yna--2020-05-20--S. Korea grapples with uptick in virus cases amid cluster infections

Contact tracing is being conducted to determine whether the source of infections originated in the hospital .
A study is @ @ @ @ @ who came into contact with the infected nurses .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new virus cases rose by the most in nine days Wednesday amid looming mass infections at a major hospital in Seoul and a steady rise in nightclub-linked cases.
The country added 32 new coronavirus cases, raising the total caseload to 11,110, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Of them, 24 were local infections.
The daily new infections mark the largest since May 11, when the number hit 35.
Hospital officials and health workers of Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul line up at an outdoor testing center on May 19, 2020, to receive tests for the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
Concerns about yet another cluster of infections emerged, as four nurses working at Samsung Medical Center, one of the country's five major general hospitals, were infected with COVID-19.
Health authorities said more related cases are likely to spring up, as transmission routes are unknown.
Contact tracing is being conducted to determine whether the source of infections originated in the hospital. A study is under way into 623 people who came into contact with the infected nurses.
Cases tied to clubs in Seoul's nightlife district of Itaewon also continued to increase steadily. The total caseload linked to the Itaewon cluster reached 187 as of Tuesday.
Health authorities remain alert over further community spread as high school seniors began to return to schools.
South Korea switched to an "everyday life quarantine" scheme on May 6 to enable citizens to carry out social and economic activities under quarantine rules.
The education ministry went ahead with school reopening as scheduled amid a letup in Itaewon-linked infections.
The country, meanwhile, added eight imported cases and reported no additional deaths, with the total death toll staying at 263.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,066, up 128 from the previous day.
A teacher at a high school in Seoul explains quarantine measures to high school third graders on May 20, 2020, as South Korea reopened schools following a monthslong closure over the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--Six-term ruling party lawmaker on course to become parliamentary speaker

`` ( My ) objective for the 21st National Assembly is to reform the chamber so that it operates without @ @ @ @ @ the public , '' Park said after his tentative selection as the new parliamentary speaker @

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- A six-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party is on course to become the inaugural speaker for the National Assembly's new term, party officials said Wednesday.
Rep. Park Byeong-seug was one of the party's two powerful contenders for the position of National Assembly speaker.
The other contender, five-term lawmaker Kim Jin-pyo, announced his intention not to run in the party election for the seat, setting up Park as the only probable candidate in the ruling party race to pick the new National Assembly speaker.
"After a lot of thinking, I will not register my candidacy," Kim wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday, the last day for candidacy declaration.
South Korean parliament has customarily reserved the two-year chairmanship for the ruling party with the two vice speaker seats divided between the ruling and main opposition blocs.
By law, a National Assembly speaker is prohibited from belonging to a political party.
It is Park's third bid for the parliamentary chairmanship. He is the longest-serving lawmaker in the 21st National Assembly, set to kick off on May 30.
He served as a vice speaker at the chamber for two years starting in 2012.
"(My) objective for the 21st National Assembly is to reform the chamber so that it operates without confrontation and is trusted by the public," Park said after his tentative selection as the new parliamentary speaker.
After graduating from Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, Park worked as a journalist before entering politics as a spokesman for the then-ruling party in the initial phase of the Kim Dae-jung administration (1998-2003).
An image of ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Park Byeong-seug (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(URGENT) 128 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, bringing total cured patient

(URGENT) 128 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, bringing total cured patients to 10,066: KCDC

(URGENT) N. Korea says Travis King decided to come over to N. Korea because he harbored ill feeling within the U.S. Army: KCNA


yna--2020-05-20--(URGENT) S. Korea reports no additional virus death, death toll now at 263: KCDC


yna--2020-05-20--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 32 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 11,110: KCDC


yna--2020-05-20--Army chief shares coronavirus experience with foreign military leaders

`` South Korea , as a country that experienced the spread of COVID-19 before others , has accumulated much experience @ @ @ @ @ and education and training , '' Suh said .
`` The Army will actively share @ @ @ @ @ community , and continue cooperation against unconventional threats . ''

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Army Chief of Staff Gen. Suh Wook shared the military's experience responding to the new coronavirus with foreign commanders during a video conference Wednesday and pledged continued cooperation in fighting unconventional security threats, his office said.
On the first day of the two-day Indo-Pacific Landpower Conference, which kicked off earlier in the day, the general discussed South Korea's experience conducting a massive training exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Army.
"Based on the awareness that maintaining a combat readiness posture through education and training is the basic mission of the military, we safely and successfully completed a regiment-level training at the Korea Combat Training Center in April, and are also gradually holding other field tactical trainings," Suh said.
Last month, the Army launched a two-week field training involving some 4,500 service members with strict quarantine measures in place.
As of early Tuesday, the military had 51 coronavirus cases reported in barracks.
"South Korea, as a country that experienced the spread of COVID-19 before others, has accumulated much experience and information regarding quarantine strategies and education and training," Suh said. "The Army will actively share this information with the international community, and continue cooperation against unconventional threats."
Hosted by the U.S. Army Pacific, Army chief-of-staff level officers from 26 countries took part in the videoconference.
In this file photo, taken on Feb. 26, 2020, troops belonging to the Army's 50th division check the driver of an ambulance for fever near its base in northern Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--Unification ministry launches 'fake news response' section on official website

One is about a YouTuber claiming that facial masks are in abundance in North Korea , while they are running @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic .
The other is about another YouTuber claiming that a factory is @ @ @ @ @ every day to provide them to North Korea .

By Koh Byung-joon
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry has launched a new section on its website featuring "fake news" as part of efforts to prevent the spread of groundless rumors about North Korea and inter-Korean affairs.
It is the first time that a government agency has launched such a fake news section on its homepage. The move came amid growing worries that the spread of unsubstantiated rumors and speculation about the secretive North could cause confusion and instability in society and financial markets.
Fake News Response, which has been in service since early this month, is designed to provide correct information on fabricated news and the ministry's countermeasures, officials said.
"We launched the new section in a bid to archive fake news," a ministry official told Yonhap News Agency. "We want people to visit the section, and figure out what is fabricated and what is not."
Two items have been uploaded there providing information on YouTube content that turned out to be fabricated.
One is about a YouTuber claiming that facial masks are in abundance in North Korea, while they are running out in the South amid the coronavirus pandemic. The other is about another YouTuber claiming that a factory is churning out 1 million masks every day to provide them to North Korea.
The ministry explained that both of them were ordered to be taken down from online after the Korea Communications Commission, a broadcasting watchdog, determined them as fake news.
Calls are growing louder for tough measures to stem the spread of unsubstantiated news or groundless rumors about North Korea. Such concerns have deepened recently after speculation about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health and even the possibility of his death turned out to be wrong as he emerged earlier this month after a 20-day absence from public view.
A cascade of rumors sparked by a CNN report on Kim's ill health had wobbled local financial markets amid jitters about a possible power vacuum and instability in the nuclear armed country.
The latest fuss demonstrated how easy unsubstantiated information about the North and its leaders could lead to wild speculation and bring about chaos in the region highly sensitive to what is going on in the secretive North.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) attends a ceremony to mark the completion of a phosphatic fertilizer factory in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang, on May 1, 2020, in this photo released the next day by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. Kim made his first public appearance after a 20-day absence that sparked rumors about his health. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--Korean drug firms in early stage of coronavirus vaccine development

South Korea has been ramping up its support for the development of drugs and vaccines for the novel coronavirus that @ @ @ @ @ people and claimed 263 lives here .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean pharmaceutical firms are in the beginning stages of coronavirus vaccine development, lagging behind U.S. rivals, industry sources said Wednesday.
No domestic companies have received the green light for clinical trials for vaccine candidates from the drug safety authorities, though U.S. biotech firm Moderna announced Monday all participants in its coronavirus vaccine test generated antibodies.
Spearheading the local effort is a six-firm consortium led by biopharmaceutical maker Genexine Inc. and SK Life Science Inc., a unit of South Korea's No. 3 conglomerate SK Group.
The Genexine consortium has successfully carried out an experiment of its vaccine candidate on monkeys, with consortium member Binex completing the production of a sample.
The consortium is scheduled to submit a clinical test plan to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety within this month in the hope of starting trials in June.
SK Life Science is currently conducting a safety test on its COVID-19 vaccine candidate and is aiming to start a clinical trial in September.
"Following an internal assessment, the safety test is being carried out on animals," a company official said. "The start of clinical tests could be moved up."
According to the sources, several other pharmaceutical firms are trying to develop coronavirus vaccine drugs, but details about their efforts have yet to be unveiled.
South Korea has been ramping up its support for the development of drugs and vaccines for the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 11,000 people and claimed 263 lives here.
Two weeks ago, the government said the country was conducting clinical tests for seven existing drugs to see if any of them can effectively treat the new coronavirus.
Clinical tests for three possible vaccines may be launched before the year's end, it said, adding a vaccine may be developed before the end of next year following successful tests.
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--S. Korean stocks open higher, bucking Wall Street losses

Investor sentiment soured , however , after experts suggested the test results provided by U.S. bio firm Moderna may have @ @ @ @ @ effectiveness of the candidate vaccine .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Wednesday despite heavy overnight losses on Wall Street sparked by renewed fears over the coronavirus pandemic.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 3.09 points, or 0.16 percent, to 1,983.70 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 390.51 points, or 1.59 percent, to close at 24,206.86 Tuesday (U.S. time).
The sharp decline came one day after global stock markets rallied on reports of positive results from an initial test of a candidate COVID-19 vaccine.
Investor sentiment soured, however, after experts suggested the test results provided by U.S. bio firm Moderna may have been insufficient to prove the effectiveness of the candidate vaccine.
Large caps were mixed, with market kingpin Samsung Electronics shedding 0.40 percent.
Top portal operator NAVER spiked 1.87 percent, while leading pharmaceutical firm Celltrion added 0.94 percent.
Leading automaker Hyundai Motor lost 1.21 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors plunged 1.74 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,224.80 won against the U.S. dollar, up 0.50 won from the previous session's close.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--Schools reopen for high school seniors amid lingering virus fears

`` I understand that this is not an easy path we are on , but we have to go through @ @ @ @ @ it is uncertain when the COVID-19 pandemic might end , '' the minister said .
@ @ @ @ @ education offices will try our best and respond swiftly to whatever comes along . ''
@ @ @

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Schools finally reopened Wednesday after a monthslong closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, putting to the test the government ability to control outbreaks at schools.
In a phased reopening plan, high school seniors became the first group to attend in-person classes, while the rest, including preschoolers, will follow until June 8.
Also small schools nationwide with fewer than 60 students reopened. In the sparsely populated Gangwon Province, there are 170 such schools, including 46 elementary schools.
In the runup to the opening Wednesday, education and health officials have been busy preparing for the reopening in the safest possible manner amid an active outbreak.
The education ministry has put in place quarantine and isolation protocols and provided schools with a response manual with seven checkpoints, in a bid to reduce any confusion for teachers and students.
Students enter school in Seoul on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
The rules read out by Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae during a Tuesday briefing are to check the physical condition of students every day, stay home from school when feeling sick, wipe desks every morning, open windows for ventilation, wear masks except for at lunch time, wash hands for 30 seconds and inform school nurses immediately when feeling sick.
Despite sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19, the government has been showing confidence in managing the reopening, especially after 57 teachers and school officials who visited nightclubs in the popular nightlight district Itaewon, a recent hotbed of coronavirus infection, tested negative.
For high school seniors, in-person classes are important in the runup to the national university entrance exam slated for November. In the case of households where the parents are both working, school reopening is also a pressing matter.
"I understand that this is not an easy path we are on, but we have to go through this one time, as it is uncertain when the COVID-19 pandemic might end," the minister said. "The ministry and relevant education offices will try our best and respond swiftly to whatever comes along."
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(LEAD) S. Korea to step up efforts for post-pandemic economic recovery

Last week , the government said it aims to create 1.56 million jobs in the public sector , as the @ @ @ @ @ its sharpest job losses in 21 years over the pandemic .

(ATTN: ADDS remarks, details in paras 10-11)
SEJONG, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will step up efforts for an economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic as the nation is returning to normal activities, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Wednesday.
Hong made the remarks at a meeting with economy-related ministers as schools reopened for high school seniors, about 80 days later than the original semester start day of March 2.
Unlike other nations, South Korea has not enforced lockdown measures to combat the virus. Instead, the nation implemented strict social distancing guidelines, along with mass testing.
Hong said the government will boost measures to help the nation's economy recover more swiftly from the pandemic than other nations.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki speaks at a meeting with economy-related ministers on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
Last week, the government said it aims to create 1.56 million jobs in the public sector, as the nation's economy has suffered its sharpest job losses in 21 years over the pandemic.
About 1 million jobs in the public sector have not been opened due to social distancing rules, but the government will soon open such jobs by easing some rules.
The government will also encourage public firms to create some 550,000 jobs for young people.
A third extra budget will be announced early next month to minimize the economic fallout from the pandemic.
Hong said the third extra budget will include 3.5 trillion won (US$2.8 billion) to create some 550,000 jobs in public firms.
To help stabilize corporate bond markets, the government and the Bank of Korea will set up a special purpose vehicle to buy commercial papers from companies with low credit ratings, Hong said.
The 10 trillion won vehicle will run for six months and it could be expanded to 20 trillion won, depending on market situations, Hong said.
South Korea has promised relief packages worth some 240 trillion won to ease the economic fallout from the virus.
The nation's economy shrank 1.4 percent on-quarter in the first quarter of the year, marking the sharpest quarterly contraction since the last three months of 2008.
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)


KOSPI 1,972.12 DN 8.49 points (open)


Wednesday's weather forecast

SEOUL , May 20 ( Yonhap ) -- The following is the weather forecast for South Korea 's 12 major @ @ @ @ @ .


KOSDAQ 697.15 UP 0.79 points (open)


yna--2020-05-20--Football league to discuss discipline for club over sex dolls in stands

During the match , fans took to social media to raise suspicions that those mannequins , some dressed in FC @ @ @ @ @ masks , were n't what they first seemed to be .
Those dolls held up @ @ @ @ @ Seoul , but one banner showed the names of an adult toy manufacturer and of @ @ @ @ @ dolls .

By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean football league will open disciplinary proceedings against a top-division club for putting sex dolls in the stands for a recent match.
The Korea Professional Football League (K League) said late Tuesday it will soon convene a disciplinary meeting over FC Seoul's use of lifesize dolls in place of spectators for Sunday's match against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Mannequins hold up signs rooting for FC Seoul in a K League 1 match against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium on May 17, 2020. (Yonhap)
K League matches are being played without fans due to coronavirus concerns. In an ill-advised attempt to create a match-like atmosphere, FC Seoul brought in over a dozen mannequins that turned out to be sex dolls.
During the match, fans took to social media to raise suspicions that those mannequins, some dressed in FC Seoul kits and all wearing masks, weren't what they first seemed to be. Those dolls held up signs in support of FC Seoul, but one banner showed the names of an adult toy manufacturer and of models who'd inspired those dolls.
Mannequins hold up signs rooting for FC Seoul in a K League 1 match against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium on May 17, 2020. (Yonhap)
The controversy overshadowed FC Seoul's 1-0 victory, and the club later apologized for the mishap.
FC Seoul claimed they didn't know they were getting sex dolls, made by a company whose CEO was a FC Seoul fan. The club is contemplating legal action against the company.
The K League's disciplinary committee will review if the presence of these inappropriate mannequins violated the league rules on placing prohibited advertisements or promotional materials, or if these dolls damaged the league's image and integrity.
In such cases, clubs could face a deduction of at least five points or a fine of 5 million won (US$4,080) or more.
Mannequins hold up signs rooting for FC Seoul in a K League 1 match against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium on May 17, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--Dollar opens at 1,226.0 won UP from 1,225.3 won


yna--2020-05-20--SK Biopharmaceuticals applies for listing

NH Investment & Securities Co. and Citigroup Global Markets Korea Securities Co. have been picked to manage the share sale @ @ @ @ @ to subscribe to the share sale on Saturday and Sunday .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean drug firm SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. has filed a formal application for its share listing scheduled for May, industry sources said Wednesday.
The biopharmaceutical unit of South Korean conglomerate SK Group on Tuesday submitted a so-called registration statement to the country's financial authorities in the runup to the initial public offering.
SK Biopharmaceuticals is seeking to raise up to 960 billion won (US$783 million) by selling 19.58 million shares to investors.
NH Investment & Securities Co. and Citigroup Global Markets Korea Securities Co. have been picked to manage the share sale. Investors will be allowed to subscribe to the share sale on Saturday and Sunday.
The logo of SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. (Yonhap)
SK Holdings Co., the holding company of the energy and telecom conglomerate, wholly owns SK Biopharmaceuticals, which was spun off from SK Life Science Inc. in 2001.
In November, SK Biopharmaceuticals' anti-epileptic drug XCOPRI won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults.
SK Biopharmaceuticals is the first South Korean drug company to win sales approval from the FDA without exporting a new drug technology. Industry sources estimate its corporate value at a maximum 5 trillion won.
SK Biopharmaceuticals is widely projected to be the biggest IPO since the 2017 share listing by Netmarble Corp., South Korea's top mobile gaming company.
Market watchers forecast SK Biopharmaceuticals' planned listing to give a fillip to South Korea's anemic IPO market, as well as the country's sluggish biopharmaceutical market, which has been hit by a series of scandals.
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--S. Korea to step up efforts for post-pandemic economic recovery

SEJONG, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will step up efforts for an economic recovery after the coronavirus pandemic as the nation is returning to normal activities, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Wednesday.
Hong made the remarks at a meeting with economy-related ministers as schools reopened for high school seniors, about 80 days later than the original semester start day of March 2.
Unlike other nations, South Korea has not enforced lockdown measures to combat the virus. Instead, the nation implemented strict social distancing guidelines, along with mass testing.
Hong said the government will boost measures to help the nation's economy recover more swiftly from the pandemic than other nations.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki speaks at a meeting with economy-related ministers on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
Last week, the government said it aims to create 1.56 million jobs in the public sector, as the nation's economy has suffered its sharpest job losses in 21 years over the pandemic.
About 1 million jobs in the public sector have not been opened due to social distancing rules, but the government will soon open such jobs by easing some rules.
The government will also encourage public firms to create some 550,000 jobs for young people.
A third extra budget will be announced early next month to minimize the economic fallout from the pandemic.
Hong said the third extra budget will include 3.5 trillion won (US$2.8 billion) to create some 550,000 jobs in public firms.
South Korea has promised relief packages worth some 240 trillion won to ease the economic fallout from the virus.
The nation's economy shrank 1.4 percent on-quarter in the first quarter of the year, marking the sharpest quarterly contraction since the last three months of 2008.
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(EDITORIAL from Korea Herald on May 20)

(EDITORIAL from Korea Herald on May 20)

Besides its prowess in information and communications technology , a wide pool of competent doctors and an effective nationwide medical @ @ @ @ @ good position to implement telemedicine , which has been adopted so far by more than @ @ @ @ @ states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development .

Outmoded regulation
Telemedicine services need to be consolidated beyond the ongoing pandemic crisis
South Korea, one of the world's most wired nations, has not yet introduced telemedicine services.
Germany, Japan and China allowed doctors to take care of their patients via telephone and internet in 2005, 2015 and 2016, respectively. The US never prohibited such services from the outset.
Besides its prowess in information and communications technology, a wide pool of competent doctors and an effective nationwide medical system put Korea in a good position to implement telemedicine, which has been adopted so far by more than two-thirds of the 36 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Many doctors and civic groups have opposed the introduction of the services.
The measure may lead to misdiagnoses and personal data theft, doctors say.
Behind their opposition are also fears that telemedicine could hurt smaller clinics, as it would enable patients to get medical treatment more easily from large hospitals.
Civic groups have claimed permitting the services would open the way to for-profit hospitals, undermining the nation's medical system.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which has proved the effectiveness of local quarantine and medical systems, has also highlighted the need to introduce telemedicine services.
Since late February, the government has allowed doctors to offer medical services to patients via telephone on a temporary and limited basis.
Between Feb. 24 and May 10, about 260,000 telemedicine bills were issued by 3,853 hospitals, according to government data.
During the pandemic crisis, telemedicine has played a useful role in protecting medical staff from being exposed to the killer virus, while helping patients receive medical treatment.
Though many smaller clinics as well as large hospitals have offered the services, few cases of misdiagnosis or other problems have been reported.
Buoyed by the remarkable results, government officials seem to be leaning toward permitting telemedicine services on a permanent basis. They judge that the measure is needed to make the country better prepared for a possible second wave of coronavirus infections in the next winter and beyond.
Kim Yeon-myoung, senior presidential secretary for social affairs, said last week that the government would positively consider introducing the telemedicine system, based on an analysis of the effectiveness and safety of the services implemented over the past few months.
A day after his remarks, Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom emphasized the need to "actively review" deregulation to introduce nationwide telemedicine services.
The government is still expected to face an uphill battle in overcoming objections from doctors.
The Korean Medical Association, which represents some 130,000 physicians practicing across the country, has warned of "extreme" resistance against the move to allow telemedicine services.
Lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who hold the key to amending a related law to legalize the services, appear split on the matter.
Last year, the ruling party drafted a bill that called for providing telemedicine services to people on remote islands, prison inmates, deep-sea fishermen and soldiers deployed to hard-to-reach areas. But it has postponed submitting the bill to the parliament in the face of objections from civic organizations and a majority of practicing physicians.
A senior ruling party lawmaker said last week that the party would push for the revision of the medical law to expand the scope of eligible recipients during the next National Assembly, which begins its four-year term in late May.
But another ranking party legislator said the ruling party had no concrete plans to introduce telemedicine services, and had not discussed the matter with the administration recently.
Now, it should be recognized that expanding untact -- non-face-to-face contact -- services such as telemedicine is unavoidable in the new normal after the coronavirus crisis.
Ruling party lawmakers should move forward to lift regulations that lag behind fundamental changes across society.
Objections from doctors and civic organizations appear even more groundless and obstinate now, as many ordinary people have experienced the convenience and effectiveness of telemedicine services.
Consideration can be given to providing the services to patients with chronic diseases, elderly people and physically challenged persons before deciding whether to further expand the system.
If necessary, President Moon Jae-in needs to come forward to persuade opponents to accept a measured implementation of telemedicine services.
In his Teachers' Day message last week, he said his administration would enable all schools around the country to offer online learning, noting that an infection crisis could occur again after the ongoing pandemic is brought under control.
He should be as active toward offering more convenient and effective medical services.
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(2nd LD) Football club fined for putting sex dolls in stands

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout with punishment)
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean football club FC Seoul were slapped with a fine on Wednesday for putting sex dolls in the stands for a recent match.
The Korea Professional Football League (K League) on Wednesday ordered FC Seoul to pay a fine of 100 million won (US$81,410) for their use of lifesize dolls in place of spectators for Sunday's match against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
The league explained that FC Seoul "caused grave damage to the image and integrity of the K League" and also offended female fans of the league.
Mannequins hold up signs rooting for FC Seoul in a K League 1 match against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium on May 17, 2020. (Yonhap)
It's the largest fine that the league has levied on a club.
FC Seoul have seven days in which to protest the ruling. If they decide to appeal it, the K League will have to review its decision within 15 days.
Moments after the league announced its ruling, FC Seoul said they will "humbly accept" the penalty.
K League matches are being played without fans due to coronavirus concerns. In an ill-advised attempt to create a match-like atmosphere, FC Seoul brought in over a dozen mannequins that turned out to be sex dolls.
During the match, fans took to social media to raise suspicions that those mannequins, some dressed in FC Seoul kits and all wearing masks, weren't what they first seemed to be. Those dolls held up signs in support of FC Seoul, but one banner showed the names of an adult toy manufacturer and of models who'd inspired those dolls.
Mannequins hold up signs rooting for FC Seoul in a K League 1 match against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium on May 17, 2020. (Yonhap)
The controversy overshadowed FC Seoul's 1-0 victory, and the club later apologized for the mishap.
FC Seoul claimed to have been unaware that they were getting sex dolls, made by a company whose CEO was a FC Seoul fan. FC Seoul said Wednesday they have asked police to investigate the company for possible fraud, and pledged to fully cooperate with the probe.
FC Seoul have also disciplined their employees who were responsible for putting the dolls in seats.
The K League's disciplinary committee said FC Seoul should have been able to determine they were getting sex dolls, and because those mannequins were installed around noon for a 7 p.m. match, they still had enough time to remove them.
According to the league, the sex doll manufacturer first contacted the league office to gauge interest in its products. One league official sent the company FC Seoul's way, and that official has also been penalized by the league.
Mannequins hold up signs rooting for FC Seoul in a K League 1 match against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium on May 17, 2020. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--FM Kang discusses biz support with mission chiefs in Middle East amid virus outbreak

In the videoconference with the ambassadors to Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates , Qatar , Kuwait , Oman @ @ @ @ @ top diplomat called for stepped-up efforts to provide the best assistance possible to South Korean @ @ @ @ @ region so as to ensure their safety and help them continue to do business there @ @ @ @ @ a release .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a videoconference with the chiefs of South Korean missions in six Middle Eastern nations on Wednesday to discuss ways to boost support for Korean businesses and cooperation with host countries amid the coronavirus pandemic, her office said.
In the videoconference with the ambassadors to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, Seoul's top diplomat called for stepped-up efforts to provide the best assistance possible to South Korean businesspeople and citizens in the region so as to ensure their safety and help them continue to do business there, the ministry said in a release.
Many South Korean firms engaged in business in the Middle East, particularly in the construction sector, are experiencing difficulties as those countries have enforced lockdowns and banned the entry of foreigners over the COVID-19 outbreak.
In the video talks, Kang also asked the mission chiefs to explore ways to enhance cooperation with the six countries -- the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) -- considering the downtrend of oil prices and various reforms being undertaken by them to diversify growth engines besides oil production.
This photo, provided by Seoul's foreign ministry on May 20, 2020, shows Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (R) speaking to chiefs of South Korean missions in the Middle East during a videoconference on anti-virus efforts and other issues. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--S. Korea, U.K. vice defense chiefs vow cooperation against coronavirus

The two sides agreed on the need for global cooperation and solidarity and to maintain close cooperation as `` non-traditional @ @ @ @ @ not be solved by the efforts of one country . ''

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min held phone talks with his British counterpart Wednesday and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in dealing with the coronavirus, the defense ministry said.
During the conversation with Annabel Goldie, a life peer and minister of state at the British defense ministry, Park shared South Korea's experience in stemming the spread of COVID-19 in its initial stages and explained the military's active contribution to containing the virus.
"Minister of State Goldie said South Korea's success in dealing with COVID-19 provides a role model highly valued by countries around the world including the U.K.," the ministry said.
The two sides agreed on the need for global cooperation and solidarity and to maintain close cooperation as "non-traditional threats such as COVID-19 cannot be solved by the efforts of one country."
Baroness Goldie also expressed her gratitude to the South Korean government for sending masks to British veterans who served in the 1950-53 Korean War.
julesyi@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--Parliament wraps up 20th term, passing bill to reopen probes on controversial cases

The passage of the bill on `` settling past affairs for truth and reconciliation '' will allow the government to @ @ @ @ @ , the Truth and Reconciliation Commission , to reopen controversial criminal cases from the time @ @ @ @ @ colonial rule ( 1910-45 ) up until the country 's authoritarian regimes as late as @ @ @

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Wrapping up the final full floor meeting of its 20th term Wednesday, the National Assembly approved 141 bills and resolutions, including one on reopening controversial criminal cases from South Korea's tumultuous past.
The passage of the bill on "settling past affairs for truth and reconciliation" will allow the government to reinstate a former investigation mission, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to reopen controversial criminal cases from the time South Korea was under Japanese colonial rule (1910-45) up until the country's authoritarian regimes as late as the 1980s.
Initially launched in 2006, the independent commission was dissolved in 2010, revisiting unsettled criminal or human right abuse cases.
The new bill allowed a reinvestigation into a number of highly contentious cases, including a major human rights violation case in the 1980s involving a homeless shelter in Busan where many disabled people, orphans and other citizens were inflicted with illegal confinement, forced labor, beatings and sometimes secret burials.
Contentious cases that could be subject to reinvestigation under the new law also include a government-led massacre of innocent civilians during the 1950-53 Korean War.
Other bills approved during the main parliamentary session Wednesday also include those on the fight against COVID-19 and the prevention of online sexual violence and exploitation.
They mark the final bills approved by the 20th National Assembly whose four-year term practically ended with its last plenary session Wednesday.
Through its four-year period, the chamber saw a total of 24,081 bills proposed. But only 8,819 of them, or 36.6 percent, were passed into law.
The passed bills notably include the impeachment motion on former President Park Geun-hye in 2016, whose final ouster and the following election of President Moon Jae-in the next year turned the then main opposition Democratic Party into the majority ruling party at the chamber.
The National Assembly (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(LEAD) In letters, S. Korean, Myanmar leaders agree to deepen bilateral ties

She also expressed confidence that South Korea and Myanmar can overcome the coronavirus crisis together through close cooperation bilaterally as @ @ @ @ @ Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) partners in the region .

(ATTN: ADDS details on letter exchanges between the countries' ministers in last 3 paras)
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The leaders of South Korea and Myanmar have agreed to continue close cooperation between their countries marking the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.
President Moon Jae-in exchanged congratulatory letters with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.
They noted that the two countries have developed close cooperative ties in various fields, including economy, society and culture, since May 16, 1975 when they began formal diplomatic ties, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
Their relationship has become closer than at any other time through two rounds of bilateral summit talks last year, the leaders added.
They agreed to further deepen bilateral relations on the basis of mutual trust and friendship.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha also exchanged letters with Myanmar's Union Minister for International Cooperation Kyaw Tin to commemorate the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, her office said.
In the letter, Kang said the two countries should continue to support and cooperate as strong partners for each other based on trust and friendship.
She also expressed confidence that South Korea and Myanmar can overcome the coronavirus crisis together through close cooperation bilaterally as well as multilaterally with other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) partners in the region.
This file photo shows South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) talking with Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's state counsellor, in Naypyitaw on Sept. 3, 2019. (Yonhap)
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--State pension fund targets 5.2 pct investment return rate for 2021-2025 period

`` The goal is to secure stability while at the same time maximizing profits through diversification of the fund 's @ @ @ @ @ committee , which approves all investment plans for the pension service , said .
It @ @ @ @ @ in line with the current strategy of gradually expanding holdings in risky and overseas assets @ @ @ @ @ .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's state pension fund said Wednesday that it will strive for a 5.2 percent return rate on its investments in the 2021-2025 period by increasing overseas stock and bond holdings.
The target set by the National Pension Service's (NPS) Fund Management Committee calls for the proportion of overseas holdings to reach around 55 percent of the total, with stocks making up 35 percent and bonds and alternatives that cover real estate, energy and infrastructure accounting for 10 percent each.
"The goal is to secure stability while at the same time maximizing profits through diversification of the fund's portfolio," the management committee, which approves all investment plans for the pension service, said. It added that the decision is in line with the current strategy of gradually expanding holdings in risky and overseas assets that can generate more profits.
More profits can be used to guarantee stable income for the elderly after retirement and provide coverage for disabilities.
The NPS, one of the three largest pension fund operators in the world with assets reaching 737.4 trillion won (US$599 billion) as of February of this year, registered a preliminary return rate of minus 0.45 percent at the end of that month, with the poor showing blamed on slumping domestic and overseas stock markets. This represents a sharp turnaround from a record yield of 11.3 percent last year.
In addition to increasing its overseas presence, the NPS will raise the proportion of holdings in stocks and alternatives to 65 percent of the total in the five-year period.
This is up from 52.6 percent being targeted for the end of 2020.
It said that by the end of 2025 the goal is to have around 50 percent of its investments in foreign and local stocks, with alternatives accounting for 15 percent and bonds standing at 35 percent.
These numbers represent an increase from the 39.6 percent holdings in shares and 13 percent holdings in alternatives being targeted in 2020, although the share of bonds, which are safer holdings with smaller yields, is down from the 47.4 percent set for this year.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--Telecom operators to woo subscribers with more widened pay plans

Previously , the country 's leading mobile carrier , currently SK Telecom Co. , had to get the government 's @ @ @ @ @ service pay plans .
But now , it only needs to report to the state @ @ @ @ @ introduce new mobile tariff plans .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's telecom operators will be able to woo subscribers with widened pay plans as they are allowed to freely set their own pay plans following revisions to related laws, although some consumers worry that the move will bring higher mobile services rates.
The National Assembly approved the revision to the country's telecommunications business act and scrapped a rule on mobile tariffs authorization that has been in force since 1991.
Previously, the country's leading mobile carrier, currently SK Telecom Co., had to get the government's approval before releasing new mobile service pay plans. But now, it only needs to report to the state regulator when it plans to introduce new mobile tariff plans.
This composite photo from Yonhap News TV shows corporate logos of South Korea's three mobile carriers. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The regulation garnered different responses from the industry, with mobile carriers claiming that it limited free competition, while consumers insisted that it served as a safeguard against rate hikes from the nation's top mobile carrier.
Consumer advocate groups said the latest revision will make users spend more on their mobile phone contract considering what the nation's three major mobile carriers -- SK Telecom, KT Corp. and LG Uplus Corp. -- have been doing with their mobile service plans.
"Still today, the three mobile carriers copy tariff plans from each other, which I think is de facto collusion," said Ahn Jin-geol, who represents People's Livelihood Economy Research Institute. "It sounds like a dream to say that scrapping the authorization rule will boost competition and alleviate mobile tariff cost burdens on households."
However, the government said there will be no unreasonable rate hike from mobile carriers since the revised law includes a clause that allows the state regulator to put the telecommunications service provider's new rate plan on hold if it violates fair business practices and discriminates against users.
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--S. Korea's top military commander, EU military chief vow cooperation against coronavirus

During the conversation with Gen. Claudio Graziano , chairman of the EU Military Committee , Park shared South Korea 's @ @ @ @ @ with the COVID-19 virus , as well as the military 's role in stemming the @ @ @ @ @ the JCS said in a release .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chairman Gen. Park Han-ki held phone talks with the European Union's military committee chief Wednesday and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in dealing with the coronavirus and other security issues, Park's office said.
During the conversation with Gen. Claudio Graziano, chairman of the EU Military Committee, Park shared South Korea's experience and know-how in dealing with the COVID-19 virus, as well as the military's role in stemming the spread of the virus, the JCS said in a release.
"The EU military chief expressed gratitude for the sharing of related information. The two sides agreed to beef up security cooperation in diverse security issues down the road, including non-traditional threats, such as COVID-19," according to the JCS.
Park is also scheduled to have a phone conversation with his British counterpart, Nick Carter, next week to share their experience related to the virus and discuss ways to boost their military cooperation, the JCS noted.
South Korea has managed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, though it has seen cluster infections over the past two weeks.
This file photo, provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), shows its commander Gen. Park Han-ki having phone talks with his U.S. counterpart, Gen. Mark Milley, on Jan. 22, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--Prosecutors demand 35-year prison sentence for former President Park in her retrial

Her retrial came after the Supreme Court last August ordered a review of her corruption case in which Park was @ @ @ @ @ prison by an appeals court .
The top court said some of the bribery charges @ @ @ @ @ , which may lead to heavier punishment .
Last November , the Supreme Court also @ @ @ @ @ for acceptance of off-the-books funds from the NIS , saying her acquittals by lower courts @ @ @ @ @ loss charges should be reversed .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors on Wednesday demanded an imprisonment of 35 years for former President Park Geun-hye in an appellate court's retrial for her bribery, abuse of power and embezzlement charges.
In a hearing at the Seoul High Court, prosecutors demanded Park be punished with a 25-year prison sentence, a fine of 30 billion won (US$24.36 million) and a forfeit of 200 million won on bribery charges.
In addition, they demanded an imprisonment of 10 years and a forfeit of 3.3 billion won for the former president on abuse of power and other criminal charges.
Following her ouster from the presidency in 2017, Park was convicted on charges of conspiring with her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil, to force big conglomerates, including Samsung, to donate 77.4 billion won to two foundations under Choi's control.
Park was additionally indicted in January 2018 on charges of accepting 3.5 billion won from three chiefs of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) from May 2013 to September 2016 in collusion with her secretaries.
This undated file photo shows former President Park Geun-hye. (Yonhap)
Her retrial came after the Supreme Court last August ordered a review of her corruption case in which Park was sentenced to 25 years in prison by an appeals court. The top court said some of the bribery charges should be dealt with separately, which may lead to heavier punishment. Last November, the Supreme Court also ordered a retrial of Park for acceptance of off-the-books funds from the NIS, saying her acquittals by lower courts on bribery and state fund loss charges should be reversed.
While demanding the hefty prison sentence, the prosecution criticized Park for abusing public power given by the people.
"The accused forced major domestic conglomerates to donate money to culture and sports projects at the request of Choi Seo-won (the current legal name of Choi Soon-sil). She also used the power given by the people for Choi's personal profits by forcing Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong to pay several billions of won in bribes," the prosecution said.
On the NIS fund scandal, the prosecution pointed out that few people would think of such an act as fair and just and that public trust in the integrity of the president and NIS chiefs has been damaged.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled to be held on the afternoon of July 10.
Park was not present at Wednesday's appellate court hearing, as she has been boycotting all her trials.
Park is now serving a total of 32 years in prison for bribery, abuse of power, election law violations and other charges. She drew a 25-year jail term and a fine of 20 billion won on charges of abuse of power and corruption and a five-year prison term and forfeit of 2.7 billion won in her NIS fund case.
Separately, the Seoul High Court sentenced Park to a two-year prison term in 2018 on charges of illegally interfering in the then-ruling party's candidate nominations ahead of the general elections in April 2016. The jail term was confirmed after both Park and prosecutors didn't appeal to the Supreme Court.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(Yonhap Feature) Delight and worry as South Korean schools reopen

SEOUL , May 20 ( Yonhap ) -- As a dozen teachers lined up at the gate of Seoul Technical @ @ @ @ @ on Wednesday morning , the masks covering half their faces could not hide their delight @ @ @ @ @ after a long closure imposed due to the new coronavirus .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- As a dozen teachers lined up at the gate of Seoul Technical High School in eastern Seoul on Wednesday morning, the masks covering half their faces could not hide their delight as they welcomed students back after a long closure imposed due to the new coronavirus.
"Hi, kids. Happy to have you back," a teacher said while greeting pupils as they streamed into the school a few meters apart from each other.
"Long time no see, sir. It's hard to recognize you because of the mask," one student replied.
Having brought COVID-19 largely under control, South Korea began to reopen schools Wednesday, nearly 80 days after the original semester start day of March 2.
Around 440,000 high school seniors were the first group to attend in-person classes and younger students will return to school in stages by June 8.
Students at a high school in Seoul wait in line to enter a cafeteria while keeping distance from each other on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
Schools have prepared for the reopening with extra sanitary measures and strict distancing guidelines.
Inside the campus of Seoul Technical High School, the students were instructed to walk between red parallel lines marked on the ground to keep them from coming into contact.
A thermal imaging camera was placed at the entrance of the main building to check the temperatures of all students and teachers.
In the classroom, desks were arranged at intervals of one meter and a bottle of hand sanitizer was placed on the podium.
Teachers reminded them of some key rules they are required to follow to protect against infection.
"It's nice to come to school after a long time, but I'm worried because teenagers largely do not show symptoms when infected with the coronavirus," a student said.
Tables in the cafeteria were rearranged so that all students sit facing one direction and maintain a safe distance.
"Normally it can accommodate about 500 students at once. But now only about 130 students can sit here simultaneously," a school official said.
Some students take a class in the corridor of a high school in Cheongju, 137 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 20, 2020, by using tablets as the class was streamed at the same time, in this photo provided by a Yonhap reader. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Kyungbock High School in central Seoul also opened its doors to about 250 senior students. They received temperature checks and sterilized their hands before entering the classroom. Unused items have been taken out of classrooms to make space for students to spread out.
Students mostly welcomed the reopening as they reunite with classmates and can now better prepare for the crucial university entrance exam set for December.
Schools have offered remote learning since early April but many students raised complaints about the quality of online lectures.
"Online classes were not bad, but I felt somewhat loose," Lee Min-woo, a student of the school said.
There are still worries that schools are opening too early, following a recent spike in infections tied to nightclubs in Itaewon, a nightlife area of Seoul.
Some students at Kyungbock notified the school in advance that they would not attend.
"My parents were a little worried about going to school, and I think online classes are safer," Kim Hyung-jun of the same school said.
In Incheon, west of Seoul, all students at 66 high schools were sent home in the morning after two students were confirmed to have contracted the virus.
Incheon has reported a total of 136 cases, including 27 patients traced to a teacher at a private cram school.
On Wednesday, South Korea reported 32 new virus cases, the largest number in nine days, raising the total caseload to 11,110.
A teacher hands out bottles of hand sanitizer to students at a high school in the southeastern city of Pohang on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
Small schools with fewer than 60 students in sparsely populated areas were also allowed to reopen Wednesday. including Chugok Elementary School in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul.
"I'm so happy to be with my friends and teachers again. I've been playing with my younger brother and I've missed my friends so much," said Lee Yeol-mae, an eight-year-old sophomore at the school, which has a total of 12 students.
The school decided to reopen early as most of the parents are farmers and could not properly care for their children during the day, a school official said.
Partitions are placed on tables at a cafeteria in a school in the southern city of Ulsan on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
(END)


Yonhap News Summary

SEOUL -- Eight in 10 South Korean households have received emergency disaster relief funds now being paid by the government @ @ @ @ @ cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak , the Ministry of the Interior @ @ @ @ @

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.
-----------------
(3rd LD) New club-linked infections spook capital area, disrupt school reopening
SEOUL -- Nearly 30 new coronavirus cases, including those traced to nightclubs, were reported in South Korea's capital and nearby areas Wednesday, taking a toll on the long-awaited reopening of schools, as students returned home earlier than scheduled in a precautionary measure.
Infections in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and the western city of Incheon came to 28 as of midnight, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Community transmissions came to 22.
-----------------
(3rd LD) First day of school reopening goes relatively smoothly, with virus worries ever-present
SEOUL -- Schools finally reopened Wednesday after a monthslong closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, putting to the test the government ability to control outbreaks at schools.
In a phased reopening plan, high school seniors became the first group to attend in-person classes, 79 days after the original semester start day of March 2. The other students, including preschoolers, will return to school by June 8.
-----------------
Eight in 10 households receive emergency relief funds
SEOUL -- Eight in 10 South Korean households have received emergency disaster relief funds now being paid by the government to the whole country to cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Wednesday.
On May 4, South Korea began paying out 1 million won (US$813) each to households with four or more members, 800,000 won to three-person households, 600,000 won to two-person households and 400,000 won to single-person households.
-----------------
Special forces' planned training in U.S. canceled due to coronavirus
SEOUL -- Planned training by a group of special forces troops in the United States has been called off due to the new coronavirus, a military source said Wednesday.
About 30 members of the Army's Special Warfare Command were originally scheduled to visit the U.S. military's Fort Irwin National Training Center for combined training this month, but the plan has been canceled.
-----------------
S. Korea to include green projects in 'New Deal' plan
SEOUL -- Cheong Wa Dae formalized a plan Wednesday for the Green New Deal project, saying relevant authorities will unveil details early next month.
President Moon Jae-in announced a bold push for the Korean version of the New Deal meant to help overcome the coronavirus crisis and develop new growth engines, addressing the nation on the third anniversary of his inauguration on May 10.
-----------------
(LEAD) Football league to discuss discipline for club over sex dolls in stands
SEOUL -- The South Korean football league will open disciplinary proceedings against a top-division club for putting sex dolls in the stands for a recent match.
The Korea Professional Football League (K League) said late Tuesday it will soon convene a disciplinary meeting over FC Seoul's use of lifesize dolls in place of spectators for Sunday's match against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
-----------------
LG Group chief apologizes over fatal accidents at LG Chem facilities
SEOUL -- LG Group Chairman Koo Gwang-mo on Wednesday apologized over recent deadly accidents at facilities of LG Chem Ltd. and vowed to come up with measures to prevent such tragedies.
"I expressed deep condolences and consolation to victims and their families," Koo said at LG Chem's plant in Seosan, around 120 kilometers south of Seoul. He also said he is deeply sorry for causing concern to many people.
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(4th LD) New club-linked infections spook capital area, partially disrupt school reopening

The news came as high school seniors across the country returned to school after 79 days of closure .
The @ @ @ @ @ , which usually starts in March , had been delayed several times as cluster infections @ @ @ @ @

(ATTN: REWRITES lead and headline to clarify)
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Nearly 30 new coronavirus cases, including those traced to nightclubs, were reported in South Korea's capital and nearby areas Wednesday, partially disrupting the long-waited reopening at some schools.
Infections in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and the western city of Incheon came to 28 as of midnight, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Community transmissions came to 22.
This marks a sharp uptick in daily infections reported in the capital area. Infections increased by single digits -- nine on Tuesday, four on Monday and five on Sunday.
Seniors at a high school in Incheon, west of Seoul, return home on May 20, 2020, after the local education office temporarily suspended classes following infections in the area. (Yonhap)
The news came as high school seniors across the country returned to school after 79 days of closure. The country's new school year, which usually starts in March, had been delayed several times as cluster infections continued to break out.
In Incheon, students at 66 high schools returned home before noon after two seniors in the area tested positive early Wednesday. The two had visited a coin karaoke facility that was in the same building that club-related patients visited.
Nine high schools in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, also temporarily suspended in-person classes. An epidemiological investigation is under way for a club-related patient in the area.
The KCDC said the number of cases linked to clubs and bars in Itaewon totaled 196 nationally as of noon Wednesday. The figure includes 95 who had visited the area and 101 others who were infected through community transmission.
Hospital staff wait to be checked for coronavirus at an screening center set up at Samsung Medical Center's outdoor parking lot in the southern Seoul ward of Gangnam on May 19, 2020. (Yonhap)
While the number of infections involving Itaewon clubbers slowed, the virus was appeared to have spread at karaoke facilities, "PC bangs," taxis and a vocational school.
In Seoul alone, 100 infections traced to the Itaewon case have been reported as of Wednesday at 10 a.m., becoming the largest cluster reported in the capital.
KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said secondary and tertiary transmissions related to the Itaewon case are on the rise, adding that authorities will have to continue to monitor situations for at least a week.
Meanwhile, no additional infections related to Samsung Medical Center, one of the country's biggest general hospitals, were reported in the capital area.
On Tuesday, four nurses working at Samsung Medical Center's operating rooms were identified as patients in the first case involving health workers at a major hospital here.
All four infected nurses claimed not to have visited Itaewon or met people who visited the area, putting authorities on alert over the source of infection.
Jeong said authorities have not identified a link between the hospital and Itaewon, explaining that infections may have spread in a shared space -- such as the nurses' office, resting area or changing room -- or through a patient who underwent surgery.
Volunteer workers disinfect a street in Itaewon, a neighborhood in the central Seoul ward of Yongsan, on May 12, 2020. (Yonhap)
Some 1,207 people have been tested in connection with the case and 124 placed under self-isolation, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a press briefing, adding officials are monitoring the situation with "stricter" standards considering that the venue is a hospital.
Samsung Medical Center in Gangnam Ward is one of the country's biggest general hospitals, with a capacity of nearly 2,000 beds. Up to 9,700 outpatients are estimated to visit the hospital daily.
"The infection route of the first patient remains unclear. It is highly likely that (there may) be a 'silent spreader' as seen in the cluster infection at Itaewon clubs. We will closely manage the situation related to group infections at Samsung Medical Center," Park said.
Authorities have noted how a large number of the patients linked to Itaewon have shown mild or no symptoms, raising the possibility of them further spreading the virus unconsciously.
South Korea's COVID-19 caseload reached 11,110, adding 32 cases from the previous day, according to the KCDC.
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(LEAD) Army chief shares coronavirus experience with foreign military leaders

`` South Korea , as a country that experienced the spread of COVID-19 before others , has accumulated much experience @ @ @ @ @ and education and training , '' Suh said .
`` The Army will actively share @ @ @ @ @ community , and continue cooperation against unconventional threats . ''

(ATTN: CHANGES photo)
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Army Chief of Staff Gen. Suh Wook shared the military's experience responding to the new coronavirus with foreign commanders during a video conference Wednesday and pledged continued cooperation in fighting unconventional security threats, his office said.
On the first day of the two-day Indo-Pacific Landpower Conference, which kicked off earlier in the day, the general discussed South Korea's experience conducting a massive training exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Army.
"Based on the awareness that maintaining a combat readiness posture through education and training is the basic mission of the military, we safely and successfully completed a regiment-level training at the Korea Combat Training Center in April, and are also gradually holding other field tactical trainings," Suh said.
Last month, the Army launched a two-week field training involving some 4,500 service members with strict quarantine measures in place.
As of early Tuesday, the military had 51 coronavirus cases reported in barracks.
"South Korea, as a country that experienced the spread of COVID-19 before others, has accumulated much experience and information regarding quarantine strategies and education and training," Suh said. "The Army will actively share this information with the international community, and continue cooperation against unconventional threats."
Hosted by the U.S. Army Pacific, Army chief-of-staff level officers from 26 countries took part in the videoconference.
In this photo, provided by the Army, its Chief of Staff Gen. Suh Wook (R) shows a gesture expressing gratitude to medical workers, joining a nationwide campaign acknowledging their efforts in the fight against the new coronavirus, during a videoconference with foreign military leaders on May 20, 2020. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(3rd LD) First day of school reopening goes relatively smoothly, with virus worries ever-present

`` It was so much fun to meet and chat with my classmates .
It 's been quite a while @ @ @ @ @ So I am very disappointed that we have to go home after spending only three @ @ @ @ @ an 18-year-old student , who asked that only his last name Choi be used , @ @ @ @ @ his way home .

(ATTN: CHANGES headline; UPDATES with new info in paras 20-23, last para; ADDS photo)
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Schools finally reopened Wednesday after a monthslong closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, putting to the test the government ability to control outbreaks at schools.
In a phased reopening plan, high school seniors became the first group to attend in-person classes, 79 days after the original semester start day of March 2. The other students, including preschoolers, will return to school by June 8.
The government has postponed school reopening five times already, as parents and school officials worried about potential coronavirus outbreak. Small clusters of infections added to the anxiety amid prolonged social distancing.
The reopening of schools marks another major development in the government's containment efforts after a new everyday life quarantine, with eased social distancing guidelines, was introduced earlier this month amid a slow spread of the coronavirus.
After a young man infected with the coronavirus visited multiple bars and clubs in Itaewon in early May, however, the country experienced a resurgence in the number of new patients.
The country reported 32 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), bringing the total caseload to 11,110. The daily new infections were the largest since May 11 when single-day infections hit 35, with four infections at a major hospital in Seoul and a rise in nightclub-linked cases.
High school seniors sit at desks fitted with plastic dividers in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
Small schools nationwide with fewer than 60 students also reopened Wednesday. In sparsely populated Gangwon Province, there are 170 such schools, including 46 elementary schools.
"We are facing a nervous situation where we should pursue both school life and quarantine at the same time," Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said while visiting Gyeongbok High School in downtown Seoul.
He stressed that there is a pressing need to "harmoniously mix online and in-person classes" during the pandemic.
A student passes by a thermal imaging camera set up at a school in Seoul on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
In the runup to the opening Wednesday, education and health officials have been busily preparing for the reopening in the safest possible manner.
The education ministry has put in place quarantine and isolation protocols and provided schools with a detailed response manual, in a bid to minimize confusion for teachers and students.
Schools have spaced out desks and fitted them with plastic dividers, installed fever checkpoints and implemented social distancing in cafeterias.
Despite sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19, the government has been showing confidence in management of the reopening, especially after 57 teachers and school officials who visited nightclubs in the popular nightlight district Itaewon, a recent hotbed of coronavirus infection, tested negative.
For high school seniors, in-person classes are important in the runup to the national university entrance exam slated for November. In the case of households where both parents are working, school reopening is also a pressing matter.
"I understand that this is not an easy path we are on, but we have to go through this one time, as it is uncertain when the COVID-19 pandemic might end," Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said in a briefing Tuesday. "The ministry and relevant education offices will try our best and respond swiftly to whatever comes along."
Students return home in the southwestern city of Incheon on May 20, 2020, after two high school students were confirmed to have contracted the novel coronavirus. (Yonhap)
In a stark sign of the precariousness of the containment situation, however, the education offices in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province sent some students home, just hours after they had gone to school for the first time in nearly three months, citing concerns over potential outbreaks.
Incheon's five wards -- Michuhol Ward, Jung Ward, Dong Ward, Namdong Ward and Yeonsu Ward -- told all senior students at 66 high schools to go home after two high school senior students were confirmed in the morning to have contracted the virus.
"Some patients are found to have gone to frequently visited places, and how they were infected remains unknown," said Lee Sang-hun, a spokesman of the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education.
The city has reported a total of 136 cases, including 27 patients traced to a teacher at a private cram school.
"It was so much fun to meet and chat with my classmates. It's been quite a while since I did that. So I am very disappointed that we have to go home after spending only three hours at school," an 18-year-old student, who asked that only his last name Choi be used, told Yonhap News Agency on his way home.
"What can we do? I think the decision was necessary," he said, adding he hoped the COVID-19 pandemic ends as soon as possible.
When the students in five wards can return to school will be decided after close coordination and consultation among relevant agencies, according to the education ministry.
Similar stories were repeated throughout the country.
The education office in Gyeonggi Province stopped students in Anseong from coming to school, citing the on-going contact tracing of a new COVID-19 patient. The office said schools in the city will resume Thursday.
In Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, five students have been taken to hospitals after reporting symptoms of the virus, such as fever and nausea.
In North Gyeongsang Province, 59 students from 32 schools were sent home for the same reason, while 84 students were not allowed to come to school in the first place based on the information they had put on a self-health monitoring application.
Students head to a high school in Seoul on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(LEAD) Seoul stocks extend winning streak to 4th session

`` The U.S. stock market returned some of the gains from the previous session despite pledges ( to support the @ @ @ @ @ Fed and head of the Treasury Department , '' NH Investment & Securities analyst Noh @ @ @

(ATTN: ADDS bond yields at bottom, photo)
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks closed slightly higher Wednesday, extending their winning streak to a fourth session on foreign and institutional buying. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.
The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 9.03 points, or 0.46 percent, to close at 1,989.64. Trading volume was moderate at some 688 million shares, worth about 8 trillion won (US$6.5 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 550 to 275.
An electronic signboard at a KB Kookmin Bank trading room in Yeouido, Seoul, shows that the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 9.03 points, or 0.46 percent, to close at 1,989.64 on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
The hike came despite heavy overnight losses on Wall Street, sparked by renewed fears over the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The U.S. stock market returned some of the gains from the previous session despite pledges (to support the economy) from the U.S. Fed and head of the Treasury Department," NH Investment & Securities analyst Noh Dong-kil said.
"Reduced hopes for the development of a vaccine partly caused by the drop in U.S. stock prices, but the heightening of the U.S.-China dispute also had a negative impact on investor sentiments," Noh added.
Reports of positive results from an early stage testing of a candidate vaccine for the novel coronavirus sparked a global stock market rally earlier this week.
Experts, however, have since pointed out the lack of enough clinical evidence to prove the effectiveness of the candidate vaccine.
Foreigners continued to scoop up local shares after snapping their six-day selling streak Tuesday.
They purchased a net 78 billion won, while institutions bought a net 96 billion won. Retail investors sold a net 178.7 billion won.
Large caps closed mixed.
Market kingpin Samsung Electronics shed 0.6 percent to 50,000 won, but No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix surged 1.69 percent to 84,100 won.
Top pharmaceutical company Samsung BioLogics remained flat at 600,000 won, while Celltrion surged 2.58 percent to 218,500 won.
Leading automaker Hyundai Motor plunged 1.82 percent to 97,300 won, with its smaller affiliate Kia Motors tumbling 2.68 percent to 30,850 won.
The local currency closed at 1,230.30 won per dollar, down 5 won from the previous session's close.
Bond prices, which move inversely to yields, closed higher. The yield on three-year Treasurys shed 0.8 basis point to 0.868 percent, while the return on the benchmark five-year government bond slipped 2.1 basis points to 1.111 percent.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(LEAD) Actress denies having partied in Itaewon amid outbreak

The actress Lee also offered an apology over the incident , saying through her agency that she now thinks she @ @ @ @ @ such a meeting .
She then promised to be more cautious in her actions in @ @ @

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in last three paras)
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Actress Lee Min-jung on Wednesday denied allegations that she partied in Seoul's nightlife district of Itaewon after the area emerged as a hotbed for coronavirus cluster infections earlier this month.
"Lee did not visit Itaewon. Instead she went to a friend's birthday party at a cafe in Cheongdam (in southern Seoul). All she did was take a picture while dropping off a gift," a representative at MSTeam Entertainment, Lee's management company, told Yonhap News Agency over the phone on behalf of the actress.
Sports KyungHyang, a sports and entertainment publication, reported that the actress, who is also the wife of leading South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun, ignored social distancing guidelines to attend a birthday party for a fashion industry insider in Itaewon on May 9, when public concerns were mounting over the spread of new infections linked to the neighborhood.
"There probably was a misunderstanding after one of her friends posted a picture on social media," the MSTeam representative said.
South Korea has recorded over 180 cases related to infections at entertainment facilities in Itaewon. In Seoul alone, 100 infections traced to the Itaewon case have been reported as of Wednesday morning, becoming the largest cluster reported in the capital.
In this file photo, South Korean actress Lee Min-jung poses for a photo during a publicity event in Seoul on July 11, 2019. (Yonhap)
The actress Lee also offered an apology over the incident, saying through her agency that she now thinks she should have refrained from attending such a meeting. She then promised to be more cautious in her actions in the future.
Sports KyungHyang also reported that besides Lee, a number of other celebrities -- including Hyomin, a member of girl group T-ara; actress Kim Hee-jung; and actress Lee Joo-yeon -- attended the May 9 birthday party.
Hyomin and Kim said through their management agency, Sublime Artist Agency, that they will reflect on their "careless" acts, no matter the reason behind them, while actress Lee Joo-yeon also expressed regret over the incident through her management agency.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--(4th LD) S. Korea grapples with virus uptick amid cluster infections

Cases tied to clubs in Seoul 's nightlife district of Itaewon have not evolved into explosive infections but continued to @ @ @ @ @ caseload linked to the Itaewon cluster reached 196 as of noon Wednesday , with nine @ @ @ @ @ 36 hours .
Of them , 100 cases were reported in Seoul .

(ATTN: ADDS more details throughout)
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new virus cases rose by the highest number in nine days Wednesday amid looming mass infections at a major hospital in Seoul and a rise in nightclub-linked cases.
An uptick in virus cases put health authorities on higher alert over further community spread as high school seniors began to return to schools following a monthslong school closure over the pandemic.
The country added 32 new coronavirus cases, raising the total caseload to 11,110, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Of the new COVID-19 cases detected Tuesday, 24 were local infections.
The daily new infections mark the largest since May 11, when the number hit 35.
Hospital officials and health workers at Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul wait to receive tests for the new coronavirus on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
Concerns about yet another cluster of infections emerged, as four nurses working at Samsung Medical Center, one of the country's five major general hospitals, were infected with COVID-19.
Health authorities said more related cases are likely to spring up, as transmission routes are unknown.
Contact tracing is being conducted to determine whether the source of infections originated in the hospital. Health authorities have conducted virus tests on 1,199 people, 641 of whom tested negative.
The KCDC said the nurses may have been infected at shared places inside the hospital like fitting rooms or through patients undergoing surgery.
"We've yet to detect a link between their infections and club-related cases in Itaewon," KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said in a briefing.
Jeong said health authorities need to continue monitoring for at least one week to assess whether the nurse cases could develop into mass infections at the hospital, given a two-week incubation period.
Cases tied to clubs in Seoul's nightlife district of Itaewon have not evolved into explosive infections but continued to increase steadily. The total caseload linked to the Itaewon cluster reached 196 as of noon Wednesday, with nine related patients reported over past 36 hours. Of them, 100 cases were reported in Seoul.
Health authorities remain vigilant against further community spread at a time when more schools are set to reopen in the coming weeks.
The education ministry went ahead with phased school reopening as scheduled amid a letup in Itaewon-linked infections.
High school seniors wearing masks take a class at Jeonmin High School in the central city of Daejeon on May 20, 2020, as South Korea began to reopen schools following a monthslong closure over the COVID-19 pandemic. (Yonhap)
But as precautionary measures, Incheon, west of Seoul, and Anseong, south of the capital, had to order third graders at 75 high schools to go home immediately.
Two high school students tested positive in Incheon, in what could be infections tied to the Itaewon outbreak.
In Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, 27 students were moved to coronavirus testing sites as they showed virus symptoms, like fever.
Health authorities said COVID-19 infections appear to be well contained in risk-prone facilities, such as churches and hospitals, where a bulk of cases were reported at an initial stage of the virus outbreak here.
"But virus infections are spreading at facilities like clubs and karaoke," Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip said in a briefing.
Despite a steady rise in cluster infections, Kim said it is not appropriate to immediately return to strict social distancing.
"Efforts to minimize virus infections should be prioritized through thorough quarantine measures in communities. Even if sporadic infections occur, it is not appropriate to return to the stricter social distancing system," Kim added.
Following 45 days of stricter social distancing, South Korea switched to an "everyday life quarantine" scheme on May 6 to enable citizens to carry out social and economic activities under quarantine rules.
The country, meanwhile, added eight imported cases and reported no additional deaths, with the total death toll staying at 263. The fatality rate was 2.37 percent.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,066, up 128 from the previous day.
The country, with a population of more than 50 million, has carried out 776,433 tests since Jan. 3, including 10,859 the previous day.
High school seniors at Doan High School eat lunch in a school cafeteria with plastic barriers serving as protection from COVID-19 in Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--S. Korean Bond Yields on May. 20, 2020

S. Korean Bond Yields on May. 20, 2020

(URGENT) N. Korea says Travis King decided to come over to N. Korea because he harbored ill feeling within the U.S. Army: KCNA


yna--2020-05-20--Pandemic recovery in China a boon for Korean construction equipment makers

SEOUL , May 20 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korean construction equipment makers , led by Doosan Infracore Co. , @ @ @ @ @ increased sales in China as the world 's No .
2 economy is ramping up @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus outbreak , industry data showed Wednesday .

By Nam Kwang-sik
SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korean construction equipment makers, led by Doosan Infracore Co., are set to bask in increased sales in China as the world's No. 2 economy is ramping up efforts to rebound from the coronavirus outbreak, industry data showed Wednesday.
Doosan Infracore, South Korea's No. 1 construction equipment maker, sold 3,239 excavators in April, up 2.8 percent from a month earlier, taking up 7.5 percent of the world's largest excavator market, according to industry data provided by the China Construction Machinery Association.
No. 2 player Hyundai Construction Equipment Co. sold 1,533 excavators last month in China, up 65 percent from a month earlier, the data showed.
Hyundai Construction Equipment's market share there stood at 3.6 percent.
A total of 43,371 excavators were sold in April in China, up 65 percent from a year earlier.
Market watchers said Korean construction equipment makers will see a steady rise in their sales, as China is moving to boost its economy.
"China's construction machinery market showed signs of a boom from March thanks to an economic recovery (from the fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic)," Kim Hong-kyun, an analyst at DB Financial Investment Co., said in a recent report.
A Doosan Infracore 80-ton excavator digs up earth in this photo provided by Doosan Infracore. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
The Chinese government's large-scale pump-priming policies will help Korean construction equipment makers rack up solid sales there, according to Hwang Eo-yeon, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp.
Beijing is expected to reveal additional stimulus measures for the virus-hit economy in its biggest annual political meetings, such as the annual plenary session of the National People's Congress, to be held starting May 21.
Reflecting a solid performance in China, Doosan Infracore has been on a roll on the Seoul bourse.
Shares in Doosan Infracore rose 3.77 percent to 5,780 won (US$4.70) on Wednesday, outperforming the broader KOSPI's 0.46 percent gain.
China's industrial output rose 3.9 percent on-year in April, the first monthly increase since January, when the coronavirus started spreading across the country.
South Korea's overall exports of excavators came to US$730 million in the January-March period, down 11.6 percent from a year earlier.
ksnam@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-20--Special forces' planned training in U.S. canceled due to coronavirus

The Army 's earlier plan to send some 50 service members to the U.S. in March to observe local training @ @ @ @ @ at the request of the U.S. military .

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Planned training by a group of special forces troops in the United States has been called off due to the new coronavirus, a military source said Wednesday.
About 30 members of the Army's Special Warfare Command were originally scheduled to visit the U.S. military's Fort Irwin National Training Center for combined training this month, but the plan has been canceled.
It is the latest in a series of combined training exercises between South Korea and foreign troops that have been postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Army's earlier plan to send some 50 service members to the U.S. in March to observe local training has also been put off at the request of the U.S. military.
The two countries are reportedly in talks over the possibility of holding the postponed training in October, but uncertainties linger depending on how the coronavirus situation unfolds, officials said.
On Wednesday, South Korea reported 32 cases of the new virus, raising the nation's total caseload to 11,110. The number of infections reported in barracks stood at 51.
scaaet@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-21--New virus cases slow, but steady rise in club-linked cases still worrisome

But on the first day of school reopening , Incheon , west of Seoul , and Anseong , south of @ @ @ @ @ graders at 75 high schools to return home .
Two high school students tested positive @ @ @ @ @ in what could be infections tied to the Itaewon outbreak .

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases slowed Thursday, but health authorities are still fretting over further community spread tied to entertainment facilities and a hospital.
The 12 new cases detected Wednesday raised the total caseload to 11,122, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Of them, 10 were local infections.
The country reported new 32 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, marking an uptick in nine days, as it reeled from a steady rise in nightclub-related cases in Itaewon, a popular nightlife area in the capital.
Wearing masks, high school seniors take a mock test to assess their scholastic capability at Yeouido High School in Seoul, on May 21, 2020. (Yonhap)
South Korea has successfully flattened the virus curve with massive and swift testing, but sporadic cluster infections continue to complicate public health authorities' quarantine efforts.
Cases tied to clubs in Itaewon have not evolved into explosive infections but have continued to increase steadily. The total caseload linked to the Itaewon cluster reached at least 197 as of late Wednesday, according to the Seoul city government.
Since four nurses working at Samsung Medical Center, one of the country's five major general hospitals, were confirmed to be infected, health authorities have been conducting tests on 1,207 people.
The KCDC said more related cases are likely to spring up, as transmission routes are still unknown.
Health authorities remain alert over further community spread, as school began to reopen the previous day, starting with high school seniors.
But on the first day of school reopening, Incheon, west of Seoul, and Anseong, south of the capital, ordered third graders at 75 high schools to return home. Two high school students tested positive for COVID-19 in Incheon, in what could be infections tied to the Itaewon outbreak.
The country, meanwhile, added two imported cases and reported one additional death, raising the total death toll to 264.
The total number of people released from quarantine after full recoveries stood at 10,135, up 69 from the previous day.
This photo, taken on May 20, 2020, shows Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul, where four nurses were infected with the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-21--Possessors, viewers of child pornography to face prison term

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said under the revised law , people who buy , possess , look @ @ @ @ @ or videos of children will face at least one year in prison .

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- Those who possess or watch child pornography will face a prison term in South Korea under a revised law designed to clamp down on sex crimes against underage people, the government said Thursday.
The National Assembly passed the revision to the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses the previous day, aimed at providing legal grounds to punish possessors and viewers of child sexual abuse materials.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said under the revised law, people who buy, possess, look at or watch indecent photographs or videos of children will face at least one year in prison.
Those who sell or advertise child pornography for profit will be put in prison for five years or longer, while even noncommercial distribution or advertisements also will be subject to a three-year jail term.
Previously, only production and for-profit selling of child abuse materials were punishable, according to the ministry.
Also, the revised children protection act will ban convicted child porn offenders from having jobs in any kind of child care or youth centers in the country.
The latest legal revision came as South Korea has recently been shocked by a high-profile online sexual exploitation case.
Dozens of victims, including more than 10 underage girls, were coerced by several perpetrators into performing gruesome sex acts and sharing the videos in pay-to-view chat rooms of the mobile messaging app Telegram.
The interior of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is shown in this image provided by Yonhap News TV (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-21--N. Korea's paper calls for production of high-quality goods

`` Many units are displaying shoes , energy , finishing materials , food and various other technology and products that @ @ @ @ @ items , but it does not necessarily lead to normalization of their production , '' @ @ @ @ @ organ of the North 's ruling party , said .

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's main newspaper called on manufacturers Thursday to make sure to produce quality goods, saying they often display high-quality products at exhibitions, but end up mass-producing lower quality goods.
"Many units are displaying shoes, energy, finishing materials, food and various other technology and products that could turn into their representative items, but it does not necessarily lead to normalization of their production," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said.
"There is also a huge gap in terms of quality between goods placed on display at exhibitions and the actual products churned out from plants," the paper added.
North Korea holds various exhibitions to promote newly-developed designs, products and technology every year. The criticism appears aimed at bolstering competition among factories to churn out good-quality products that satisfy the needs of the country's people.
The paper said that technology just for the sake of technology carries little significance and would lead to unnecessarily wasted efforts while weighing on economic development.
"We could be left behind instantly if we fall into complacency about a couple of marked successes and slow the pace of development," the paper warned.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-05-21--(URGENT) 69 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, bringing total cured patients

(URGENT) 69 more people released after full recovery from coronavirus, bringing total cured patients to 10,135: KCDC


yna--2020-05-21--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 1 more virus death, death toll now at 264: KCDC


yna--2020-05-21--(URGENT) S. Korea reports 12 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 11,122: KCDC


yna--2020-05-21--Eximbank sells AU$700 mln of bonds in Australia

Eximbank said it has become the first Asian financial institution to issue Kangaroo bonds since the outbreak of the novel @ @ @ @ @ 57 investors have placed orders worth AU $ 1.7 billion , it added .

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- The state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) said Wednesday it has sold 700 million Australian dollars (US$460 million) of bonds in Australia as part of efforts to diversify its funding sources.
The three-year "Kangaroo" bonds come in two tranches -- floating-rate bonds worth AU$500 million and fixed-rate debt worth AU$200 million.
The floating-rate bonds carry an interest rate of 1.07 percentage points above the Australian bank bill swap rate, with the rate coming to 1.311 percent for the fixed-rate ones.
Kangaroo bonds are Australian dollar-denominated bonds floated in Australia by a non-Australian company.
Eximbank said it has become the first Asian financial institution to issue Kangaroo bonds since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. A total of 57 investors have placed orders worth AU$1.7 billion, it added.
The policy lender has issued bonds worth AU$4.8 billion, the largest among Asian institutions, since tapping the Kangaroo bond market in 2012.
This image, provided by the Export-Import Bank of Korea on May 21, 2020, shows its corporate logo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-05-21--Korea's exports of virus test kits tipped to grow further

Another industry player , Seegene .
Inc. , said its first-quarter sales came to 70 percent of its revenue for @ @ @ @ @ operating and net profits already exceeding those of last year .
The company did not @ @ @ @

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's exports of coronavirus test kits are expected to gather momentum down the road thanks to high overseas demand, industry sources said Thursday.
With the coronavirus outbreak raging across the globe, many affected countries are scrambling to import South Korean COVID-19 test kits, in a boon to local manufacturers.
According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 72 test kits manufactured by 46 companies have been approved for exports. The figure includes six products that have won approval for emergency use locally.
Buoyed by surging demand from abroad, several test kit makers have already clinched more orders this year than last year's total.
Sugentech Inc. has signed 60 billion won (US$49 million) worth of deals to export coronavirus test kits since April 1, which dwarfs its 2019 sales of 3.8 billion won.
In April alone, the company shipped test kits worth 10 billion won, and it has been producing 2 million kits per week this month.
Sugentech has secured deals to export kits that will be produced by June, a company official said, adding shipments will likely increase further in the second quarter of the year.
Another industry player, Seegene. Inc., said its first-quarter sales came to 70 percent of its revenue for all of 2019, with operating and net profits already exceeding those of last year. The company did not provide exact figures.
So far, Seegene has exported kits capable of conducting 20 million tests to 60 countries. The company recently inked a deal to export test kits to Brazil through a body under the World Health Organization and expected more exports in the coming months.
Bioneer Corp. has also signed a deal to export COVID-19 test kits and related equipment worth 6.8 billion won to Indonesia.
Bioneer, which saw its first-quarter sales surge 1.9 times from a year ago, struck deals to supply test kits to Gabon and Lebannon in April.
Export figures are a testament to high overseas demand for South Korean test kits. The value of test kit exports came to $201.2 million in April, a more than eightfold jump from $24 million in March, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.
In the first four months of this year, South Korea exported $225 million worth of coronavirus test kits to a total of 103 nations.
(END)