South Koreans can send more face masks to family members residing abroad, a government agency said Monday, announcing changes to the country’s mask rationing system. Koreans have been given the green light to send up to 36 masks to each family member per parcel every three months, according to the Korea Customs Service. The previous limit was 24. Under the mask rationing system, Koreans can now purchase three masks per week at a fixed price of 1,500 won each. “You can access in

Social Affairs May 18, 2020

South Korea commemorates the 40th anniversary of the country’s bloodiest moment on its turbulent path toward democracy -- the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement -- with critical questions still unanswered. The 10-day clampdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1980 is believed to have killed 160 people and injured thousands, but the figures are only estimates, due to the absence of an official clarification of the facts. With tensions running high, a memorial ceremony took place Sunday in

Social Affairs May 17, 2020

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul education office said Thursday that special inspections will be conducted at English immersive kindergartens and private academies that specialize in college entrance preparations, starting Friday and going through next month. “To halt the spread of mass infections stemming from Itaewon clubs, we will check (a combined) roughly 1,200 kindergartens taught in English, after-school SAT prep classes and large private academies to see whether they a

Social Affairs May 14, 2020

Diagnostic testing for the novel coronavirus linked to the Itaewon cluster surged eightfold on the back of anonymity guaranteed to encourage sexual minorities to get tested, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said Thursday. The number of tests carried out to date in connection with Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul, stood at 24,082 in the capital city, according to Park. “We are seeing the effects of anonymous testing. … After the implementation of anonymous testing, the aver

Social Affairs May 14, 2020

Secondary infections from a COVID-19 cluster stemming from the nightlife district of Itaewon put the country on high alert Wednesday, with experts expressing deep concern over the speed at which the virus is spreading nationwide. From a teacher at an after-school private academy to a high school senior, a public health doctor in North Jeolla Province and a clubgoer residing in Busan, a wide range of individuals who visited the area in late April and early May have become part of a surge in in

Social Affairs May 13, 2020

Metro passengers in Seoul are required to have their face masks on during rush hour, as of Wednesday, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, Seoul city government said. Passengers without face masks are banned on subways when the proportion of passengers to train capacity surpasses 150 percent, according to Seoul metropolitan government. Announcements will be made when the ratio reaches 150 percent to notify passengers to put on their masks, while train staff restrict mask-less pass

Social Affairs May 13, 2020

LGBT and human rights groups said Tuesday that they will make concerted efforts to support sexual minorities who could have been exposed to the novel coronavirus in a popular nightlife district in Seoul, helping them undergo virus testing in a fair manner. “We, sexual minorities, do not wish COVID-19 to spread further. We plan to communicate with health authorities to set aside any stumbling blocks holding back testing,” seven advocacy groups said in a joint press conference announ

Social Affairs May 12, 2020

Korean health authorities and politicians on Monday warned against the rise of discrimination against LGBT persons here in relation to the latest coronavirus breakout in Itaewon clubs, saying social stigmatization could send potential virus carriers into hiding. “In the case of infections tied to clubs in Itaewon, we are seeing some criticism and hatred toward confirmed patients and a specific group of people,” senior Health Ministry official Yoon Tae-ho said during the daily virus

Politics May 11, 2020

Police said Monday that they had apprehended a creator of sex abuse chatrooms on Telegram that exploited over 70 women and girls. An arrest warrant has been sought for the 24-year-old creator of the so-called Nth Telegram chatroom, who is better known by his alias “God God,” on suspicion of breaching the act on the protection of children and youth against sex offenses and other potential charges, according to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency. “This is an ongoing inve

Social Affairs May 11, 2020

Amid mounting fears over a spike in coronavirus infections here, foreign nationals caught breaking their 14-day quarantine upon arrival are to be slapped with a 3 million won ($2,468.50) penalty, up sixfold from the previous amount, if a revised law proposed by the Justice Ministry is passed. The strengthened measure would be applied under a revision to the Immigration Act, which the ministry is aiming to implement within the month. First time quarantine breakers will face fines of 3 millio

Social Affairs May 11, 2020

A hike in the number of novel coronavirus patients linked to a club-goer in Itaewon, a nightlife district in Seoul, has put many South Koreans and health authorities on edge, officials said Friday. The club-goer residing in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province is estimated to have come into contact with at least 1,500 people during his roughly four-hour long club hopping on May 2, sparking renewed health concerns over a potential mass infection amid the country’s transition to relaxed “everyd

Social Affairs May 8, 2020

The trial began in Seoul in a lawsuit involving former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, his Korean wife and her ex-husband. During the first court hearing at the Seoul Family Court on Thursday, the Korean man whose identity has been withheld repeated his claim that the former German leader was responsible for the failure of his marriage. He is seeking 100 million won ($82,000) in compensation. Yonhap News Agency quoted the plaintiff’s proxy as saying at the court, “The marri

Social Affairs May 7, 2020

The cost of COVID-19 treatment averages between some 3.3 million ($2,690) and 70 million won per patient, differing on the severity of illness, National Health Insurance, South Korea’s public insurance institution, said Thursday. It costs from 3.3 million won to 4.7 million won to treat a mild case, from virus testing to isolation to treatment at a hospital, according to the institution’s approximation based on information it received from some 20 general hospitals and treating vir

Social Affairs May 7, 2020

  Exploring unchartered territories is a daunting path for anyone, but fear of the unknown has not held back South Korean explorer Kim Hyeon-gug, 52, from traversing Eurasia four times. In his latest voyage from May-October, Kim, a law graduate-turned-explorer, ventured over 20,000 kilometers on his motorcycle, going from Busan to Siberia before heading to Amsterdam. He also traveled the area in 1996, 2014 and 2017. “It is vital for export-dependent South Korea to secure various log

Social Affairs May 5, 2020

With South Korea set to officially end stringent social distancing Wednesday, health authorities on Tuesday expressed both caution and confidence on the country’s fight against COVID-19. Kwon Joon-wook, deputy director at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said officials were on edge over the possibility that the pathogen is spreading silently somewhere undetected. But even if that turns out to be true, authorities are prepared more than ever before to handle it, he

Social Affairs May 5, 2020