SouthKorea

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  [Coronavirus] S. Korea launches fresh anti-epidemic fight against Shincheonji followersh SEOUL -- South Korea launched a second round of its anti-epidemic battle against thousands of Shincheonji believers who have shunned mandatory virus checks while working inconspicuously at workplaces which are vulnerable to group infections. The move came as sporadic inspections continue to occur at hospitals and social welfare facilities despite a hectic national campaign to contain the epidemic that has left about 8,000 people infected and 68 dead since the first cas 2020-03-13
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  [Coronavirus] Polish man quarantined in Seoul as patient infected with virus A military medical soldier disinfects the streets near a subway station in eastern Seoul on March 12. SEOUL -- A Polish man was quarantined as a patient infected with a new coronavirus two days after he arrived through an international airport west of Seoul. He is the first foreigner to get stranded over an epidemic in South Korea after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic. Health officials said they are tracking the main's two-day moving l 2020-03-12
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  [Coronavirus] S. Korea tightens quarantine on travelers from five European countries A file picture shows officials handing out quarantine guidelines at Incheon International Airport. SEOUL -- South Korea announced tightened quarantine measures on travelers from five European countries as well as Dubai and Moscow after the World Health Organization declared that the global coronavirus crisis is now a pandemic. Starting Sunday, all travelers from France, Germany, Spain, Britain and the Netherlands will go through fever checks, submit papers on healt 2020-03-12
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  [Coronavirus] Researchers develop low-cost protocol for early virus detection SEOUL -- South Korean researchers claimed to have developed a laboratory-safe, low-cost, high-sensitivity protocol for the early detection of a new coronavirus that would be helpful for the first-hand screening of asymptomatic virus carriers. "Our protocol should be useful when the purpose of the testing is to identify the negative people, who need to work, study, and sport normally," a research team at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) said. The tea 2020-03-11
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  [Coronavirus] Seoul puts hundreds of call centers under scrutiny SEOUL -- The city government of Seoul put hundreds of private call centers manned by tens of thousands of workers under emergent scrutiny, alarmed by the detection of at least 90 people infected with a new coronavirus at one place in a crowded commercial area. The number of COVID-19 patients under treatment in Seoul stood at 168 as of midnight Tuesday, including 65 related to a call center at a building in the southwestern district of Guro. Nationwide, health officials 2020-03-11
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  [Coronavirus] Chlorine dioxide banned as unsuitable to prevent coronavirus infection A file image shows Corona Necklace sold at online shopping malls. SEOUL -- An anti-coronavirus necklace carrying solidified chlorine dioxide has been banned for deluding consumers with an unproven effect. Wearing masks or using licensed hand sanitizers is an established method recommended by health officials to prevent infection. Sellers claim that the so-called "Corona Necklace" has a preventive effect against COVID-19 because chlori 2020-03-10
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  [Coronavirus] Mass infection at call center fuels health scare in Seoul Health official disinfect a subway station in Seoul on March 10. SEOUL -- The number of new cases has visibly been down thanks to a hectic national campaign to contain an epidemic, but health officials cannot smooth out the wrinkles of anxiety because of herd infection at a call center that left dozens of people infected with a new coronavirus overnight in Seoul and its adjacent province. A 19-story building in the southwestern district of Guro in Seoul was shut 2020-03-10
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  Chinese envoy demands three-way cooperation and joint quarantine to create safety zone in Northeast Asia SEOUL -- China's top envoy in South Korea called for three-way cooperation and joint quarantine to turn Northeast Asia into a safety zone free of a novel coronavirus, saying China, South Korea and Japan can work together to make up for their shortcomings and develop effective treatments and vaccines. "There are no borders to fight infectious diseases, and no country can think of itself alone in the face of infectious diseases," Chinese Ambassador Xing Hai 2020-03-09
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  [Coronavirus] S. Korea discusses possible measures to restrict entry by foreign travelers SEOUL -- Buoyed by signs of slowing down in a domestic epidemic, health officials turned their eyes to a global situation to see if South Korea needs measures to restrict an inflow of travelers from foreign countries as they did. Worldwide, 106 countries and territories imposed entry restrictions or tougher quarantine procedures on people from South Korea. Deputy Health and Welfare Minister Kim Kang-rip said that a government anti-epidemic task force held discussion on 2020-03-09
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  [Coronavirus] Prime minister ends two-week field battle against epidemic SEOUL -- South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun will come back home after ending a grueling two-week field battle to contain a new coronavirus epidemic as the number of new cases decreased to a stable level in the southeastern city of Daegu. Chung is to return to Seoul on Monday, his office said. He arrived in Daegu on February 25 to spearhead a fight against COVID-19. Health officials reported 248 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 7,3 2020-03-09
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  [Coronavirus] Infant born by woman infected with virus shows no symptoms SEOUL -- An infant born by a woman infected with a novel coronavirus was found to be safe and carried no virus in a diagnostic test. South Korean experts said the chance of an intrauterine infection from pregnant women to the fetus is extremely rare. The baby was born at Fatima Hospital on March 6 in the southeastern city of Daegu. Tests showed the newborn was negative, but the Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases cautioned that respiratory virus infections 2020-03-09
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  [Coronavirus] Daegu mayor rejects cash donation from Shincheonji religious group SEOUL -- The mayor of Daegu, the epicenter of South Korea's coronavirus epidemic, refused to accept a cash donation from Shincheonj Church of Jesus, accusing some followers of the religious group of dragging their feet or ignoring quarantine guidelines despite repeated calls for cooperation. "What Shincheonji needs to do now is not to pay the money but to actively cooperate with quarantine," Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin said on Friday, adding he w 2020-03-06
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  [Coronavirus] Free OTT service proposed for quarantined people SEOUL -- A free one-month over-the-top (OTT) service was proposed to relieve the mental stress of people who have isolated themselves at homes and special facilities for obligatory self-quarantine as suspected or confirmed patients infected with a novel coronavirus. Vice health minister Kim Kang-lip told a regular briefing on Friday that the government is cooperating with Watcha, an OTT video-on-demand service operator, to provide free subscription service. He sa 2020-03-06
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  [Coronavirus] Virus prompts libraries to adopt drive-thru book rental service People are being tested at a drive-thru coronavirus screening clinic in Goyang. SEOUL -- Two public libraries have prepared a special drive-thru book rental solution for book lovers who were scared to visit public libraries to read and borrow books because of a nationwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The Simin Municipal Library and the Busan Metropolitan Joongang Library in the southern port city of Busan said Friday that they will start the oper 2020-03-06
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  [Coronavirus] Charity gets unexpected cash donation from Shincheonji sect Lee Man-hee, the leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, holds up his thumb after holding a press conference on March 2. SEOUL -- In an apparent bid to appease public anger, Shincheonji Church of Jesus has made a surprise cash donation of 12 billion won ($10 million) to a charity without prior consultations, saying the religious group would join a national campaign to contain a coronavirus epidemic. The donation to Community Chest of Korea, the only government-sanctione 2020-03-05
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  [Coronavirus] Singing rooms suspected of spreading virus SEOUL -- Noraebang, the South Korean version of Karaoke rooms, is not safe even if a client sings alone to avoid unnecessary contact with other people due to concerns over a coronavirus epidemic. According to an epidemiological survey team in South Gyeongsang Province on Thursday, six patients were found to have been infected with COVID-19 after they visited an unmanned singing room each in Changnyeong County some 270 kilometers (167 miles) southeast of Seou 2020-03-05
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  [Coronavirus] Public anger grows in S. Korea over rapid transmission of novel coronavirus: Survey SEOUL -- Public anger is growing in South Korea as an epidemic spread nationwide despite a government campaign to reduce the number of patients infected with a new coronavirus every day since the first case was reported on January 20, a survey showed. The survey of 1,000 people has been conducted twice on a request from a team led by You Myoung-soon, a professor at SNU Graduate School of Public Health, to figure out how the South Korean public feels about the rapid s 2020-03-04
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  [Coronavirus] Epidemic brings about unexpected changes in corporate culture SEOUL -- A raging coronavirus epidemic is bringing about unexpected changes in South Korea's corporate culture as companies, led by startups, scramble forward to prevent the shutdown of their operation by introducing telecommuting, video conferencing and a flexible or voluntary work system. Companies that quickly introduce telecommuting are large companies equipped well with telework systems. SK Telecom, a top mobile carrier in South Korea, has implemented a 2020-03-04
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  [Coronavirus] S. Korea develops GPS-based app to monitor those in obligatory self-quarantine SEOUL -- In an effort to contain a coronavirus epidemic, the South Korean government has developed a dedicated app to monitor those who were ordered to go into obligatory self-quarantine for two weeks. The app utilizes a GPS function to make the alarm sound if users violate guidelines. From March 7, the app will be used in Daegu, the epicenter of South Korea's COVID-19 epidemic, and North Gyeongsang Province. Some 27,700 people were put into self-quarantine, bu 2020-03-04
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  [Coronavirus] Two experimental anti-viral drugs to be tested as possible coronavirus treatments SEOUL -- Two experimental anti-viral drugs will be tested to see if they are good for the treatment of patients infected with a novel coronavirus as health officials and medical staff complained about a shortage of beds and fatigue accumulation due to a spike in the number of confirmed cases. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved clinical trials of remdesivir, an antiviral drug developed by Gilead Sciences, an American biotech company, and Virus Suppres 2020-03-03