Articles by Park Han-na
Park Han-na
hnpark@heraldcorp.com-
South Korea gears up for flu season, Chuseok in COVID-19 fight
The government has expanded its flu vaccination program to help protect vulnerable people and preempt the chaos expected from the arrival of a flu season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Jung Eun-kyeong, director of South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government will expand free vaccine eligibility to 19 million people, or 37 percent of the total population, from 13.8 million people ahead of flu season. The vaccination campaign will start Tuesday for
Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2020
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South Korea reports 119 more cases of new coronavirus
New daily cases of the novel coronavirus in South Korea have increased by 119, bringing the total caseload to 21,296, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday. It is the fifth day in a row that the daily tally remained below 200. The death toll rose by two to 336. The fatality rate stands at 1.58 percent. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo urged the public to comply with the government’s strengthened Level 2 social distancing system so that the measure,
Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2020
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Doctors reach deals with ruling party, ministry to reconsider medical reform
A doctors’ association reached two separate agreements with the government and the ruling Democratic Party on Friday to restart their talks on a medical reform plan with more input from physicians when the COVID-19 pandemic settles down. Following an hours-long discussion that began Thursday, Rep. Han Jung-ae, chief policymaker of the Democratic Party and Choi Dae-zip, head of the Korean Medical Association singed a five-point agreement at 10 a.m. Under the agreement, they will br
Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2020
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Another COVID-19 case shuts down National Assembly
The National Assembly was forced to shut down Thursday and scores of big wig politicans from both sides of the aisle went back home after an official from the main opposition party tested positive for COVID-19. The positive case involves a secretary of Rep. Lee Jong-bae of the People Power Party, who underwent testing on Wednesday after having symptoms while working at his office at the parliament building in Yeouido, Seoul. Rep. Lee is the party’s chief policymaker. The PPP cancel
Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2020
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Highest court rules in favor of teachers union on legal status
The Supreme Court said Thursday the government’s 2013 decision that outlawed a left-leaning teachers union was illegitimate, overturning earlier lower court judgments in a move that could help the group to win back its status as a legal trade union. The ruling was a dramatic turn of events in a nearly seven-year feud between the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union and the Labor Ministry, which has accused the group of infringing on the labor law by having nine dismissed t
Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2020
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Far-right pastor claims COVID-19 outbreak a fraud
As soon as he had recovered from COVID-19 on Wednesday, Jun Kwang-hoon, who leads the Seoul-based Presbyterian church that has emerged as the country’s second-biggest virus cluster, called the government’s antivirus measures a “fraud” designed to destroy his church. The far-right pastor repeated his claim that President Moon Jae-in and his administration were oppressing him for holding anti-government rallies, at a press conference held in front of his Sarang Jeil Chu
Social Affairs Sept. 2, 2020
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Moon, politicians praise BTS for hitting No. 1 on Billboard chart
President Moon Jae-in sent a congratulatory message on Tuesday to boy band BTS for hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with its new single “Dynamite,” in a first for any South Korean artist. Saying BTS had written a new chapter in K-pop history and increased the nation’s pride in K-pop, Moon offered the band his heartfelt congratulations. “This song ‘Dynamite,’ which topped the list, is all the more meaningful as it has been composed to giv
Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2020
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Korea sees 11-fold increase in patients with severe condition
South Korea is facing a scarcity of medical professionals to treat COVID-19 patients in severe condition due to ongoing walkout of trainee doctors, according to a health authority on Tuesday. The number of patients in critical or serious condition has been growing at a fast clip over the past two weeks, from nine people on Aug. 18 to 104 people as of midnight Monday, in the wake of the second wave of infections that has hit the country’s capital and surrounding area. Concerns over a p
Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2020
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Korea sees 11-fold in patients with severe condition
South Korea’s COVID-19 tally surpassed 20,000 on Tuesday amid a growing number of patients with severe conditions in the aftermath of the second wave of infections that hit the country’s capital and surrounding area, some seven months after the first case was reported. The new daily case number reached 235, raising the total caseload to 20,182 as of midnight Monday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the new cases, just 13 were imported from over
Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2020
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Main opposition party to change name to People’s Power
The main opposition United Future Party filed an application with the National Election Commission on Monday, seeking to rename itself as part of a rebranding effort. The new name is “People’s Power.” The name change came just six months after the Liberty Korea Party merged with minor conservative parties in February to form the United Future Party. The new name won an endorsement at the party’s general meeting, held online earlier in the day. It was one of three na
Politics Aug. 31, 2020
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Moon, ruling party’s approval ratings rebound
The ruling Democratic Party’s approval rating has bounced back to the 40 percent-level for the first time in nine weeks, widening the gap with the main opposition United Future Party to over 10 percentage points, a survey showed Monday. According to the opinion poll conducted by Realmeter, the ruling party’s support increased 0.7 percentage points from a week ago to 40.4 percent, while that of the main opposition party dipped 5.0 percentage points to 30.1 percent. The survey w
Politics Aug. 31, 2020
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Tougher restrictions lead to quiet street scene in Seoul
A recent resurgence of coronavirus infections has kept people from chilling out with coffee at large franchise cafes, as the government tightened its social distancing measures for Greater Seoul starting Sunday. The Gwanghwamun area, located in the heart of Seoul and densely packed with coffeehouse chains like Starbucks, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, A Twosome Place, Hollys Coffee, Ediya Coffee and Paul Bassett, had a quiet Sunday morning as businesses embraced a totally different way of w
Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2020
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Virus spread via apartment vents unlikely: health authority
Ventilation systems are unlikely to be the transmission route of eight coronavirus cases detected at an apartment complex in Guro-gu, western Seoul, health authorities said Thursday, while saying it was looking into all possibilities. Eight people residing in the same building have been confirmed to have contracted the virus since the first case was detected there on Aug. 23. They are from five households living both above and below the first patient’s apartment. Twenty more cases l
Social Affairs Aug. 27, 2020
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[Newsmaker] National Assembly shuts down after reporter tested positive
The National Assembly shut down its facilities and canceled all meetings scheduled for Thursday following a positive COVID-19 test by a beat reporter. According to the National Assembly Secretariat, a photo reporter who covered a meeting of the Supreme Council of the ruling Democratic Party Korea on Wednesday morning received a positive test result later in the day. Some 50 people including lawmakers, key party officials and journalists attended the meeting. Leaders of the Democratic pa
Politics Aug. 27, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Seoul to provide coronavirus cash relief for foreign residents
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it will provide emergency cash assistance to foreigners residing in the city who were excluded from its coronavirus relief program in March. Under the plan, the city will pay up to 500,000 won ($421) to households whose income is below the median income -- for a single household it is 1.75 million won and around 3 million won and 4.7 million won for two-person and four-person households. “We hope that this emergency support for foreig
Social Affairs Aug. 26, 2020
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