Companies go to video interviews, YouTube for recruitment

Various South Korean providers launched digital services providing real-time information about the availability of face masks at designated stores on Wednesday as the country strives to solve a mask supply crunch amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Ten mobile application and online service developers have started to offer information on mask stockpiles at state-designated retailers, according to the National Information Society Agency. An open application programming interface has been pub

Will cash transfer to citizens for tackling COVID-19 get Korea’s economy back on track?

The novel coronavirus was apparently brought into the country from Wuhan, China. But it was a branch of an enigmatic Christian sect in Daegu that provided it with a breeding ground at home. The Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which operates under a veil of secrecy, abruptly came to the center of attention after one of its congregants tested positive for the virus Feb. 18. The case of the 61-year-old woman, known as COVID-19 patient No. 31, was linked to many others among followers who attended

South Korea on Monday launched a mask rationing system aimed at stabilizing supply amid the coronavirus outbreak, but confusion was reported in some areas as consumers adjusted to the new system. Under the measure that took effect earlier in the day, citizens can only buy up to two protective masks per week from pharmacies, on designated days of the week, depending on the final digit of their year of birth. Public frustration has built up due to a mask supply crunch, triggered by growing dema

Daegu authorities fail to detect epidemiological links to apartment, where 94 of 140 residents were Shincheonji followers

The Shincheonji Church of Jesus said Friday that its donation of 12 billion won ($10.1 million) to aid the country’s fight against the coronavirus outbreak has been rejected. Shincheonji is a Christian sect that is at the center of the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Korea, with more than half of the country’s over 6,300 confirmed cases being members of its congregation. Apparently mindful of the widespread criticism that it is not taking full responsibility for the ongoing public h

The military reported no additional cases of the new coronavirus among service personnel for the second straight day on Friday, with the total number of infections remaining unchanged at 34, the defense ministry said. Of the total COVID-19 cases, 19 were in the Army, 11 in the Air Force, two in the Marine Corps and one each in the Navy and a unit under the direct control of the ministry, it said. Around 5,020 service members are quarantined at their bases. Of them, around 820 have either show

Seungri, formerly of boy band Big Bang, will begin his mandatory military service on Monday. According to reports, Seungri will go through a five-week training program at the 6th Infantry Division in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. This is the same training facility bandmate Taeyang began his enlistment at in March 2018. Due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, enlistment ceremonies have been suspended until further notice. Some of Seungri’s close associates posted pictures of what seemed to

  PARIS (AFP) -- The International Olympic Committee insist that a potential cancellation or postponement of this year's Tokyo Olympics due to the global spread of the deadly coronavirus were "not mentioned" at a meeting of their Executive Board on Wednesday. However, the virus, which has killed 3,200 people while infecting 90,000 in more than 60 countries worldwide, is having a major impact on world sport. AFP Sport looks at the latest effects on Wednesday: TOKYO OLYMPICS Int

South Korea’s 5-trillion-won ($4.2 billion) plastic surgery industry is bleeding Chinese demand amidst the worsening coronavirus outbreak. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute said that Chinese patients are canceling plastic surgeries while the Ministry of Health and Welfare is recommending hospitals to delay their medical services to foreigners after February to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. “After monitoring whether major hospitals and plastic surgery clinics are foll

A man confirmed with COVID-19 infection was caught violating the self-quarantine order to buy a face mask in Daegu, and was handed over to health authorities by police on Monday. The man in his 50s was queueing to buy a mask at the post office in Daegu’s Pojeong-dong, Jung-gu, at around 11:40 a.m. on Monday, according to the Daegu Jungbu Police Station. He told a reporter of broadcaster KBS there that he was informed of his COVID-19 infection that morning, and came out to buy a mask. T

Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee, the figure at the center of the spread of COVID-19 in Korea, refused to answer a question about eternal life, concerning a claim he is said to have made to his believers, during a press briefing held in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. As of 4 p.m. on Monday, the number of novel coronavirus patients had jumped to 4,335 in Korea with more than half of the patients either Shincheonji Church of Jesus followers or those who had contact with them. Before the

The founder of a religious sect at the center of a coronavirus outbreak in South Korea underwent testing Saturday for the new virus, reports said Sunday. The results were not available as of press time. Lee Man-hee, 88, started Shincheonji Church of Jesus in 1984 which now has 12 branches nationwide and some more in other countries. ‘(He) has been in self-isolation like other (Shincheonji) believers,” an official at the church said. Shincheonji, regarded a heretic by main

A South Korean flight turned back while en route to Vietnam on Saturday after the Vietnamese authorities prevented it from landing in Hanoi, with more flights connecting the two countries expected to be suspended amid the spread of the new coronavirus. The flight of Asiana Airlines Inc., the country's second-biggest carrier, arrived back at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around two hours after departing for Hanoi at 10:30 a.m. Asiana said it decided to return flight OZ729 when