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QR code scanning to be mandatory at cram schools

Government employees try quick response (QR) code-based entry logs at the government complex in Sejong, in this June 2 photo. YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiPeople will be required to carry quick response (QR) codes on their mobile phones if they want to attend cram schools or use PC rooms in the Seoul metropolitan area the health authorities said Friday, as a measure to stem the spread of COVID-19. The QR scanning move is part of the tougher infection disease prevention measures in densely populated areas including the capital and Incheon, and adjacent cities in Gyeonggi Province. “Extended social distancing measures will also be enforced until the number of new daily cases in the areas falls to single digits. We have come up with these measures to minimize disruptions in school classrooms and damage to the livelihoods of businesses that could be caused if we go back to full social distancing. They are needed to block the chain of infections concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area,” said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo during a press briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul.I

Jun 12, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
QR code scanning to be mandatory at cram schools

Adoptee's 'rocky' journey to find birth family

Kara Bos at the KoRoot, a guesthouse for visiting adoptees in Seoul, Wednesday                                          Korea Times photo by Kim Se-jeongBy Kim Se-jeong For, Kara Bos, 38, a Korean adoptee who's been searching for her birthmother since 2016, Friday was a very special day. The Seoul Family Court concluded that a man, Bos believed could be her father, was indeed her biological father. Bos, who traveled from her home in the Netherlands just to be in the courtroom in southern Seoul, quietly wept after the verdict was read out.She is expecting another emotional experience next week as she and her father are supposed to meet in person to talk, for first time in her life.“I want to hear his voice and his story. That's what this journey for the search was about ― getting him to talk to me,” Bos told The Korea Times Wednesday at the KoRoot, a guesthouse for visiting adoptees in Seoul. “And I want to ask him who my mother is.”A picture of Kara Bos tak

Jun 12, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Adoptee's 'rocky' journey to find birth family

South Korea to extend tough distancing around Seoul

South Korea has decided to prolong a set of strict social distancing measures in Seoul and nearby regions, initially slated to expire this weekend, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday amid no letup in daily increases in the number of COVID-19 infections."The situation is that it's inevitable to extend the strengthened distancing measures in the capital area, which are scheduled to finish the day after tomorrow," he said at the outset of an interagency meeting against the pandemic.In late May, the government imposed the measures, which include the closure of public libraries, museums and other facilities, as part of the "distancing in daily life" campaign.In spite of the enhanced distancing in place over the past two weeks, he pointed out, the virus has continued to spread, especially in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, where around half of the nation's 52 million population resides.He cited unrelenting reports of cluster and indirect infections especially in the capital area, speaking during the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters session held at the go

Jun 12, 2020

S. Korea reports 56 new cases of coronavirus infection

- S. Korea reports 56 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 12,003- 1 more virus death, death toll now at 277- 15 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, total cured patients at 10,669South Korea's new virus cases rebounded to over 50 on Friday, with most of them reported in the Seoul metropolitan area, likely forcing health authorities to extend toughened social distancing in the densely populated capital area.The country added 56 new cases, including 43 local infections, raising the total caseload to 12,003, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). It marked an increase from 45 posted a day earlier.Of the locally transmitted cases, all but one were reported in Seoul and surrounding areas. The accumulated number of patients in Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital city surpassed the 1,000 threshold.South Korea eased its strict social distancing guidelines on May 6 on the back of the flattened virus curve, with phased reopenings of schools starting in mid-May.The relaxed social distancing guidelines, however, have been

Jun 12, 2020
S. Korea reports 56 new cases of coronavirus infection

Local transmissions balloon by double digits in Seoul

A medical worker carries out a COVID-19 infection screening test at Bucheon Sports Complex in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, June 10. YonhapThe number of newly confirmed cases from local transmissions in Seoul marked a double-digit growth for 11 straight days, raising concerns over a possibly bigger outbreak in the city where one-fourth of the population lives.The number of daily local transmissions reported here from June 1-10 increased by two-digit numbers ranging from 13 to 29, according to an analysis of data by Yonhap News Agency.On Thursday, the figure reached 23 as of 6 p.m., raising the total to 203.This marks the longest double-digit growth streak since the new coronavirus pandemic broke out in South Korea.The city saw four consecutive days of double-digit increases in March when a cluster infection broke out at a call center in the southwestern Seoul ward of Guro and another four-day streak linked to nightspots in Itaewon in May.The latest data comes amid heightened worries over chain transmissions traced to massive infection clusters in the greater Seoul area that includes In

Jun 12, 2020
Local transmissions balloon by double digits in Seoul

Water parks virtually empty amid COVID-19 pandemic

Lifeguards wear face masks to prevent COVID-19 infections at Everland's Caribbean Bay in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeEverland's Caribbean Bay and other water parks across the country have recently opened their pools and slides in the summer heat, but are suffering a sharp drop in visitors due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, company officials said Thursday. Ocean World, the water park at Vivaldi Park resort complex in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, opened its outdoor pool, May 23, while Jeju Shinhwa World opened its indoor pool May 29. Caribbean Bay, just next to Everland amusement park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, also opened Aquatic Center, attractions and spas, June 5. Water parks usually open their facilities around the middle of April. This year, the opening has been postponed to the end of May and beginning of June due to the public health crisis.Amid the pervasive fear about potential infection clusters, Lotte Water Park in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, which was originally scheduled to open May 30, has yet to open.A Caribbean Bay official sa

Jun 11, 2020
Water parks virtually empty amid COVID-19 pandemic

Gov't struggles to contain series of infection clusters

Citizens wait to go through coronavirus testing at a public health center in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu, Thursday. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe health authorities are struggling to identify COVID-19 infection vectors to stop additional community transmissions as a string of sporadic infection clusters have continued to emerge in the densely populated capital area.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) is facing difficulties investigating infection routes and blocking additional cases as infections that broke out in one group spread rapidly to other groups.Most of the locally transmitted cases have been reported in Seoul and the metropolitan area in recent weeks, amid a continuous rise in infection clusters in the capital region, including one traced to a multi-level marketing company in Gwanak District. The KCDC reported 45 new infections Wednesday, including 40 local cases, which raised the nation's total to 11,947. The death toll remained unchanged at 276. Among the 40, 20 lived in Seoul, while 15 and five were residents of Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, respectively.

Jun 11, 2020By Jun Ji-hye
Gov't struggles to contain series of infection clusters

More gamers globally in 2020 amid pandemic: report

Patrons at a PC cafe in Seoul play a computer game, Mar. 4. Korea Times fileThe number of people playing PC and console-based games jumped by nearly 50 percent globally this year as the new coronavirus pandemic has confined more people to their homes, an industry report showed Thursday.Daily active users of PC and console games spiked 46 percent on-year during the January-May period, according to the report by game software developer Unity Technologies. The correspondent number for mobile gaming was a 17 percent increase.Before the COVID-19 outbreak hit, there was already a 13 percent on-year increase in mobile app downloads, but the corresponding number skyrocketed as countries entered lockdowns in early March, according to the report."The reality is more people are gaming, and this captive audience is not only engaged for longer periods of time but also spending in game at rates typically seen around the holidays," Vice President Julie Shumaker said in a press release.The report also showed that mobile gamers are installing more apps than ever, with the number of installs increasin

Jun 11, 2020
More gamers globally in 2020 amid pandemic: report

Korea wants to promote its coronavirus-fighting model as global standard

A foreign resident gets a COVID-19 test at a testing center outside Seongdong District Health Center in Seoul, May 12. YonhapSouth Korea said on Thursday that it would share its know-how and skills gained in fighting the new coronavirus pandemic with the world and make its disease-control programs international standards.The country plans to promote the so-called test-trace-treat (3T) model of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and propose related regimes to the International Organization for Standardization, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy.The country will seek to standardize a total of 18 disease-control programs covering all stages in controlling the spread of a virus, from carrying out tests to operating drive-thru clinics and quarantine centers.South Korea also seeks to set global standards for mobile applications designed to keep track of people under self-quarantine, as well as the immigration process to prevent imported COVID-19 cases.The country has been touted as one of the most successful countries in containing the spread of the new coronavirus withou

Jun 11, 2020
Korea wants to promote its coronavirus-fighting model as global standard

Medical workers struggle with heat wave

A medical staffer removes protective clothing after finishing her shift at a public health center in Seoul's Yangcheon District, Wednesday. Daytime temperature in Seoul reached over 30 degrees Celsius on that day. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeAn early heat wave here, with daytime temperatures reaching over 30 degrees Celsius, is causing medical staff to struggle as they have to wear full-body protective clothing, goggles and masks to carry out COVID-19 tests and take care of patients.Teachers and students who are required to wear face masks at all times at schools, and citizens who are asked to do so while using public transportation are also grappling with maintaining safety measures in scorching temperatures amid the prolonged pandemic. Medical staff who have been fighting on the front lines against the virus are now in an even tougher situation as protective suits make it difficult for them to withstand the fiery heat.This is raising concerns about the health of medical personnel at a time when sporadic infection clusters have continued. There has already been a report that three medical

Jun 10, 2020By Jun Ji-hye
Medical workers struggle with heat wave
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