Foreign arrivals to South Korea stand at little over 30,000 in May
Social affairsJul 2, 2020
The number of foreign arrivals in South Korea reached just 30,861 in May, as the coronavirus pandemic has restricted the movement of people around the globe, official data showed Thursday. The total represents a 97.9 percent plunge compared to the same month in 2019, with overall numbers little changed from the month before, the data from the state-run Korea Tourism Organization showed. By country, arrivals from the United States dropped 90.9 percent on-year to 8,735, while the corresponding
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USFK chopper makes emergency landing, no injuries reportedDefenseJul 2, 2020A helicopter operated by the US Forces Korea made a precautionary landing shortly after take-off from central Seoul on Thursday due to suspected engine problems, officials said. The UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter with five people aboard lifted off from Seoul's Yongsan Garrison and was heading toward the large American base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of the capital city, when unusual signs were detected at around 3:50 p.m., according to local police. Confirming the incident, USFK sai -
Two USFK coronavirus patients briefly released from quarantine due to administrative errorDefenseJul 2, 2020Two American service members had been briefly released from quarantine even though they tested positive for the new coronavirus because their test results were recorded as negative due to an administrative error, the US Forces Korea said Thursday. The two service members arrived at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, just south of Seoul, on a US government-chartered flight on June 17, and they were moved to separate places in Osan, as they tested negative for the first test and entered quarantine.
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Moon calls for heavier tax burden on owners of multiple homes to curb housing price surgePoliticsJul 2, 2020President Moon Jae-in instructed his land minister Thursday to push for ways to raise tax burdens on owners of two or more houses, as he received an emergency report on South Korea's real estate market viewed by many as being overheated. He called in Kim Hyun-mee, minister of land, infrastructure and transport, for the debriefing, with his government confronted with fierce public criticism over its unsuccessful policies in tackling skyrocketing home prices especially in Seoul and adjacent ci -
In snub to prosecution chief, justice minister exercises authority in suspected collusion casePoliticsJul 2, 2020In snub to prosecution chief, justice minister exercises authority in suspected collusion case Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Thursday ordered Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl to suspend the convening of an expert advisory panel to review a suspected collusion case that involves a prosecutor deemed close to Yoon, invoking her authority to command the prosecution's investigation. "With the investigation going on, experts' assessment on the case might bring out a hasty conclusion, which in -
One-month high of 522 schools closed nationwide for coronavirusSocial affairsJul 2, 2020The number of schools closed temporarily due to the coronavirus outbreak rose to 522 nationwide Thursday, the biggest number over the past month, authorities said, as virus infections have been spreading among students and school personnel in Daejeon and Gwangju lately. The Ministry of Education said 2.5 percent, or 522, of the nation's 20,902 kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools suspended in-person classes as of 10 a.m., marking an increase of 475 from the previous day. It i -
Young, moderate adults ebb away from Moon’s support basePoliticsJul 2, 2020President Moon Jae-in’s approval rating dropped to the lowest in three months, while the gap between the ruling and main opposition parties narrowed, a poll showed Thursday. According to a poll conducted by Realmeter, Moon’s approval rating came to 49.4 percent in the first week of July. This is the first time the figure has dropped below 50 percent in Realmeter polls since the third week of March. A Gallup Korea poll for the final week of June also showed similar results, puttin -
![[Herald Interview] ‘Australian English as prestigious as American English’](http://res.heraldm.com/phpwas/restmb_idxmake.php?idx=643&simg=/content/image/2020/07/02/20200702000688_0.jpg)
[Herald Interview] ‘Australian English as prestigious as American English’Diplomatic CircuitJul 2, 2020In South Korea, known for its education fervor, the English widely taught at schools and private institutes is American English. Challenging the US dominance in the Korean English education market is one of the tasks facing the Embassy of Australia here, an Australian diplomat told The Korea Herald. “Australia wants to make clear to Koreans we should be the destination of choice for people who want to study English language,” James Bourne, second secretary at the Embassy of Aust -
Cold case cracked? Police own up to past brutality, close probe on notorious serial killingsSocial affairsJul 2, 2020Man fighting to prove innocence gets apology after 31 years -
E. coli infections tied to kindergarten south of Seoul rise to 60Social affairsJul 2, 2020The number of people infected with a strain of E. coli bacteria in connection to a kindergarten south of Seoul reached 60, up two more from two days earlier, health authorities said Thursday. Health authorities have widened a probe into the E. coli outbreak in Ansan, about 50 kilometers south of the capital, since a kindergarten student first showed symptoms of the illness on June 12. As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, 11 people, including nine students, had been hospitalized due to the infection, accor -
Police vow intensive crackdown on possessors of digital sexual abuse materialsSocial affairsJul 2, 2020The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) said Thursday it will intensively crack down on possessors of digital sexual abuse materials toward the end of the year. The KNPA also said it will reinforce its investigative capabilities in the second half to arrest fugitives wanted for being involved in various sex trafficking rings that have mainly operated on group chat rooms of the Telegram messenger service by sexually exploiting women and young girls. The top police agency announced its second- -
FM vows all-out efforts to resume dialogue with NKForeign affairsJul 2, 2020Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Thursday said the government is making an all-out effort to resume stalled dialogues with North Korea, amid recent heightened tensions between the two Koreas. “For the time being, North Korea has stopped taking additional measures that could worsen the situation in the Korean Peninsula. The ministry will remain vigilant and focus on managing the situation to prevent deterioration, and make all-out diplomatic efforts for the North to return to the -
Moon urges legislation on raising property ownership taxes against soaring housing pricesPoliticsJul 2, 2020President Moon Jae-in instructed his aides Thursday to push urgently for legislation on imposing more taxes on property ownership, especially on those with high-priced or multiple apartments, as his government has come under ferocious public criticism over unrelenting hikes in housing prices in Seoul and its adjacent cities. Moon's call represents the government's resolve to tackle the problem, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok, The president is scheduled to receive a related -
Main opposition to end boycott, return to assembly next weekPoliticsJul 2, 2020Ending its monthlong boycott of the ruling party-controlled National Assembly, the main opposition party will return to the chamber early next week, party leaders said Thursday. Protesting against the ruling Democratic Party's (DP) unilateral formation of parliamentary standing committees since early June, the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) has been boycotting the assembly's plenary session votes as well as the review of an extra budget bill. While the UFP has stayed away from the -
![[Newsmaker] Calls grow for probe of abuse allegations after triathlete’s suicide](http://res.heraldm.com/phpwas/restmb_idxmake.php?idx=643&simg=/content/image/2020/07/02/20200702000616_0.jpg)
[Newsmaker] Calls grow for probe of abuse allegations after triathlete’s suicideSocial affairsJul 2, 2020Calls are growing for the truth behind the suicide of a promising triathlete late last month, amid allegations she had repeatedly been abused by team officials. Five public petitions regarding the death of Choi Sook-hyun, posted on the website of the presidential office, together garnered more than 58,400 signatures by 5 p.m. Thursday, less than a day after they were posted. “Another unfortunate accident occurred, and we can’t help but ask until when we should be seein
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01Gwangju fears becoming next Daegu
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05[Newsmaker] Calls grow for probe of abuse allegations after triathlete’s suicide
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