The Korea Herald

Sect leader indicted on charges of obstructing COVID-19 response

Aug 14, 2020

Sect leader indicted on charges of obstructing COVID-19 response The leader of a minor religious sect at the center of the early coronavirus outbreak in South Korea was indicted Friday for allegedly obstructing the government’s efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic. Prosecutors in Suwon, south of Seoul, indicted Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, and 11 other sect officials. Lee, 89, is accused of submitting false documents to health authorities on the location
S. Korea’s local infections at 4-month high, mostly linked to churches

Aug 14, 2020

South Korea’s daily locally transmitted COVID-19 cases surged to a four-month high on Friday, mainly due to sporadic outbreaks at churches in the Greater Seoul area, leading the government to consider tightening social distancing rules to contain the coronavirus spread. Of the country’s 108 new COVID-19 cases reported, 85 cases were locally transmitted, the most since 88 cases were registered on March 31. The total caseload has risen to 14,873, according to the Korea Centers for D
Three killed during building maintenance work in Seoul

Aug 14, 2020

Three maintenance workers were killed at a commercial residential complex building in Seoul on Friday, apparently after being electrocuted while replacing water pumps of the building's water storage tank, firefighters said. According to the fire authorities, the three men -- two in their 50s and one in his 60s -- collapsed while replacing a water pump in the second underground level of the building in the southwestern ward of Yeongdeungpo late Friday morning. The workers received CPR from fir
Activist for comfort women grilled over embezzlement

Aug 14, 2020

Prosecutors grilled Rep. Yoon Mi-hyang, a longtime activist for the rights of the victims of wartime sexual slavery committed by Japan, on Thursday over allegations that she embezzled donations for the women. The interrogation went on for over 11 hours beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office, followed by perusing through the prosecution’s records of her statements for over three hours until she went home at around 4 a.m. on Friday. Pro
Justice ministry pushing to abolish anti-abortion law

Aug 14, 2020

The Ministry of Justice said it is working on revising a 67-year-old criminal law that made abortion a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. The Committee of Gender Equality under the ministry confirmed Friday that it is drafting a policy recommendation for the ministry to move closer to repealing the decades-old law. The belated move came more than a year after the country's Constitutional Court declared in April last year in a landmark ruling that the anti-abortion law is uncons
S. Korea reviews tightening social distancing as new infections surge

Aug 14, 2020

The South Korean government on Friday launched a review on raising the level of social distancing as new cluster infections in the greater Seoul area fanned fears of a possibly bigger outbreak. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said it views the status quo in a "grave" manner, saying it has started to review tightening social distancing by one notch in the so-called capital area, which includes Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. "We are facing another critica
[Newsmaker] Doctors protest medical reform plans with nationwide strike

Aug 14, 2020

Thousands of doctors on Friday staged a nationwide walkout as talks with the government over medical reform plans fell through. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 24.7 percent of 33,836 medical clinics, hospitals and institutions announced Thursday that they would be closed on Friday. The ministry said the actual closure rate for Friday could be higher considering the ongoing vacation season. Under the lead of the Korea Medical Association, which represents 130,000 doctors, medi
Air Force employee, Marine test positive for coronavirus after church visits

Aug 14, 2020

An Air Force civilian employee and a Marine have tested positive for the new coronavirus after visiting religious facilities, the defense ministry said Friday. The Air Force employee, based in Seongnam, south of Seoul, was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 on Thursday after visiting a church where a confirmed patient had visited, officials said. About 50 people at the base will take coronavirus tests after coming into contact with him. The Marine also visited a church in Seoul where a co
S. Korea commemorates memorial day for 'comfort women'

Aug 14, 2020

South Korea held various events to commemorate the international memorial day on Friday for Asian women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. The government-led national ceremony marking the International Memorial Day for Comfort Women took place at the Hill of National Commemoration in Cheonan, south of Seoul, with the slogan of "memory for the future." About 100 people, including elderly Korean women sexually enslaved by the imperial Japanese arm
Doctors launch nationwide strike, some service disruption reported

Aug 14, 2020

Doctors launched a one-day strike across South Korea on Friday in protest of the government's medical reform plan, with some difficulties reported at small clinics. The walkout is part of the Korea Medical Association (KMA)'s strong opposition to the government's plan to raise admission quotas at medical schools. Among the participants of the walkout are practitioners at small clinics and some trainee doctors, such as interns and residents, at general hospitals, the KMA said. Still, doctors
Local virus cases at over 4-month high, strict social distancing under review

Aug 14, 2020

The number of daily local virus cases in South Korea jumped to an over 4-month high on Friday as sporadic clusters in the greater Seoul area piled up, forcing health authorities to consider raising the level of social distancing to stem further spread. The country's new daily coronavirus cases, including 85 locally transmitted ones, reached 103, raising the total caseload to 14,873, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The number of newly identified local
4 new virus cases tied to Dongdaemun Market

Aug 14, 2020

The number of new coronavirus cases linked to Seoul's Dongdaemun Market rose to four, including a married merchant couple running a shop there, authorities said Friday, as the virus continues to spread, especially in the capital and nearby Gyeonggi Province. The store is located in Tongil Shopping Mall, home to more than 600 shops selling clothing-related materials, such as zippers and buttons. The couple tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, and two of their family members were addition
Court rejects Shincheonji leader's request to cancel arrest

Aug 13, 2020

SUWON -- A district court on Thursday dismissed the request by the leader of a minor religious sect at the center of the early coronavirus outbreak in South Korea to cancel his pre-trial detention. Lee Man-hee, the leader of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was arrested on Aug. 1 on charges of obstructing the government's efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Lee requested the Suwon District Court to review the legality of his detention Wednesday. The judge rule
Health minister calls on doctors to cancel strike

Aug 13, 2020

Korea’s top health official once again called on the doctors to cancel their strike action set for Friday. The doctors said they would stage a one-day walkout to protest the government’s package of health reforms that were announced last month. Last Friday, junior doctors and medical students walked off their practices and marched in the streets of Yeouido, central Seoul, demanding negotiations with the government. In an address Thursday morning, Minister of Health and Welfare Par
Korea's COVID-19 situation more worrying than in May: KCDC

Aug 13, 2020

South Korea faces a bigger crisis now than in early May due to the silent spread of the novel coronavirus leading to simultaneous COVID-19 outbreaks in the Seoul metropolitan area, health authorities said Thursday. 　 The country has seen a spike in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases linked to small gatherings at churches, schools and restaurants nationwide, with the transmission routes for 13.4 percent of all cases for the past two weeks remaining unknown. 　 In early May, the source of infectio