The novel coronavirus has been grabbing headlines for months, causing numerous deaths, economic setbacks and disrupting everyday business and life activities. But what has gone fairly unnoticed by the general public is another virus that has uprooted the lives of hundreds of pig farmers and cost the lives of thousands of pigs in Korea. And as the African swine fever outbreak continues, empty-handed pig farmers are waving the white flag. “My pig farm has been just sitting here empty for

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Friday that it would abide by the law in responding to any issues that arise with regard to a controversial civic group supporting survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery. The group, the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, has received 1 billion won ($829,000) from the government over the past two years to support the victims, it added.   “If any problem is discover

Seventeen foreigners have been deported for violating the COVID-19 self-quarantine rules and eight for refusing to be admitted to quarantine facilities upon entry, the government said Friday. Additionally, 38 foreigners were sent back for not following the entry procedures mandated since the coronavirus outbreak started. The government data on quarantine breaches shows that 531 people here broke quarantine orders between Feb. 19 and Wednesday -- 0.16 percent of the 324,160 people who have be

Discussions about next year’s minimum wage kicked off Thursday as the Minimum Wage Commission convened its initial meeting. The negotiations are expected to be anything but smooth. Those representing labor and business present wildly divergent views of the impact the coronavirus is having on the South Korean economy. The minimum wage is updated on an annual basis, and the rate for 2020 stands at 8,590 won ($7.22) per hour. That represents a 2.9 percent increase from last year, and the bu

A 9-year-old girl who escaped from her abusive parents last month was found to have fled home via a fourth-floor balcony in bare feet. The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency said Thursday that the girl escaped May 29 by jumping to the balcony of the apartment next door. The neighbor’s apartment was empty, and she fled the building in search of help, police said. A neighbor found the girl on a roadside in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, and called the police. The girl was barefoo

The summer weather has officially arrived, and on Tuesday Seoul got its first heat wave advisory of the year. The Korea Meteorological Administration issued the alert effective 11 a.m. Tuesday for eastern Seoul, three regions in Gyeonggi Province and Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. “A lot of regions will see their maximum sensory temperature for the day exceed 33 degrees Celsius through Wednesday while a number of regions, including Seoul, are issued heat wave alerts,” the KM

South Korea’s monthly unemployment allowance payments jumped 34 percent on-year to an all-time high of 1.016 trillion won ($849 million) in May, as the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to take its toll on jobs, government data showed. According to data released by the Labor Ministry on Monday, employment insurance payouts to those struggling to find a job totaled 1.016 trillion won last month, up 33.9 percent from a year earlier. It was the first time the monthly job search allowan

The financial damage that South Korea will have to bear from the ongoing coronavirus crisis is “almost unfathomable” compared with Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2015, health authorities said in a report released Sunday. In the report submitted to the office of Rep. Yang Kyeong-sook, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated the socioeconomic costs of the MERS outbreak at 10.8 trillion won ($9 billion). The disease sickened 186 people and caused 38 deaths

The head of a shelter for surviving victims of Japan’s sex slavery was found dead at her apartment amid controversy surrounding the shelter’s operator for its possible misuse of donated funds and exploitation of the victims for political ambitions. Police said Sunday that Son Young-me, 60, was found dead at her apartment in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Her body was found inside the bathroom. The cause of her death is not known as of press time, but offici

With the first heat wave advisory issued Thursday, South Korea is expecting this summer to be one of the hottest in decades. Sweltering summer heat will likely arrive after the monsoon season, expected late this month, but authorities worry about the weather’s possible impact on the current novel coronavirus outbreak. At 11 a.m. Thursday, the Korea Meteorological Administration issued this year’s first special heat wave alerts in Daegu and several other cities and counties in the

The 9-year-old boy found unconscious in a suitcase in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, died Wednesday after three days in intensive care, police said Thursday. The child died from cardiopulmonary arrest due to multiple organ failures around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at a local hospital. He was found inside a 44-centimeter-wide and 60-centimeter-tall suitcase when paramedics arrived at his stepmother’s apartment. Police will decide on pressing charges of fatal child abuse against the st

From Mumbai to Beijing to Madrid, the global coronavirus pandemic has brought back clear skies and visibly cleaner air, as a sharp slowdown in human activity has allowed Mother Nature the much-needed time to heal some of her wounds. Seoul has been no exception. Spring skies were noticeably clearer, compared to those of past years when citizens were advised to wear high filtration masks due to toxic haze blanketing the country for days. “Weather was so nice this spring that I totally fo

A woman was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of child abuse after her stepson was found unconscious inside a suitcase. Police said Tuesday that they took into custody a stepmother in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on suspicion of child abuse and are reviewing whether to seek an arrest warrant for her. The 43-year-old woman at her apartment in Cheonan called for emergency help around 7:25 p.m. Monday, saying her 9-year-old son was unconscious. The boy was under cardiac arrest inside a sui

Deposits for disposable cups will return in South Korea in 2022, as the government strives to cut back on single-use items and boost recycling. According to the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday, the plan was approved at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day to require local businesses to charge extra for consumers buying beverage items in single-use plastic or paper cups in deposits to be claimed back with the return of those cups.    The deposit amount is yet to be determin

Raising the retirement age from the current 60 to 65 will require an additional 15.9 trillion won per year from employers, a private think tank said Monday, suggesting that extra measures are needed to lower the financial burden for companies. The Korea Economic Research Institute, under the country’s top business lobby Federation of Korean Industries, said in a report that wages will account for 14.4 trillion won while social insurance contributions would account for the remaining 1.5 tr