Amid the rising number of imported cases of COVID-19 infections, a Polish national who tested positive reportedly carried out outdoor activities while in quarantine, sparking concerns of a community spread, local reports said Monday. The Yongsan District in Seoul posted online last week that a Polish man in his 40s had contracted the virus after coming into contact with a previously confirmed virus patient and that he had completed the two-week mandatory quarantine. Multiple Yongsan residents

Lengthy battle exhausts doctors, nurses on front line of coronavirus fight

Death rate in patients above 80 surges past 18 percent

　South Korea reported a net decrease in its population for the third consecutive month in January, due mainly to the critically low birthrate that has plagued Asia’s fourth-largest economy for years. 　Only 26,818 infants were born in January, down 11.6 percent on-year, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The number of births has fallen on-year for a whopping 50 consecutive months, dating to December 2015. 　The number of deaths, on the other hand, advanced 4 percent on-y

With no end in sight in the global coronavirus outbreak, South Korea is pondering sustainable ways of continuing the quarantine system while also allowing for a return to normal.  The government said Monday it will launch a body encompassing public and private experts this week to devise guidelines on how people should go about their day while still helping to bring the spread of the virus under control. “The long-term goal is to control the size of infections to the level where h

The southern province of Jeju Island said Monday it has filed a lawsuit against two travelers who tested positive for coronavirus after a five-day trip of the island. The lawsuit, filed by the provincial government and six local businesses, is seeking over 100 million won ($82,000) in damages and business losses.  The defendants are a 19-year-old who attends a university in the US and her mother. They traveled to Jeju five days after the daughter returned from the US, and tested positi

Subway services in the capital area will end an hour earlier starting in April, operators said Monday, to better contain the new coronavirus that has infected more than 900 in the wider Seoul area. Under the plan, subway lines No. 1 to 9, as well as the Ui-Sinseol line, will operate until midnight starting April 1, operators said in a press release. Subway services currently run until 1 a.m. "The reduced service is anticipated to encourage the public to return home early and also secure m

New infections reported in the wider Seoul area surpassed those in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak here, on Monday, spurring concerns over transmission in the capital area that is home to half of the South Korean population. New COVID-19 infections reported in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon totaled 31, bringing the total number of cases in the metropolitan area to 947, according to data compiled by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and P

South Korea saw a slight decline in new coronavirus cases Monday, but cluster infections in Seoul and other regions continued to emerge, coupled with a rise in cases involving arrivals from overseas. The 78 new COVID-19 cases, detected Sunday and down from 105 new cases a day earlier, brought the nation's total infections to 9,661 and marked the 18th consecutive day that new infections have hovered around 100 or fewer additional cases, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Pre

Most victims of the novel coronavirus spreading across South Korea have been elderly patients aged 80 and above, with the virus estimated to have claimed the lives of around 1 in 6 patients in the age group, data showed Monday. The mortality rate of COVID-19 patients aged 80 or older stood at 17.51 percent as of Sunday, compared with an average fatality rate of 1.59 percent for all infections, according to the data compiled by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The

Schools are likely to offer virtual classes, instead of opening on April 6 as scheduled, as the novel coronavirus continues to spread. The Education Ministry said last week it was mulling online classes to help schools meet the statutory yearly school days as the spring semester, which normally begins in early March, has already been postponed three times due to COVID-19. “We are considering both offline and online classes to prepare against possible community and classroom transmissio

Hwang Cheol-kyu, president of the International Association of Prosecutors, graces the cover of the latest issue of Prosecutor, a Russian quarterly magazine. The magazine also features a detailed interview with Hwang, who was elected last year as head of the IAP. Hwang had worked as chief prosecutor at the Busan High Prosecutors’ Office and vice president of the IAP before taking the helm of the international body of prosecutors. “Our association should provide a more direct and

Some Protestant churches in South Korea pressed ahead with their worship services Sunday despite the government's pleas for stricter social distancing. As part of the government's drive for further social distancing, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun earlier warned "stern" legal action would be taken against churches that violate quarantine guidelines that include keeping the distance between followers at least 2 meters while attending services and checking congregants' temperature. Amo

All overseas arrivals to South Korea -- Korean nationals and foreigners alike -- will be subject to a mandatory two-week quarantine starting Wednesday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced Sunday, amid growing concerns about imported coronavirus infections.   　 Those with no residence in Korea will be quarantined at government-designated facilities at their own expense, he added. The fee is estimated to be around 100,000 won ($82.50) a day.   　 “The government has strengthe

Just last month when South Korea was enduring an explosion of novel coronavirus infections prior to many other areas, it seemed as though the entire world was shutting its door to the country. The Foreign Ministry and its overseas missions at that time were busy dialing up their counterparts and asking them to keep the door open to arrivals from the country.   　 But lately, as Korea has seemingly managed to flatten the COVID-19 curve in a manner that many countries now hope to duplicate,