The Korea Herald

Korea slightly eases social distancing rules

Social affairsJan 17, 2021

Some businesses that have been shut down amid a winter surge in COVID-19 infections will be able to reopen in the coming week, as South Korea revises its social distancing rules in a tricky balance b...
Korean government vows ‘stiff penalty’ for social distancing violators

Social affairsJan 13, 2021

The South Korean government on Wednesday said there would be “stiff penalties” for people not heeding social distancing rules, as the third and worst wave of COVID-19 in the country has begun to mell...
[Herald Interview] Korea’s COVID-19 response overlooks patients’ well-being

HealthJan 12, 2021

Good health care should not be sidelined in efforts to find and isolate people with COVID-19 and their contacts, says respiratory disease specialist Dr. Jung Ki-suck. Jung is the immediate predecess...
Who will get COVID-19 vaccine first? The debate begins

Social affairsJan 12, 2021

As South Korea gears up for COVID-19 vaccinations, with the first batch of vaccines to be shipped here next month, the government is weighing whom to push to the front of the line. The Korea Disease...
Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fall, but deaths rise

Social affairsJan 10, 2021

South Korea’s new cases of COVID-19 have fallen, but deaths and hospitalizations are climbing amid a lack of hospital beds and outbreaks among vulnerable populations. In this month alone, 208 people...
[Herald Interview] Doctor asks prosecutors to consider murder charges in toddler’s death

Social affairsJan 6, 2021

The president of the Korean Pediatrics Society, Dr. Lim Hyun-taek argued murder charges should be brought against the adoptive parents of a toddler who died in October last year of suspected abuse, c...
S. Korea passes 1,000 COVID-19 deaths

Social affairsJan 5, 2021

More than 1,000 people in South Korea had lost their lives to COVID-19 as of Monday at midnight. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Tuesday announced 26 more deaths from the previous...
Public fury grows as some politicians flout COVID-19 rules

Social affairsJan 4, 2021

Public fury is growing in South Korea over elected officials flouting safety guidance and practices as the country grapples with a record number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Democratic Party of Kor...
[Herald Interview] Nursing home residents are being ‘quarantined to death’

Social affairsJan 3, 2021

As COVID-19 ravages through nursing homes in South Korea, their vulnerable residents are being “quarantined to death” without getting a chance of treatment, says Dr. Son Deog-hyeon heading the Korean...
Ban on private gatherings to be extended nationwide until Jan. 17

Social affairsJan 3, 2021

Private gatherings of five or more people will be banned nationwide starting Monday, as the country struggles to contain the largest wave of COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began. The ban, wh...
Year two of pandemic: What’s in store for Korea

Social affairsDec 31, 2020

Much of 2021 will be a repeat of 2020. But as vaccines enter the scene, experts say some degree of normalcy might begin to return by the year’s end. Infectious disease expert Dr. Kim Woo-joo of Kore...
‘There is no true exit from pandemic without vaccines’

Social affairsDec 29, 2020

Politicized narratives surrounding COVID-19 vaccines and treatments must stop, and vaccines -- not treatments -- are the keys to ending the pandemic, experts say. Faced with growing discontent over ...
Moderna nears deal with Korea to provide 40 million doses

Social affairsDec 29, 2020

South Korea and Moderna are close to reaching a deal for a supply of 40 million doses, the first of which will be delivered no later than summer next year, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. Und...
[Herald Interview] ‘COVID-19 doesn’t stop for Christmas’

Social affairsDec 27, 2020

For many front-liners around the country, Christmas was just like any other day in the pandemic. South Korea counted 1,241 more cases of COVID-19 on Christmas -- the highest number yet in a single d...
‘Korea may be expanding testing the wrong way’

Social affairsDec 24, 2020

The accuracy of the rapid COVID-19 antigen tests being used in South Korea may be considerably lower than previously suggested, according to a recent analysis, prompting concerns that widespread use ...