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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.

Massive rallies on Saturday feared to be another COVID-19 hotbed

Residents wait in line for a COVID-19 test at the National Medical Center in Seoul, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe health authorities are bracing for the possibility that massive rallies organized by some progressive groups this Saturday could cause another outbreak of COVID-19 at a time when new daily cases here have risen by triple digits for three consecutive days, officials said Tuesday.Korea added 100 more infections for Monday, including 71 local cases, raising the total caseload to 27,653, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily new cases stood at 126 on Sunday and 143 on Saturday.Progressive groups including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) are planning to stage rallies across the country to mark the fifth anniversary of a fateful protest when police water cannons put Baek Nam-gi, a farmer protesting the then-Park Geun-hye government, into a coma, Nov. 14, 2015. He died without reawakening Sept. 25, 2016.The preparatory committee for the rallies said at least 100,000 protesters are expected to gather at 13 sites includi

Nov 10, 2020
Massive rallies on Saturday feared to be another COVID-19 hotbed

Shortage of doctors expected next year

Students enter the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute in eastern Seoul to take the practical skills test section of the national medical license exam in this Sept. 8 photo. / Korea Times fileBy Lee Hyo-jin Concerns are growing over a possible shortage of new doctors next year after approximately 86 percent of eligible medical students refused to take the state-run medical licensing exam which ended Tuesday. Over 2,700 of the total 3,172 final-year students did not participate in the practical skills test which was conducted for two months from Sept. 8, according to medical organizations.The students refused to apply for the licensing exam in August to protest the government's medical workforce reform plans. They chose to boycott the exam even after the health authorities had postponed it by one week and extended the registration deadline. Another 446 students who took the test will be allowed to take a written test scheduled for Jan. 7 and 8 next year, and those who pass will receive their licenses to practice medicine.The absence of the majority of the potential

Nov 10, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Shortage of doctors expected next year

101 suspected flu shot deaths reported in South Korea

South Korean Prime Minister Jung Sye-kyun receives a flu vaccine shot at a public health center in Sejong on Oct. 21, 2020. Courtesy of Prime Minister's OfficeSouth Korea's health agency said Tuesday that a total of 101 people, most of whom were elderly, died after receiving seasonal flu vaccines. The deaths had stoked public anxiety over the safety of such vaccines, but the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said 97 of those deaths have very limited relation with the flu shots. Another four cases are under investigation.Of the total, 84 people were aged over 70, followed by eight under 60 and nine in their 60s, the KDCA said.The health authorities have repeatedly said they have found no direct link between flu shots and deaths, urging people to get flu vaccinations before the onset of winter amid the coronavirus pandemic. Public anxiety has heightened over the safety of flu vaccines after some vaccine bottles ― part of the country's free inoculation program ― were exposed to room temperature during distribution. The authorities, however, said there was no safety issu

Nov 10, 2020
101 suspected flu shot deaths reported in South Korea

New virus cases in triple digits for 3rd day

People queue up to receive a COVID-19 infection test in front of the National Medical Center in Seoul's Jung District, Tuesday. YonhapSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases rose by triple digits for a third day Tuesday due to a series of cluster infections, prompting health authorities to consider raising the level of social distancing measures.The country added 100 more COVID-19 cases, including 71 local infections, raising the total caseload to 27,653, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The figure marked a slight drop from 126 cases added on Monday and 143 from Sunday.The country, which had been operating a three-tier social distancing scheme since the early stage of the pandemic, adopted the Level 1 social distancing on Saturday, the lowest on a revised five-tier scheme.The new anti-virus curbs can be applied by each provincial government based on the degree of virus outbreaks, allowing people to carry on with their ordinary lives while wearing masks.But health authorities are concerned that they may have no choice but to adopt the Level 1.5 scheme na

Nov 10, 2020
New virus cases in triple digits for 3rd day
  • Coronavirus infections top 50 million worldwide
  • Gov't warns of tightening of social distancing level
  • South Korean travel-related stocks rally on Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine results
  • Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine is looking 90 percent effective
  • Hopes for COVID-19 vaccine boost stock markets

China-bound passengers must submit 2 negative COVID-19 test results

In this photo from January 2020, passengers departing for China go through a custom desk at the Incheon International Airport's Terminal 2 where an official checks their body temperatures and quarantine history reports. Korea Times filePassengers of China-bound flights from South Korea must provide two negative coronavirus test results before boarding, starting later this week, health authorities here said Tuesday.Starting Wednesday, China will require all passengers arriving from South Korea, regardless of their nationalities, to submit two negative COVID-19 test results from two separate testing sites, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Tests must be completed within 48 hours before their departure, the KDCA said, adding that the tests should be conducted at facilities designated by the Chinese Embassy in Seoul.Passengers need to pay around 400,000 won (US$359) for the two tests, the KDCA said. The Chinese government has so far requested passengers of China-bound flights from the country to submit one negative COVID-19 test before boarding their fl

Nov 10, 2020
China-bound passengers must submit 2 negative COVID-19 test results
  • Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine is looking 90 percent effective
  • Hopes for COVID-19 vaccine boost stock markets

Gov't warns of tightening of social distancing level

A medical staffer stands at the entrance of the National Medical Center in Seoul, Monday. / YonhapBy Lee Hyo-jin The government warned of a possible raising of social distancing levels, Monday, if the country fails to bring the current triple-digit increases in new daily COVID-19 infections under control.Amid continuous sporadic outbreaks across the country, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 126 new cases for Sunday including 99 local infections, pushing up the total caseload to 27,553.The authorities voiced concerns as triple-digit numbers of daily infections were confirmed daily over the weekend, despite the number of tests administered being lower than those on weekdays. For local transmissions, the average number of daily infections has also steadily risen from 57.4 in the first week of October to 89 in the first week of November.This has led the health authorities to seriously consider strengthening their social distancing measures to Level 1.5 from the current Level 1, the lowest of the newly-introduced five-tier system. “If we fail to stop t

Nov 9, 2020By Lee Hyo-jin
Gov't warns of tightening of social distancing level
  • New virus cases in triple digits for 3rd day

Coronavirus infections top 50 million worldwide

A food delivery rider passes by the gothic cathedral in Milan, Italy, Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. APMore than 50 million novel coronavirus infections have been detected worldwide, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1615 GMT on Sunday.A total of more than 50,010,400 cases, including 1,251,980 deaths, have been recorded globally since the pandemic erupted in China in December last year.Europe, with 12.6 million confirmed cases for more than 305,700 deaths, has once again become the epicentre of the pandemic.Last week, out of the more than 3.9 million new cases recorded in the world, more than half (2.1 million) were in the 52 countries of the European continent.In the last seven days, the European countries that registered the largest number of new infections were France with 381,000 new cases, Italy (223,000), the United Kingdom (160,000), Poland (159,000) and Spain (143,000).The United States, which experienced a slight respite over the summer, has seen the number of daily infections top 100,000 cases for the last few days. The country is approaching 10 million c

Nov 9, 2020
Coronavirus infections top 50 million worldwide
  • New virus cases in triple digits for 3rd day

New virus cases above 100 for 2nd day

A screen shows precautions against the coronavirus at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. APSouth Korea's new coronavirus cases rose by triple digits for the second day Monday, with a series of cluster infections being reported from venues of everyday life, ranging from markets to family gatherings, straining the country's anti-virus fight.The country added 126 more COVID-19 cases, including 99 local infections, raising the total caseload to 27,553, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).It marked a slight drop from 143 cases added on Sunday, but Monday's caseloads are relatively high given the lower number of tests carried out over the weekend.South Korea, which has been striving to curb COVID-19 from hospitals and nursing homes, recently saw more sporadic cluster infections at risk-prone facilities, such as nursing homes and private gatherings.Over the past two weeks, around 36 percent of the newly added cases have been group infections, with some 13.7 percent not having clear transmission routes.To identify possible "silent spre

Nov 9, 2020
New virus cases above 100 for 2nd day

COVID-19 fears lingering

A restaurant in Seoul has anti-COVID-19 guidelines posted on its door, Sunday. / YonhapNew virus cases rebound to over 100 againBy Kim Se-jeongOn the second day of a new social distancing scheme in place, Korea's daily COVID-19 cases bounced back to over 100, rekindling fears of another wave of infections. According to Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Korea reported 143 new COVID-19 cases, Saturday, pushing up the total number of cases to 27,427. The death toll was 478. Saturday's total was a big jump from the previous day's 89, and a return to the triple-digit increases after two days with double-digit increases. Quarantine authorities voiced concerns over the fact that the 143 were reported when the number of virus tests is lower than usual ― testing centers close early during weekends.The authorities also said if the total number stays above 100 for several days, they will consider imposing the Level 1.5 social distancing scheme. Currently, the entire country, except for Cheonan and Asan in South Chungcheong Province, is under Level 1, which means businesses can

Nov 8, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
COVID-19 fears lingering

Allergic to sunlight: rare but extremely painful

A hospital display shows where the memorial altar for popular comedian Park Ji-sun is located at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital in Seoul, Nov. 2. Park was found dead alongside her mother at her residence earlier in the day. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiThe late comedian Park Ji-sun reportedly had a problems due to a worsening sunlight allergy. A final note, which is believed to have been left by Park's mother, who was found dead by her daughter's side, said, “My daughter suffered from skin diseases, and recently, she suffered more in the process of treating other diseases.”Park said in an interview in 2014 that she suffered from skin allergies and could not even wear makeup. In particular, people suffering from these have to always avoid sunlight, which increases their likelihood of developing depression.The comedian, who was said to have had the allergy throughout her life, usually wore a mass-producer to avoid the sun. When filming, she minimized makeup for her s

Nov 8, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Allergic to sunlight: rare but extremely painful
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