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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.

COVID-19 affecting dating, marriage, childbirth rates

gettyimagesbank By Kang Seung-wooCOVID-19 has had an influence on dating, marriage and childbirth, a study showed on Thursday, as pandemic-caused social distancing prevents people from meeting and starting relationships, and thus reduces the marriage rate and birthrate. The research by Choi Seul-ki, a professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management, and Kye Bong-oh, a professor of sociology at Kookmin University, was based on interviews with 2,000 adults between the ages of 25 and 49. Among the 602 adults in the survey who are single, 78.1 percent have not gone on a blind date since the outbreak of the coronavirus in February last year. Also, 48.7 percent of those surveyed said that the frequency of getting new dates has fallen compared with the pre-pandemic era, with only 0.5 percent saying that it has increased.The study also found that the pandemic greatly affected perspectives on marriage among women, with 20.7 percent saying they were more reluctant

May 15, 2021By Kang Seung-woo
COVID-19 affecting dating, marriage, childbirth rates
  • Will vaccine incentives encourage more Koreans to get COVID-19 jabs?
  • New cases fall below 700; cluster infections, travelers strain virus fight
  • New cases in 600s for 2nd day amid vaccination campaign

Health authorities: Vaccine tourism undesirable, risky

gettyimagesbank By Lee Hyo-jin While public attention is growing over so-called “vaccine tourism” for people seeking to visit other countries in order to get COVID-19 vaccine shots, health authorities said they do not recommend such trips, as they entail certain risks. “Although vaccine tourism is legally allowed, I wouldn't advise people to arrange such trips,” Bae Kyung-taek, a senior official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Friday during a radio interview with MBC.“It would take over a month, for instance, for an individual from Korea to complete the vaccination process in the United States,” he said.Currently, several countries, including the U.S. and the Maldives, are offering vaccines to foreign visitors.People would need to spend one or two days travelling to the country, then stay there at least four weeks in order to receive two doses of the vaccine with a three-week interval in between. Then, upon their arrival back in Korea

May 14, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Health authorities: Vaccine tourism undesirable, risky
  • Will vaccine incentives encourage more Koreans to get COVID-19 jabs?

Will vaccine incentives encourage more Koreans to get COVID-19 jabs?

A medical worker at a nursing home receives her second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at a public health center in Sejong City, Friday. Yonhap By Lee Hyo-jin The government is considering offering incentives to people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, as a means of encouraging citizens to participate actively in the vaccination program. But experts argue that the incentives should be accompanied by more support measures in case of possible side effects. Starting from May 5, health authorities have allowed fully vaccinated individuals to skip a mandatory two-week isolation period after returning from overseas or coming in close contact with a virus patient.On May 11, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said that it is considering easing social distancing restrictions on immunized people. The ministry said that it may exempt immunized people from gathering bans of five or more people, as well as ease limits on the operating hours of businesses, o

May 14, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
Will vaccine incentives encourage more Koreans to get COVID-19 jabs?
  • New cases above 700 for 2nd day
  • COVID-19 affecting dating, marriage, childbirth rates
  • Health authorities: Vaccine tourism undesirable, risky

New cases above 700 for 2nd day

An employee waits for arrival of visitors during a Moonlight Tour amid the coronavirus pandemic at Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul, May 13. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed above 700 for the second day on Friday as the country's vaccination campaign is again set to gather pace with more shipments of vaccines amid tight supply.The country reported 747 more COVID-19 cases, including 729 local infections, raising the total caseload to 130,380, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Daily infections continued to rise this week, jumping to 715 cases on Thursday from 635 Wednesday, 511 Tuesday and 463 Monday. There were two additional virus fatalities, raising the total to 1,893. The fatality rate was 1.45 percent.The upsurge in daily infections came as the country's inoculation drive has showed little progress due to tight supply of vaccines. But with more vaccines having arrived in the past two days, inoculation may rev up down the road. On Thursday, 835,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines, enough for 417,500 people, arrived here.The c

May 14, 2021
New cases above 700 for 2nd day
  • Will vaccine incentives encourage more Koreans to get COVID-19 jabs?

New PM Kim Boo-kyum pledges to seek national unity on first day on job

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum attends a meeting on the government's coronavirus response at the government complex in Seoul, May 14. YonhapPrime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday that he will work toward pursuing national unity in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, as he began his official term as the administration's third prime minister."I will become a prime minister who thoroughly aims for national unity," Kim said while arriving at the government complex in Seoul on his first day as prime minister."The current struggle can be overcome only if we work together," Kim added, referring to the ongoing new coronavirus pandemic. The new prime minister's official term began Friday, as President Moon Jae-in approved his appointment at 7 a.m.The National Assembly dominated by the ruling Democratic Party passed Kim's confirmation bill on Thursday night amid protest from the main opposition People Power Party over Cheong Wa Dae's apparent move to press ahead with the appointment of three nominees for the oceans, science and land ministries, despite alleged ethical lapses.On Thursday, Oc

May 14, 2021
New PM Kim Boo-kyum pledges to seek national unity on first day on job

AstraZeneca vaccines for 417,500 people arrive in Korea

A health worker holds a vial of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine at a coronavirus vaccination center at the Wizink Center in Madrid on Wednesday. AFP-YonhapKorea brought in another 835,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines, enough for 417,500 people on Thursday amid concerns over a tight vaccine supply.The vaccines developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant and Oxford University are shipped in under the World Health Organization's global vaccine COVAX Facility project.So far, AstraZeneca vaccines, under COVAX, for 1.26 million people have already been brought in, with another shipment of the products for 835,000 people slated for June.A series of mishaps in securing COVID-19 vaccines as scheduled has spawned concerns that the country's nationwide inoculation scheme may be delayed, which in turn may put its goal to create herd immunity by November in jeopardy.The shipment also comes as health authorities have been speeding up the vaccine rollout that kicked off in late February, by giving out second shots.The bottles that recently arrived will be used to give the secon

May 13, 2021
AstraZeneca vaccines for 417,500 people arrive in Korea

Designating Han River parks as alcohol free zones causes controversy

People relax at Yeouido Han River Park in Seoul, May 9. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanBy Jun Ji-hyeControversy is growing over the Seoul Metropolitan Government's (SMG) recent announcement that it is considering designating the 11 parks on the Han River as alcohol free zones.The city government cited concerns over COVID-19 infections, but critics called the measure an “excessive regulation” that infringes on individual freedom.Park Yoo-mi, chief of citizens' public health for the city government, told a press briefing, Wednesday, that concerns have been raised over the possible spread of COVID-19, because people have been flocking to Han River parks in recent weeks as the weather has been getting warmer. Many people visit the parks at nighttime to drink, as bars and restaurants close at 10 p.m. as part of the social distancing guidelines.“Regarding the designation of a no alcohol zone, we have been talking to the relevant departments about the scope and timespan,” Park said.The city's discussion about the designation comes as the National Health Promotion Ac

May 13, 2021By Jun Ji-hye
Designating Han River parks as alcohol free zones causes controversy

New cases rebound to over 700 amid little progress in vaccinations

A woman wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus walks near a banner at a park in Seoul, May 11. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rebounded to over 700 Thursday as the country's vaccination campaign nearly stalled over tight vaccine supply amid spreading variant cases.The country reported 715 more COVID-19 cases, including 692 local infections, raising the total caseload to 129,633, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Thursday's daily caseload jumped from 635 cases Wednesday, 511 Tuesday, 463 Monday and 564 Sunday, and marks the highest since April 28 when it reached 775.There were seven additional virus fatalities, raising the total to 1,891. The fatality rate was 1.46 percent.The upsurge in daily infections came as the country's inoculation drive showed little progress recently due to tight supply of vaccines.Since late February, the country has been ramping up its vaccination campaign with an aim to achieve herd immunity by November.A total of 3,711,023 people, accounting for 7.2 percent of the country's population, have

May 13, 2021
New cases rebound to over 700 amid little progress in vaccinations

1 in 4 COVID-19 patients infected with virus variants

Korean citizens who were flown back home from India via a chartered flight gather in the arrival area at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday. YonhapKorea reports 1st possible case of 'breakthrough infection'By Lee Hyo-jin The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported Wednesday that tests it conducted over the past week showed that more than one out of every four COVID-19 patients was infected with a variant of the original virus. Coronavirus variants are known to be more transmissible and virulent than the original strain, and according to the KDCA the detection rate of new strains among confirmed cases here has nearly doubled over the past two weeks, reaching 27.5 percent in the first week of May, up from 15 percent from the last week of April.This is the highest rate of detection since the health authorities began collecting related genome sequencing data last December. As of Tuesday, the KDCA has reported a total of 808 cumulative infections by the British, South African and Brazilian variants, which are classified as “major variants” by the heal

May 12, 2021By Lee Hyo-jin
1 in 4 COVID-19 patients infected with virus variants
  • New cases back above 600 amid spreading variants

New cases back above 600 amid spreading variants

A woman wearing a face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus walks near a banner for mandatory mask wearing at a park in Seoul, May 11. AP-YonhapSouth Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose back above 600 on Wednesday, with health authorities remaining on alert over a potential spike amid spreading variant cases.The country reported 635 more COVID-19 cases, including 613 local infections, raising the total caseload to 128,918, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.Wednesday's figure jumped from 511 cases Tuesday, 463 Monday and 564 Sunday though it is lower than the 701 Saturday. The daily caseload usually spikes after weekends as more people get tested. There was five additional deaths from the virus, raising the total to 1,884. The fatality rate was 1.46 percent.To stem the spread, the country is revving up its vaccination drive with an aim to achieve herd immunity by November.A total of 3,698,657 people have received their first shots of COVID-19 vaccines, accounting for 7.2 percent of the country's population, since the country started its vaccinati

May 12, 2021
New cases back above 600 amid spreading variants
  • 1 in 4 COVID-19 patients infected with virus variants
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