SouthKorea

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  Incheon port city to operate free drive-in theater for moviegoers SEOUL -- In an effort to relieve social stress, the western port city of Incheon has arranged special treatment for moviegoers who cannot go to theaters because of social distancing that has discourages people from visiting multi-use facilities to avoid the infection of COVID-19. Incheon said in a statement on Wednesday that it would hold free weekend drive-in theater events from June 6 through October 30 to screen popular Holywood films such as "Schoo 2020-06-03
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  Health officials classify two suspected MIS-C cases as Kawasaki disease SEOUL -- South Korean health officials officially classified two children, who were treated for showing the suspected pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome, as Kawasaki cases, not related to COVID-19. Still, experts cannot give a clear explanation due to the lack of scientific data. Based on initial diagnosis by medical experts, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) concluded that the two children, including an 11-year-old boy and a four-ye 2020-06-03
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  S. Korea unveils roadmap for COVID-19 drugs and treatment SEOUL -- South Korea unveiled a roadmap for the treatment of COVID-19 to develop plasma treatment by the year's end as well as antibody treatment and vaccines next year through active clinical research with an injection of some 100 billion won ($82 million) in the second half of this year. The government aims to develop a vaccine in the second half of next year. Researchers are testing one vaccine for synthetic antigen using protein and two vaccines using DNA. & 2020-06-03
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  Strengthened anti-epidemic measures taken in metropolitan area SEOUL -- Alarmed by a quick spike in the number of coronavirus patients in a cluster infection at a logistics center run by Coupang, a major online shopping operator, South Korea announced a two-week period of strengthened anti-epidemic measures and social distancing in the densely populated metropolitan area to prevent a new wave of COVID-19. Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said that the government will strengthen quarantine control in all sectors of the Se 2020-05-28
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  Eco-friendly buoys recommended to replace styrofoam for aquaculture SEOUL -- As part of a campaign to reduce plastic pollution in the ocean, styrofoam buoys used widely for aquaculture in South Korea will be replaced with eco-friendly or biodegradable ones by 2025 as foamed polystyrene pollution raised significant concerns relating to environmental and human health. There is growing concern over plastic debris and their fragments as a carrier for hazardous substances in the marine ecosystem. Foamed polystyrene is often used in aqua 2020-05-28
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  Two children recovering well from multi-system inflammatory syndrome SEOUL -- Two children hospitalized for showing pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome for the first time in South Korea are recovering well from their disease, with an 11-year-old boy already discharged after treatment. A four-year-old girl is still under treatment, but health officials are optimistic about her recovery. Cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been reported in the U.S. and Europe. The inflammatory response shar 2020-05-27
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  ​Improved personal hygiene prompted by COVID-19 lowers number of common cold patients SEOUL -- A COVID-19 pandemic that prompted people to improve their personal hygiene habits such as wearing masks and sanitizing hands has eventually lowered the number of patients visiting clinics for the treatment of a common cold. According to UBCARE, a digital healthcare company, the number of common cold-related prescriptions issued by clinics and hospitals has decreased by 71 percent in April compared to the same period last year. The company used its medical 2020-05-26
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  Young man becomes first to get jail sentence for violating quarantine rules SEOUL -- A 27-year-old man was sentenced to four months in prison, becoming the first person to receive a jail term in South Korea for violating rules on obligatory quarantine imposed by health authorities to monitor health conditions after he contacted or stayed close to COVID-19 patients at a hospital. The man identified by his surname Kim was punished under a new infectious disease control law which was strengthened on April 5. 2020-05-26
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  QR code electronic registration adopted in S. Korea to trace dance club visitors SEOUL -- For a quick epidemiological investigation by South Korean health officials into the origin of COVID-19 infection, visitors to dance clubs and singing rooms that have a high risk of infection will have to register their identity using a QR code-based smartphone verification system. From June 1, the electronic visitor registration system will be compulsory for high-risk facilities such as dance clubs, Hunting Pocha, and singin 2020-05-25
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  Health officials urge young people to refrain from visiting dance clubs and bars SEOUL -- South Korea's top health official made an ardent appeal to young people, saying they should refrain from visiting dance clubs, bars and singing rooms as a COVID-19 outbreak that began in a shopping and entertainment district in Seoul continue to cause incessant community infections. The national epidemic control tower reported 20 new infections on May 21. The death toll remained unchanged at 264 and 716 patients are under treatment at designated hospitals. 2020-05-22
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  [FOCUS] President Moon's initiative to nurture telemedicine triggers backlash from doctors SEOUL -- A coronavirus pandemic rekindled debate over the introduction of telehealth in South Korea well known for its ultra-fast mobile telecom network that opened a connected society, on a new initiative by President Moon Jae-in to nurture "untact" medical services as a new growth engine in the post-COVID-19 era. Moon has praised the medical community for helping South Korea earn global recognition as a model country in quarantine, suggesting that South 2020-05-20
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  New app available for medical staff to receive correct information about COVID-19 SEOUL -- A smartphone app has been developed in a state project to provide accurate and verified information about a novel coronavirus to doctors and other medical personnel who have been deluged with lots of unfiltered or misguided data every day at the front line. Medical staff can download the so-called "Disaster Med Info" app from May 18 to receive up-to-date information about COVID-19 as well as the latest medical journals and educational data, said the 2020-05-18
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  Xi affirms determination to visit S. Korea this year during phone talks with Moon: Yonhap SEOUL -- Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that he remains firmly committed to a plan to visit South Korea within this year, speaking on the phone with President Moon Jae-in. Moon replied that Xi's trip here is "more important than any other thing" in Seoul-Beijing relations, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok. They agreed to continue consultations so that the visit can be made "at an appropriate time" as soon as coron 2020-05-14
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  Some 1,200 foreigners under pressure to get tested for COVID-19 Health officials disinfect a club in Itaewon in Seoul. SEOUL -- Some 1,200 foreigners are under pressure to get tested for COVID-19 because their mobile phones showed traces of staying in a dangerous place encompassing the epicenter of LGBTQ nightlife in an international tourist hotspot in Seoul. They are receiving English text messages repeatedly from South Korea's anti-epidemic center. Since the first patient related to LGBTQ clubs and bars in Itaewon was mad 2020-05-13
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  COVID-19 outbreak in LGBTQ community reveals blind spot of social distancing SEOUL -- Health officials saw a spike in coronavirus infections originating from a place frequented by sexual minorities as a forgone incident that probably exposed the blind spot of social distancing in South Korea's anti-epidemic fight lauded and benchmarked by other countries. After an initial epidemiological investigation into a fresh COVID-19 outbreak in the epicenter of LGBTQ nightlife in Itaewon, an international tourist 2020-05-12
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  ​Seoul issues binding order for rush hour subway passengers to wear masks SEOUL -- In an effort to prevent the second wave of a novel coronavirus pandemic, any rush-hour commuters who do not wear masks will be banned from boarding subway trains in Seoul. Emergency masks are available at subway station kiosks. The order would take effect on May 13. The Seoul city government urged citizens to avoid using public transport during busy commuting hours to lower the possibility of contamination, and those with underlying diseases to refrain from us 2020-05-11
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  [Coronavirus] Police trace thousands of gay bar visitors for virus inspection SEOUL -- South Korean police are tracing more than 3,000 people who went into hiding for fear of public humiliation after visiting gay clubs as the number of COVID-19 patients related to the epicenter of gay nightlife in Seoul rose to 86, sparking a feeling of strain and hurry among health officials. The police agency in Seoul said that it would deploy a quick response team to check the identity and whereabouts of thousands of people who have visited gay clubs in Itaew 2020-05-11
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  President Moon urges S. Korea to brace for second wave of COVID-19 epidemic President Moon Jae-in makes a speech during an event marking his third year of the inauguration on May 10. SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in urged South Korea to brace for the second wave of a coronavirus epidemic as a new outbreak originating from gay clubs spread, leaving more than 50 people infected and threatening to dampen efforts to surmount a national crisis by setting a global standard in the prevention of COVID-19. The fresh outbreak in the epicenter of gay nig 2020-05-10
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  President Moon presents S. Korea's post-pandemic goal to lead global industrial map Citizens watch President Moon Jae-in making a televised address at the lobby of a railway station in Seoul on May 10. SEOUL -- President Moon Jae-in presented a new national goal to establish his country as a leader in the process of reorganizing the post-pandemic global order, saying that South Korea has a golden opportunity to become a world factory of high-tech industries and change the global industrial map. As South Korea has become the safest and most transpa 2020-05-10
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  [Coronavirus] Gay club infections spark panic and anxiety in sexual minority community SEOUL -- South Korea's sexual minority community was gripped with a sense of panic and anxiety after a 29-year-old man infected with a new coronavirus made a free-wheeling overnight trip through gay bars and dance clubs in the epicenter of gay nightlife not far away from downtown Seoul, triggering a cluster of infections. On May 8, health officials reported 15 new COVID-19 cases, including three foreigners and an army staff sergeant, related to the man who had visi 2020-05-08