The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) decided Monday to kick out election candidate Cha Myeong-jin over his controversial remarks about families of the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster. The decision, made at an emergency meeting of the conservative party's leadership council, will deprive Cha of candidacy to run in the April 15 parliamentary elections. During a TV debate last week, Cha, who ran in Bucheon, west of Seoul, cited an unconfirmed news report that a bereaved family

Politics April 13, 2020

President Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed his economic team to map out timely "special" measures to insulate jobs in the private sector, hours after the release of a report showing a surge in the number of dole applications in South Korea. He stressed the need to help firms maintain employment despite challenges from the coronavirus pandemic and suggested an initiative by the public sector for those who are not covered by the government's insurance system. He pointed out that the n

Politics April 13, 2020

총선 투표소에서 비닐장갑을 벗고 손등에 투표도장을 찍는 '투표인증'은 위험한 행위라고 방역당국이 경고했다. 비닐장갑 위에 도장을 찍는 행위 역시 부적절하다고 강조했다. 정은경 중앙방역대책본부장은 13일 충북 오송 질병관리본부에서 열린 브리핑에서 '비닐장갑을 벗고 맨손에 투표도장을 찍어 인증하는 사례가 나오는데 코로나19 방역상 문제가 없느냐'는 질문에 "적절하지 않은 행동"이라고 답했다. 정 본부장은 "맨손에 투표도장을 찍을 경우, 손이 (기표소 내) 다른 부분들은 오염시킬 수 있기 때문에 적절하지 않은 행동"이라며 "비닐장갑은 투표하고 나오면서 벗어야 한다"고 강조했다. 그는 "비닐장갑 위에 도장을 찍는 행위는 크게 감염 위험을 높이지는 않을 것 같지만, 이 역시 적절하지 않다"며 "본인과 이웃의 건강을 위해 수칙을 지켜달라"고 당부했다. 정 본부장은 "손 접촉을 통해서 바이

한국어판 April 13, 2020

An elderly South Korean citizen in Spain died of the new coronavirus last week in the first known fatality involving an overseas national, the foreign ministry said Monday. The man in his late 80s died at a hospital on Friday (Spain time) after having tested positive on April 3. Other details about his death were unknown. As of Monday, the foreign ministry has learned of 59 coronavirus cases involving South Koreans overases. Of them, 18 have fully recovered, while the rest are receiving treat

Foreign Affairs April 13, 2020

South Korea's election watchdog said Monday it will prioritize preventing those in self-isolation over the new coronavirus from having contact with other voters when they cast ballots in this week's elections. The government will allow people ordered to go into self-quarantine from April 1-14 and without symptoms of the virus to vote in Wednesday's parliamentary elections after regular voting ends at 6 p.m. Under measures revealed by the National Election Commission (NEC), self-isolators wear

Politics April 13, 2020

South Korea has identified 38 coronavirus-neutralizing antibodies to treat those who are infected with the novel coronavirus, the country's public health agency said Monday. The state-run National Institute of Health (NIH) and local bio-pharmaceutical firm Celltrion Inc. secured the virus-neutralizing antibody candidates from the blood of people who tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The neutralizing antibodies possess prope

Industry April 13, 2020

South Korea will consider reducing the intensity of the ongoing social distancing campaign later this week, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Monday, as the number of new coronavirus cases has been stabilizing over the past week. The government extended its high-intensity social distancing campaign by another two weeks through April 19, urging the entire nation to abide by strict quarantine guidelines to stem the spread of COVID-19. The tougher social distancing has called on people to avoid

Social Affairs April 13, 2020

The delinquency rate for South Korean banks' won-denominated loans edged up in February from a month earlier, data showed Monday. The rate for bank loans more than 30 days overdue stood at 0.43 percent at the end of February, up 0.02 percentage point from a month earlier, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). But compared with a year ago, the rate was down 0.09 percentage point, it said. The delinquency rate for loans extended to companies increased 0.04 percent

Economy April 13, 2020

The defense ministry has temporarily allowed service personnel to have video calls with families and friends as part of efforts to help them reduce stress as they have been banned from leaving their bases or meeting visitors due to the coronavirus pandemic. Soldiers have been banned from off-base traveling, vacationing and meeting with visitors since late February when South Korea began to witness a drastic surge in the number of the COVID-19 virus cases. Starting last Wednesday, service memb

Defense April 13, 2020

A man in his 70s was caught but released without being referred to police after intruding into an education center for military intelligence officers earlier this month, officials said Monday, the latest in a series of security breaches at military compounds. The man, whose identity has been withheld, entered the Defense Security Support School in Goyang, north of Seoul, early this month after he got lost while hiking, according to the Defense Security Support Command. A duty officer who foun

Defense April 13, 2020

The number of cybercrimes reported to police jumped 20.7 percent from the previous year to more than 180,000 cases in 2019, data showed Monday. Cybercrimes reported to police totaled 180,499 cases in 2019, compared with 149,604 in 2018, according to an annual report compiled by the National Police Agency. By type, crimes using online networks -- such as phishing and smishing -- accounted for 84.2 percent, while crimes related to illegal content, such as production and distribution of sexually

Social Affairs April 13, 2020

The amount of state allowances paid to those unemployed or seeking jobs soared to a record high of nearly 900 billion won ($738 million) in March, data showed Monday, due largely to the negative economic impact from the coronavirus outbreak. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the government paid 898.2 billion won in allowances to those struggling to find jobs last month, which marked an increase of 40.4 percent from 639.7 billion won paid in the same month last year. The previ

Social Affairs April 13, 2020

A government poll showed Monday that the global popularity of South Korea as a tourist destination increased for the sixth consecutive year in 2019, thanks to the promotional effects of the country's globally loved cultural content sector. According to the 2019 poll on the effect of tourism marketing, released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the level of foreigners' recognition of South Korea as a tourist destination rose by 1.1 percent

Consumer April 13, 2020

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating rose to a 17-month high last week on the back of positive assessment of the government's handling of the new coronavirus, a poll showed Monday. Moon's support reached 54.4 percent last week, up 0.7 percentage point from the previous week, according to a Realmeter survey of 2,522 voters nationwide. The poll was conducted between last Monday and Friday. It marked the highest rating since November 2018, when Moon's rating hit 55.4 percent. "The asses

Politics April 13, 2020

Lee Seung-hoon, a member of K-pop boy band WINNER, will start his mandatory military service this week, the band's management agency said Monday. The 28-year-old is scheduled to start a four-week training program Thursday at an Army boot camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, as part of the fulfillment of the national defense duty. After the initial military training, he will start his two-year term as a public service worker at a public institution, according to YG Entertainment. Lee i

K-pop April 13, 2020