Category: Korea-General Topics

This is definitely not a good look for churches in South Korea:

Hundreds of South Korean Protestant churches pressed ahead with their worship services Sunday, defying the government’s repeated appeals to call off large gatherings and deepening fears of coronavirus cluster infections.

Most churches tried to comply with infection prevention guidelines, such as wearing masks and keeping a certain distance between worshipers, but raised the ire of quarantine officials focusing on a stepped-up social distancing campaign.

Amid the defiant religious services, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun warned of a “stern” legal action against any breach of the government’s quarantine guidelines or orders — in his latest plea to rally public support for the anti-virus efforts. (………)

Despite the government’s call for restraint, many churches, including some nearly 540 churches in the southeastern city of Busan, have held their weekend services with their masked members singing hymns and saying prayers in close proximity to one another, raising fears that they could cause an increase in cluster infections.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but with parliamentary elections coming up expect more articles like this scapegoating churches and foreigners for the continuing spread of the coronavirus.

It will be interesting to see if the schools actually do reopen on April 6th:

South Korea said Tuesday it will be postponing the new school year for another two weeks as it fights COVID-19 group infections that have occurred at churches, hospitals and even Zumba classes.

Under the measure, the new school year at kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools nationwide will begin on April 6, five weeks later than in normal years, according to the education ministry.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It seems like there is more and more media articles targeting foreigners in South Korea in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. There must be an election coming up:

The government said Thursday it will deport foreigners who do not comply with COVID-19 measures despite being suspected or confirmed of having the coronavirus.

The Ministry of Justice has unveiled stronger measures against foreigners who do not follow health authorities’ requests to be tested, treated or quarantined.

“If they refuse to comply with requests by health officials, we will immediately enforce the new rules, including deportation and entry ban,” the ministry said.

If any foreigners cause financial damage by violating the health measures, the ministry said it will continue to seek compensation from them.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

I would say that this is what unemployment insurance is for instead of implementing a universal basic income:

Nearly 60 percent of Koreans say they oppose introducing a universal basic income in response to the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a survey conducted on Friday by Embrain Public, a local pollster, 57.6 percent of those questioned said they were against giving every citizen 1 million won ($830), while 39.8 percent said they were in favor. The rest (2.6 percent) did not respond.

Among supporters of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 57.7 percent were in favor of the idea, whereas 81.5 percent of the main opposition United Future Party were against it.

The findings come as politicians across the country discuss the need for support for people whose businesses have been hit hard by COVID-19.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

Hopefully this gives people cautious optimism that the worst of the coronavirus spread will be over once the temperatures warm:

The virus that causes Covid-19 may have a temperature sweet spot at which it spreads fastest, a new study has suggested, but experts say people should avoid falling into the trap of thinking it will react to seasonal changes in exactly the same way as other pathogens, like those that cause the common cold or influenza.

The study, by a team from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the capital of south China’s Guangdong province, sought to determine how the spread of the new coronavirus might be affected by changes in season and temperature.

Published last month, though yet to be peer-reviewed, the report suggested heat had a significant role to play in how the virus behaves.

“Temperature could significantly change Covid-19 transmission,” it said. “And there might be a best temperature for viral transmission.”

The “virus is highly sensitive to high temperature”, which could prevent it from spreading in warmer countries, while the opposite appeared to be true in colder climes, the study said.

As a result, it suggested that “countries and regions with a lower temperature adopt the strictest control measures”.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

If people from Europe are spreading the coronavirus so much you would think the Moon administration would either restrict travel or put people into mandatory quarantine:

In Busan, a 24-year-old Korean male who recently traveled around Europe, including Italy, which now has the second-highest number of infections after China, tested positive for the coronavirus on March 10 upon his return to Korea, Busan officials said.

The man left for Europe on Feb. 9, returned to Korea on March 4 and started showing symptoms from March 9. Nevertheless, he dined at a restaurant, went to a coffee shop and rode the Busan subway until he finally tested positive on March 10.  

A 44-year-old Korean woman in Gwangju likewise traveled to Europe for two weeks earlier this month and came down with a cough last Wednesday. She arrived in Korea last Thursday but was able to pass through customs at Incheon International Airport because her temperature was within the normal range, said Gwangju officials. She took an airport limousine from Incheon to Gwangju, which was a four-hour ride, and mostly stayed home till she tested positive for the virus last Saturday. 

In Seoul, a French female national who arrived in Korea on March 9 started showing symptoms of a cough last Wednesday and turned out positive on Friday. Her male Korean friend was also tested and turned out positive Saturday. Seoul officials believe the French national contracted the disease from her father in France, who informed his daughter last Thursday that he was infected. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

This has to be the stupidest way we have seen the coronavirus spread in South Korea:

A new cluster of coronavirus has emerged at a church in South Korea after members used a saltwater spray — which they believed prevented the spread of the virus — but used the same spray bottle on members without properly disinfecting the nozzle, health officials acknowledged Monday.

Officials in the city of Seongnam, located in the Gyeonggi Province south of Seoul, said 40 additional members of the River of Grace Community Church have tested positive for COVID-19 after six members, including the pastor and his wife, were confirmed in the past week to have the virus.

All of those infected may have attended the same service on March 8, according to the Yonhap News Agency. (……..)

“This made it inevitable for the virus to spread,” he added. “They did so out of the false belief that saltwater kills the virus.”

Fox News via a reader tip

You can read more at the link, but I don’t know what is worse, the minister believing that salt water kills COVID-19 or all the followers blindly following his instructions to use the spray bottle on each other?

You would think someone in the congregation would think this is idiotic.

This sounds more like a political campaign event for everyone involved to show they are “doing something” especially for President Moon who faces a parliamentary election in April:

President Moon Jae-in is seeking a summit to come up with international cooperation in COVID-19 responses, actively pushing for a G20 teleconference over the issue. 

The proposal comes as the number of novel coronavirus infections is spiking across the world, and has gained backing from key members such as France and the U.S., according to Cheong Wa Dae.

During a March 13 phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, President Moon proposed that they seek a teleconference among G20 members, which the former agreed to, the presidential office said.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but I find it hard to believe that health authorities around the world can’t work together on the coronavirus issue without a G-20 meeting.