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Vaccine-booking system crashes again, causing problems for millions

Citizens wait for possible side effects after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine injections at an inoculaton center in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap.By Lee Hyo-jin Korea's coronavirus vaccination reservation for people in their 50s is not running smoothly, with repeated crashes in the booking system frustrating the people, and delays in vaccine deliveries causing setbacks to the inoculation plan.According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), people aged between 50 and 59 will be administered with their first Moderna or Pfizer doses beginning later this month, but getting a spot through the online reservation website has not been easy for many in that age group.Online reservations for people aged 53 and 54, or those born in 1967 and 1968, opened from 8 p.m., Monday. But as soon as it opened, the server crashed due to high user demand. The KDCA resumed taking reservations after installing additional cloud servers at around 10 p.m., but many people still experienced connection delays. They had to sit in front of their computers for hours attempting to b

Jul 20, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Vaccine-booking system crashes again, causing problems for millions

Major heat wave set to roast whole nation

Large blocks of ice are placed by citizens waiting in line for COVID-19 testing at a makeshift testing center in Seoul amid a heat wave, Monday. YonhapState-run firms urged to turn off air conditioners during peak hours to prevent blackoutsBy Bahk Eun-jiKorea's weather is heating up, with sizzling temperatures forecast throughout the week after the rainy season ended, the weather agency said Tuesday. As a heat advisory has been issued in almost all parts of the country, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety raised its heat wave crisis warning level from “caution” to “alert” in anticipation of a long-lasting heat wave.With the rain virtually ending Monday, a strong heat wave has begun to grip the country and the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) forecast most parts of the country are likely to have daytime highs hovering over 35 degrees Celsius, with some regions climbing up to nearly 40 degrees.Large cities will experience tropical nights, in which the temperature never dips below 25 degrees, especially along the western and southern coasts and Jeju

Jul 20, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji
Major heat wave set to roast whole nation

PM apologizes for failure to prevent mass virus outbreak within Cheonghae unit

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum speaks during a meeting on the government's response to COVID-19 at the government complex in Sejong, July 20. YonhapPrime Minister Kim Boo-kyum apologized Tuesday for the government's failure to prevent a mass COVID-19 outbreak among sailors of South Korea's Cheonghae unit on an anti-piracy mission in waters off Africa.A total of 247 sailors of the 301-strong Cheonghae unit have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday, confirming a widely feared mass infection. The military sent two KC-330 multirole aerial tankers to Africa to bring back all the members."The government is very sorry for failing to carefully attend to the health of our troops dedicated to protecting our nation," Kim said during a daily interagency meeting on the government's coronavirus response, in addressing the virus outbreak within the Cheonghae unit.Kim instructed the defense ministry to do its best for the treatment and recovery of returning troops. He also called for proper follow-up measures to ensure smooth mission continuity in light of an abrup

Jul 20, 2021
PM apologizes for failure to prevent mass virus outbreak within Cheonghae unit

New daily cases over 1,200 for 2nd day

People queue in line to wait for the coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site at the National Assembly in Seoul, July 15. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 1,200s for the second consecutive day Tuesday due to fewer tests amid scorching hot weather, as authorities are tightening their guard against the fast spread of the highly contagious delta variant across the nation. The country added 1,278 COVID-19 cases, including 1,242 local infections, raising the total caseload to 180,481, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest figure was up from 1,252 on Monday when the daily caseload usually remains low due to fewer tests over the weekend, but it was an all-time high for a Tuesday amid the fourth wave of the pandemic.The daily caseload has remained above the 1,000 mark over the past two weeks due to the resurgence in the greater Seoul area, and it has been spreading across the nation despite the nation's vaccination drive.The country added one more COVID-19 death, raising the death toll to 2,059. The greater Seoul

Jul 20, 2021
New daily cases over 1,200 for 2nd day

Korea still tops suicide rate among OECD countries

By Jung Da-minSouth Korea has the highest suicide rate among OECD member nations, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday.In the ministry's report, based on the OECD Health Statistics 2021 database issued in early July, Korea's suicide mortality rate, or the number of suicides per 100,000 people, was 24.7 in 2018. The rate had been on the decrease, from 33.8 in 2009 to 23 in 2017, but rebounded to 24.7 in 2018.The latest figure was more than double the OECD average of 11, and about 10 times higher than Turkey, which has the lowest rate of 2.6, according to the ministry.Korea, which had been criticized for its high suicide rate, topping the OECD list since 2003, came down to second place in 2016 and 2017, only after Lithuania joined the OECD and ranked first. But Korea's rate has risen again and the country has taken first place once more.Experts say the causes of suicide are complex, not only due to personal and mental health issues but also related to economic and social factors.The report also showed that life expectancy in Korea was 83.3 years in 2019, slightly higher than

Jul 19, 2021
Korea still tops suicide rate among OECD countries

Worst infection cluster devastates ROK naval mission to Africa

Service members in protective clothes wait in front of an A330 MRTT aircraft after it arrived at an unidentified airport in Africa, Monday. Two multi-role tanker transport aircraft will bring back members of the 301-strong anti-piracy Cheonghae unit to Korea from aboard the destroyer Munmu the Great following a mass COVID-19 outbreak on the ship. Those returning to Korea will be replaced by a crew who arrived on the aircraft. Yonhap82% of Cheonghae unit members test positive for COVID-19By Lee Hyo-jin An infection cluster among members of Korea's anti-piracy Cheonghae unit in waters off Africa has drawn the criticism that the government and the military's negligence and mismanagement of the situation have resulted in the largest group infection in the military since COVID-19 reached the country. A total of 247 service members, or 82 percent of the 301-strong crew aboard the 4,400-ton destroyer Munmu the Great, have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Monday. All of the crewmembers are expected to be returned to Korea as early as tonight

Jul 19, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Worst infection cluster devastates ROK naval mission to Africa

Gov't seeks to improve legal status of animals

gettyimagesbankThe Ministry of Justice on Monday gave advance notice of a revision to the civil law that would grant animals legal status as individuals with lives that deserve to be protected.The ministry said it has added the new clause, "animals are not objects," to article 82 of the Civil Code.Under the existing law, animals are identified as "an object that takes up space" and are not separated from inanimate things, so animal abusers have been punished only for damaging property if they face a penalty at all.The revision came after social consensus was reached on the need to improve animal protection, the ministry said, amid a steady rise in the number of companion animals and heightened awareness of animal welfare.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the number of households raising pets was estimated at 6.38 million in 2020, up 8 percent from the previous year's 5.91 million. The figure roughly translates to 28 percent of the country's 23 million households. Once the revision is passed by the National Assembly and comes into force, relevant laws w

Jul 19, 2021
Gov't seeks to improve legal status of animals

New daily cases over 1,000 for 2 weeks

A medical worker in a booth takes a nasal sample from a man during a coronavirus testing at a makeshift testing site in Seoul, July 16. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell slightly Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but the daily caseload has stayed above 1,000 for nearly two weeks. prompting authorities to tighten virus curbs across the nation to contain the spread ahead of the summer holiday season. The country added 1,252 COVID-19 cases, including 1,208 local infections, raising the total caseload to 179,203, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The latest figure was down from 1,454 on Sunday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but it marked an all-time high for a Monday amid the fourth wave of the pandemic.The daily caseload has remained above the 1,000 mark since July 7 due to the resurgence in the greater Seoul area, and it has been spreading across the nation despite the nation's vaccination drive.The country added one more COVID-19 death, raising the death toll to 2,058. The greater Seoul area, home to half of the c

Jul 19, 2021
New daily cases over 1,000 for 2 weeks

Gov't to expand stricter gathering ban to non-capital areas

Vacationers have fun in the sun at Sokcho Beach in Gangwon Province, Sunday, with the new virus cases hitting a new record of 1,454 for Saturday. Amid the fourth wave of infections sweeping the country, the government has decided to expand its ban on private gatherings of five or more people nationwide from Monday. YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The government has decided to expand its ban on private gatherings of five or more people nationwide, alarmed by the rise in COVID-19 cases outside the capital region amid the fourth wave of infections sweeping the country. “Starting Monday, the ban on private gatherings of more than five people will be expanded nationwide,” said Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum at a COVID-19 response meeting, Sunday.“Although the toughest distancing measures have been implemented in the metropolitan area for a week, the number of infections is not going down. All resources should be poured into curbing the spread of the virus.”According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the measure will be effective for two weeks until Aug. 1. Since last week,

Jul 18, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't to expand stricter gathering ban to non-capital areas

COVID-19 outbreaks continue in and outside of Korea

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a mass rally in central Seoul on July 3, despite the Seoul Metropolitan Government, police and health authorities' repeated requests that it be canceled amid concerns over possible COVID-19 infections. Yonhap61 more anti-piracy naval unit members test positive for coronavirusBy Jun Ji-hyeCOVID-19 infections have continued to break out in and outside of the country over the weekend, raising concerns that the ongoing fourth wave of infections could become far more serious. At least three protesters who took part in a recent mass rally organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a major umbrella labor group, in central Seoul have tested positive for COVID-19, sparking fears of even more infections to come, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).Outside the country, an infection cluster has occurred at the nation's anti-piracy naval unit in waters off Africa, with nearly 70 service members having tested positive. On July 3, the mass rally was held in central Seoul, with about 8,000 pro

Jul 18, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
COVID-19 outbreaks continue in and outside of Korea
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