Drastic measures are being taken in some parts of South Korea to keep social distancing going, including plowing up spring flowers that draw picnickers. The southern resort island of Jeju, which in normal times would be brimming with tourists enjoying the season’s change, plans to do away with the massive blossom lining a road in a small village of Gasi-ri. Villagers asked for their earlier removal, fearing they would draw crowds of spectators potentially carrying the novel coronaviru

South Korea’s leading e-commerece platform Coupang announced Tuesday that it has decided to spin off its fintech business currently operating its payment service. It has established a fintech subsidiary named Coupang Pay on Wednesday, and will start offering payment services within the first half of this year. The move is aimed to offer the services to a broader base of customers with renewed focus on enhancing user experience, the company said. The spinoff is led by Kyung In-tae, Cou

South Korea’s consumer sentiment fell to the lowest level in more than a decade in March, affected by the continued spread of the COVID-19, data from the Bank of Korea showed last week. The composite consumer sentiment index reached 78.4 this month, a drop by 18.5 points and the lowest since March 2009. Consumer sentiment toward the current economic conditions plunged 28 points to 38, according to a subindex, also the lowest since March 2009.  (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

The southern province of Jeju Island said Monday it has filed a lawsuit against two travelers who tested positive for coronavirus after a five-day trip of the island. The lawsuit, filed by the provincial government and six local businesses, is seeking over 100 million won ($82,000) in damages and business losses.  The defendants are a 19-year-old who attends a university in the US and her mother. They traveled to Jeju five days after the daughter returned from the US, and tested positi

A British national who tested positive for the new coronavirus here may face penalties for not observing quarantine rules. The resident of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, got tested for COVID-19 on the afternoon of March 23, five days after he returned from a trip to Thailand. Although he was required to self-isolate until the results were out, he traveled to another city by bike that evening and the next morning he visited an indoor golf range. He was notified of his positive test results that af

The following is a full text of a joint statement adopted at the G-20 2020 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders Summit. It was provided by Cheong Wa Dae.       The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful reminder of our interconnectedness and vulnerabilities. The virus respects no borders. Combatting this pandemic calls for a transparent, robust, coordinated, large-scale and science-based global response in the spirit of solidarity. We are strongly committed to presenting

　 On this auspicious occasion of the 49th Independence and National Day of Bangladesh on 26 March 2020, I cordially convey our warmest greetings and warm felicitations to the friendly people and the Government of the Republic of Korea as well as to the expatriate Bangladeshis living in this country. We laud the commendable measures undertaken by the Government of the Republic of Korea to fight against COVID-19 pandemic and as part of its “Social Distancing” campaign, we have canc

I extend my heartiest greetings to the countrymen and expatriate Bangladeshis on the occasion of the great Independence and National Day of Bangladesh. 　 The 26 March is the day of establishing self-identity of our nation. It‘s the day of breaking the shackles of subjugation. On this Independence Day, I recall with deep gratitude the Greatest Bangalee of all times, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, under whose undisputed leadership we have earned our coveted indepen

Today is 26th March, the Independence Day of Bangladesh. On the occasion of our great Independence and National Day, I extend my heartfelt greetings and warm felicitations to my fellow countrymen living at home and abroad. 　 On this historic day, I remember with profound respect the architect of our independent Bangladesh, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I pay my deep homage to the millions of martyrs who made supreme sacrifice in the war of liberation. I also recall wit

Novel coronavirus infections stemming from overseas outpaced locally transmitted cases in South Korea, and nearly 90 percent of imported cases involve Koreans returning from overseas, local authorities said Thursday. The country reported 104 new cases of COVID-19 between midnight Tuesday and midnight Wednesday, with 57 of them classified as imported, involving both Koreans and non-Korean arriving here from overseas. Of them, 30 were identified during the virus screening and quarantine proce