medical worker in a booth takes a nasal sample from a woman during coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, Sept. 7. AP-YonhapSouth Korea has confirmed 3,091 more cases of four major contagious variants of the new coronavirus over the past week, including 3,070 of the highly transmissible delta variant, health authorities said Tuesday.The caseload of such infections reached 23,388 here, with the number of delta cases, first reported in India, tallied at 19,951, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The tally indicates the delta variant is becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19 here, making it more difficult for health authorities to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.The KDCA also said it has detected three cases of the gamma variant, including an entrant from Argentina. The delta variant is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Seoul and its neighboring areas, while showing signs of spreading much faster into the rest of the country.Health authorities said the country will witness more cases of the variants down the ro

Sep 7, 2021
Delta variant cases near 20,000 in Korea
  • Breakthrough cases reach 4,000, most frequent among those in 30s

New cases bounce back to near 1,600

Bottles of hand sanitizer are displayed for use at a park in Goyang, Sept. 5. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose to slightly below 1,600 on Tuesday while authorities strive to tighten their guard against the pandemic and raise the vaccination rate ahead of a major national holiday. The country added 1,597 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,563 local infections, raising the total caseload to 263,374, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest caseload was the highest for any Tuesday despite tough social distancing measures in place across the nation over the last two months. It is up from 1,490 on Sunday and 1,375 on Monday, when new cases usually remain lower than other weekdays due to less testing over the weekend. Daily cases have stayed in the four-digits for the last 63 days amid the fast rise of the more transmissible variants nationwide. The country added three more deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 2,330. Health authorities remain cautious about the hike in new cases in the Seoul metropolitan area, which coul

Sep 7, 2021
New cases bounce back to near 1,600
  • Breakthrough cases reach 4,000, most frequent among those in 30s

Calls growing for 'live with COVID-19' strategy

People stand in line to receive a coronavirus test at a testing center near Seoul Station, Monday. Yonhap6 out of 10 Koreans support new quarantine schemeBy Lee Hyo-jin There are growing calls here for the government to adopt a “live with COVID-19” strategy, under which social distancing measures can be eased in preparation for a new normal in which the country might have to live with a permanent presence of the coronavirus. Unlike the current policy which focuses on bringing down the number of daily new infections, the new strategy would concentrate on the treatment of patients in critical condition, while relaxing distancing measures to enable people to return to their pre-pandemic daily lives.According to a poll of 500 adults released by Realmeter, Monday, 58.5 percent of respondents said that Korea should adopt the new strategy around early October ― 34.3 percent disagreed, while the remainder were unsure. Calls for a “live with COVID-19” strategy have been mounting especially among small business owners, who have suffered damages due to the prolonged soci

Sep 6, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Calls growing for 'live with COVID-19' strategy
  • Self-employed people to hold drive-through protests against COVID-19 restrictions

Nearly 60% of Koreans support shift to 'living with COVID-19' strategy: poll

Visitors wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus rest during a lunch break at a park in Seoul, Sept. 6. AP-YonhapAlmost 60 percent of South Koreans want the nation to shift its COVID-19 response strategy to embrace the pandemic as part of everyday life, as the rate of fully vaccinated people is expected to reach 50 percent next month, a poll showed Monday. According to the poll of 500 people aged 18 and older conducted by Realmeter on Friday, 58.5 percent of respondents said they support an earlier adoption of the "living with COVID-19" protocol. Another 34.3 percent said they oppose the change, while the remaining 7.2 percent said they are not sure.The "living with COVID-19" protocol refers to an antivirus scheme focusing on treating patients with severe symptoms instead of efforts to contain the spread of the virus. It will allow people to restore most of their pre-pandemic lives, with only minimum social distancing rules in place.Jeong Eun-kyeong, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency commissioner, said last month the country can significantly ease

Sep 6, 2021
Nearly 60% of Koreans support shift to 'living with COVID-19' strategy: poll
  • New cases in 1,300s on fewer tests; virus curbs extended for a month
  • Self-employed people to hold drive-through protests against COVID-19 restrictions

Number of medical tourists to Korea drops 76.5% in 2020 amid pandemic

A visitor wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks near the display of the Seoul logo during a lunch break at a park in Seoul, Sept. 6. AP-YonhapThe number of medical tourists to South Korea tumbled nearly 77 percent in 2020 from a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday.Roughly 117,100 foreign patients visited South Korea last year, down a whopping 76.5 percent from some 497,500 a year earlier, according to the data from the local medical community.The data is based on statistics gathered by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.Seoul Asan Medical Center, one of South Korea's five major hospitals, was no exception. The general hospital in southeastern Seoul saw the number of foreign patients tumble 41 percent on-year to some 11,800 last year.In 2018, Seoul Asan Medical Center received about 18,000 foreign patients, with the number hitting a record high of 20,025 a year later.An industry source said the number of foreigners visiting South Korea for medical treatment nose-dived last year due to strict restrictions on cross-b

Sep 6, 2021
Number of medical tourists to Korea drops 76.5% in 2020 amid pandemic
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