yna--2020-02-24--(EDITORIAL from Korea Herald on Feb. 24)

No one in the government has explained formally why it did not stop the inflow of travelers from China from @ @ @ @ @ government has pointed the finger at Koreans , as if they were more problematic than @ @ @ @ @ .
The first Shincheonji follower to be infected -- Korea 's 31st confirmed case -- @ @ @ @ @ unknown route .
Though belatedly , Korea must consider strengthening restrictions on entry into the @ @ @ @ @ for the time being .
Soon , about 70,000 Chinese students will come back here @ @ @ @ @ .

Brace for a protracted fight
: Virus getting out of control; tougher steps, concerted response needed
The spread of COVID-19 is increasing sharply, with the bulk of new cases concentrated in Daegu and nearby North Gyeongsang Province.
nThe number of confirmed cases rose to 556 as of Sunday morning -- a whopping increase, more than a month after the nation's first case was reported Jan. 20 -- and four patients have already died.
The new coronavirus that causes the disease has spread nationwide, with all eight metropolitan cities and nine provinces reporting confirmed cases.
The rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 patients has stretched the capacity of the nation's epidemiological investigators, who number about 140, fueling fear that the situation may be turning into a pandemic.
The response of President Moon Jae-in and his administration since the first case emerged is disappointing. They seem complacent, even as the situation worsens.
Moon instructed Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Friday to find and inspect all those who attended services, including a funeral, linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony -- the religious group at the center of the massive COVID-19 outbreak in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.
Of course, it is necessary to track the churchgoers who attended the events, but it seems like a lukewarm instruction from the president when transmission of the virus is accelerating throughout the country.
Daegu can't handle the abrupt surge of cases on its own. Its mayor said that "the city is short of medical personnel and materials."
There are 1,027 negative-pressure isolation wards throughout the country, but only 54 in Daegu -- where the number of confirmed cases topped 200 just four days after the first one was reported on Feb. 18.
Experts warned early on that it would be hard to control spread of the virus in the community and called on the government to take proactive measures, including a temporary entry ban on visitors from all parts of China. But the government turned a deaf ear.
With the number of patients having suddenly escalated over the past week, the government was expected to raise its alert level to "serious." But it maintained the current alert level of "vigilance" -- one notch down from "serious" -- and did not impose any additional restrictions on foreign travelers either.
At first, the government vowed to respond proactively, to err on the side of caution, but now it is questionable whether it has walked the talk.
Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said in a recent news conference that "there are cases of infections from Chinese tourists, but Koreans who visited China caused more infections here."
His remarks give the impression that Koreans are more to blame than Chinese travelers.
Most of the recent cases are linked to the activities of a secretive religious sect, but the church is not the source of the virus. Korea may not have come to this situation if it had cut off the source of infection at the start, as experts recommended and many people demanded.
Now South Korea has the largest number of confirmed cases apart from China and the cruise ship moored at a Japanese port.
No one in the government has explained formally why it did not stop the inflow of travelers from China from the beginning. Now the government has pointed the finger at Koreans, as if they were more problematic than Chinese. This is disappointing. The first Shincheonji follower to be infected -- Korea's 31st confirmed case -- caught the virus via an unknown route. Though belatedly, Korea must consider strengthening restrictions on entry into the country from all of China for the time being. Soon, about 70,000 Chinese students will come back here to begin a new semester.
Community spread has already begun. The government must shift the focus to minimizing damages, while trying to stem the inflow of people who might be sources of infection.
Hopes of an early end to the crisis have all but vanished. COVID-19 is spreading out of control, and the country is in for a full-scale and long-term fight.
If the number of patients keeps increasing, the authorities will be required to use medical resources more efficiently. Inefficient utilization of resources is a shortcut to defeat in the fight against a contagious disease. The first test is to extinguish the massive outbreak in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. If the government fails, it will become much more difficult to stop the disease from running rampant.
Not only the government, but citizens too, must do their part faithfully. They ought to take preventive measures, such as maintaining personal hygiene and undergo virus screening. Now is the time for the entire nation to make a concerted effort to overcome the crisis.
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--Top headlines in major S. Korean newspapers

Korean-language dailies -- Virus infection cases top 600 , gov't raises alert level to 'grave ' ( Kyunghyang Shinmun ) -- Alert level raised to 'grave , ' schools delay start of new term ( Kookmin Daily ) -- Alert level raised to 'grave , ' all schools delay start of new term ( Donga llbo ) -- Corona alert level raised to 'grave , ' schools put off start by a week ( Seoul Shinmun ) -- Alert level raised to 'grave , ' schools delay start of new term ( Segye Times ) -- Infection tally triples over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finally saying , 'It 's serious ' ( Chosun Ilbo ) -- S. Korean passengers denied entry into Israel ( JoongAng Ilbo ) -- Corona alert at highest level of 'grave , ' schools suspend start of new term ( Hankyoreh ) -- Alert level raised to 'grave , ' this week will be critical ( Hankook Ilbo ) -- Gov't announces 'grave stage ' in new coronavirus crisis , schools put off start of new term ( Maeil Business Newspaper ) -- 10 days after Moon said it 'd be 'over soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highest ( Korea Economic Daily )

SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- The following are the top headlines in major South Korean newspapers on Feb. 24.
Korean-language dailies
-- Virus infection cases top 600, gov't raises alert level to 'grave' (Kyunghyang Shinmun)
-- Alert level raised to 'grave,' schools delay start of new term (Kookmin Daily)
-- Alert level raised to 'grave,' all schools delay start of new term (Donga llbo)
-- Corona alert level raised to 'grave,' schools put off start by a week (Seoul Shinmun)
-- Alert level raised to 'grave,' schools delay start of new term (Segye Times)
-- Infection tally triples over the weekend, and here's Moon finally saying, 'It's serious' (Chosun Ilbo)
-- S. Korean passengers denied entry into Israel (JoongAng Ilbo)
-- Corona alert at highest level of 'grave,' schools suspend start of new term (Hankyoreh)
-- Alert level raised to 'grave,' this week will be critical (Hankook Ilbo)
-- Gov't announces 'grave stage' in new coronavirus crisis, schools put off start of new term (Maeil Business Newspaper)
-- 10 days after Moon said it'd be 'over soon,' gov't ups alert level to highest (Korea Economic Daily)
English-language dailies
-- U.S. warns of Korea risk, Israel turns back jet (Korea JoongAng Daily)
-- Seoul raises virus alert level to 'highest' (Korea Herald)
-- S. Korea raises alert level to 'highest' for COVID-19 (Korea Times)
(END)


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yna--2020-02-23--(8th LD) S. Korea ups alert to highest level as virus cases spike to 602, death toll at 6

Meanwhile , the Military Manpower Administration said that it would suspend its examinations of potential conscripts to determine whether they @ @ @ @ @ service for the next two weeks as part of efforts to help contain the spread @ @ @ @

(ATTN: ADDS more info in last para)
SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Sunday reported its sixth death from the new coronavirus with the number of the total confirmed cases spiking to 602, forcing the country to raise the virus alert to highest level.
Despite stepped-up quarantine efforts, health authorities added three deaths and 169 additional cases to the daily tally that deepened fears of contagion across the country and led to a one-week delay in the start of the new school year set for next month.
The sixth victim of the novel virus was a patient at Daenam Hospital in the southeastern city of Cheongdo, where the country's first COVID-19 fatality took place and more than 110 people, including nine medical staff, were found to be infected.
The 59-year-old man was confirmed to be infected on Wednesday and died at Dongguk University in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, while being treated for the disease.
The fifth death was reported from the southeastern city of Daegu, where more than 300 people traced to church services are confirmed to have contracted the virus.
The 56-year-old woman died at Kyungpook National University Hospital, while being treated for the novel coronavirus.
The fourth victim was confirmed to be infected on Wednesday. The 57-year-old patient suffered from serious pneumonia before being infected with the virus.
Amid the rise in the number of deaths and infections, the country raised the virus alert level to "red," the highest in its four-tier system, for the first time in more than a decade.
The alert level change represented Seoul's efforts to focus both on insulating the country from contagion by foreign visitors and on halting community spread and minimizing damage from the virus, officials said.
"The COVID-19 incident has been confronted by a grave watershed," President Moon Jae-in said. "A few days from now is a very important moment."
To beef up containment efforts, the government plans to install a new disaster countermeasures headquarters. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun will head it with the health and interior ministers serving as its deputy chiefs.
Calling for citizens' concerted efforts, Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said that the next seven or 10 days will be the most crucial juncture in fighting the virus.
"The COVID-19 is spreading quickly, but it is limited within a specific region and group," Park told a briefing.
Most COVID-19 infections are centered on a religious organization in the country's fourth-largest city of Daegu and the neighboring Daenam Hospital.
On Friday, South Korea declared that Daegu and its adjacent county Cheongdo are "special care zones."
Streets in downtown Daegu, located around 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, are nearly empty on Feb. 23, 2020, as residents avoided going outside amid the spread of the new coronavirus in the city. (Yonhap)
Of the 169 new cases, 95 are related to worship services of the Shincheonji church in Daegu, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The number of cases that can be traced to the church services reached 329, accounting for more than half of the total cases here.
A total of 117 new cases were in Daegu, a city of roughly 2.5 million, with 25 new virus incidents reported in the surrounding North Gyeongsang Province, it added.
Authorities said they have acquired a list of members from the Daegu-based Shincheonji church and are closely monitoring them.
The KCDC earlier said it has placed more than 9,334 Shincheonji members in self-quarantine. Of them, 1,248 have shown COVID-19-related symptoms.
From North Gyeongsang Province, 18 out of 39 Catholic pilgrims who recently travelled as a group to Israel have been confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus.
Gwangju in the southwest and the southern island of Jeju also reported several new cases each, while the southern port city of Busan reported eight more virus patients, in a sign that the virus may spread quickly nationwide.
The total number of cases from Busan reached 13.
South Korea confirmed its first new coronavirus case from a Chinese woman from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, on Jan. 20.
A Catholic church located in Daegu, around 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is closed on Feb. 23, 2020, to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus in the city. (Yonhap)
The country's 31st patient, a probable "super spreader," attended Shincheonji's worship services in Daegu.
Prime Minister Chung, in a rare public message on Saturday night, reassured people that the virus can be contained if the public cooperates with the government's instructions.
Seven patients with underlying illnesses are in relatively critical condition, with three of them on life support, the health authorities added.
On Sunday, a 16-month-old baby from Gimpo, west of Seoul, was reported as the country's youngest virus patient. Hours earlier, a 4-year-old child from Daegu was confirmed to have the virus.
Last week, an 11-year-old child was also diagnosed with the virus.
The KCDC said South Korea is carrying out around 5,000 to 6,000 tests per day.
It also ruled out rumors that the country is short of medical supplies to treat COVID-19, including the anti-HIV medication Kaletra.
South Korea will maintain efforts to keep a stable supply of such pharmaceutical goods, it added.
The country's health authorities earlier advised local hospitals to use Kaletra or Chloroquine -- used to treat malaria -- for patients of the new coronavirus.
South Korea has released 18 fully recovered novel coronavirus patients from hospitals as of Sunday morning, the KCDC said.
The number of people being checked for the virus and under quarantine came to 8,057, it added. The country has tested a total of 26,179 suspected cases, with 17,520 testing negative.
Meanwhile, the Military Manpower Administration said that it would suspend its examinations of potential conscripts to determine whether they are fit for mandatory military service for the next two weeks as part of efforts to help contain the spread of the virus.
Ambulances are mobilized in Daegu, located some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 23, 2020, to carry patients infected with the novel coronavirus. (Yonhap)
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-23--FM Kang holds talks with WHO chief in Geneva over fight against COVID-19

Kang explained Seoul 's stepped-up efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic , such as raising its virus @ @ @ @ @ for the first time in more than a decade , as South Korea has reported @ @ @ @ @ 600 confirmed cases .

GENEVA/SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), held talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday over cooperation in fighting the new coronavirus, Kang's office said.
Kang explained Seoul's stepped-up efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, such as raising its virus alert to the highest level for the first time in more than a decade, as South Korea has reported six deaths and more than 600 confirmed cases.
The WHO chief voiced confidence that South Korea will be able to cope with the virus, based on its robust system to respond to such a viral outbreak and its past experience in fighting the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, according to the ministry.
He added that his organization will closely cooperate with the Seoul government in overcoming the virus. He also noted the need for support from the international community for helping countries with weak health care systems.
Kang shared the understanding that the international community should work together to enhance heath conditions in vulnerable countries with the U.N. health agency at the center of the efforts.
Kang was in Europe to attend international conferences, including a session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization hold talks in Geneva, Switzerland on Feb. 23, 2020 in this photo provided by the foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-23--(3rd LD) S. Korea to support return of citizens from Israel following entry ban

Most of the pilgrims are from North Gyeongsang Province , the southeastern region of the country that has reported the @ @ @ @ @ went to Israel on Feb. 8 and returned home on Feb. 16 , while their @ @ @ @ @ the capital city of Seoul .

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout)
SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to support the voluntary return of its citizens from Israel, officials said Sunday, after Seoul voiced regrets over the country's abrupt enactment of an entry ban against Korean visitors over concerns about the new coronavirus.
On Saturday, Israel barred nearly 180 foreigners, including 130 Koreans, aboard a Korean Air flight from entering the country without any prior notice after they landed in Tel Aviv. They returned to Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Sunday.
The measure came as South Koreans who recently made a group pilgrimage to Israel were found to have been infected with COVID-19, with the number of the country's confirmed cases exceeding 600.
"The foreign ministry is providing active consular assistance for the safety and convenience of our citizens in Israel," a ministry official said.
"It plans to promptly implement related measures, such as supporting the return of citizens, if need be," the official added.
After learning of the entry ban, the foreign ministry contacted the Israeli government and asked it to permit their entry.
Israel, however, rejected the request, forcing some 130 South Koreans to head back to Incheon International Airport on the KE957 plane.
The ministry voiced regret over Israel's measure and demanded that such an incident not occur again, according an official.
Israel explained that its move was unavoidable amid the fast spread of COVID-19 across South Korea, but agreed to cooperate closely with Seoul on relevant steps, the official added. Israel has reported one confirmed COVID-19 case as of Saturday, according to the World Health Organization.
It has prohibited the entry of foreigners from China, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Macau.
A Catholic church located in Daegu, around 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is closed on Feb. 23, 2020, due to the spread of the new coronavirus in the city. (Yonhap)
Following the entry ban, reports emerged that about 1,600 South Korean travellers in Israel would face a 14-day self-quarantine. But a foreign ministry official here dismissed the reports as groundless.
According to the health authorities here, 18 South Koreans who recently made a group pilgrimage to Israel have been confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus.
Most of the pilgrims are from North Gyeongsang Province, the southeastern region of the country that has reported the most new cases. They went to Israel on Feb. 8 and returned home on Feb. 16, while their tour guide is living in the capital city of Seoul.
The health authorities said they are closely examining the transmission route of the patients and strengthening the monitoring of all the members to prevent further infections.
Moreover, 37 people from Jeju Island made a separate pilgrimage to Israel from Feb. 11-21, according to the authorities. One of them is being checked for the virus after complaining of symptoms of the coronavirus.
Consequently, the Catholic Times, the Daegu-based religious newspaper that arranged the pilgrimage tour, said it has shut down its offices in Seoul and Daegu and put all its employees under quarantine.
Also, the Catholic diocese of Andong that covers more than half of North Gyeongsang Province has decided to shut down 40 churches under its jurisdiction and suspend all masses, meetings and events for three weeks.
South Korea's health authorities, meanwhile, cautiously said that the patients may have been infected in South Korea.
"There are no confirmed cases from Israel, and it is highly likely that they caught the virus at home and infected each other throughout the trip." the Korea Centers for Disease Control said in a statement.
Some of the patients returned to their workplaces or visited restaurants after returning home. Around 170 people are estimated to have made contact with the patients, the center added.
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(4th LD) Moon suggests extra budget in dual fight against virus, economic impact

`` We should mobilize all national capabilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19 , '' he stressed , speaking at @ @ @ @ @ meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides amid a sharp rise in the number @ @ @ @ @ invited 10 South Korean experts on infectious diseases to the session , including Peck Kyong-ran @ @ @ @ @ Society of Infectious Diseases .

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in paras 6-8)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in suggested Monday that his government consider an emergency supplementary budget plan to support its "dual" fight against the novel coronavirus and its economic impact.
"We should mobilize all national capabilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19," he stressed, speaking at the outset of his weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides amid a sharp rise in the number of patients here. He invited 10 South Korean experts on infectious diseases to the session, including Peck Kyong-ran, head of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases.
He called for a "bold injection" of government funds to help revive local economies hit by COVID-19 cases, especially Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and nearby areas, where hundreds of people infected with the virus have been reported over the past few days.
President Moon Jae-in (back, 2nd from R) speaks at his weekly Cheong Wa Dae meeting in Seoul with senior aides on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
Moon instructed the government to consider the allocation of an early supplementary budget "if necessary" and to quickly spend money from the existing reserve funds, worth 3.4 trillion won (US$2.8 billion).
He pointed out that timing is crucial for such a policy step to minimize the damage to businesses, boost domestic consumption and revitalize troubled local economies. It's unusual for a South Korean government to seek an extra budget in the first half of a year.
Moon's economy team is widely expected to seek a "super extra budget" bill that would be worth over 10 trillion won.
But economists said the supplementary budget needed to tackle the coronavirus may reach 15 trillion won.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said on Facebook hours after Moon's comments on the extra spending that the "government plans to announce an extra budget plan as quickly as possible through trilateral policy consultations involving the ruling party and presidential office Cheong Wa Dae."
When South Korea was suffering the economic effects of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2015, the National Assembly approved an 11.6-trillion-won budget bill. During the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) scare, 7.5 trillion won in extra funds was earmarked to prop up the economy.
Moon also appealed to the people to have trust in his government's quarantine measures and join "pan-national" forces in efforts to ride out the crisis.
He said the anti-virus system of his administration and local governments is in full swing.
"I would like to ask the people to have confidence in our quarantine capabilities and medical system and to join forces in overcoming the current difficulty," he added.
The president also assured the public that the government is in an emergency mode in the face of the "dual" challenges of quarantining people and dealing with the economic fallout. He stated again that South Korea is in an "emergency economic situation" due to the virus outbreak.
"The government should make special prescriptions for extraordinary economic situations," Moon emphasized, urging the government to make decisions and take special measures in a swift and aggressive manner with "no restriction on policy-related imagination."
Moon held "serious dialogue" with the experts, meanwhile, listening to their opinions in the session that lasted 33 minutes longer than scheduled, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said.
In his closing comments, Moon was quoted as saying, "What's still important in quarantine is the early finding" of a patient, which is connected with fatality.
"In case of early discovery, treatment is easy but the fatality rate goes up if infection progresses due to belated discovery," he added, asking the people, government, quarantine authorities and civilian medical institutions to deal with the problem "with one mind."
President Moon Jae-in attends a weekly meeting with his senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
On Sunday, Moon announced the elevation of the state alert to the highest level of the four-tier system -- "red."
The education ministry has postponed the opening of the spring semester for all of the nation's kindergartens and schools by a week to March 9.
Critics argue the Moon administration is to partly blame for the recent proliferation of the virus, citing its "belated" quarantine steps in general.
They are calling for an across-the-board entry ban on people coming from China, the origin of COVID-19. Moon made no mention of the sensitive issue in his opening remarks during the latest Cheong Wa Dae meeting.
Of concern is the impact on South Korea's traditional relations with the neighboring country -- its top trade partner -- and potential effects on other countries reportedly mulling over a similar entry ban for South Korean nationals amid fears of the deadly virus.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(3rd LD) Airlines to suspend flights to Daegu over virus fears

The national flag carrier , which began to halt or reduce flights on international routes early this month due to @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 disease on its business , said the two routes will be suspended until March @ @

(ATTN: ADDS details and background in paras 3-4, 7-8, 15, 18, 20-22; ADDS bottom photo)
By Kim Kwang-tae
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean airlines have suspended or plan to halt flights to the country's southeastern city of Daegu, where hundreds of new coronavirus infections have been reported over the weekend.
Korean Air Lines Co., the country's biggest full-service carrier, canceled its flights to Daegu from the southern resort island of Jeju and Incheon, South Korea's main gateway, on Sunday.
The national flag carrier, which began to halt or reduce flights on international routes early this month due to a growing impact of the COVID-19 disease on its business, said the two routes will be suspended until March 28.
The move came as Daegu -- South Korea's fourth-largest city, with a population of around 2.5 million -- has emerged as a hotbed of coronavirus outbreaks in recent days.
Streets in downtown Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, are nearly empty on Feb. 23, 2020, as residents avoid going outside amid the spread of the new coronavirus in the city. (Yonhap)
Of the 833 people infected with the deadly respiratory illness so far here, 681 are in Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province.
Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-biggest airline, said it will suspend the Daegu-Jeju route -- its only domestic route connected to Daegu -- from Tuesday through March 9.
Asiana also started to halt or reduce some flights on its mid and long-haul routes as people increasingly opt not to travel abroad amid the fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak.
Most flights to and from China have been suspended since early this month.
Air Busan Co., a budget carrier unit of Asiana, said it halted its Daegu-Jeju and Daegu-Taipei routes last week. It also plans to remove its office in Daegu in coming weeks.
Also Monday, Air Busan said its employees will voluntarily take unpaid leave as air travel demand has plummeted due to the spreading coronavirus outbreak.
Air Busan said many of its 1,400 employees are set to choose from three options -- working four days a week, or taking 15 days or 30 days of unpaid leave -- beginning March.
Air Busan has also said it will cut wages of its executives and heads of departments by up to 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
The Busan-based carrier said it will suspend nine Chinese and 19 Southeast Asian routes in March due to a sharp decline in air travel demand over the coronavirus outbreak.
Last week, all of Asiana Airlines' 10,500 employees began to take turns going on 10 days of unpaid leave as part of the cost-cutting measure.
In the latest blow to its operations, Korean Air halted operation of its Incheon-Tel Aviv route on Monday. The suspension will remain in effect until March 28.
The move came two days after Israel barred nearly 180 foreigners, including 130 Koreans, aboard a Korean Air flight from entering the country without any prior notice after they landed in Tel Aviv. They returned to Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Sunday.
Nearly 30 South Koreans who recently made a group pilgrimage to Israel have been found to be infected with coronavirus.
Full-service carriers are not alone, as things are taking a turn for the worse on the low-cost carrier front.
Jeju Air Co., the country's biggest low-cost carrier, said it will suspend its Daegu-Jeju route -- its only domestic route linked to Daegu -- from Monday through Feb. 29.
Taxis wait for passengers getting off flights at Gimpo International Airport in southwestern Seoul on Feb. 20, 2020, as concerns of novel coronavirus cause a sharp drop in air traffic. (Yonhap)
To help airlines weather the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, the government said last week it will extend loans worth a total of 300 billion won (US$250 million) to airlines, mostly low-cost ones, through the state-run Korea Development Bank and allow them to delay payment of airport usage fees.
The government also plans to take administrative measures to not only allow airlines to change their business plans and set up alternative routes to offset lower demand on Chinese routes but also to allow them to operate irregular flight schedules depending on market demand.
South Korea has two full-service carriers -- Korean Air and Asiana Airlines -- and seven low-cost carriers -- Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan Co., Air Seoul Inc., Eastar Jet, T'way and Fly Gangwon.
entropy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(3rd LD) Coronavirus disrupts S. Korean parliament, judiciary, gov't operations

The unification ministry cancelled a tour program of the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone ( DMZ ) @ @ @ @ @ to hold the pilot event for new ways of Panmunjom tour from Wednesday to Friday @ @ @ @ @ displaced from their homes in North Korea , and separate families divided across the border @ @ @ @ @ event will be delayed due to the coronavirus .

(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 2-3, 9, 19-23; ADD two photos)
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's legislative, judiciary, and administrative branches on Monday scrambled to ward off the spread of new coronavirus which forced state institutions to suspend and cut back their operations and events.
The National Assembly called off its plenary session and temporarily closed its main buildings, possibly for the first time, after it was discovered that a person infected with the coronavirus attended a parliamentary forum last week.
Judicial authorities called for the unprecedented postponement of non-urgent trials. Government ministries canceled and reduced the number of meetings, trips and press events and tightened entry procedures at state offices.
The country confirmed 231 new cases of the new coronavirus on Monday, raising the total number to 833. Two more deaths from the virus were reported, bringing the nation's fatalities to 8.
The main building of the National Assembly in Seoul is shut down as a precaution against the coronavirus on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the opposition United Future Party (UFP) agreed to cancel a parliamentary plenary session scheduled for Monday afternoon after it became known that UFP floor leader Shim Jae-chul had come into contact with a patient and was to take a test for COVID-19.
The National Assembly was scheduled to convene an interpellation session with Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun and other Cabinet members over political and national security issues.
On Saturday, Ha Yun-su, president of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, was quarantined at a Seoul hospital after being confirmed to have gotten infected through contact with his wife.
Ha attended a forum at the National Assembly last Wednesday. Shim and two other UFP lawmakers who participated in the conference were tested Monday, party officials said.
Late Monday, health workers began to sterilize the National Assembly's two main buildings, which will be closed until Wednesday morning. Assembly officials said it may be the first time for the buildings to be shut down for emergencies.
UFP chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn suspended his planned meetings with small business owners and merchants in Jongno, central Seoul, where he will run in the April 15 parliamentary elections. He sat by Shim during a daily party meeting early Monday.
The Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee delayed its sessions scheduled for early this week after one of aides to the committee's chairman was known to have contacted a confirmed patient. The aide tested negative, the chairman's office said.
A thermal imaging camera checks temperatures at a government building in the central city of Sejong on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
In the judiciary, Cho Jae-youn, chief of the National Court Administration (NCA), called on courts across the country delay or reschedule trials except urgent ones involving arrests, injunction and suspension of execution.
It is the first time that the judiciary administrative body under the Supreme Court recommended a measure close to an overall adjournment.
The request may affect ongoing abuse of power trials on former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and former Supreme Court chief Yang Seung-tae, though the decision is up to court justices.
The NCA is also considering cancelling a meeting of court chiefs from across the country slated for March 6. It also set up a virus crisis response taskforce which will hold its first meeting Tuesday.
The fast spreading of the novel virus is disrupting the operations of various government ministries.
The unification ministry cancelled a tour program of the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The ministry had planed to hold the pilot event for new ways of Panmunjom tour from Wednesday to Friday for Seoul-based diplomats, people displaced from their homes in North Korea, and separate families divided across the border. The ministry said the event will be delayed due to the coronavirus.
The ministry also postponed the opening ceremony for a center in Seoul aimed at promoting harmony between North Korean defectors and local residents. The event, scheduled for late March was delayed to until after April.
A health worker sterilizes the government building in central Seoul on Feb. 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
In line with the highest-level disease response alert placed on Sunday, ministries intensified monitoring of public servants and tightened entry procedures at government buildings, while restricting non-essential meetings and official trips.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety said a total of 44 thermal imaging cameras were installed at entrances to four central government complexes, where more than 30,000 people work, and seven major local government complexes across the country.
Some entrances without such devices were blocked. Sterilization will be conducted more frequently and some affiliated facilities, such as daycare centers and gyms, were closed.
The Ministry of Personnel Management directed government agencies to investigate whether their members have visited areas affected by the deadly virus domestically and abroad and take immediate measures if suspected cases are found.
The interior ministry decided not to hold regular media briefings this week and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries postponed press meetings over lunch and dinner.
The Cultural Heritage Administration announced plans to shut down some museums, memorial halls and other indoor facilities at royal palaces and tombs from Tuesday to March 8.
An official blocks an entrance of a National Assembly building in Seoul as a precaution against the coronavirus on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(3rd LD) S. Korean firms on full alert over fast-spreading coronavirus

`` It seems that the novel coronavirus is spreading quickly across the country , and if manufacturing sites are contaminated @ @ @ @ @ and supply disruptions , '' said an official at a local electronics firm .
`` @ @ @ @ @ with various quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus . ''

(ATTN: UPDATES paras 2, 7, 21-22, 24)
By Joo Kyung-don
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean companies said Monday they are on full alert to minimize any possible fallout from the novel coronavirus as the potentially fatal illness spreads quickly within the country.
South Korea on Sunday raised the virus alert level to "red," the highest in its four-tier system, following a spike in the number of coronavirus infections. The country so far has reported more than 830 confirmed cases, with more than 80 percent of them identified in the last four days.
As new cases soar, South Korea revised its public health guidance, ordering people with fever or respiratory symptoms to stop going to schools and companies and refrain from going outside.
Most cases occurred in the southeastern city of Daegu and surrounding North Gyeongsang Province.
Some local firms already reported that they had to temporarily shut down their manufacturing facilities there.
Samsung Electronics Co. said it had to temporarily close its smartphone plant in Gumi, some 45 kilometers north of Daegu, after one of its employees there tested positive for the new coronavirus.
Samsung Electronics Co.'s service center in Seocho Ward, Seoul, is closed on Feb. 22, 2020, after one novel coronavirus patient visited the center. (Yonhap)
The company shut down the plant over the weekend to complete disinfection work and reopened the manufacturing site on Monday afternoon. It instructed employees who made contact with the virus patient to put themselves in self-quarantine for two weeks.
GS Caltex Corp., the country's No. 2 refiner, also had to temporarily shut down its research center in Daejeon over the weekend after one of its employees there was found to have had contact with a new coronavirus patient in Daegu.
The employee later tested negative for COVID-19, but the company had to disinfect its facilities.
LG Electronics Inc. said it decided to close a research office building in Incheon on Monday after a member of an employee's family was confirmed as a new coronavirus patient.
SK hynix Inc., South Korea's second-largest chipmaker, last week instructed some 800 workers at its Icheon campus, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, to enter self-quarantine after a new recruit at the company was found to have had contact with a new coronavirus patient.
The employee later tested negative, but the company kept the quarantine measure for the workers.
"It seems that the novel coronavirus is spreading quickly across the country, and if manufacturing sites are contaminated, there will be production and supply disruptions," said an official at a local electronics firm. "We are doing our best with various quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus."
Automakers have been already dealing with production disruption at its domestic plants due to a shortage of wiring harnesses, a key auto component, made in China.
According to Kia Motors Corp., its plant in Gwangju, some 300 kilometers southwest of Seoul, suffered a production disruption of 10,000 vehicles since Feb. 4. before restarting its manufacturing lines Monday.
Thermal cameras are installed at GS Home Shopping Inc.'s office building in Seoul in this file photo taken Feb. 6, 2020. (Yonhap)
To protect their employees and manufacturing bases from the virus, LG Group affiliates, including LG Electronics and LG Display Co., said they have temporarily blocked those who live in Daegu and Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, from entering their plants.
LG companies also asked all employees to limit domestic business travel, especially to Daegu and North Gyeongsang. Employees who had already visited those areas have been ordered to work at home, according to LG.
LG Display said it has instructed employees to install a self-diagnosis application on their smartphones. The app asks about their health status and indicates whether they have had contact with suspected or confirmed coronavirus patients.
Samsung Electronics said it has temporarily halted shuttle bus operations between its Gumi and Suwon plants, while ordering its employees to minimize person-to-person meetings.
All Samsung workers who are either pregnant or have a pregnant wife were also ordered to work at home at least until March 1.
SK Group, South Korea's third-largest conglomerate, said six of its affiliates -- including SK Innovation Co. and SK Telecom Co. -- have allowed their employees to work from home for the next few weeks, although the exact period and scale of the remote-work system can differ from company to company.
To minimize contact with people on rush hour commutes, SK Innovation and SK Telecom on Monday advised their office workers to come to work by 10 a.m.
Some SK companies that have a shared-desk system in their workplaces also decided to halt the system for the time being to minimize their workers moving from seat to seat.
SK hynix said it gave special two-week leave to 300 workers who are either pregnant or have a pregnant wife, which allows them to rest until March 8.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), a business lobby group in South Korea, said it has recommended its 180,000 member companies use a work-at-home system and video conferences in their business operations.
kdon@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(3rd LD) 15 countries tighten travel restrictions on S. Korea as new coronavirus cases spike

South Korea has seen the number of confirmed coronavirus cases spike sharply from 30 on Feb. 17 to 763 cases @ @ @ @ @ Monday morning .
Of the total , more than 60 percent of the patients were @ @ @ @ @ a church in the country 's southeastern city of Daegu .

(ATTN: ADDS Vietnam's quarantine of S. Korean passengers in last 3 paras)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- At least half a dozen countries have banned the entry of visitors travelling from South Korea, with nine others tightening travel restrictions for the Asian nation, after Seoul reported a sudden spike in new coronavirus infections last week.
South Korea has seen the number of confirmed coronavirus cases spike sharply from 30 on Feb. 17 to 763 cases and seven deaths as of Monday morning. Of the total, more than 60 percent of the patients were found to be members of a church in the country's southeastern city of Daegu.
Israel was one of the first to ban visitors from South Korea from entering the country. Five other countries -- Bahrain, Jordan, Kiribati, Samoa and American Samoa -- have also slapped an entry ban on those from South Korea.
Israel said it will bar South Koreans and travelers who have been in the country in the past two weeks from entering its territory starting Monday. But even before the announcement, Israel forced back a Korean Air flight carrying some 180 passengers, including 130 Koreans, when it landed in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
Israel cited increased concern following reports that some South Koreans who made a group pilgrimage to Israel were later confirmed to have contracted the virus.
South Korea has voiced regret over the decision.
Israel has also imposed entry bans on those with a record of visits to Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand and Singapore.
Travelers line up in a queue at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport on Feb. 2, 2020. (Yonhap)
Bahrain has also barred South Koreans and those who have been in countries exposed to the virus in the past 14 days from entering the country. South Korean nationals with residential permits are still allowed entry, but they need to undergo tougher quarantine checks.
Samoa requires entrants from South Korea, China, Japan and Singapore to submit documentation showing they went through a self-quarantine for at least two weeks. American Samoa has taken a similar measure, requiring visitors from those countries to be quarantined in Hawaii for 14 days.
Brunei, Britain, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Uganda have tightened monitoring of travelers from Korea and other virus-hit countries, and they require entrants to voluntarily notify health authorities if they show any symptoms. Travelers entering Oman from South Korea, China, Iran and Singapore must be put under isolation for 14 days.
Macao has classified Korea as a high-risk country for the virus and been conducting separate quarantine checks on visitors from South Korea at a designated facility. Qatar also requires visitors from South Korea to be placed under self-quarantine or isolation at a facility for 14 days.
Mauritius, an island nation off Africa's east coast, has yet to officially announce an entry ban on South Koreans. But on Sunday it suspended the entry of 34 Korean tourists -- some with signs of cold -- and transported them to a hospital for diagnosis, a foreign ministry official said.
The country is expected to make a final decision over entry restrictions after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, the official said.
"Our government lodged a protest over Mauritius's move to suspend the entry of Koreans without prior consultations, expressed regrets and urged a prompt resolution of the issue," the official said.
The tightened measures come after the United States on Saturday raised its travel advisory for South Korea by one notch to Level 2, which calls for exercising "increased caution" from "normal precautions." Taiwan has also raised its travel alert for Korea.
Britain and Singapore have advised their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to South Korea's Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the regions responsible for the latest surge in virus infections.
Meanwhile, the government of the Vietnamese province of Da Nang put all passengers, including 20 South Koreans, who arrived from Daegu on a flight operated by a Vietnamese low-cost carrier, into temporary quarantine at a local hospital, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is a city of some 2.5 million people and has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in recent days.
The ministry strongly protested the move as it was made without any prior consultations with the Seoul government, while asking for cooperation to avoid any excessive or unreasonable measures against its citizens.
The Vietnamese government sought understanding from the Korean government, saying such a step was inevitable as part of an ongoing effort to cope with the fast-spreading coronavirus, the statement said.
elly@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(LEAD) USFK reports 1st coronavirus patient, among family of soldier

Accordingly , the U.S. military has limited all service members ' non-essential travel to , from and around Daegu , @ @ @ @ @ in the city , and closed several child-related facilities at its garrison in Daegu to @ @ @ @ @ infection among its population .

(ATTN: ADDS more details in paras 3-8, photo)
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) family member living in the southeastern city of Daegu has been confirmed to have the new coronavirus, USFK said Monday, marking the first case among a person related to the American military stationed here.
South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) informed USFK that the 61-year-old female had tested positive for COVID-19, USFK said in a release.
The patient is a U.S. national, an official said, adding that it was not immediately known how she became infected with the virus. Coronavirus cases have risen massively in Daegu in recent weeks.
"USFK has raised the risk level to 'high' for USFK peninsula-wide as a prudent measure to protect the force," the command said.
The patient visited Camp Walker's Post Exchange in Daegu on Feb. 12 and 15, so South Korean and the U.S. health professionals have been conducting contact tracing to determine whether any others may have been exposed, according to USFK.
"USFK encourages all personnel to continue to practice strict proper hygiene procedures as the best ways to prevent the spread of viruses and protect the USFK population," it noted.
South Korea has seen a sharp rise in the number of infections linked to a religious group in Daegu and a hospital in its adjacent county of Cheongdo since last week. As of 4 p.m. on Monday, a total of 833 cases had been confirmed in the country, including eight deaths.
Accordingly, the U.S. military has limited all service members' non-essential travel to, from and around Daegu, banned visits to several locations in the city, and closed several child-related facilities at its garrison in Daegu to mitigate the risk of coronavirus infection among its population.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(8th LD) S. Korea's virus cases soar to 833, containment of more outbreaks in Daegu in focus

Two clusters of infections -- at a branch of a religious sect in Daegu and the Cheongdo hospital -- have @ @ @ @ @ taking up about three-quarters of the total cases in the country .
About 60 percent @ @ @ @ @ linked to church services at the Daegu-based Shincheonji church and 15 percent to Daenam Hospital @ @ @

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details in paras 20, 24, 31)
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported another record daily spike in the number of new coronavirus cases on Monday, and two more deaths from COVID-19, with most new cases centered in the southeastern city of Daegu, where health authorities are shifting the focus of the anti-virus fight to containing its spread.
The 231 additional cases of the new coronavirus brought the total number of infections in South Korea to 833.
The two latest victims of the potentially fatal illness are tied to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, near Daegu. Six out of the eight deaths here are linked to the hospital where over 110 people were confirmed to have been infected.
Daegu, where 2.5 million people have been asked to stay indoors, saw its confirmed cases jump by 196 to 483 on Monday, despite efforts to stem the spread of the virus, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.
Two clusters of infections -- at a branch of a religious sect in Daegu and the Cheongdo hospital -- have continued to expand sharply, taking up about three-quarters of the total cases in the country. About 60 percent of the total cases are linked to church services at the Daegu-based Shincheonji church and 15 percent to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo.
A market in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is closed on Feb. 23, 2020, to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
Although health authorities voiced hope that the virus can be contained, experts said the virus may have spread more widely nationwide as cases with no clear links to China or confirmed cases continued to be discovered in Seoul and other regions.
The rapid rise of virus cases bodes ill for the Korean economy. Earlier in the day, President Moon Jae-in called for officials to start reviewing whether an extra budget is needed to cushion the impact of the virus on Asia's fourth-largest economy.
"The government should make special prescriptions for extraordinary economic situations," Moon emphasized, urging the government to make decisions and take special measures in a swift and aggressive manner with "no restriction on policy-related imagination."
Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kim Gang-lip told reporters, "If authorities fail to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu, there is a high possibility that COVID-19 could spread nationwide."
To beef up the first line of defense, authorities will swiftly find patients with mild symptoms and isolate them, Kim said.
Health authorities will check about 28,000 people in Daegu who show flu symptoms over the past two weeks, officials said.
"This is a stage where nationwide spread is very worrisome when local transmission (in Daegu) expands," the vice minister said.
With health authorities preemptively isolating potential patients with mild symptoms, Kim said authorities will try to "stabilize the situation within four weeks."
Despite an alarming surge in confirmed cases in recent days, the government has no plan to expand entry bans on foreign nationals from China's other provinces, officials said.
Currently, South Korea bans foreign nationals entering the country from China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus outbreak.
A petition calling for President Moon to expand entry bans to China's other provinces has exceeded 700,000.
KCDC Director General Jeong Eun-Kyeong told reporters that two more virus patients are in critical condition and another 14 patients have been receiving oxygen treatment.
The virus has infected a 16-month-old baby and a four-year-old child, but they are in stable condition, Jeong said.
The government revised its public health guidance, ordering people with fever or respiratory symptoms to stop going to schools and companies and refrain from going outside, she said.
KCDC Director General Jeong Eun-Kyeong speaks at a press conference on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
With cases of untraceable virus rising, health authorities also changed their strategy to swiftly find those who came in contact with confirmed carriers, instead of trying to find those who triggered infections, the director general said.
As the virus can spread via people who have mild or few symptoms, it is difficult for authorities to identify a link between existing and new cases, she said.
On Sunday, South Korea raised its virus alert to the highest, or "red," level -- the first time it has done so since the 2009 outbreak of H1N1 swine flu.
The top alert level allows authorities to order the temporary shutdown of schools and cut flights to and from South Korea.
The education ministry has instructed all kindergartens and schools to delay the beginning of the spring semester by one week to March 9 in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading more widely, after the first case was reported on Jan. 20.
Of the 231 new cases confirmed on Monday, 205 are in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province. Another four were reported in Seoul, the KCDC said in a statement.
Authorities said they have acquired a list of members from the Daegu-based Shincheonji church and are closely monitoring them.
The KCDC earlier said it has placed more than 9,334 Shincheonji members in self-quarantine. Of them, 1,248 have shown COVID-19-related symptoms.
On Monday, Busan and Gwangju reported 14 more cases and one more case, respectively. Seoul's neighboring Gyeonggi Province reported 12 more cases, the KCDC said. Daejeon and Ulsan also reported one case each.
South Korea confirmed its first new coronavirus case from a Chinese woman from the Chinese central city of Wuhan at the epicenter of the virus outbreak on Jan. 20.
South Korea released four more novel coronavirus patients Monday after they were declared virus-free, bringing the total number of fully recovered patients here to 22, the KCDC said.
The number of people being checked for the virus and under quarantine came to 11,631, it added. The country had tested a total of 31,923 suspected cases as of 4 p.m. Monday, with 20,292 testing negative.
Ambulances are mobilized in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 23, 2020, to carry patients infected with the novel coronavirus. (Yonhap)
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--USFK reports 1st coronavirus patient, among family of soldier

SEOUL , Feb. 24 ( Yonhap ) -- A family member of a U.S. soldier stationed in the southeastern city @ @ @ @ @ to have the new coronavirus , U.S .
Forces Korea ( USFK ) said Monday @ @ @ @ @ among a person related to USFK .

SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- A family member of a U.S. soldier stationed in the southeastern city of Daegu has been confirmed to have the new coronavirus, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday, marking the first case among a person related to USFK.
South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) informed USFK that the 61-year-old female had tested positive for COVID-19, USFK said in a release.
Her nationality was not immediately disclosed.
Accordingly, the U.S. military raised the risk level to "high" from "moderate," it added.
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(LEAD) S. Koreans rely on digital maps to track spreading virus

It uses different colors -- green , yellow and red -- to show the risks of visiting those venues .
@ @ @ @ @ a patient visited the place less than 24 hours ago , while a yellow circle @ @ @ @ @ up to eight days or more than nine days have passed , respectively .

(ATTN: UPDATES figures; ADDS details throughout)
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- Digital maps are helping South Koreans keep track of COVID-19 amid a deluge of information on the contagious virus as the number of patients are increasing by the hundreds.
South Korea's infections remained relatively stable until mid-February. The total number of patients hovered around 30 and even remained unchanged for several days.
But the situation took a nasty twist after a church in the southeastern city of Daegu emerged as a hotbed of the virus. In the past week, the number of patients swelled explosively, bringing the total to 833.
As patients were confirmed in different corners of the country, including 29 in the country's capital, keeping track of the latest information has become more important than ever.
Some digital tools are helping people locate patients near their houses or workplaces and stay updated on the latest news.
Coronamap Live (https://coronamap.live/), provided in Korean, English and Chinese, is one of them.
The interactive map shows the patients' information, including their residence, nationality and gender. It also shows where they are hospitalized and how many people they have contacted.
As demand for the interactive map became high, developer Ryan Hong also set up a separate newsfeed called Corona Live (https://corona-live.com/), which curates the latest headlines and links them to news sites.
A screenshot of Coronamap Live taken on Feb. 24, 2020, shows an interactive map with information on coronavirus patients and places they have visited. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
A screenshot of Corona Live taken on Feb. 24, 2020, shows a newsfeed with the latest news on COVID-19. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Some other digital tools that track the coronavirus outbreak are Corona Map (https://coronamap.site/) and Corona Nearby (https://corona-nearby.com/).
Corona Map shows places that patients have visited and how many people they have affected.
It uses different colors -- green, yellow and red -- to show the risks of visiting those venues. A red circle means that a patient visited the place less than 24 hours ago, while a yellow circle and green circle mean that up to eight days or more than nine days have passed, respectively.
A screenshot of Corona Map taken on Feb. 24, 2020 (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Corona Nearby allows users to enter their location and see affected venues in the vicinity. By shifting mode, users can also see the information of hospitals and health centers that potential patients can visit.
A real-time board that curates a variety of information related to the new coronavirus is also trending. The site uses the domain Wuhanvirus.kr, referring to the central Chinese city where the virus first emerged.
Using government and academic data from South Korea, China and the United States, as well as the World Health Organization, the site displays suspected and confirmed cases locally and globally.
Also included on the website are information of the confirmed patients as well as the latest news and YouTube videos on the outbreak. It also compares figures from the new coronavirus outbreak to other contagious diseases, such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
A screenshot taken on Feb. 24, 2020, shows an online board that curates a variety of information on the new coronavirus. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
For Seoul residents, the city runs an online board (http://www.seoul.go.kr/coronaV/coronaStatus.do?tab=1) that compiles information ranging from the places patients have visited in the capital and real-time updates on Shincheonji church facilities that have been disinfected.
It also shows locations of what the city calls "clean zones," or facilities in Seoul that have been disinfected by health officials.
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(LEAD) S. Korean tourists to return home from Israel on chartered flights

`` The Israeli government is weighing the option of arranging chartered flights under the condition that it will shoulder all @ @ @ @ @ early return of South Korean tourists who have had difficulties returning home following their trips @ @ @ @ @ foreign ministry official in Seoul said .

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout)
By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- Hundreds of South Korean tourists will head home from Israel aboard chartered aircraft on Monday, Seoul officials said, after they were stranded following the Middle East country's abrupt entry ban on Koreans for concerns about the new coronavirus.
The South Korean Embassy in Israel informed the tourists that the Israeli government, in consultation with Seoul, prepared chartered flights for their return home, and asked them to gather at Ben Gurion Airport at 11 a.m (local time).
About 500 South Koreans are expected to board two chartered flights, according to an informed source.
The tourists have been stranded in the country after the Israeli authorities barred nearly 180 foreigners, including 130 Koreans, aboard a Korean Air flight from entering the country without any prior notice on Saturday. The travel restriction has led to the suspension of flights from Korea.
Earlier in the day, Seoul officials said that Korea and Israel were in talks over the plan to airlift the South Koreans with Israel considering covering the cost of the chartered aircraft.
"The Israeli government is weighing the option of arranging chartered flights under the condition that it will shoulder all the costs to support the early return of South Korean tourists who have had difficulties returning home following their trips to Israel," a foreign ministry official in Seoul said.
An Israeli media outlet, Ynet, has reported that South Korean nationals will be airlifted out of Israel from Monday at the expense of the Israeli government.
Israeli and South Korean airliners will participate in the airlift that will transport the South Koreans stranded in Israel on direct flights to Seoul, it added.
The entry ban comes as the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea has risen to 833. eight patients have died.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(LEAD) Seoul revs up as coronavirus toll spikes

`` Since we do n't know when or where something might happen ... we have to remain vigilant and act @ @ @ @ @ Seoul is penetrated , ( the whole of ) South Korea is penetrated , '' @ @ @ @ @ in a press briefing .

(ATTN: ADDS details; UPDATES figures throughout)
By Lee Minji
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- The Seoul city authorities on Monday announced follow-up measures to counter the new coronavirus, a day after the national government heightened the country's disease alert to the highest level.
"Since we don't know when or where something might happen ... we have to remain vigilant and act preemptively, thinking that if Seoul is penetrated, (the whole of) South Korea is penetrated," Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a press briefing.
Park's remarks came a day after the central government raised its disease alert one notch to the highest level as hundreds were confirmed to have been infected, with a majority of the infections traced to a church in the country's southeastern city of Daegu.
South Korea reported 231 more cases of the COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total to 833. A total of 29 cases are in the country's capital.
As part of measures to fight the coronavirus, the city government has banned protests in plazas in the city center, citing the need to protect public health, especially among elderly citizens who are the key participants of the rallies.
It has also clamped down on Seoul branches of the Shincheonji church. So far, 163 church facilities in the capital have been closed down and disinfected, according to the city.
In Monday's press briefing, Park reaffirmed the city's stance against the city rallies that are led by conservative pastor Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon.
The city government accused Jun and other officials of breaching laws on contagious disease prevention and management.
Those who breach the law can face fines of up to 3 million won (US$2,464).
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon prepares to speak at a press briefing at Seoul City Hall on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
The city announced additional measures to counter the virus, with the next seven or 10 days "the most crucial juncture" in fighting COVID-19, according to Health Minister Park Neung-hoo.
To help the public stay informed, the city said it will hold briefings twice a day and step up cooperation with relevant private and public-sector groups.
To better trace and block the further spread of the virus, the city's health centers in 25 wards will only focus on checking and inspecting potential patients, with the inspection centers running 24 hours a day.
As child patients have been confirmed in the past few days, two public hospitals in Seoul will run children-only inspection centers, the city said.
The city plans to expand the closure of public facilities across the city. More than 5,700 pre-schools will be suspended for two weeks until March 9.
The move also includes temporary closures at 58 cultural facilities, including Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the city library and the Seoul Museum of History.
Also among the measures are temporarily lifting the ban on plastic cups at coffee shops and restaurants.
The government has cracked down on the use of plastic cups and dishes since August 2018 as part of its zero-plastic scheme.
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(URGENT) U.S. Forces Korea reports 1st coronavirus patient, among family of soldier

(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--2020-02-24--(4th LD) Mass virus infections at hospital herald more deaths

At least one of the patients from the hospital 's closed ward was said to have been taken to a @ @ @ @ @ and treatment for such symptoms but was returned to the Cheongdo hospital a day before @ @ @ @ @ with the novel virus .

(ATTN: UPDATES with the latest virus death in paras 2-5)
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported its two more coronavirus-related deaths Monday, with six of the eight victims so far linked to a hospital in southeastern county of Cheongdo.
The latest death is of a 67-year-old man who tested positive for the virus on Thursday at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.
The man, the country's 107th confirmed case, was one of the 14 patients in serious condition, and had been moved to Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu for treatment when he died, the public health agency said.
It said doctors are working to determine the exact cause of death.
Earlier in the day the KCDC said a 62-year-old man, also linked to the hospital in Daenam, died.
The country has reported 833 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, and over 110 people, including nine medical staff, have been confirmed to be infected at the Cheongdo hospital.
Medical workers prepare to transport a COVID-19 patient from Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, which has so far reported the infections of 112 patients and medical workers, on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
The hospital began to see infection cases only last week, nearly a month after South Korea reported its first confirmed case on Jan. 20.
However, reports suggest many of the patients at the hospital began to show symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever and coughing, as early as Feb. 15.
At least one of the patients from the hospital's closed ward was said to have been taken to a different hospital for additional tests and treatment for such symptoms but was returned to the Cheongdo hospital a day before he or she was diagnosed with the novel virus.
All infected patients at the Cheongdo hospital came from a closed ward, while the total number of 112 includes nine medical staff also from that ward.
The hospital was belatedly placed under cohort isolation Saturday.
The government raised its virus alert status to the highest, or "red," level on Sunday, advising the people to stay inside and avoid crowds.
Meanwhile, the health ministry on Monday said it will set up safe or risk-free hospitals where respiratory patients will be completely blocked from facilities for people with other illnesses or medical needs.
Also, those with respiratory symptoms will be admitted to such hospitals only after they have tested negative for COVID-19, it said.
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--Hyundai Merchant to offer services on 3 new Asia-Middle East routes

Hyundai Merchant has been serving as a strategic partner for 2M Alliance operated by Maersk Line of Denmark and Mediterranean @ @ @ @ @ April 2017 , but their partnership is set to expire at the end of March @

SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., South Korea's biggest shipping company by sales, said Monday that its shipping alliance will provide services on three new routes from Asia to the Middle East from April.
The three routes will connect Chinese, South Korean and other Asian ports to Middle Eastern ports, such as Jebel Ali, Dammam and Hamad, the company said in a statement.
The new routes will raise to 33 the total number of shipping routes operated by THE Alliance.
This photo, provided by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., on Jan. 12, 2020, shows a container ship to be operated by Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
"THE Alliance will introduce three newly organized express loops from early April and these services will provide higher frequency, direct and expanded coverage, and the fastest connection from the respective regions," THE Alliance said in a statement.
In April, Hyundai Merchant is set to join of THE Alliance, one of the world's top three shipping alliances along with 2M Alliance and Ocean Alliance.
THE Alliance was formed in April 2017 by Hapag-Lloyd AG of Germany, Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. of Japan and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. of Taiwan.
Hyundai Merchant has been serving as a strategic partner for 2M Alliance operated by Maersk Line of Denmark and Mediterranean Shipping Co. of Switzerland since April 2017, but their partnership is set to expire at the end of March.
entropy@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(3rd LD) Moon suggests extra budget in dual fight against virus, economic impact

(ATTN: UPDATES with Moon's closing comments in paras 13-15)
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in suggested Monday that his government consider an emergency supplementary budget plan to support its "dual" fight against the novel coronavirus and its economic impact.
"We should mobilize all national capabilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19," he stressed, speaking at the outset of his weekly meeting with his senior Cheong Wa Dae aides amid a sharp rise in the number of patients here. He invited 10 South Korean experts on infectious diseases to the session, including Peck Kyong-ran, head of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases.
He called for a "bold injection" of government funds to help revive local economies hit by COVID-19 cases, especially Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and nearby areas, where hundreds of people infected with the virus have been reported over the past few days.
President Moon Jae-in (back, 2nd from R) speaks at his weekly Cheong Wa Dae meeting in Seoul with senior aides on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
Moon instructed the government to consider the allocation of an early supplementary budget "if necessary" and to quickly spend money from the existing reserve funds, worth 3.4 trillion won (US$2.8 billion).
He pointed out that timing is crucial for such a policy step to minimize the damage to businesses, boost domestic consumption and revitalize troubled local economies. It's unusual for a South Korean government to seek an extra budget in the first half of a year.
Moon's economy team is widely expected to seek a "super extra budget" bill that would be worth over 10 trillion won.
While South Korea was suffering the economic effects of the MERS outbreak in 2015, the National Assembly approved an 11.6-trillion-won budget bill. During the 2003 SARS pandemic, 7.5 trillion won of extra funds was earmarked.
Moon also appealed to the people to have trust in his government's quarantine measures and join "pan-national" forces in efforts to ride out the crisis.
He said the anti-virus system of his administration and local governments is in full swing.
"I would like to ask the people to have confidence in our quarantine capabilities and medical system and to join forces in overcoming the current difficulty," he added.
The president also assured the public that the government is in an emergency mode in the face of the "dual" challenges of quarantining people and dealing with the economic fallout. He stated again that South Korea is in an "emergency economic situation" due to the virus outbreak.
"The government should make special prescriptions for extraordinary economic situations," Moon emphasized, urging the government to make decisions and take special measures in a swift and aggressive manner with "no restriction on policy-related imagination."
Moon held "serious dialogue" with the experts, meanwhile, listening to their opinions in the session that lasted 33 minutes longer than scheduled, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said.
In his closing comments, Moon was quoted as saying, "What's still important in quarantine is the early finding" of a patient, which is connected with fatality.
"In case of early discovery, treatment is easy but the fatality rate goes up if infection progresses due to belated discovery," he added, asking the people, government, quarantine authorities and civilian medical institutions to deal with the problem "with one mind."
President Moon Jae-in attends a weekly meeting with his senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
On Sunday, Moon announced the elevation of the state alert to the highest level of the four-tier system -- "red."
The education ministry has postponed the opening of the spring semester for all of the nation's kindergartens and schools by a week to March 9.
Critics argue the Moon administration is to partly blame for the recent proliferation of the virus, citing its "belated" quarantine steps in general.
They are calling for an across-the-board entry ban on people coming from China, the origin of COVID-19. Moon made no mention of the sensitive issue in his opening remarks during the latest Cheong Wa Dae meeting.
Of concern is the impact on South Korea's traditional relations with the neighboring country -- its top trade partner -- and potential effects on other countries reportedly mulling over a similar entry ban for South Korean nationals amid fears of the deadly virus.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--S. Korea, Israel in talks to arrange chartered flights to airlift Korean tourists home

By Song Sang-ho
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is in talks with Israel to arrange chartered flights to bring home its nationals stranded after the Middle East nation abruptly implemented an entry ban on Koreans last week due to concerns about the new coronavirus, Seoul officials said Monday.
The two governments have held consultations over the plan to airlift hundreds of South Koreans in the country with Israel considering covering the cost of operating the chartered aircraft, the officials said.
"The Israeli government is weighing the option of arranging chartered flights under the condition that it will shoulder all the costs to support the early return of South Korean tourists who have had difficulties returning home following their trips to Israel," a foreign ministry official in Seoul said.
"The Korean government plans to look at details, including the schedule of the chartered flights through close communication with the Israeli government, and will discuss with Israel the issue of preventing any excessive or unreasonable measures against Korean tourists," the official added.
An Israeli media outlet, Ynet, has reported that South Korean nationals will be airlifted out of Israel from Monday at the expense of the Israeli government.
Israeli and South Korean airliners will participate in the airlift that will transport the South Koreans stranded in Israel on direct flights to Seoul, it added.
The entry ban comes as the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Korea has risen to 833. Seven patients have died.
On Saturday, Israel barred nearly 180 foreigners, including 130 Koreans, aboard a Korean Air flight from entering the country without any prior notice after they landed in Tel Aviv. They returned to Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Sunday.
An estimated 1,000 South Korean tourists are currently stranded in Israel while in search of flights back home, with many others having decided to take flights to other countries such as Thailand to leave Israel.
sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(2nd LD) Coronavirus disrupts S. Korean parliament, judiciary, gov't operations

The unification ministry cancelled a tour program of the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone ( DMZ ) @ @ @ @ @ to hold the pilot event for new ways of Panmunjom tour from Wednesday to Friday @ @ @ @ @ who hailed from North Korea , and separate families divided across the border .
The @ @ @ @ @ be delayed due to the coronavirus .

(ATTN: UDPATES with new info throughout)
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's legislative, judiciary, and administrative branches on Monday scrambled to ward off the spread of new coronavirus which forced state institutions to suspend and cut back their operations and events.
The National Assembly called off its plenary session and temporarily closed its buildings after it was learned that a coronavirus patient attended a parliamentary forum last week.
The judiciary authorities called for the unprecedented postponement of trials that are not urgent. Government ministries tightened checks on entrances and canceled and reduced meetings, business trips, ceremonies and press events.
The country confirmed 231 new cases of the new coronavirus on Monday, raising the total number to 833. Two more deaths from the virus were reported, bringing the nation's fatalities to 8.
An official blocks an entrance of a National Assembly building in Seoul as a precaution against the coronavirus on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the opposition United Future Party (UFP) agreed to cancel the plenary session scheduled for Monday afternoon after it became known that UFP floor leader Shim Jae-chul had come into contact with a patient and was to take a test for COVID-19.
The National Assembly was scheduled to convene an interpellation session with Prime Minister Chung Se-kyun and other Cabinet members over political and national security issues.
On Saturday, Ha Yun-su, president of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, was quarantined at a Seoul hospital after being confirmed to have gotten infected through contact with his wife.
Ha attended a forum at the National Assembly last Wednesday. Shim and two other UFP lawmakers who participated in the conference were tested Monday, party officials said.
Late Monday, health workers began to sterilize the National Assembly's two main buildings, which will be closed until Wednesday morning.
The National Assembly closed some entrances to its buildings as a precaution against the virus. Almost all participants in the parliamentary events and party meetings wore protective masks.
UFP chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn suspended his planned meetings with small business owners and merchants in Jongno, central Seoul, where he will run in the April 15 parliamentary elections. He sat by Shim during a daily party meeting early Monday.
The Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee delayed its sessions scheduled for early this week after one of aides to the committee's chairman was known to have contacted a confirmed patient. The aide tested negative, the chairman's office said.
A health worker sterilizes the government building in central Seoul on Feb. 20, 2020. (Yonhap)
In the judiciary, Cho Jae-youn, chief of the National Court Administration (NCA), called on courts across the country delay or reschedule trials except urgent ones involving arrests, injunction and suspension of execution.
It is the first time that the judiciary administrative body under the Supreme Court recommended a measure close to an overall adjournment.
The request may affect ongoing abuse of power trials on former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and former Supreme Court chief Yang Seung-tae, through the decision is up to court justices.
The NCA is also considering cancelling a meeting of court chiefs from across the country slated for March 6. It also set up a virus crisis response taskforce which will hold its first meeting Tuesday.
The fast spreading of the novel virus is also disrupting the operations of various ministries.
The unification ministry cancelled a tour program of the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The ministry had planed to hold the pilot event for new ways of Panmunjom tour from Wednesday to Friday for Seoul-based diplomats, people who hailed from North Korea, and separate families divided across the border. The ministry said the event will be delayed due to the coronavirus.
The ministry also postponed the opening ceremony for a center in Seoul aimed at promoting harmony between North Korean defectors and local residents. The event, scheduled for late March was delayed to until after April.
Other ministries cancelled events and intensified monitoring of public servants and tightened controls of entrants to government buildings, while restricting non-essential business trips.
The interior and safety ministry decided not to hold regular media briefings this week and the maritime affairs and fisheries ministry postponed press meetings over lunch and dinner.
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(3rd LD) Mass virus infections at hospital herald more deaths

(ATTN: UPDATES with the latest virus death in lead para)
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported its two more coronavirus-related deaths Monday, with six of the eight victims so far linked to a hospital in southeastern county of Cheongdo.
The country has reported 833 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, and over 110 people, including nine medical staff, have been confirmed to be infected at Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
Medical workers prepare to transport a COVID-19 patient from Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, which has so far reported the infections of 112 patients and medical workers, on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
The hospital began to see infection cases only last week, nearly a month after South Korea reported its first confirmed case on Jan. 20.
However, reports suggest many of the patients at the hospital began to show symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever and coughing, as early as Feb. 15.
At least one of the patients from the hospital's closed ward was said to have been taken to a different hospital for additional tests and treatment for such symptoms but was returned to the Cheongdo hospital a day before he or she was diagnosed with the novel virus.
All infected patients at the Cheongdo hospital came from a closed ward, while the total number of 112 includes nine medical staff also from that ward.
The hospital was belatedly placed under cohort isolation Saturday.
The government raised its virus alert status to the highest, or "red," level on Sunday, advising the people to stay inside and avoid crowds.
Meanwhile, the health ministry on Monday said it will set up safe or risk-free hospitals where respiratory patients will be completely blocked from facilities for people with other illnesses or medical needs.
Also, those with respiratory symptoms will be admitted to such hospitals only after they have tested negative for COVID-19, it said.
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(7th LD) S. Korea's virus cases soar to 833, containment of more outbreaks in Daegu in focus

The two latest victims of the potentially fatal illness are tied to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo , near Daegu , @ @ @ @ @ toll to eight .
Six out of the eight deaths here are linked to the @ @ @ @ @ were confirmed to have been infected .

(ATTN: CHANGES lead with 1 more death; ADDS more details in paras 2-3)
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported another record daily spike in the number of new coronavirus cases on Monday, and two more deaths from COVID-19, with most new cases centered in the southeastern city of Daegu, where health authorities are shifting the focus of the anti-virus fight to containing its spread.
The 231 additional cases of the new coronavirus brought the total number of infections in South Korea to 833.
The two latest victims of the potentially fatal illness are tied to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo, near Daegu, bringing the nation's death toll to eight. Six out of the eight deaths here are linked to the hospital where over 110 people were confirmed to have been infected.
Daegu, where 2.5 million people have been asked to stay indoors, saw its confirmed cases jump by 196 to 483 on Monday, despite efforts to stem the spread of the virus, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said in a statement.
Two clusters of infections -- at a branch of a religious sect in Daegu and the Cheongdo hospital -- have continued to expand sharply, taking up about three-quarters of the total cases in the country. About 60 percent of the total cases are linked to church services at the Daegu-based Shincheonji church and 15 percent to Daenam Hospital in Cheongdo.
A market in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is closed on Feb. 23, 2020, to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. (Yonhap)
Although health authorities voiced hope that the virus can be contained, experts said the virus may have spread more widely nationwide as cases with no clear links to China or confirmed cases continued to be discovered in Seoul and other regions.
The rapid rise of virus cases bodes ill for the Korean economy. Earlier in the day, President Moon Jae-in called for officials to start reviewing whether an extra budget is needed to cushion the impact of the virus on Asia's fourth-largest economy.
"The government should make special prescriptions for extraordinary economic situations," Moon emphasized, urging the government to make decisions and take special measures in a swift and aggressive manner with "no restriction on policy-related imagination."
Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kim Gang-lip told reporters, "If authorities fail to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu, there is a high possibility that COVID-19 could spread nationwide."
To beef up the first line of defense, authorities will swiftly find patients with mild symptoms and isolate them, Kim said.
Health authorities will check about 28,000 people in Daegu who show flu symptoms over the past two weeks, officials said.
"This is a stage where nationwide spread is very worrisome when local transmission (in Daegu) expands," Kim told reporters.
With health authorities preemptively isolating potential patients with mild symptoms, Kim said authorities will try to "stabilize the situation within four weeks."
Despite an alarming surge in confirmed cases in recent days, the government has no plan to expand entry bans on foreign nationals from China's other provinces, officials said.
Currently, South Korea bans foreign nationals entering the country from China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the virus outbreak.
A petition calling for President Moon to expand entry bans to China's other provinces has exceeded 700,000.
KCDC Director Jung Eun-Kyeong told reporters that two more virus patients are in critical condition and another 14 patients have been receiving oxygen treatment.
The virus has infected a 16-month-old baby and a four-year-old child, but they are in stable condition, Jung said.
The government revised its public health guidance, ordering people with fever or respiratory symptoms to stop going to schools and companies and refrain from going outside, Jung said.
KCDC Director Jung Eun-Kyeong speaks at a press conference on Feb. 24, 2020. (Yonhap)
With cases of untraceable virus rising, health authorities also changed their strategy to swiftly find those who came in contact with confirmed carriers, instead of trying to find those who triggered infections, Jung said.
As the virus can spread via people who have mild or few symptoms, it is difficult for authorities to identify a link between existing and new cases, Jung said.
On Sunday, South Korea raised its virus alert to the highest, or "red," level -- the first time it has done so since the 2009 outbreak of H1N1 swine flu.
The top alert level allows authorities to order the temporary shutdown of schools and cut flights to and from South Korea.
The education ministry has instructed all kindergartens and schools to delay their new semester by a week in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading more widely.
So far, seven people have died in South Korea from the new virus since its first outbreak in late January.
The KCDC did not elaborate on whether the seventh victim, the 286th infected patient, had an underlying illness. Of the seven deaths, five have been linked to the Cheongdo hospital.
Of the 231 new cases confirmed on Monday, 205 are in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and neighboring North Gyeongsang Province. Another four were reported in Seoul, the KCDC said in a statement.
Authorities said they have acquired a list of members from the Daegu-based Shincheonji church and are closely monitoring them.
The KCDC earlier said it has placed more than 9,334 Shincheonji members in self-quarantine. Of them, 1,248 have shown COVID-19-related symptoms.
On Monday, Busan and Gwangju reported 14 more cases and one more case, respectively. Seoul's neighboring Gyeonggi Province reported 12 more cases, the KCDC said. Daejeon and Ulsan also reported one case each.
South Korea confirmed its first new coronavirus case from a Chinese woman from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, on Jan. 20.
South Korea released four more novel coronavirus patients Monday after they were declared virus-free, bringing the total number of fully recovered patients here to 22, the KCDC said.
The number of people being checked for the virus and under quarantine came to 11,631, it added. The country has tested a total of 31,923 suspected cases, with 20,292 testing negative.
Ambulances are mobilized in Daegu, located some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 23, 2020, to carry patients infected with the novel coronavirus. (Yonhap)
kdh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-24--(3rd LD) 13 soldiers confirmed as coronavirus patients, 7,500 in quarantine

In the wake of a leap in the number of confirmed cases over the past several days with a cluster @ @ @ @ @ religious group in the southeastern city of Daegu and a hospital in its adjacent country @ @ @ @ @ checked all service personnel with a history of visiting the regions or having contact with @ @ @ @ @ currently isolating around 7,500 soldiers at their bases .

(ATTN: UPDATES 3rd para with latest info; ADDS more details, comments in paras 4, 8-9, 11-16)
By Oh Seok-min
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) -- Thirteen service members have been confirmed to have the new coronavirus as of late Monday, and around 7,500 others are quarantined as part of efforts to stop the virus from spreading further in barracks, the defense ministry said.
Ten COVID-19 cases in the Army and one each in the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps had been confirmed as of 4 p.m. Monday, up from a total of 11 cases tallied earlier in the day, according to the ministry.
The 13 military members were among South Korea's 833 cases of the new coronavirus as of late Monday that include eight deaths among civilian patients.
South Korea reported the first virus case among its service personnel on Friday, and the figure has since been on the rise.
In order to provide precise information and to minimize confusion, the ministry began disclosing official data on new coronavirus cases among soldiers twice a day – at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. -- on Monday.
Soldiers move to take trains at Seoul Station in Seoul on Feb. 21, 2020. Earlier in the day, the defense ministry said it will restrict all enlisted soldiers from vacationing, staying outside their bases and meeting visitors starting the following day. (Yonhap)
In the wake of a leap in the number of confirmed cases over the past several days with a cluster of infections linked to a religious group in the southeastern city of Daegu and a hospital in its adjacent country of Cheongdo, the authorities checked all service personnel with a history of visiting the regions or having contact with patients, and they are currently isolating around 7,500 soldiers at their bases.
"Of them, about 350 people either have shown symptoms or had direct contact with patients. But we have applied tougher quarantine standards as preventive steps," deputy ministry spokesperson Moon Hong-sik told a regular briefing.
The ministry has also come up with additional measures to contain the outbreak. All outdoor drills were halted across the country on Monday, and those carrying out off-installation drills were ordered to return to their bases immediately, according to the ministry.
In order to prevent the situation from affecting military readiness, it also issued operations-related instructions to all branches of service that call for extra measures to ensure vigilance among key personnel at ground posts in border areas, military command and control centers, and among those in charge of major maritime and air surveillance systems.
"Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo called for a drastic adjustment of activities at barracks and the flexible management of each unit in order to guarantee combat capabilities," the ministry said.
He also ordered officials to extend full support in terms of personnel and resources to help stabilize the situation in the Daegu area, the ministry added.
In stepped-up efforts against the virus, the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) on Monday suspended its examinations of potential conscripts to determine whether they are fit for mandatory military service for the next two weeks.
As for springtime combined exercises with the United States slated for March, the ministry said no changes have been made so far.
But Vice Defense Minister Park Jae-min said during a parliamentary session earlier in the day that "close consultation between South Korea and the U.S. (on the combined exercises) based upon prudent review and judgment" would be required in regards to the current COVID-19 situation.
Minister Jeong is in Washington for talks with his U.S. counterpart, Mark Esper, and the joint exercises are expected to be on the table.
Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo (3rd from R) presides over an emergency meeting on measures against the new coronavirus in Seoul on Feb. 20, 2020, in this photo provided by the defense ministry (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
graceoh@yna.co.kr
(END)


yna--2020-02-25--LG Chem to supply batteries to Lucid Motors

LG Chem said it has signed a deal to supply cylindrical batteries for the Lucid Air luxury sedan , which @ @ @ @ @ production in the second half of this year .

By Kim Kwang-tae
SEOUL, Feb. 25 (Yonhap) -- LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's largest chemicals company, said Tuesday it will supply batteries to American electric carmaker Lucid Motors by 2023.
LG Chem said it has signed a deal to supply cylindrical batteries for the Lucid Air luxury sedan, which will be launched for mass production in the second half of this year.
LG Chem did not provide any details on the value of the deal.
This photo, provided by LG Chem, shows a Lucid Air sedan. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
A Lucid Air sedan equipped with LG Chem batteries can travel 643 kilometers on a single charge, according to LG Chem.
California-based Lucid Motors, a Tesla rival founded in 2007, received a global spotlight as it attracted US$1 billion of investment from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund.
The latest deal could strengthen LG Chem's presence in the electric vehicle (EV) battery sector amid a global race to go electric and eco-friendly due to tightened regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, which scientists say are to blame for global warming.
This photo, provided by LG Chem, shows its cylindrical batteries (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Currently, LG Chem supplies electric vehicle (EV) batteries to 13 of the top 20 car brands, including German automaker Volkswagen, French carmaker Renault, American auto giant General Motors and South Korea's largest carmaker, Hyundai Motor.
LG Chem said its order backlog for EV batteries is currently valued at 150 trillion won (US$123 billion).
entropy@yna.co.kr
(END)