Asia

South Korea looks up to US for COVID-19 vaccine aid

Editorial Bureau April 21, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korea hopes its ally the United States will help it tackle a shortage of coronavirus vaccine in return for test kits and masks Seoul sent to Washington earlier in the pandemic, the foreign minister said on Wednesday. The government has drawn fire from the media

Asia

South Korea’s ‘sea women’, grapple with smaller catches as seas warm

Editorial Bureau April 19, 2021

GEOJE (SOUTH KOREA) – Jin So-hee, clad in a black wet suit and pink face mask, abruptly dives below the surface, her purple fins disappearing into the deep. As she resurfaces a minute and a half later, her gloved hands grip six or seven sea cucumbers, their spiked backs glistening in the sun. “This is […]

Asia

South Korea mulls use of COVID-19 self-test kits amid fourth wave fears

Editorial Bureau April 13, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korea’s health authorities said on Tuesday they would mull the use of coronavirus self-test kits in spite of their relatively low accuracy. The new mayor of Seoul had urged for their approval. The government had been reluctant to allow self-test kits, citing their lower accuracy than industry-standard PCR tests and […]

World

Trying to secure COVID-19 shots, South Korea on vaccine export curbs

Editorial Bureau April 6, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – In response to questions about possible export curbs on locally made vaccines, a top vaccine official of South Korea has informed that the country is considering all options to secure enough coronavirus vaccine supplies. The remarks come as authorities face a backlash for relying on global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX for a […]

Asia

South Korea minister hopes China will play a role in North Korea peacemaking

Editorial Bureau April 3, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) -South Korea’s foreign minister said on Saturday he hopes China will play a role in peacemaking between South and North Korea. He was seen inviting China’s president to visit as the United States and its allies admitted to continue pushing Pyongyang to denuclearise. “South Korea and China share a common goal toward […]

Asia

Countries express objections to mandatory virus testing on foreigners in South Korea

Editorial Bureau March 18, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – Britain officially objected to South Korea on Thursday about regional rules sidelining foreign workers for mandatory coronavirus testing, Several countries have been seeking an explanation. The capital Seoul and neighbouring Gyeonggi Province are among a number of local governments that have ordered all foreign workers to be tested, drawing

Asia

More protests in Myanmar as South Korea prepares to halt defence exchanges

Editorial Bureau March 12, 2021

NAYPYIDAW (MYANMAR) – Myanmar activists conducts more rallies against the junta on Friday as South Korea said it would halt defence exchanges and give development aid to the nation a rethought because of the military’s harsh clampdown on the protests. Friday’s rallies came in the wake of a rights group said security forces killed 12 […]

Asia

South Korea finds no connection to deaths and coronavirus vaccine

Editorial Bureau March 8, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korea said on Monday it had found no connection to the coronavirus vaccine and several deaths, which occured recently. It ordered nearly 100,000 foreign workers for testing after clusters surfaced in dormitories. Health officials had been conducting probe into the deaths of eight people with underlying conditions of adverse reactions […]

Asia

South Korea conducts probe into two deaths after AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine – KDCA

Editorial Bureau March 3, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korean authorities said on Wednesday they are conducting an inquiry into the deaths of two people after a media report said the pair, who were both found with pre-existing conditions, passed away within days of getting AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. A 63-year-old nursing home patient with cerebrovascular disease developed symptoms,

Asia

South Korea kickstarts COVID-19 inoculation drive

Editorial Bureau February 27, 2021

SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) – South Korea said as many as 18,489 people were given the first dose of the AstraZeneca PLC shot by Friday midnight as the nation launched the ambitious COVID-19 inoculation drive. It will start using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines on Saturday. Those who first received the shots are healthcare workers, staff at assisted […]