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Tag: South Korea

  • WTO job: Okonjo-Iweala sees new hope as South Korea drops candidate

    WTO job: Okonjo-Iweala sees new hope as South Korea drops candidate

    Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been given a new hope as South Korea has reportedly dropped its candidate, Yoo Myung-hee for the position of Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

    Washington Trade Daily reported that the South Korea’s trade minister is set to withdraw from the race, quoting several sources familiar with the matter.

    Washington Trade Daily quoted sources as saying South Korea has notified the US of its decision and is expected to make it public “in the coming days.”

    “Washington refused to accept the recommendation made by the selection panel chaired by General Council Chair Ambassador David Walker that Mrs Okonjo-Iweala is the candidate most likely of the two to attract consensus because she clearly carried the largest support by members in the final round and clearly enjoyed broad support from members from all levels of development and from all geographic regions and has done so throughout the process.

    “Yoo from Korea failed to receive enough support from members of all levels of development that is developed, developing and least developing countries, as well as geographically in comparison to the “largest” support received by Mrs Okonjo-Iweala,” the report stated in parts.

    Okonjo-Iweala had secured the popular vote by a wide margin on October 28 but was not named DG because the US opposed her candidacy.

    After the October 28 meeting, WTO also said Okonjo-Iweala had the best chance of getting a consensus.

    A November 8 general council meeting scheduled to consider the appointment of the next DG was postponed.

    Another general council meeting has been scheduled for December 17 to finalize the process.

  • South Korea to mass-produce COVID-19 antibody treatment September ending

    South Korea to mass-produce COVID-19 antibody treatment September ending

    South Korea is expected to mass-produce commercial COVID-19 antibody-based treatment later in September.

    Kwon Jun-wook, the Deputy Director of the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday.

    The country is currently analysing the results of phase 1 clinical trial of the antibody-based treatment, which was approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on July 17, and reviewing the phase 2, Kwon added.

    As for blood plasma-based treatment, the health authorities skipped phase one of clinical trials, as the therapy itself is well-known and considered to be safe.

    The country will start producing the blood plasma material for the phase 2 trial on Tuesday, while the supply of the substance will be completed in mid-October, Kwon noted.

    In total, clinical trials for 14 coronavirus treatments and two vaccines are currently underway in South Korea.

  • Global Leaders Urge South Korean Government and the UN to Correct Religious Oppression in the Name of Covid-19 Quarantine

    Global Leaders Urge South Korean Government and the UN to Correct Religious Oppression in the Name of Covid-19 Quarantine

    As the spread of coronavirus continues to increase around the world, voices from the international community are rising to stop religious oppression occurring in South Korea, known as an exemplary case for Covid-19 quarantine.

    On August 17th, the Coalition of Caribbean Leaders for Peace (CCLP) consisting of the former and current leaders in the Caribbean including the former president of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sent a joint letter to South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.

    In the letter, they said the governments, even in response to the urgency of the pandemic, must take responsibility for the protection of human rights regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status and expressed concern about ongoing oppression against Shincheonji Church, a South Korea-based Christian denomination that suffered from the unexpected mass infection at the beginning of this year.

    Ahead of this joint letter, 11 NGOs including the European Coordination of Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP-LC) submitted the “annual report for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights” regarding the inappropriately targeted discrimination against Shincheonji Church to the UN Secretary-General.

    The annual report was titled “Scapegoating Members of Shincheonji for COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea”.

    The letter briefly pointed out the facts surrounding Shincheonji and Covid-19 as follows;

    • Covid-19 was introduced to South Korea from China.
    • According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus was already prevalent in the city of Daegu before the confirmation of (Shincheonji) the Patient 31 (in Daegu).
    • The government’s refusal to close the border to China contributed heavily to the outbreak.
    • In the face of growing public discontent that the government did not impose a travel restriction on China, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae ordered the prosecution to investigate Shincheonji.
    • Vice Minister of Health confirmed that the list of private identification information gathered was not much different than that collected and checked by the government.
    • Prosecutors have arrested the officials of Shincheonji on the grounds that the list of congregation members submitted by Shincheonji was not complete.

    By referring to the report “Factsheet on the global response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the impact on religious practice and religious freedom” by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the joint letter reiterated that South Korea provides a vivid example of how public health emergencies can increase the risk to marginalized religious groups.

    They pointed out that the South Korean government’s silence about the current situation would set a dangerous global precedent for allowing similar persecution, violence, and harassment against other religious minorities, and strongly urged the Korean government to “step forward to an end to this discrimination.”

  • Global Leaders Urge South Korean Government, UN to Correct Religious Oppression in the Name of Covid-19 Quarantine

    Global Leaders Urge South Korean Government, UN to Correct Religious Oppression in the Name of Covid-19 Quarantine

    As the spread of coronavirus continues to increase around the world, voices from the international community are rising to stop religious oppression occurring in South Korea, known as an exemplary case for Covid-19 quarantine.

    On August 17th, the Coalition of Caribbean Leaders for Peace (CCLP) consisting of the former and current leaders in the Caribbean including the former president of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sent a joint letter to South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.

    In the letter, they said the governments, even in response to the urgency of the pandemic, must take responsibility for the protection of human rights regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status and expressed concern about ongoing oppression against Shincheonji Church, a South Korea-based Christian denomination that suffered from the unexpected mass infection at the beginning of this year.

    Ahead of this joint letter, 11 NGOs including the European Coordination of Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP-LC) submitted the “annual report for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights” regarding the inappropriately targeted discrimination against Shincheonji Church to the UN Secretary-General.

    The annual report was titled “Scapegoating Members of Shincheonji for COVID-19 in the Republic of Korea”.

    The letter briefly pointed out the facts surrounding Shincheonji and Covid-19 as follows;

    • Covid-19 was introduced to South Korea from China.
    • According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus was already prevalent in the city of Daegu before the confirmation of (Shincheonji) the Patient 31 (in Daegu).
    • The government’s refusal to close the border to China contributed heavily to the outbreak.
    • In the face of growing public discontent that the government did not impose a travel restriction on China, Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae ordered the prosecution to investigate Shincheonji.
    • Vice Minister of Health confirmed that the list of private identification information gathered was not much different than that collected and checked by the government.
    • Prosecutors have arrested the officials of Shincheonji on the grounds that the list of congregation members submitted by Shincheonji was not complete.

    By referring to the report “Factsheet on the global response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the impact on religious practice and religious freedom” by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the joint letter reiterated that South Korea provides a vivid example of how public health emergencies can increase the risk to marginalized religious groups.

    They pointed out that the South Korean government’s silence about the current situation would set a dangerous global precedent for allowing similar persecution, violence, and harassment against other religious minorities, and strongly urged the Korean government to “step forward to an end to this discrimination.”

  • S/Korea reports 297 more COVID-19 cases, 16,058 in total

    S/Korea reports 297 more COVID-19 cases, 16,058 in total

    South Korea reported 297 more cases of the COVID-19 as of 0.00 a.m. local time, on Wednesday, compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 16,058.

    The daily caseload soared in triple figures for six straight days with 103 on Friday, 166 on Saturday, 279 on Sunday, 197 on Monday and 246 on Tuesday.

    The domestic infections surged in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province traceable to church services.

    Of the new cases, 150 were Seoul residents and 94 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.

    Fourteen were imported, lifting the combined figure to 2,676.

    No more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 306.

    The total fatality rate stood at 1.91 per cent.

    A total of 72 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 14,006.

    The total recovery rate was 87.22 per cent.

    Since Jan. 3, the country has tested more than 1.71 million people, among whom 1,667,984 tested negative for the virus and 31,022 are being checked. (

  • S/Korea’s heavy rain leaves 13 dead, 13 missing for 4 days

    S/Korea’s heavy rain leaves 13 dead, 13 missing for 4 days

    Heavy rain South Korea, which lasted for four straight days, has left 13 people dead and 13 others missing as of Tuesday, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters.

    As of 10.30 a.m. local time, 13 people have been found dead and 13 others missing, with seven wounded because of the downpour that continued since Aug. 1 in the country’s central region, including Seoul and the metropolitan area.

    A total of 1,025 people from 629 households were forced to evacuate their homes, including 555 residents in North Chungcheong province, 391 in Gyeonggi province surrounding Seoul, 70 in Gangwon province and nine in Seoul.

    About 5,751 hectares of farmland were swamped or buried, while 2,958 cases of property damages were reported, including 1,483 private assets and 1,475 public facilities.

    Houses, cattle shed, warehouses and agricultural plastic houses were flooded or engulfed by landslides, while roads, railways, bridges and water reservoirs were destroyed or damaged.

    More than half of the damaged properties were restored, with over 25,000 police officers, firefighters, government officials and volunteers mobilised. (

  • South Korea raises age of consent from 13 to 16

    South Korea raises age of consent from 13 to 16

    South Korea has raised the age of consent for sex to 16 from 13 as it seeks to reinforce protection for minors following accusations the existing law on sex crimes was too weak.

    Under the revised law, adults who have sex with under-16-year-olds will be prosecuted for child sexual abuse or rape regardless of any alleged consent.

    Previously, teenagers aged 13 or older were held to be legally capable of consenting to sex, resulting in controversial cases and critics saying that sex offenders were escaping without punishment due to the low benchmark.

    In 2017, a 42-year-old man was found not guilty of raping a then 15-year-old on the grounds she had consented, provoking outrage and calls for the age limit to be raised.

    Despite its economic and technological advances, South Korea remains a traditional and patriarchal society, where victims of sexual assault have been shamed for coming forward.

    The age of consent was raised to 16 in order to “protect teenagers from sex crimes at a fundamental level”, the South’s Justice Ministry said in a statement.

    The amended law also eliminated statutes of limitation for sexual crimes against minors under 13.

     

  • S. Korea braces for 2nd wave of COVID-19 infections

    S. Korea braces for 2nd wave of COVID-19 infections

    South Korea’s health authorities said on Thursday that it would prepare medical resources for a possible second wave of the COVID-19 infections this autumn and winter in conjunction with the flu season.

    Yoon Tae-ho, an officer of disinfection at the Central Disaster Management headquarters, told a news conference that the health authorities are preparing medical supplies and facilities for the second epidemic of the COVID-19 this autumn and winter.

    Yoon said the COVID-19, a flu-like virus, could highly likely spread again in conjunction with the flu season, noting that a massive cluster infection could possibly happen more harshly than what happened in Daegu.

    Daegu, about 300 km southeast of the capital Seoul, became the epicenter of the viral spread here as the number of infections in Daegu and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province accounted for nearly 80 percent of the total confirmed cases.

    In the latest tally, South Korea reported eight more COVID-19 cases for the past 24 hours, raising the total number to 10,702. The daily caseload stayed below 20 for the sixth straight day.

    Experts here warned against the second wave of epidemic later this year given that no treatment nor vaccine has been developed amid the low rate of population with antibodies.

  • S’ Korea’s new coronavirus cases drop below 100

    S’ Korea’s new coronavirus cases drop below 100

    The number of daily new coronavirus infections in South Korea dropped below 100 on Friday, with 91 new cases recorded since the previous day, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Seoul.

    The nation’s total infections increased to 9,332, while the death toll rose by eight to 139.

    It marks the 16th consecutive day that there were fewer than 200 new cases reported in the country, according to the KCDC, which shows a relative steadying of the disease outbreak since it began in late January.

    The city of Daegu, where the largest proportion of the country’s cases have occurred, reported 34 new cases, while the nearby North Gyeongsang province reported nine.

    The total number of imported cases, which the government has been trying hard to contain, increased by 14 to 144.

    Seoul announced on Friday that all South Korea-bound travellers would be tested for fever and would be banned from boarding flights if their body temperature was above 37.5 degrees Celsius, news agency Yonhap reported.

  • South Korea: New coronavirus cases still low, imported cases increase

    South Korea: New coronavirus cases still low, imported cases increase

    Imported cases of the new coronavirus in South Korea jumped from 47 to 67, Korea’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Tuesday.

    The overall infections increased by just 76 over the past day.

    KCDC noted that nine more people who tested positive for Covid-19 also died in the past day, bringing the total death toll in the country to 120.

    On Monday, South Korea had recorded the lowest increase since Feb. 25, with 64 new infections.

    The overall cases passed the 9,000 mark, with the 76 new cases.

    According to KCDC data, the majority of the deceased were elderly patients with underlying illnesses.

    According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the pace of daily new infections appeared to be slowing since the second week of March as health authorities completed extensive testing of 210,000 Shincheonji followers.

    About 60 per cent of the confirmed cases have been linked to a branch of the Shincheonji religious sect in the south-eastern city of Daegu.

    Of the new cases, 31 were recorded in the city.

    “Amid a steady rise in imported cases, with the 20 cases the biggest one-day jump so far, South Korea has enforced a two-week quarantine period for all long-term arrivals from Europe, regardless of symptoms,’’ Yonhap reported.