A China-based fan community of Jin, a member of K-pop megastar BTS, opened a street project in western Seoul on Tuesday to celebrate the singer's 28th birthday, officials said. The community named China Jin Bar opened the BTS Jin Theme Street on the main commercial festival avenue of the bustling entertainment district near Hongik University, located in Seoul's western ward of Mapo, ward officials said. Jin, a sub vocalist of BTS, was born on Dec. 4, 1992, in South Korea. China Jin Bar organi

Concerns are mounting over a possible shortage of hospital beds for novel coronavirus patients in critical condition, as daily new cases in the country continue to pile up. South Korea reported 451 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, raising the total caseload to 34,652, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Tuesday's daily tally stayed in the 400 range for the third day in a row. Noticeably, the number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients came to 97 as of

The Cabinet approved a revised regulation Tuesday to expand the coverage of the state employment insurance program to artists. The labor ministry said artists who are in a work contract and earn at least 500,000 won ($450) per month will be eligible under the amended executive ordinance of the Employment Insurance Act, which will go into effect on Dec. 10. It is the first step in the government's long-term plan to expand employment insurance to all forms of workers by 2025. The labor ministry

Police are investigating the death of an infant found inside a freezer at an apartment unit in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The mother, 43, has been arrested on charges including child abuse and abandonment of a corpse, investigators in Yeosu said Tuesday. 　 It is suspected that the dead baby, a boy, was about 2 months old when he died and had been kept in the freezer since. He appeared to be the twin brother of the woman’s daughter, who is now 2 years old. Police say they were seeking

The military reported four new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, the latest in a series of infections at barracks across the country. An Army officer stationed in the city of Chuncheon, northeast of Seoul, tested positive for COVID-19 after coming into contact with a civilian patient, prompting the authorities to carry out tests for around 180 members of his unit, according to the ministry. A civilian worker for the Navy in the southern city of Jinhae was confirmed to have been infected upo

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea stayed in the 400 range for the third day in a row Tuesday, but health authorities say the next few days may be critical in the virus fight amid concerns over a third infection wave coming with the winter season. The country added 451 more COVID-19 cases, including 420 local infections, raising the total caseload to 34,652, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It reported no additional coronavirus fatalitie

The government announced Monday that it will launch a national winter season fine dust management program next month centered around reducing the amount of air pollutants during the season. The environment ministry said the program will run from December to March of next year and will center around the reduction of vehicle traffic in and around Seoul, cuts in industrial emissions and suspensions of power generation by coal plants. The government first adopted the program last year to lower th

South Korea will host the world’s largest global forum on anti-corruption this week, bringing together world leaders via virtual link to discuss international cooperation to fight corruption. Under the theme of “Designing 2030: Truth, Trust and Transparency,” the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, the country’s anti-corruption policy control tower, will host the 19th International Anti-Corruption Conference from Tuesday to Friday at a studio located in Coex,

Number of isolated COVID-19 patients soars to first-wave levels

Eleven American service members and two dependents have tested positive for the new coronavirus upon their arrival in South Korea this month, US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday. Four service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on US government-chartered flights, while the others arrived here on commercial flights via Incheon International Airport, west of the capital, according to the US military. Seven of them tested positive on their first mandatory COVID-19 test

The government announced Monday that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are currently exempt from the country's 52-hour workweek system will be subject to the rule starting next year as scheduled. In a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul, Labor Minster Lee Jae-kap said that the government won't extend the grace period that exempts SMEs with payroll sizes ranging from 50 to 299 from the 52-hour workweek scheme until the end of the year. Introduced in 2018, the 52-hour

Former President Chun Doo-hwan on Monday received a suspended prison sentence for libel with regard to the massacre of civilians during the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising. The Gwangju District Court found Chun guilty of defamation for comments he made about an activist priest who had shared eyewitness accounts of the bloody crackdown, which was led by the military virtually under Chun’s leadership, against pro-democracy activists in Gwangju. The court sentenced the 89-year-old former

South Korea will maintain the current social distancing level in the greater Seoul area but will raise antivirus curbs, including restricting additional gatherings and activities, starting Tuesday, health authorities said Monday. Seoul, the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the western port city of Incheon will be under the current Level 2 of the country's five-tier social distancing system for a week, according to the authorities. However, antivirus curbs in all other areas will be elevated t

Electric scooter sharing companies in South Korea will continue to prohibit unlicensed minors from using their services despite a new law easing the minimum age requirements, joining government-led efforts to address safety concerns, the transport ministry said Monday. Local e-scooter sharing platforms currently offer their services to customers aged 18 years and older, or 16-17 years old with motorcycle licenses, but safety concerns have risen over teen users after a new law lowering the mini

Some 3,500 people have expressed their intention over the past three weeks to take part in clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments under development in Korea. The Korea National Enterprise for Clinical Trials said Monday that it began receiving tenders on Nov. 10 for participating in clinical trials, and about 3,500 people have signed up since. The KoNECT plans to set up a system that links these people to hospitals so they can take part in the clinical trials should they be conf