South Korea's daily coronavirus cases recorded an all-time high of 5,352 on Saturday, a day after the country announced tough restrictions for four weeks to control the spread of the omicron variant.    New cases of critically ill patients and deaths also hit record highs while an additional three confirmed cases of the omicron variant were reported to bring the total cases in the country to nine.    The daily new COVID-19 cases included 5,327 local infections, raising t

COVID-19 home care to be expanded even further

Travelers returning home Friday from short-term overseas trips were embarrassed to learn that they must self-isolate at home for 10 days under the government's emergency quarantine rule announced only two days earlier to stem the spread of the omicron COVID-19 variant. The 10-day mandatory quarantine for all inbound travelers was suddenly made public Wednesday, when South Korea confirmed its first five cases of the omicron variant. The new rule started at the beginning of Friday and will last t

The National Administrative Legislation Committee has been launched as an advisory body on the administrative legal system at the national level, officials said Friday. The joint public-private committee, which belongs to the Ministry of Government Legislation, will be jointly chaired by Minister Lee Kang-seop and private chairperson Hong Jung-sun, a former professor at Yonsei University. It has a total of 38 members. Members from the private sector include various administrative law expert

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 5,000 on Friday, but the number of critically ill patients hit yet another record high as the country prepares to limit private gatherings amid growing concerns over the new omicron variant. The country reported 4,944 new COVID-19 cases, including 4,923 local infections, raising the total caseload to 462,555, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of critically ill patients came to 736, up from the previo

South Korea will limit private gatherings to six people in the capital area and eight in other regions for four weeks starting next week, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday, reversing an easing of distancing rules adopted under the "living with COVID-19" scheme last month. Kim announced the new measure during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters amid a surge in COVID-19 infections in the country and heightened fears of the more contagious omicr

A teenage boy tested positive for the omicron variant of coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total caseload of the heavily mutated variant in South Korea to six, health authorities said Thursday. The boy, residing in Incheon, west of Seoul, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and had been tested for the variant, after his parents were confirmed to have been infected with the variant on Wednesday following their visit to Nigeria last month, according to the Korea Disease Control and Preve

From BTS, professors to Korea Herald reporters, new mutation is ruining December

Korea’s three-month plan for exiting pandemic restrictions is being threatened by a record surge in infections and the likely community spread of the omicron variant. On Thursday, Korea’s new cases reach a new record high of 5,266 -- topping 5,000 for the second day in a row -- while intensive care beds for COVID-19 patients at Seoul hospitals were more than 90 percent full. For the past month since the country abandoned the majority of its mitigation efforts in line with a new

The number of Seoul's daily COVID-19 cases has hit a record high of 2,268, surpassing 2,000 for two straight days, health authorities said Thursday. Of the cases reported Wednesday, 2,262 were local infections, and six were from overseas, according to the Central Disease Control Headquarters. The new high was up 46 from the previous high of 2,222 recorded Tuesday and up 508 from 1,760 tallied a week ago. The number of new daily coronavirus cases in Seoul topped 1,000 for the first time on Sep

Fears over the omicron coronavirus variant are dashing hopes for the resumption of overseas travel, forcing many to cancel or postpone travel plans, including honeymoons, only a month after the country's "living with COVID-19" policy revived expectations for a return to normal. South Korea confirmed five omicron infections a day earlier, the first local cases of the fast-spreading COVID-19 variant, forcing authorities to tighten passenger screening and other antivirus quarantine measu

South Korea's new coronavirus cases and the number of critically ill patients hit record highs Thursday, heightening concerns over medical capacity amid the spread of COVID-19 and continued surge in critical cases. South Korea reported 5,266 new COVID-19 cases, including 5,242 local infections, raising the total caseload to 457,612, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It marked the second straight day that the number of new coronavirus cases has been above 5,000

　The number of babies born in South Korea fell to a record low in September, data showed, underscoring the country’s bleak demographic situation with the chronically low birthrate. 　A total of 21,920 babies were born in September, down 6.7 percent from the previous year, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea. 　It marked the lowest for any September since 1981, when the statistics agency began compiling related data. 　In the third quarter, the number of newborns also reached an

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday the nation's plan to gradually return to normal life is facing challenges, as the first cases of the omicron variant were detected in South Korea amid growing woes over an ongoing jump in COVID-19 infections. "The path toward a phased return to normalcy is not smooth, and risks over the new omicron variant are growing," Moon told a meeting of a national prayer group, the Korea National Prayer Breakfast. Moon said, however, the government will spare

South Korea has discovered its first cases of COVID-19’s omicron variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Wednesday evening. The first cases of the omicron variant were confirmed in a couple in their 40s who recently traveled to Nigeria and a man in his 30s whom they met after returning. The couple returned to Korea on Nov. 24 after staying in Nigeria from Nov. 14 through 23. Their PCR tests, taken on the day of their arrival, came back positive the next day. As