SouthKorea

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  [Coronavirus] ​ ​Drive-thru restaurants gain attention as trendy meal choice A file picture shows a client picking pre-packaged slices of raw fish in Pohang. SEOUL -- Tens of cars lining up along a quiet beachside road in the southern port city of Pohang created a bizarre scene on a sunny spring day in mid-March. The drivers silently waited to reach a makeshift drive-thru tent run by fishermen selling pre-packaged slices of raw ridge-eyed flounder, a menu well known as South Korea's spring seasonal delicacy. The long line of cars resembled 2020-03-25
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  [Coronavirus] Research consortium starts vaccine testing on primates SEOUL -- In a bid to find an effective medicine for a new coronavirus earlier than other countries, a state-commissioned research consortium embarked on the first testing of a vaccine candidate on primates. If its safety is proven, clinical trials on humans are to begin in June. The global COVID-19 pandemic has opened a huge market for vaccines, diagnostic kits and medicines. South Korea has formed a consortium involving researchers and companies such as Genexine, GenN 2020-03-25
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  [Coronavirus] Moon receives Trump's request for diagnostic reagents SEOUL -- With his heart swollen with pride, President Moon Jae-in slipped away from diplomatic rules to reveal U.S. President Donald Trump's urgent request for diagnostic reagents and other quarantine items to stem a pandemic, as well as a flurry of similar requests for help from other countries grappling with shortages. "There are many official government-level requests for diagnostic reagents, along with private-level export con 2020-03-25
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  Sex chat room operator thanks for ending demonic nature of his two-faced life Cho Ju-bin, a sex chat room operator, appears before journalists at a police station in Seoul on March 25. SEOUL -- Wearing a neck protector and a medical bandage plastered on his head, a 24-year-old man expressed his gratitude for being able to stop the demonic nature of his two-faced life doing volunteer work at social welfare facilities and running a pay group chat room that showed photos and videos of violent sex acts involving underage 2020-03-25
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  [Coronavirus] S. Korea to conduct quick clinical experiment on two drugs SEOUL -- South Korea will conduct a quick clinical experiment to see if Chloroquine, a medication used to prevent and treat malaria, and Kaletra, a prescription medicine approved for the treatment of HIV infection, are effective in treating patients infected with a novel coronavirus. The two drugs have been selectively used with other antiviral drugs to treat critical patients. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Tuesday that it would in 2020-03-24
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  [Interview] International Vaccine Institute emphasizes development of 'universal' vaccine Jerome Kim, Director General of International Vaccine Institute, answers questions in an interview with Aju Business Daily on March 17 SEOUL -- Many bio companies and researchers around the world have jumped into the race to develop vaccines or effective treatments for COVID-19 that triggered a global pandemic, but an institute affiliated with the United Nations Development Programme is more concerned about the genetic variation that 2020-03-24
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  President Moon deplores online sex crime, demands severe punishment SEOUL -- Shocked by a pay group chat room showing photos and videos of violent sex acts involving underage victims, President Moon Jae-in ordered a thorough investigation for the punishment of operators and users together, condemning it as a "cruel" crime destroying human life. "As president, I offer my sincere condolences to the victims and sympathize with the people's legitimate anger," Moon said in remarks conveyed by his spokesman in respons 2020-03-23
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  S. Korea introduces 'walking-thru' clinics at airport to test travelers from abroad SEOUL -- Buoyed by the successful operation of drive-thru screening that gained global attention for a quick and safe diagnostic test, South Korea introduced a "walking-thru" system at airport checkpoints that can drastically reduce a heavy workload and time taken for the screening of travelers from abroad. The system will start appearing on March 25 at 40 points at Incheon International Airport, South Korea's gateway west of Seoul. It takes six or seven m 2020-03-23
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  Institut Pasteur Korea regards Ciclesonide as most plausible COVID-19 drug SEOUL -- Based on cell experiment, Institut Pasteur Korea, an infectious disease-focused research institute, regards ciclesonide, a glucocorticoid used to treat asthma and allergic rhinitis, as the most plausible drug for COVID-19, citing its safety and medicinal efficacy. Through a drug re-creation study which finds new drugs from existing medicines, the institute said it has confirmed the antiviral effects of ciclesonide. "We hope that the results of the stu 2020-03-23
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  [Coronavirus] Doctors trying hard to keep alive patient showing 'cytokine storm' SEOUL -- Old people who have underlying chronic health problems are highly vulnerable to a new coronavirus, but it also kills young and healthy people suffering from an excessive immune response that ravages healthy lung tissue, leading to acute respiratory distress and multi-organ failure. Untreated, it is usually fatal. At a hospital in the southeastern city of Daegu, doctors are struggling to cure a 26-year old patient who fell into a critical condition d 2020-03-20
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  [Coronavirus] Test kit makers propose rapid virus screening with antibodies SEOUL -- In vitro diagnostic apparatus companies in South Korea have challenged an obstinate attitude taken by medical professionals in sorting out those infected with a new coronavirus, insisting it's time to introduce rapid tests using antigen or antibodies together with a traditional method. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), a state health body involved in a national campaign to contain an epidemic, has adopted a real 2020-03-20
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  [Coronavirus] Airport quarantine officials complain of overwork SEOUL -- A top quarantine official at South Korea's main gateway, complained of a heavy workload, saying many travelers from abroad voluntarily report symptoms related to a new coronavirus after quarantine measures were tightened at airports. There have been calls for a complete entry ban on foreign travelers, but South Korea puts all travelers, foreign or domestic, into fever checks at airports. They should submit papers on health conditions and download a smartph 2020-03-19
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  [Coronavirus] Gyeonggi province issues tough quarantines guidelines for singing and gaming rooms SEOUL -- Gyeonggi, the densely populated province surrounding Seoul, gave a new administrative order to curb sporadic group infections through singing rooms, dance clubs and gaming cafes, asking operators to follow tightened anti-epidemic guidelines or face punitive measures following a similar order for disobedient churches. The order takes effect from March 18 through April 6. Violators can be punished with fines or the suspension of business. There 2020-03-18
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  [Coronavirus] Samsung goes ahead with shareholders meeting with anti-virus measures Samsung Electronics shareholders wearing masks attend a general meeting at a convention center in Suwon on March 18. SEOUL -- At a sanitized convention center backed by a medical team and ambulances, Samsung Electronics went ahead with a general meeting of stockholders with top executives speaking behind a transparent barrier on the podium to preclude the inflow of a new coronavirus that sparked a global pandemic. Hundreds of shareholders wearing masks were placed 2020-03-18
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  [Coronavirus] WHO participates in joint research with S. Korean experts SEOUL -- The World Health Organization will send two experts to a special conference this week in South Korea for the joint research of Cohort isolation, which is a way to contain viruses by putting patients and medical personnel under a group quarantine. A preparatory conference involving South Korean experts, government officials two WHO experts will be held on March 18 to see how the immune system of patients respond to COVID-19, according to the Korea Centers for 2020-03-17
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  [Coronavirus] S. Korea sends 51,000 coronavirus sampling kits to United Arab Emirates SEOUL -- SEOUL -- South Korea has sent 51,000 coronavirus sampling kits to the United Arab Emirates, the presidential Blue House said, correcting its earlier announcement. The presidential Blue House originally announced on Tuesday that 51,000 COVID-19 test kits were sent as emergency exports to the Middle East country. A total of 17 countries have made official requests for South Korean test kits A Blue House spokesperson explained that a coronavirus diagnosis kit 2020-03-17
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  [Coronavirus] S. Korea imposes tough quarantine measures for all travelers from abroad SEOUL -- From March 19, all travelers from abroad will go through tightened quarantine measures when they enter South Korea due to a steady increase in the number of foreign patients. Health officials ruled out a complete entry ban despite a coronavirus pandemic that has led to global travel restrictions. At airports, health officials will put all travelers, foreign or domestic, into fever checks. They should submit papers on health conditions and download a smartphone 2020-03-17
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  [Coronavirus] S. Korea reports higher rate of asymptomatic patients than other countries SEOUL -- Obviously, South Korea has a higher rate of asymptomatic infections than other countries mainly due to the intensive screening and early detection of patients. Health officials suggest that the trend in South Korea reveals the dynamic nature of a new coronavirus. There was no comparable figure to see how many showed no symptoms out of more than 8,200 people infected with COVID-19 since the first case was reported on January 26 in South Korea. The Korea Centers 2020-03-16
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  [Coronavirus] S. Korea imposes tough quarantine measures for all travelers from Europe SEOUL -- All travelers from Europe will go through tightened quarantine measures at airports when they enter South Korea as a global coronavirus pandemic spreads rapidly across many European countries. Health officials said that travelers from all European countries would go through fever checks, submit papers on health conditions and download a smartphone app for monitoring during their stay in South Korea. "The spread of COV 2020-03-16
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  [Coronavirus] ​Seoul hospital adopts 'glove wall system' to protect medical staff SEOUL -- In an effort to save time taken for the screening of the novel coronavirus (COVID), a Seoul hospital has adopted a "glove-wall" system that allows doctors to examine people from the other side of a protective wall using hand holes with special protective extensions. Boramae Medical Center operated by the Seoul National University is the first to adopt the glove wall system, which now spreads to other hospitals, community health 2020-03-16