my timesThe Korea Times
South KoreaHealth

Health

New cases under 600 for 3rd day

People wearing face masks as a precaution against the coronavirus walk through a tunnel in Seoul, May 24. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 600 for the third straight day Tuesday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but health authorities are concerned over rising infections outside the greater Seoul area.The country reported 516 more COVID-19 cases, including 481 local infections, raising the total caseload to 136,983, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.The daily caseload came to 585 on Sunday and 538 on Monday.There were four additional virus deaths, raising the total to 1,938. The fatality rate came to 1.41 percent.Of the newly added patients Tuesday, infections from outside Seoul accounted for 41.8 percent of the local cases. The proportion came to 46.6 percent the previous day, the highest since late January.South Korea has been grappling with sporadic cluster infections, and the higher reproduction rate and the spread of more transmissible variant strains of COVID-19 are also straining the country's virus fight.The country'

May 25, 2021
New cases under 600 for 3rd day

Calls grow for more effective measures against dog attacks

gettyimagesbankBy Lee Hyo-jin The government is being urged to implement additional measures against dog attacks, as current laws seem to be ineffective in preventing such incidents against people, as well as other animals.Under the current law, five breeds that are categorized by the government as “aggressive breeds” ― Tosa, American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier and Rottweiler ― and dogs crossbred from these, must be leashed and muzzled in public areas. Owners of these breeds are required to sign up for insurance to cover any attacks by their pets that cause injury. When a dog attack results in a person's death, regardless of the breed, the dog owner can be sentenced to up to three years in prison and fined 30 million won ($25,300). If an attack causes injury, its owner faces up to two years in jail or a 20 million won fine.However, experts point out that the current rule determining canine aggression depending on breed is ineffective in preventing attacks, as it lacks an understanding of the animals' characteristics. &ldqu

May 24, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Calls grow for more effective measures against dog attacks

Woman mauled to death by stray dog

This photo provided by Namyangju Fire Station, Sunday, shows the dog that mauled a 59-year-old woman to death in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. Courtesy of Namyangju Fire StationA woman was mauled to death by a stray dog in a suburb near Seoul on Saturday afternoon. The 59-year-old died of excessive bleeding a few hours after the dog bit her neck. The dog's attack was filmed by a closed circuit camera set up in the neighborhood, and police later captured the dog, which looked like a hybrid of Pungsan Dog and Samoyed.This is not an isolated incident at a time when many pedigreed dogs end up on city streets and turn into strays, baring fangs and attacking people and livestock alike.Last week, packs of strays raided a poultry farm in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, culling around 800 chickens. It was the second attack at the farm after strays struck a week earlier and killed about 250 chickens.Amid increasing attacks by wild dogs, the city said it would work with a dog vigilante squad to capture them, a mission that has proved elusive since dogs are highly cautious and wary.On the sou

May 24, 2021
Woman mauled to death by stray dog

New cases under 600 for 2nd day on fewer tests

Kyungmin Information Technology high school student Huh Tae-hee wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus checks her smartphone to take pictures at the Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, May 21. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed below 600 for the second straight day Monday on fewer tests over the weekend, with a rebound in the reproduction rate, coupled with sporadic cluster infections, straining the country's antivirus fight. The country reported 538 more COVID-19 cases, including 513 local infections, raising the total caseload to 136,467, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload stood at 585 on Sunday and 666 on Saturday. There were three additional virus deaths, raising the total to 1,934. The fatality rate came to 1.42 percent.Starting Monday, South Korea extended its tight social distancing scheme by three more weeks through June 13. Currently, the greater Seoul area, home to more than half of the country's 52 million people, is under Level 2 social distancing, the third highest in the five-tier scheme, wh

May 24, 2021
New cases under 600 for 2nd day on fewer tests

No. of refugees screened hits record high in first quarter

Asylum seekers participate in a rally organized by Amnesty and NANCEN, a local refugee rights' group in Jongno, central Seoul, September 2018, calling for better treatment and review processes. / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin The number of refugee screenings conducted by the immigration authorities in the first quarter of the year has surged to a record high, according to government data, Sunday. The authorities reviewed 3,638 cases filed by asylum seekers from January to March ― up sharply from 6,254 cases that were screened during all of 2020 ― according to data released by the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice.This is a fourfold increase from 813 screenings conducted in the same period in 2020.The data indicate that the authorities reviewed around 1,200 asylum seekers a month, marking the first time that the number of applicants screened monthly surpassed 1,000.In addition, as of March, a total 16,531 asylum seekers were on the waiting list for review. Among them, 4,044 asylum seekers had reapplied, requesting the government to review their case for a second

May 24, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
No. of refugees screened hits record high in first quarter

Will bilateral partnership fix Korea's vaccine shortage?

Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra pose at a meeting held in Washington, Friday. Courtesy of the Ministry of Health and WelfareBy Lee Hyo-jin While the Korean and U.S. health authorities have agreed to build a comprehensive partnership on the production and development of COVID-19 vaccines, it remains to be seen whether such an agreement will speed up vaccine arrivals here as a much-anticipated vaccine swap deal is missing, according to experts, Sunday. South Korean Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol and his U.S. counterpart Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, held a meeting in Washington, Friday, with President Moon Jae-in in attendance, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The event came on the sidelines of the summit between Moon and U.S President Joe Biden.Based on a mutual understanding that the speedy supply of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial to overcoming the pandemic, the two sides vowed to cooperate in the development and production of vaccines by combining the U.S.'s technolog

May 23, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Will bilateral partnership fix Korea's vaccine shortage?

Teenage addiction to smartphones, internet rises in 2021 amid pandemic

Smartphone addiction / gettyimagesbankThe number of South Korean students at high risk of addiction to smartphones and the internet increased last year on extended online classes at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a government survey showed Sunday.According to the annual survey of 1.27 million fourth, seventh and 10th graders nationwide by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, a total of 229,000 students were found to be in danger of overdependence on smartphones or the internet, nearly unchanged from a year earlier.Among them, 30,000 were believed to be excessively dependent on either the internet or smartphones, up from 28,000 surveyed last year.In particular, the number of teens overdependent on the internet increased to 16,000 in 2021 from 14,000 the previous year.The ministry said the protracted novel coronavirus pandemic has led students to spend more time surfing online using personal computers or tablets before and after online classes at home."Students tend to use the internet not only through smartphones but also personal computers and other media at home," a ministr

May 23, 2021
Teenage addiction to smartphones, internet rises in 2021 amid pandemic

Touted for exemplary pandemic response, Korea again in spotlight as global vaccine hub

A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Seoul, May 14. YonhapSouth Korea, touted as one of most successful countries in containing the new coronavirus pandemic without lockdowns, is gearing up for its next step to emerge as a global vaccine hub, with four COVID-19 vaccines already being or set to be produced here.The country's vision to become a global vaccine hub got a boost as Samsung BioLogics signed a deal to manufacture Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine at its local factory, in line with President Moon Jae-in's four-day visit to Washington.Under the deal, the pharmaceutical arm of Samsung Group will produce the Moderna vaccine from the third quarter at the earliest.Moderna will become the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to be produced in South Korea, following AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sputnik V vaccines.AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines are currently manufactured here by pharmaceutical firm SK Bioscience Co., while other smaller players are producing the Russian vaccine, although not all of the vaccines produced here are supplied locall

May 23, 2021
Touted for exemplary pandemic response, Korea again in spotlight as global vaccine hub

New cases back under 600 again

People wait after being vaccinated against COVID-19 at a center in Seoul, May 22. YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 600 again on Sunday due to fewer tests over the weekend amid increased sporadic cluster infections, as the country's vaccination scheme is set to gather pace again.The country reported 585 more COVID-19 cases, including 570 local infections, raising the total caseload to 135,929, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.South Korea reported 666 cases on Saturday and 561 on Friday. There were five additional virus deaths, raising the total to 1,931. The fatality rate came to 1.42 percent.With the country's daily new cases showing no signs of letup since early May, South Korea decided to extend the current level of its social distancing scheme by three more weeks through June 13. Currently, the greater Seoul area, home to more than half of the country's 52 million people, is under Level 2 social distancing, the third highest in the five-tier scheme, while the rest of the country is mostly subject to Level 1.5 distancing.Gatherin

May 23, 2021
New cases back under 600 again

Additional batch of Pfizer vaccines for 219,000 people arrives in Korea

A senior citizen gets a COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer in Seoul, May 22. YonhapAnother batch of the new coronavirus vaccine by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, enough to inoculate 219,000 people, arrived in South Korea on Sunday, as the country aims to speed up its inoculation program.South Korea and Pfizer earlier signed a direct contract to secure 66 million doses that can vaccinate 33 million people.A total of 3.75 million doses of two-dose Pfizer jabs have been shipped in as of Sunday, with another batch of 3.25 million doses set to arrive here by the end of June.South Korea currently provides Pfizer jabs to seniors age 75 and above, or those working at facilities for elderly citizens.The country has so far secured shots for 99 million people, which is more than enough to inoculate the 52 million population. (Yonhap)

May 23, 2021
Additional batch of Pfizer vaccines for 219,000 people arrives in Korea
previous page
223224225226227
next page

Most Read in South Korea