South Korea’s health authorities are being forced to seriously consider near lockdown measures, as the country saw the biggest single-day increase since March 7 with 441 new cases Thursday.   　 Korea announced 434 locally transmitted cases and seven imported from overseas, with the total caseload at 18,706, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   　 Seoul, Incheon and Gwangju saw their biggest single-day jumps in infections – 154, 59 and 39, re

Social Affairs Aug. 27, 2020

The novel coronavirus that has been spreading in recent outbreaks in South Korea mostly belongs to a variant prevalent in Europe, North America and the Middle East, health authorities said Wednesday, and is believed to be six times as infectious as the forms of the virus that emerged from China. 　 From cases linked to clubs and bars in Itaewon in early May to those traced to the Sarang Jeil Church and an Aug. 15 rally in Seoul, a variant of the coronavirus known as the GH clade has been detect

Social Affairs Aug. 26, 2020

South Korea’s daily tally of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 300 on Wednesday after staying below 300 for two days straight as new, smaller infection clusters continue to pop up throughout the country. Korea announced 320 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday -- 307 locally transmitted and 13 imported from overseas -- with the total caseload at 18,265, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Wednesday’s tally, which counts cases up to midnight Tuesday, marks a jump

Social Affairs Aug. 26, 2020

South Korea’s daily tally of new COVID-19 cases stayed below 300 for the second consecutive day Tuesday in a week that authorities see as the last opportunity to bring the virus situation under control. Korea announced 280 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday -- 264 locally transmitted and 16 imported from overseas, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director of the KCDC, warned that seemingly stagnant number of infections for the past two d

Social Affairs Aug. 25, 2020

President Moon Jae-in on Monday called for cooperation in the government’s anti-coronavirus efforts to avoid going into a de-facto lockdown as South Korea faces a second wave of COVID-19 infections. The country reported 266 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours ending midnight Sunday. “We are facing the greatest crisis since COVID-19 outbreak began,” Moon said at a weekly meeting with his chief secretaries Monday. “We are in much more serious emergency situation than during t

Social Affairs Aug. 24, 2020

South Korea’s daily tally of new COVID-19 cases stayed below 300 for the second consecutive day Tuesday in a week that authorities see as the last opportunity to bring the virus situation under control. 　 Korea announced 280 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday -- 264 locally transmitted and 16 imported from overseas, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director of the KCDC, warned that seemingly stagnant number of infections for the past

Social Affairs Aug. 24, 2020

South Korea is on the brink of a nationwide COVID-19 outbreak and the number of daily new cases could further rise, health authorities said Sunday, as the country reported 397 new cases. 　 If the infection rate does not slow down this week, the authorities said they will consider raising the level of social distancing rules to the highest in the three-tier system, tantamount to a lockdown. 　 Of the new cases, 387 were locally transmitted and 10 were imported from overseas, with the total casel

Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2020

A sense of crisis is deepening in Korea over a recent spike in COVID-19 infections, with demonstrations of 10 or more people banned in Seoul starting Friday, mask-wearing made mandatory in Incheon and beaches to be closed in Busan.   　 The Aug. 15 rally held in central Seoul is emerging as a source of a potentially explosive outbreak nationwide, as health authorities struggle to identify and have tested tens of thousands of people who traveled from all over the country to participate in t

Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2020

At least 10 COVID-19 cases with unknown transmission routes were reported Wednesday among participants of the massive Aug. 15 rally held in central Seoul, a development much feared by South Korea’s health authorities struggling to stop a resurgence of the coronavirus.  　 　 The rally drew tens of thousands of people from all over the country and tracking them down appears to be a daunting task. 　 Korea saw 297 new COVID-19 cases – including 283 transmitted locally -- Wednesday

Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2020

The government on Tuesday decided to tighten social distancing rules in Greater Seoul region -- including Gyeonggi Province and Incheon --- as part of efforts to control the sprawling COVID-19 outbreak. “With the sense of crisis in mind that anyone can be infected at any time anywhere, I urge you to stay home as much as possible, except when it is necessary to go out –- such as commuting,” said Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun in a statement. Starting midnight Wednesday, in-

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2020

Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung issued an administrative order Tuesday making it mandatory for residents and visitors in Gyeonggi Province to wear face masks indoors and outdoors as coronavirus cases surge in the Seoul metropolitan area at an alarming rate. The Gyeonggi provincial government also ordered worshippers from Sarang Jeil Church and anyone who attended a massive Liberation Day rally held Saturday in central Seoul to be tested for the coronavirus. It marks the second time that a local

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2020

Public anger toward Jun Kwang-hoon, the conservative pastor at the center of a sprawling COVID-19 outbreak, intensified Tuesday when he was seen improperly wearing a face mask even as he was taken to a hospital for treatment after testing positive for the coronavirus. In photos taken and revealed Monday, Jun is seen wearing a mask on his chin, with his mouth and nose uncovered, as he talks on his phone while walking toward the vehicle that would take him to the Seoul Medical Center for treatm

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2020

South Korea’s daily locally transmitted COVID-19 cases surged to a four-month high on Friday, mainly due to sporadic outbreaks at churches in the Greater Seoul area, leading the government to consider tightening social distancing rules to contain the coronavirus spread. Of the country’s 108 new COVID-19 cases reported, 85 cases were locally transmitted, the most since 88 cases were registered on March 31. The total caseload has risen to 14,873, according to the Korea Centers for D

Social Affairs Aug. 14, 2020

South Korea faces a bigger crisis now than in early May due to the silent spread of the novel coronavirus leading to simultaneous COVID-19 outbreaks in the Seoul metropolitan area, health authorities said Thursday. 　 The country has seen a spike in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases linked to small gatherings at churches, schools and restaurants nationwide, with the transmission routes for 13.4 percent of all cases for the past two weeks remaining unknown. 　 In early May, the source of infectio

Social Affairs Aug. 13, 2020

South Korea continues to grapple with sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks linked to small gatherings at churches, cafes and restaurants as the country reported 54 new infections Wednesday. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35 of the new cases were locally transmitted -- 13 in Seoul, 19 in the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and three in Busan. The remaining 19 were imported. The total caseload rose to 14,714. Churches remain major routes for the spread of the coronavi

Social Affairs Aug. 12, 2020