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Olympic medalist listed as 'bad father'

Kim Dong-sung on “Bad Fathers” blog By Kim Se-jeong Kim Dong-sung, a short track speed skater who won Olympic medals, was featured on a private blog that posts a list of “bad fathers” who failed to provide child support.Founded by a group of activists, the blog, “Bad Fathers,” became famous in January after a lower court in Suwon sided with the activists in a defamation case. The athlete married in 2004 and was divorced in 2018. Reportedly, Kim's former wife has custody of their two children and he is required to pay 3 million won per month for child support. Speaking to a local media outlet after Kim's profile was posted on the blog, his ex-wife said Kim has not been paying the money since January and the court's ruling in January motivated her to contact the bloggers. “You're still a parent. Although you are not physically raising children, you have a responsibility to share the burden and Kim is failing to do this,” the mother was quoted by the media outlet. In r

Apr 2, 2020By Kim Se-jeong

K-pop star under fire for coronavirus prank

By Jun Ji-hyeK-pop star Kim Jae-joong, also known Jaejoong, is facing severe criticism for an April Fools' Day “prank” he pulled on Instagram, Wednesday, by claiming he had been infected with the new coronavirus. The member of the K-pop group JYJ issued an apology later in the day, but the controversy is showing no signs of abating at a time when nearly 1 million people worldwide have been infected with COVID-19, including a number of medical staff who are courageously fighting the contagious disease on the frontlines.Kim Jae-joong / Courtesy of C-JeS EntertainmentA petition calling for some sort of punishment to be levied against the singer was posted on the Cheong Wa Dae website ― also Wednesday ― and has received support from over 12,000 citizens as of 1 p.m. Thursday. On his Instagram account, which has nearly 2 million followers, Kim claimed he had been confirmed to have been infected with the virus, saying, “I was hospitalized. I am sorry for those who could have been infected by the virus because of me.”Many fans who were worried about him left comments

Apr 2, 2020

K-pop star under fire for coronavirus prank

Eight foreigners denied entry for refusing to follow self-isolation rule

Police officers in protective clothing wait for Koreans repatriated from Italy at Incheon International, April 1. AFPBy Jung Min-hoEight foreigners have been denied entry to Korea for refusing to comply with the country's mandatory self-isolation rule.The Ministry of Justice said Thursday that it returned eight foreigners to their countries after they refused to follow its coronavirus containment measure. The rule, which came into force April 1, requires all people arriving in Korea from overseas to quarantine themselves at their residences or government-designated facilities for 14 days.According to the ministry, the foreigners from six countries, including Kazakhstan, refused to follow the rule when they arrived at Incheon International Airport even after they were notified of it before leaving for Korea.Under the measure, those who do not have a place to stay here have to pay around 100,000 won ($82) for using the government-designated facilities. They also must install a mobile app that allows authorities to monitor their locations in real time.According to government data, 35 pe

Apr 2, 2020By Jung Min-ho

Eight foreigners denied entry for refusing to follow self-isolation rule

PM's ultimatum: 'No mercy for people caught ignoring self-isolation rules'

Seoul to conduct coronavirus test for int'l arrivals at Olympic stadium

Seoul Sports Complex in Songpa-gu. Korea Times fileStarting Friday, a sports complex in eastern Seoul where the country hosted the Summer Olympics will turn into a walkthrough screening center for overseas arrivals, the Seoul mayor said Thursday.Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon announced that the city government will use Seoul Sports Complex, a major sports complex that was used for the 1986 Asian Games and 1988 Summer Olympics, to carry out screening tests for people arriving on international flights."Starting tomorrow, (the city) will set up and run a massive screening center at Seoul Sports Complex for overseas entrants," Park told reporters in a press briefing. "The testing capacity is expected to reach 1,000 people daily on average."The idea comes a day after the government imposed a mandatory 14-day self-isolation for everyone arriving on international flights as concerns over imported cases are heightening.Park said that those with virus symptoms will be tested at screening centers at the airport, while those without symptoms will be tested at the sports complex or community health c

Apr 2, 2020

Seoul to conduct coronavirus test for int'l arrivals at Olympic stadium

'It's still too early to ease social distancing'

S. Korea reports 89 new virus cases, total at 9,976. Death toll hits 169

South Korea reported 89 new cases of the novel coronavirus Thursday, down from 101 new cases a day earlier, bringing the nation's total infections to 9,976.The 89 new cases of COVID-19, detected Wednesday, marked the 21st consecutive day that new infections hovered around 100 or fewer additional cases, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). But the country remains wary of cluster infections and imported cases.The nation's death toll rose by four to 169, with more than half of fatalities being patients aged 80 or older.Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the nation's two worst-affected regions, reported 21 and two new cases, respectively, the KCDC said. The total number of cases reported in Daegu and the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province reached 6,725 and 1,304, respectively.Other major provinces and cities also reported infections, with Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province adding 14 and 17 new cases, respectively. Incheon, a port city located just west of Seoul, reported four additional cases.The country also detected 18 new cases coming

Apr 2, 2020

S. Korea reports 89 new virus cases, total at 9,976. Death toll hits 169

'It's still too early to ease social distancing'

Gov't faces growing calls to send more chartered flights

Passengers arriving at Incheon International Airport wait for buses arranged by the government to take them to designated facilities, Wednesday, as all arrivals from abroad are now subject to a two-week preventative quarantine regardless of their nationality or where they departed from amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government is facing mounting calls from Korean nationals living in various countries overseas to send more chartered planes to return them to Korea after an increasing number of nations worldwide have sealed their borders and halted flights amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.Koreans staying in India, Singapore, Malaysia and Paraguay among other countries have filed petitions in recent days on a presidential office website, asking for the government-chartered evacuation flights.In one petition, posted Monday, a woman called for a chartered plane to be sent to India, saying her husband, who went on a business trip to Chennai, has been stuck in a hotel there after the Indian government placed the country under a stringe

Apr 1, 2020By Jun Ji-hye

Gov't faces growing calls to send more chartered flights

Korean chartered plane returns with some 300 nationals from virus-hit Italy

Korean citizens arrive at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday, from virus-hit Italy. YonhapA South Korean government-chartered plane with 309 citizens on board returned from coronavirus-hit Italy on Wednesday, amid the worsening virus outbreak in the European country. The Korean Air flight from Milan landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at about 2:30 p.m. It was the first of the two flights the government has sent to airlift citizens stranded in Italy, a country under nationwide lockdown due to the virus spread. The second plane is set to depart from Rome after a stopover in Milan, carrying about 210 people from the two cities, and is expected to arrive in Incheon on Thursday afternoon. The passengers from Italy will be quarantined at designated facilities if any one of them tests positive for the virus. If they all test negative, they will be required to self-isolate at home for two weeks. South Korea has toughened entry procedures by requiring the 14-day home quarantine for all international arrivals, as the country has seen a sharp rise in imported cases of

Apr 1, 2020

Korean chartered plane returns with some 300 nationals from virus-hit Italy

Jeju hit hard by 'reckless' COVID-19 patients

Officials of Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Government arrive at the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office, Monday, to file a compensation suit against a student and her mother who traveled to the resort island despite showing symptoms and later tested positive. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThings are going from bad to worse on the southern resort island of Jeju following news that a student and her mother, who traveled to the island despite having coronavirus symptoms, later tested positive for COVID-19. Jeju has already been suffering from plunging tourism due to the pandemic.The number of domestic visitors between Feb. 3 to March 30 has already decreased 52.8 percent, while the number of overseas tourists fell precipitously by 95.7 percent. Korea reported its first coronavirus patient Jan. 20, and raised the country's alert level for COVID-19 to its highest Feb. 23. The situation on Jeju has become worse after a student at a university in the United States traveled to the resort island with her mother for five days starting March 20, after coming back to Korea March 15. The daughter suf

Apr 1, 2020

Jeju hit hard by 'reckless' COVID-19 patients

'There will be light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel'

David Yonggi Cho, right, and Lee Young-hoon, two of the most influential Christian leaders in Korea and senior pastors of the Yoido Full Gospel Church, smile during a recent interview at the church office in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Jung Min-hoThe challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic is not only medical but also profoundly spiritual.With many people around the world suffering from the disease, some may wonder: where is God's love in this?David Yonggi Cho and Lee Young-hoon, two of the most influential Christian leaders in Korea and senior pastors of the Yoido Full Gospel Church, do not know the answer. However, they say, what they know for sure is that “God will bring good out of this difficult time.”For the first time in its 62-year history, the church ― the country's largest with more than half a million members ― has closed buildings over the past month to help contain the virus and suspended plans for all international events this year.But Cho and Lee remain hopeful for the future and their visions during and after this plight. They encourage their m

Apr 1, 2020By Jung Min-ho

'There will be light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel'

Message of hope from two pastors at Yoido Full Gospel Church

The Yoido Full Gospel Church's founder and senior pastor emeritus David Yonggi Cho, right, and senior pastor Lee Young-hoon smile after a recent interview at the church office in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Oh Young-jin The coronavirus pandemic throws the world upside down: nations under lockdown and people cut off from each other and isolated from their daily lives.This viral attack makes humans feel helpless ― the victims of infinitesimal beings ― and prompts them to engage in collective soul searching. Spiritual consolation is what churches have long been providing. But the places of worship are also under siege as the virus scourge thrives on human-to-human proximity, making the fundamental gesture of a handshake, hugging and even talking with each other taboo. Will churches that have been born out of adversity overcome all kinds of challenges succumb to the latest plague? In the first of a series of interviews with leaders of the nation and the world marking the 70th anniversary of The Korea Times, the Yoido Full Gospel Church's senior pastor Lee Young-hoon and

Apr 1, 2020By Oh Young-jin

Message of hope from two pastors at Yoido Full Gospel Church

'There will be light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel'

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Olympic medalist listed as 'bad father'

K-pop star under fire for coronavirus prank

Eight foreigners denied entry for refusing to follow self-isolation rule

Seoul to conduct coronavirus test for int'l arrivals at Olympic stadium

S. Korea reports 89 new virus cases, total at 9,976. Death toll hits 169

Gov't faces growing calls to send more chartered flights

Korean chartered plane returns with some 300 nationals from virus-hit Italy

Jeju hit hard by 'reckless' COVID-19 patients

'There will be light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel'

Message of hope from two pastors at Yoido Full Gospel Church

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