South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the fourth consecutive day Saturday, as health authorities keep a tight vigilance with the extension of strict social distancing measures for three more weeks. The country added 4,423 new COVID-19 infections, including 4,077 local infections, raising the total caseload to 687,984, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country reported 22 more COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 6,281, accordi

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An unfriendly letter that a high school girl wrote to a soldier in the mandatory military service surprised many this week, not only because of the letter's sarcastic tone but also due to the fact that the practice of having students send thank-you letters to troops still exists. In a nation facing a belligerent North Korea across the world's most heavily fortified border, writing letters to soldiers used to be a fixture for students in South Korea, especially elementary school pupils, when Col

GWANGJU -- Search and rescue operations resumed at an apartment building collapse site in the southwestern city of Gwangju for a fourth day Friday. According to the Gwangju Fire and Safety Headquarters, the search for six missing persons resumed at 7 a.m. with 71 rescue workers aided by 43 instruments and eight rescue dogs. Exterior walls of the 39-story building under construction in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, crumbled Tuesday, trapping construction workers at the site. Three wo

Large-scale labor rallies are set to hit the streets in central Seoul on Saturday, with police planning traffic blockades and other controls to disperse them, officials said Friday. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and other progressive groups are scheduled to launch a series of outdoor rallies in downtown Seoul, renewing calls for enhanced labor rights. According to advance declaration forms filed with the police, a total of 44 such rallies involving more than 8,000 people have been r

South Korea's military on Friday reported 16 additional COVID-19 cases, including 15 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,553. Of the new cases, nine are from the Army, five from the Air Force and two from a unit under the direct control of the ministry. Currently, 199 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,733 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

KF94 masks, the Korean version of an N95 mask, are gaining popularity in the United States, with experts calling for upgraded protective options over cloth masks as the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly throughout the country. Michael Baym, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School shared his review of using KF94 masks produced by Korean firm Dr. Puri. “They’re very comfortable. I was also happy to see on the CDC/NIOSH testing page that they test at ove

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the third consecutive day and imported cases reached an all-time high Friday, prompting the government to extend part of toughened social distancing rules for three more weeks. The country added 4,542 new COVID-19 infections, including 4,133 local infections, raising the total caseload to 683,566, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of imported cases hit a daily high of 409 on Friday amid t

The government decided to raise the private gathering size limit to six while keeping a 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants and cafes for the next three weeks, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday. The decision came as the number of daily COVID-19 cases has been around 4,000 in recent days with the government's robust booster shot campaign and tightened antivirus curbs after reaching as high as over 7,000 last month. However, health authorities are still keeping their guard up due to the spread of

The first batch of Pfizer Inc.'s antiviral COVID-19 treatment pills arrived in South Korea on Thursday as the country is working to stem the spread of coronavirus infections, health officials said. The U.S. pharmaceutical giant's oral pills for 21,000 people landed at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, at around 2 p.m. and were delivered to a logistics center in Ochang, 120 kilometers south of the capital, at 5:25 p.m., according to the authorities. The Paxlovid pills will begin being administere

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Discrimination against women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and racial and ethnic minorities is pervasive in South Korea, a new report from the Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. The annual 32rd World Report 2022 highlights the human rights situation in nearly all of the 100 countries where the international organization works. Though South Korea has been described as an “established democracy that largely respects civil, political, economic, social, and cultural right

The number of elementary and secondary school students in South Korea is expected to drop below 5 million for the first time in 2026, the government said Thursday, citing an ongoing decline of the school-age population. According to the Ministry of Education, the number of elementary, middle and high school students is expected to decrease each year, falling from 5.28 million this year to 5.21 million in 2023, 5.14 million in 2024 and 5.04 million in 2025. In 2026, when students born in 2007,