중국 연구진이 원숭이를 대상으로 한 실험에서 신종 코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나19) 항체를 확인했다고 홍콩매체 사우스차이나모닝포스트(SCMP)가 전했다. 17일 SCMP에 따르면 친촨(秦川) 중국 의학과학원 의학실험동물연구소 소장이 이끄는 연구진은 최근 이러한 내용을 생물학 논문 사전발표 플랫폼(bioRxiv)에 발표했다. 연구진은 아직 피어리뷰를 거치지 않은 이 논문을 통해 코로나19 감염 후 건강을 회복한 원숭이에서 면역력이 생긴 것을 확인했다고 밝혔다. 중국 등 세계 곳곳에서는 코로나19 환자가 치료를 거쳐 음성 판정을 받고 퇴원했다가 며칠 만에 다시 양성 판정을 보인 경우가 보고된 바 있다. 이처럼 환자가 같은 바이러스에 재감염된다면 백신이 개발되더라도 효과를 발휘하기 어렵겠지만, 항체가 확인된 만큼 그렇지 않다는 게 연구진 설명이다. 연구진은 원숭이 4마리에 바이러스를 주입했고, 원숭이들은 사흘 후부터 발열 등 증상을 보였다. 7일째 되는 날 원숭이 1마리를 안

한국어판 March 17, 2020

South Korean carmakers are likely to post poor earnings results for the first quarter due to the escalating fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, analysts said Tuesday. The country's five carmakers -- Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp., GM Korea Co., Renault Samsung Motors Corp. and SsangYong Motor Co. -- have already suffered several weeks of output disruptions after suppliers in China halted production amid the spread of COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic prompted many countries to impose

Mobility March 17, 2020

South Korea reported fewer than 100 new coronavirus cases for a third straight day on Tuesday, but concerns lingered in the metropolitan area as group transmission and imported cases emerged as new risks in the anti-virus fight. Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, reported a sharp increase of 31 cases, which brought the total in the province to 262, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Seoul, cases increased by 12 to 265, while Incheon, west of Seoul, ad

Social Affairs March 17, 2020

South Korea said Tuesday it will allocate 30 billion won ($24.2 million) to fishing businesses hit hard by the economic fallout from the global spread of the new coronavirus. The decision came amid a sharp decrease in the consumption of seafood from home and abroad due to the COVID-19 epidemic. South Korea said it will provide 20 billion won in loans with a low interest rate of 1.3 percent to local aquaculture households whose sales have tumbled by 15 percent or more in February from a month

Economy March 17, 2020

President Moon Jae-in announced plans Tuesday to establish an "emergency economic council" that will be headed by himself and push for additional bold steps to shore up South Korea's economy in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The move reflects a growing sense of alarm over what he called "unprecedented emergency economic conditions," which are more serious than the 2008 global financial crisis. Speaking at a weekly Cabinet meeting, he raised the possibility that the i

Politics March 17, 2020

자가격리 기간 중 해외여행을 다녀온 국립발레단원에 대해 해고 결정이 내려졌다. 국립발레단은 16일 오후 징계위원회를 열어 자가격리 기간 일본 여행을 다녀온 나모(28) 씨에 대해 해고 결정을 내렸다. 나씨는 이 기간 여자친구와 일본 여행을 다녀왔고, 이 사실은 나씨가 올린 사회관계망서비스(SNS)를 통해 밝혀졌다. 또, 자가격리 기간 특강 등을 진행한 김모(33) 단원과 이모(29) 단원에 대해서는 각각 정직 3개월과 정직 1개월 처분을 내렸다. 이번 조처는 오는 17일부터 적용된다. 자가격리 기간 모친이 운영하는 인터넷 쇼핑몰 홍보를 담당한 정단원 A씨에 대해서는 징계를 내리지 않았다. 국립발레단은 "코로나 19로 인해 국가적으로 엄중한 시기에 국립단체로서 물의를 일으킨 점에 대해 다시 한번 깊이 반성한다"며 "이번 사태를 국립발레단을 쇄신하는 기회로 삼고, 기강 확립에도 최선을 다할 것"이라고 밝혔다. 국립발레단의 이번 징계가 과하다는 지

한국어판 March 17, 2020

Senior diplomats of South Korea and the United States held phone talks Tuesday to discuss joint efforts to fight the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said, as Seoul's anti-virus efforts have led to a drop in new infections and a low fatality rate. First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young and US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun discussed the global containment efforts and their countries' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that has sickened thousands of citizens and disrupted dail

Foreign Affairs March 17, 2020

Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo strongly reprimanded top commanders on Tuesday over a series of embarrassing civilian intrusions into military bases, saying that there is no excuse for such lapses. Jeong also called for "extraordinary" measures to prevent any recurrence during an emergency meeting convened with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki and other top generals to discuss the security breaches at Army and Navy bases in recent months. In the latest such incident

National March 17, 2020

The military has reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among service personnel for six days in a row, the defense ministry said Tuesday, amid signs the outbreak is slowing down in South Korea. The total number of COVID-19 infections in barracks remained unchanged at 38, including 12 personnel -- eight in the Army and four in the Air Force -- who have fully recovered from the new virus, according to the ministry. Of the total infections, 21 were reported in the Army, 13 in the A

Defense March 17, 2020

South Korea recorded daily new infections of the new coronavirus in the double digits for the third straight day Tuesday, but the daily tally in Seoul and neighboring areas surpassed that in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the two epicenters of the fast-spreading virus. In an unprecedented measure against the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea decided to extend all school breaks by another two weeks to April 6. All child care centers were also ordered to stay closed until April 6. The 84

Social Affairs March 17, 2020

The South Korean baseball league breathed a sigh of relief on Tuesday after an ill minor leaguer tested negative for the novel coronavirus. The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the player, with their Futures League affiliate Goyang Heroes, will remain quarantined in his team dormitory for 14 days. Both Kiwoom and Goyang were forced to suspend all baseball activities on Monday, and will now resume training on Thursday. The player, who remained unidentified, had a fev

Baseball March 17, 2020

A dancer at the Korean National Ballet has been fired for traveling to Japan during a self-quarantine period amid the rapid spread of the infectious coronavirus, the KNB said Tuesday. The decision about the dancer, identified only as Na, was made during a disciplinary committee the previous day. Na, a member of the corps de ballet, or the group of non-soloist dancers, went to Japan in late February and uploaded some photos of his trip with his girlfriend on a social media account. All member

Performance March 17, 2020

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Monday that South Korea did a "good job" handling the coronavirus outbreak but also had "tremendous problems" at the start. Trump made the remark at a White House press briefing as he defended his own administration's response to the growing outbreak in the United States. "I noticed a lot of people are talking about South Korea because they've done a good job on one side, but on the other side, tremendous problems at the be

Foreign Affairs March 17, 2020

South Korean exports to China have been picking up in March as the new coronavirus retreats in the neighboring country, data showed Tuesday. Daily exports to the world's second-largest economy averaged $436 million during the first 10 days of this month, up 20.8 percent from the same period in February, according to the data from the government and industry sources. Yet the daily average was down 8.2 percent from the same period a year earlier. Daily exports to China soared to $530 million in

Business March 17, 2020

The National Assembly is set to handle an extra budget bill Tuesday that is designed to strengthen quarantine measures and minimize the economic fallout from the new coronavirus. Rival parties earlier agreed to handle the proposal by Tuesday, the last day of the current extraordinary parliamentary session, amid an urgency to back up the government's efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. The government submitted an 11.7 trillion-won ($9.53 billion) supplementary budget bill to the Nationa

Politics March 17, 2020