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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.

New mask purchase rules breed public discontent

People line up to buy masks at a pharmacy in Jongno District, Seoul, Friday. /YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongOn Friday morning, people outside a pharmacy in Mapo District, Seoul, had their identity cards ready as they waited in line to buy masks. The use of identity cards for the purchase of masks is part of the government's new restrictions. According to the government, on Fridays, only people who were born on a year ending in a zero or five can buy masks. Mondays are for those whose birth year ends with the number one or six; Tuesday for those with a two or seven; Wednesday for people with a three or eight; and Thursday with a four or nine. On weekends, anyone who did not purchase masks during the week may buy them.The new system is the latest measure taken by the government in an attempt to ensure the fair distribution of limited masks. A skyrocketing number of COVID-19 cases and the resulting public alarm led to a shortage of masks nationally, and the government is now intervening in production and distribution.People in cities can buy them at pharmacies, while those who live in Daegu, Che

Mar 6, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
New mask purchase rules breed public discontent

Korea remains on alert over mass infections of COVID-19

Staff at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, checks doctors with novel coronavirus symptoms at a screening facility, Friday. /YonhapBy Bahk Eun-jiThe government is on high alert over the soaring number of COVID-19 infections at medical institutions and nursing homes, as it struggles to identify the vector for the spread of the virus, officials said Friday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 309 new cases as of 9 p.m. Friday, bringing the nation's total number of infections to 6,593. On Thursday alone, Korea reported 518 new cases. Among the 518, 69 percent of the confirmed cases were linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, the epicenter of the virus outbreak here, while 49 new cases have been identified stemming from the Pureun Nursing Home in Bonghwa, a long-term care facility in North Gyeongsang Province. With the latest infections occurring at medical facilities, health officials in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, said a general hospital in the city has temporarily halted operations after eight staff members and patie

Mar 6, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Korea remains on alert over mass infections of COVID-19

Shincheonji's W12 billion donation snubbed

Lee Man-hee, 89, the self-proclaimed messiah and leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, speaks to reporters at the cult's training center in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulA charity group said Friday it has decided to return a huge donation made by a minor religious sect to help in the nationwide fight against the virus, citing the negative public sentiment against the group.The Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is at the center of a rapid increase in coronavirus cases in South Korea, said on Thursday that it had donated 12 billion won ($10.1 million) to the Seoul-based Community Chest of Korea, saying that it feels responsibility for the massive number of virus infections."The Community Chest of Korea suggested it give back the money, citing negative public sentiment against the Shincheonji church," the church said. "We express our apologies to the public and will seek (other) ways to make a donation as soon as possible."The charity confirmed that the donation was made without prior consultations with the group and that it will thus refund t

Mar 6, 2020
Shincheonji's W12 billion donation snubbed

PHOTOS On the front line of South Korea's coronavirus battle

A South Korean soldier in protective gear cleans his goggles before spraying disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus on a street in Seoul, Friday. South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has criticized Japan's 14-day quarantine of all visitors from South Korea due to the viral outbreak, demanding that Tokyo immediately withdraw the “excessive and irrational measures.” (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)A South Korean soldier sprays disinfectant in Seoul on Thursday as a precaution against the coronavirus. Italy closed all schools and universities and barred fans from sporting events for the next few weeks, as governments trying to curb the spread of the virus resorted to increasingly sweeping measures that transform the way people work, shop, pray and amuse themselves. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)South Korean Army soldiers spray disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus on a street in Seoul, Friday. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)Medical staff in protective suits interview people with suspected symptoms of the new coronavirus at a testing facility in Seoul, Wednesday. The

Mar 6, 2020
On the front line of South Korea's coronavirus battle [PHOTOS]

S. Korea reports 518 new virus cases, total now at 6,284

South Korea reported 518 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing the nation's total number of infections to 6,284, with most new virus infections still spiking in the southeastern city of Daegu, the epicenter of the virus outbreak here, and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province. So far, 42 people, mostly elderly patients with underlying illnesses, have died in South Korea from the respiratory virus that emerged in China late last year, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.About 60 percent of confirmed cases have been linked to a branch of the Shincheonji religious sect in Daegu, the country's fourth-largest city with a population of 2.5 million. However, health authorities have shifted their focus to testing ordinary citizens in Daegu, citing an alarming level of community spread in the city.Of the 518 new cases, which were detected on Thursday, 367 are in Daegu and 123 in North Gyeongsang, the KCDC said. Other major provinces and cities have also reported some infections, with Seoul reporting two additional cases. Since raising the virus alert le

Mar 6, 2020
S. Korea reports 518 new virus cases, total now at 6,284

Gout: painful disease you need to know

A man rubs his foot to relieve gout symptoms. According to government data, 430,953 people were diagnosed with gout in 2018. /Korea Times fileBy Bahk Eun-jiGout is an intensely painful form of arthritis that can affect anyone, but more commonly affects men. The disease is on the rise in the country as Korean diets include more processed and high-fat foods, as well as high-protein ingredients. An attack of gout usually involves severe pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in the joints, often, specifically, the joint at the base of the big toe.While the stereotypical image of a patient with gout is often an overweight, middle-aged man, the illness is, in fact, not as rare in younger adults as one might think. When Lim Seung-joon, 27, an office worker in Seoul, first experienced unusual pain and swelling in his feet last June, he visited an orthopedic doctor.“My doctor said it was because of a back strain, and recommended that I have spinal manipulative therapy, but my foot didn't get any better. I finally visited a rheumatologist and found out I was suffering from gout, after w

Mar 5, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Gout: painful disease you need to know

Justice minister, chief prosecutor at odds over Shincheonji investigation

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae attends a cabinet meeting in Seoul, Thursday. She ordered the prosecution to issue a search warrant for the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. / YonhapBy Kim Se-jeongJustice Minister Choo Mi-ae and chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl are at odds over an investigation into the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is viewed as the “culprit” for the exponential increase of coronavirus cases in Korea.While Minister Choo is pushing Yoon to request a search warrant for the sect's offices, Yoon is taking his time. On Wednesday, the Daegu District Prosecution's Office refused to ask a court for a search warrant filed for by the local police, for the second time following a similar filing Monday. Last month, the Daegu Metropolitan Government filed a criminal investigation request against the sect. “It's yet unclear whether the sect deliberately didn't submit a full list of its members. We need more time to decide if a search is really necessary,” the prosecution was quoted as to why it didn't request the warrant.On Monday, Choo ordered the prosecution t

Mar 5, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Justice minister, chief prosecutor at odds over Shincheonji investigation

Koreans cynical about China's mask donations

Incheon City Government officials organize boxes of masks donated by the Chinese city of Weihai in eastern Shandong Province, Wednesday/ Courtesy of Incheon Metropolitan CityBy Kim Se-jeongMany Koreans are reacting cynically to a series of face mask donations from China, blaming the Moon Jae-in administration for allowing a situation to develop where the country now needs to receive help from the very place the coronavirus originated. Korea has been grappling with a mask shortage as the number of infections has soared over the past two weeks.In early February, the government donated masks to China to help it fight the coronavirus outbreak, but Korea now needs masks more than China does.“China thinks I would feel thankful? Quite the contrary! If the Korean government blocked the Chinese at the airport when the outbreak was still new, we would not need this help,” a Naver user with the ID g3x3**** wrote. “Still, it's not too late. The government should consider shutting down the border against the Chinese.”Others raised an issue with the quality of the donated p

Mar 5, 2020By Kim Se-jeong
Koreans cynical about China's mask donations
  • Government to ban export of face masks

Gov't raids Shincheonji headquarters to secure list of followers

Members of the Saemaul Women's Association make facial masks on their own in Busan, Thursday, amid a serious supply shortage caused by the rapid spread of COVID-19 nationwide. About 10,000 masks they produced will be provided to needy neighborhoods. / YonhapBy Jun Ji-hyeThe government conducted an administrative investigation search of the headquarters of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, linked to most COVID-19 infections here, to secure more precise lists of its followers and facilities nationwide, officials said Thursday.The investigation was started amid a growing controversy over the secretive sect’s uncooperative attitude toward the government’s desperate efforts to track down people exposed to the new coronavirus and stop its rapid spread.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 322 new cases as of 9 p.m. Thursday, bringing the nation’s total number of infections to 6,088. On Wednesday, it detected 438 additional cases.Most of the new infections were again identified in Daegu and the neighboring North Gyeongsang Province, with a maj

Mar 5, 2020
Gov't raids Shincheonji headquarters to secure list of followers
  • Shincheonji cult donates W12 billion to fight coronavirus

Koreans hit by 'corona blues' amid outbreak

Pedestrians wearing masks walk along a road nearby Yeouido Station, Seoul, Monday. /Yonhap By Bahk Eun-jiMany people are seeking psychological counseling due to anxiety about the COVID-19 outbreak here, according to the state-run trauma center, Thursday, as the country has the most number of infections outside of China.The National Center for Disaster Trauma (NCDT) said its staff had conducted 540 telephone counseling sessions concerning psychological issues relating to the spread of COVID-19 between Jan. 29, when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a “public health emergency of international concern,” and March 1. During the same period, more than 18,000 sessions were conducted by regional mental health welfare centers across the country for those under self-quarantine or isolation. The trauma center, an affiliated organization of the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), is in charge of psychological counseling and treatment for confirmed pa

Mar 5, 2020By Bahk Eun-ji
Koreans hit by 'corona blues' amid outbreak
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