People visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul on Saturday, on the first weekend after the government eased rules on social distancing over the novel coronavirus. Religious gatherings resumed in some churches and temples. Those who attended worship services were asked to keep a certain distance away from one another. Parks along the Han River and mountains like Bukhansan were crowded with hikers and picnickers, sparking concerns over a potential cluster infection. 　 (Photos: Yonh

Firefighters on Sunday managed to put out a mountain fire in the city of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, that broke out Friday. The fire, which was first reported Friday afternoon, affected an estimated 800 hectares of mountain land and burned several houses and farm facilities, with no casualties reported. Some 1,200 nearby residents had evacuated and most of them returned to their homes. With the sunrise Sunday, authorities had mobilized 3,400 personnel, including firefighters, civil

The first four months of 2020 have flashed by, and we are almost in May! Cold winter has given way to sunny spring and the beautiful flowers are blooming again. I still remember attending several traditional New Year gatherings in early 2020 in Seoul and wishing everyone a Great Year of the White Metal Rat. Unfortunately, the Year of the Rat did not have an auspicious start. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc globally since the start of the year, with few countries spared from its devastation. Now ove

In 1946, with war-ravaged Europe exhausted and in disarray, Britain’s wartime leader, Winston Churchill, gave a speech in Zurich in which he emphasized the need to “recreate the European fabric” in order to restore peace and freedom to the continent. “We must build a kind of United States of Europe,” Churchill declared. It was a foundational moment for what would become the European Union, even if Churchill’s views of the United Kingdom’s place in Europe

South Korea’s exports of coronavirus test kits jumped nearly 18-fold in the first 20 days of April compared to the same period in March, data by the Korea Customs Service showed. Exports of test kits reached $131.9 million during the period, compared to $7.25 million on-year. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Representatives of Audi Volkswagen Korea delivered trees and sanitizing wipes to a group home on Thursday as part of the company’s “Green gift boxes to overcome COVID-19” campaign.  Audi Volkswagen Korea said it had delivered 6,300 trees and 14,000 sanitizing wipes to about 3,400 children and 1,600 managers at 476 group homes across the nation in partnership with the Korea Social Investment Foundation and Tree Planet. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Seoul Metropolitan Government will give 1.4 million won in cash subsidies to some 410,000 small business proprietors in the city to help them ride through the coronavirus-triggered business downturn, its mayor said Thursday. Mayor Park Won-soon, announcing the 57.4 billion-won support package, said about 72 percent of the city’s business owners would benefit. Eligibility will be determined by the past year’s business data, he said. “This plan has a different goal and targe

Intelligence agencies are used to making headlines when they fail to do their job. But after months of US President Donald Trump ignoring their warnings about COVID-19, and after years of his administration discounting their alerts about the danger of a pandemic more generally, it is time that intelligence professionals receive the credit they deserve. It should come as no surprise that Trump repeatedly dismissed intelligence about the threat of the coronavirus throughout January and February.

South Korea’s exports dropped 27 percent on-year in the first 20 days of April due to the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, data from the Korea Customs Service showed. By segment, exports of memory chips fell 14.9 percent, while those of automobiles sank 28.5 percent during the period compared to a year ago. By country, shipments to China dropped 17 percent, while those for the United States dropped 17.5 percent. Exports to the European Union and Vietnam fell further by 32.6

“We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said this in a video news conference on March 19, urging urgent global action to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Thus the world has sought solidarity and cooperation as the keys to overcoming the crisis. So how is Korea coping with the crisis? The answer is in a YouTube video recently made by the Korean Culture

Dr. Lee, a pioneer of Korean “Techno-trot,” is making a comeback. Lee Yong-seok, also known as Monkey Magic or Epaksa, was born in 1954 and widely regarded as a leading figure concerning the fusion music genre that was popular in the 1990s and early 2000s.  While some people downplay his trot music with speedy tempo, experts have a different idea. Jeong Jae-hoon, CEO of Big Daddy Entertainment, who has arranged the comeback of Dr. Lee, said the singer added a new page to the h

A recent survey showed that two thirds of companies in South Korea have canceled their plans to recruit since the new coronavirus pandemic. To a question whether their hiring plans changed upon the pandemic, 84.9 percent answered yes, according to the survey conducted by job portal Incruit. Among the 262 firms, 60.7 percent said they had recruitment plans prior to the pandemic but only 21.1 percent said they will maintain their hiring plans. Among the firms that said they would continue to hi