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* Aims to vaccinate 272,000 in nursing homes by March * Pfizer vaccines targeted for 55,000 healthcare workers on Sat * Distancing rules extended, gatherings of more than four banned South Korea launched its Covid-19 inoculation campaign on Friday, with shots to be administered in some 200 nursing homes, in an effort that officials call the first step in returning the country to more normal life. The first doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine began to be given at 9 a.m.(0000 GMT) to nursing home workers and some patients at facilities across the country of about 52 million. On Saturday, authorities plan to start giving 117,000 doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE supplied through COVAX, an international Covid-19 vaccine-sharing programme, to about 55,000 healthcare workers in coronavirus treatment facilities. The national pharmaceutical panel on Friday recommended the government approve that vaccine. Authorities will wait, however, for a final review committee before deciding whether to grant approval, which would allow the country to start using doses beyond those supplied by COVAX. Despite complaints over a slow start, and debate over the efficacy of AstraZeneca's vaccine for older people, surveys show wide interest among South Koreans in being vaccinated. Some health experts have raised doubts about the country's ability to stick to its ambitious goal of protecting 10 million high-risk people by July, on its way to reaching herd immunity, defined as at least a 70% vaccine take-up, by November. On Friday, shots will be administered to 5,266 nursing home staffers and patients in 213 facilities, and those in 292 nursing hospitals, within five days, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said, although authorities have excluded people aged 65 and older from AstraZeneca's vaccine, citing a lack of data on efficacy in the elderly. Authorities are aiming to administer a first dose to at least 272,000 of the nursing home staffers and patients under 65 by March, and both doses by May. Although in-house doctors will administer the shots to those in nursing hospitals, doctors will be dispatched to care homes to give the vaccines. After completing registration this month, more than 350,000 high-risk healthcare workers and around 78,000 first responders will in March begin to get the AstraZeneca shots, co-developed by Oxford University. DISTANCING CONTINUES President Moon Jae-in visited one of the vaccination centres in Seoul and oversaw the inoculation process. Despite the concern, a government poll showed on Thursday that 94% of 367,000 healthcare workers aged 64 or younger in priority groups said they were ready to take the AstraZeneca vaccine. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said authorities would extend social distancing rules by two weeks nationwide, including a ban on private gatherings larger than four people, to blunt coronavirus surge. Chung warned against large outbreaks before the general public begins to receive the vaccine. ‘Sporadic cluster infections continue in our everyday life, such as in workplaces, hospitals, and family gatherings,’ Chung told a government meeting on Friday. ‘We have a long way to go to herd immunity.’ Under the current level of distancing rules, cafes, restaurants and gyms can stay open until 10 p.m. (1300 GMT), and religious services and audiences at sporting events are limited to 20% and 10% capacity, respectively. A proposal to revamp social distancing guidelines will come next week, health ministry official Son Young-rae told a briefing. South Korea reported 406 new virus infections by Thursday. The country has so far recorded 88,922 infections and a death toll of 1,585.     

North Korea has attempted to steal Covid-19 vaccine technology by hacking Pfizer Inc according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday. South Korea's Yonhap did not report when the alleged hacking took place or whether it was successful. Pfizer's offices in Asia and South Korea did not have an immediate comment. Last year suspected North Korean hackers tried to break into at least nine health organizations, including Johnson & Johnson , Novavax Inc, and AstraZeneca. South Korea's intelligence agency said it had foiled North Korean attempts to hack into South Korean companies developing coronavirus vaccines. Digital espionage against health bodies, vaccine scientists and drugmakers has intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic as state-backed hacking groups scramble to obtain the latest research and information about the outbreak. North Korea is often accused of turning to an army of hackers to fill cash-strapped government coffers amid international sanctions that ban most international trade with the country. Health experts have said the country's hackers may be more interested in selling the stolen vaccine data than using it to develop a homegrown vaccine. North Korea is expected to receive nearly 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine by the first half of this year through the Covax vaccine-sharing programme. North Korea has not confirmed any coronavirus infections, but the NIS had said an outbreak there cannot be ruled out as the country had active trade and people-to-people exchanges with China before closing the border in early 2020. Leader Kim Jong Un's wife, Ri Sol Ju, who hasn't been seen in public for more than a year, is keeping a low profile to avoid a risk of infection from Covid-19, NIS said, according to Yonhap.

The de facto chief of South Korea's Samsung business empire was convicted Monday over a huge corruption scandal and jailed for two and a half years, in a ruling that deprives the tech giant of its top decision-maker. Lee Jae-yong, vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, was found guilty of bribery and embezzlement in connection with the scandal that brought down president Park Geun-hye. Lee "actively provided bribes and implicitly asked the president to use her power to help his smooth succession" at the head of the sprawling conglomerate, the Seoul Central District Court said in its verdict. "It is very unfortunate that Samsung, the country's top company and proud global innovator, is repeatedly involved in crimes whenever there is a change in political power." It jailed him for two and a half years, concluding a retrial that was the latest step in a long-running legal process that has hung over Samsung for years. The multi-billionaire Lee -- who had earlier walked into court grim-faced and wearing a facemask, without responding to reporters' shouted questions -- was immediately taken into custody. He has effectively been at the head of the entire Samsung group for several years after his father was left bedridden by a heart attack, finally dying in October. "This is essentially a case where the freedom and property rights of a company were violated by the former president's abuse of power," Lee's lawyer, Lee In-jae, told reporters. "Given the nature of the matter, I find the court's ruling regrettable." Samsung is by far the biggest of the family-controlled conglomerates, or chaebols, that dominate business in the world's 12th-largest economy. Its overall turnover is equivalent to a fifth of the national gross domestic product and it is crucial to South Korea's economic health. Its rise has been driven by a willingness to invest billions in strategic bets on key technologies. But experts say the sentence will create a leadership vacuum that could hamper its decision-making on future large-scale investments. "It's really a huge blow and a big crisis for Samsung," said Kim Dae-jong, a business professor at Sejong University. Samsung Electronics, the group's flagship subsidiary, declined to comment on Monday's ruling. Like many tech firms, its shares have risen significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, more than doubling from their lows in March, but closed down 3.4 percent on Monday. The case centres on millions of dollars the Samsung group paid Park's secret confidante Choi Soon-sil, allegedly for government favours including ensuring a smooth transition for Lee to succeed his then-ailing father. The scandal highlighted shady connections between big business and politics in South Korea, with the ousted president and her friend accused of taking bribes from corporate bigwigs in exchange for preferential treatment. Lee was first jailed for five years in 2017, after Park's ouster. He walked free the following year when an appeals court dismissed most of his bribery convictions and gave him a suspended sentence, but the Supreme Court later ordered the 52-year-old to face a retrial. In May, Lee made a rare public apology, bowing before flashing cameras for company misconduct including the firm's controversial plan for him to ascend to the leadership. His own children, he promised, would not succeed him in top management roles at the company. Both Lee's father Lee Kun-hee and grandfather -- Samsung founder Lee Byung-chull -- had brushes with the law themselves but never served time behind bars. In the past, leaders of South Korean conglomerates convicted of crimes such as tax evasion or bribery have been given presidential pardons in recognition of their economic role. The Federation of Korean Industries said in a statement: "Considering Samsung's share of the Korean economy and its status as a global company, the ruling is feared to have a negative impact on the overall Korean economy." Lee, it added, "has been helping to sustain the Korean economy by spearheading bold investment and job creation amid the economic crisis over the coronavirus". Earlier this month, Samsung Electronics flagged a jump of more than 25 percent in fourth quarter operating profits, citing benefits from pandemic-induced working from home that boosted demand for devices powered by its chips. Analysts forecast a stable outlook for the company in 2021, driven by continued demand for memory chips.

South Korea's top court upheld a 20-year prison sentence for disgraced former president Park Geun-hye on Thursday, in the final ruling over the corruption scandal that brought her down. The decision brings to an end an extended legal process that involved multiple trials and appeals, including a previous Supreme Court hearing. The country's first female president was impeached in 2017 after huge street protests against her rule. She was convicted the following year of bribery and abuse of power and jailed for 30 years. A series of appeals, a retrial and further appeals followed which reduced her sentence to 20 years. On Thursday, the case went for a second time before the Supreme Court, which said it accepted and confirmed the 20-year sentence. The court also upheld fines and forfeits totalling 21.5 billion won (US$19.5 million). Park has been boycotting the proceedings, saying they are biased against her, and was not present in court on Thursday. In addition, she has separately been sentenced to two years in prison -- to run consecutively -- for election law violations. She now faces a total of 22 years behind bars and would be in her 80s by the time her sentence is up. The corruption scandal exposed shady links between big businesses and politics in South Korea, with Park and her close friend Choi Soon-sil accused of taking bribes from conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics, in exchange for preferential treatment. Park's left-leaning successor Moon Jae-in was swept to power by the public backlash against her and her conservative party. South Korean presidents have frequently ended up in prison after their time in power, usually once their political rivals have moved into the presidential Blue House. All four of South Korea's living ex-presidents have been convicted of criminal offences, and former head of state Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide in 2009 after being questioned over graft allegations involving his family. But Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, former army generals who served jail terms in the 1990s for corruption and treason after leaving office, received presidential pardons after serving about two years. Thursday's ruling completes the trial process and makes Park legally eligible for a pardon herself. Lee Nak-yon, the leader of President Moon's Democratic Party, said earlier this month he "plans to suggest" pardoning Park and Lee Myung-bak, another former president currently serving a jail term, but faced an immediate backlash from politicians on both sides of the aisle. The presidential Blue House said Thursday it was "not appropriate" to discuss pardons immediately after the final ruling. It was a "historical lesson" that a former president had committed acts that meant she had to serve a prison sentence. "This should never happen again." cdl/slb/je

* Kim's sister stays in leadership, missing from politburo * Kim Yo Jong has played increasingly powerful role * Kim elected to general secretary of the ruling party: KCNA * South Korea's Moon vows efforts to restart N Korea-US talks * Signs of nighttime military parade spotted: South Korea military The name of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister was missing from a new list of the ruling Workers' Party's politburo, according to state media on Monday, raising questions about her status after several years of increasing influence. The party held elections on Sunday for its Central Committee at a congress, which maps out diplomatic, military and economic policy goals over the next five years. Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister, remained a member of the Central Committee but was not included in its politburo, lists released by the North Korean state news agency, KCNA, showed. In 2017, Kim became only the second woman in patriarchal North Korea to join the exclusive politburo after her aunt Kim Kyong Hui. South Korea's intelligence agency said in August she was serving as her brother's ‘de facto second-in-command’. But the signals were mixed for observers of the reclusive regime. Her absence from the politburo list comes days after she took the leadership podium for the first time alongside 38 other party executives as the congress began. ‘It is too early to draw any conclusion about her status, as she is still a Central Committee member and there's a possibility that she has taken up other important posts,’ said Lim Eul-chul, a professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University in Seoul. Kim Yo Jong's influence has grown dramatically in recent years. As she emerged as a political figure, she appeared to be her brother's personal secretary. She later acted as his special envoy to South Korea and a deputy director of a party department overseeing personnel and organisational affairs. Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at the US-based Stimson Center, said Kim Yo Jong enjoyed the highest degree of influence on policy deliberations and decisions regardless of whether she was on the politburo or not. ‘We have become accustomed to seeing her in a more public role, but Kim Yo Jong's political roots and her formative career experience are behind the scenes, not sitting on a platform listening to speeches,’ he said. 'ONE-MAN RULE' Leader Kim Jong Un cemented his power at the congress with his election as party general secretary, taking the title from his late father, Kim Jong Il. Kim has wielded almost absolute power in North Korea's dynastic system since taking over following the death of his father in 2011. In 2012, the party named the late Kim Jong Il ‘eternal general secretary’ and Kim Jong Un ‘the first secretary’. KCNA said the congress ‘fully approved’ a proposal to promote Kim to the position, which it called ‘the top brain of the revolution’ and ‘the centre of the leadership and the unity’. ‘Kim's takeover shows his confidence, that he has now officially joined the ranks of his father and grandfather,’ said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. ‘It also indicates his strategic intention to centralise the party system around him and reinforce his one-man rule.’ The reforms to the party leadership announced over the weekend may seem cosmetic to outside observers but they are arcane changes to how policies are decided and implemented, Madden said. ‘These changes are intended to give (Kim) a great degree of flexibility in how he makes decisions while also streamlining the processes through which decisions reach his desk,’ he said. One figure who appeared to be rising quickly was Jo Yong Won, newly named to the politburo's five-strong presidium and the party's formidable Central Military Commission. Choe Son Hui, a vice foreign minister who was instrumental in preparing for a second, failed summit with US President Donald Trump in 2019, was demoted. South Korean President Moon Jae-in pledged efforts to help engineer a breakthrough in stalled denuclearisation talks as US President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office. Kim has said he would expand diplomacy, but vowed on Friday to develop weapons including a ‘multi-warhead’ intercontinental ballistic missiles, calling the United States ‘our biggest enemy’. South Korea's military said it has detected signs North Korea held a military parade on Sunday night to mark the congress.

* S.Korea aims to approve vaccine in 40 days * S.Korea has ordered enough shots to cover entire population * Ban on social groups expanded as third wave infections rise  South Korea is reviewing AstraZeneca's request for approval of its coronavirus vaccine, as it expands a ban on private gatherings of more than four people to the whole country with daily cases topping more than 1,000 in four days. South Korea's drug safety ministry said it will aim to approve the British shot for emergency use in 40 days. The approval would mark the first for the country, which has been grappling with a prolonged surge in infections during the latest wave that has led to a sharp increase in deaths. South Korea signed a deal in December with AstraZeneca to secure 20 million doses of its vaccine, with the first shipment expected as early as January. It also has deals with three other drugmakers - Pfizer Inc , Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, Moderna Inc - and the global Covax initiative, backed by the World Health Organization. The country has secured 106 million doses to allow for coverage of 56 million people, more than the 52 million residents of the country, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) director Jeong Eun-kyeong told a briefing. Authorities plan to start vaccinations in February, with health workers and vulnerable people first in line, but the government has been criticised for that schedule in light of vaccinations underway in the United States and European Union. The AstraZeneca shot is already approved in Britain, Argentina, El Salvador, and India. It is cheaper and can be stored at fridge temperature, which makes it easier to transport and use than some rival shots, such as one from Pfizer. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, however, has been plagued by uncertainty about its most effective dosage ever since data published in November showed a half dose followed by a full dose had a 90% success rate, while two full shots were 62% effective. In November, SK Bioscience, 98% owned by SK Chemical , received regulatory approval to begin human clinical trials of AstraZeneca's experimental vaccine, having agreed in July to manufacture the shots to help the British company build global supplies. South Korea reported 1,020 new coronavirus cases as of midnight Sunday, bringing the total to 64,264 infections, with 981 deaths, according to the KDCA. A ban on small private gatherings that was in place in the Seoul greater area was expanded nationwide until Jan. 17. "The reason we have expanded the ban on gatherings of four or above across the country is because gathering of people itself is far more dangerous than a specific venue," Jeong said. The extended social-distancing rules imposed on Seoul and neighbouring areas include curbs on churches, restaurants, cafes, ski resorts and other venues. More than 60% of South Korea's cases are from Seoul, Gyeonggi province and city of Incheon, with mass cluster outbreaks centred around nursing homes and prisons. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called for an all-out effort to prepare for the country's vaccination programme. "The KDCA should be perfectly ready for the entire process the moment the vaccine arrives - the distribution, storage, inoculation and follow-ups," Chung told a government meeting. He also called on the related health, safety and transport ministries to help speed up the process so to not face the sorts of problems seen in the United States and some countries in Europe. 

Dressed in South Korea’s traditional costume ‘Hanbok’, two divers at a Seoul aquarium make New Year bows to visitors from underwater. Under mysterious yellow and blue lights in the country’s largest 2,200-tonne water tank called ‘The Ocean’, the divers swam alongside stingrays, sharks and other fish. “It was a new and fun experience since I’ve never seen divers wearing hanbok in my life, and I haven’t seen hanbok in a while because our family doesn’t wear those on traditional holidays,” Yoo Hwan-girl, a 27-year-old who came with his girlfriend, told Reuters. It is the fifth year the Lotte World Aquarium, which holds around 650 species of marine life, has held such a performance since it opened in mid-October 2014. But this year, along with a ‘Happy New Year’ banner the aquarium installs in the water each year, it installed another banner saying ‘Let’s beat the coronavirus wisely’.The aquarium was quiet yesterday afternoon as many people refrained from going out amid the third and largest wave of coronavirus infections in the country. “It’s unfortunate since (the aquarium) could have been a place where many people could enjoy altogether if it wasn’t for the coronavirus,” a 36-year-old dad Han Sang-jin said, with his baby daughter held in his arms. Under its Covid-19 measures, the aquarium will be hosting the event twice a day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays through to Feb 20.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will convene a rare congress of the ruling party in early January, where he will seek to rally public support and outline new long-term economic and political goals in the face of unprecedented challenges. Kim chaired a politburo meeting on Tuesday to prepare for the congress, state media reported, without specifying an exact date for its start. As 2020 ends, the young North Korean leader is faced with compounding crises caused by international sanctions, natural disasters, and a self-imposed border lockdown aimed at preventing a coronavirus outbreak.  While North Korea’s nuclear arsenal has grown, Kim’s high-stakes personal outreach to US President Donald Trump ended with no sanctions relief, and the incoming administration of president-elect Joe Biden has said it won’t ease sanctions without more concessions. With Biden’s policy toward North Korea still in flux, Kim is more likely to use the congress to focus on domestic issues, particularly the ailing economy and North Korea’s “juche” ideology of self-reliance, analysts said. “Juche is truly being tested for the first time because the pandemic has forced North Korea into self isolation, when until now, it has been able to rely on China as a life support even during the harshest of economic times,” said Duyeon Kim, a North Korea expert at the US-based Center for a New American Security. North Korea has not reported any coronavirus cases, but the economy took a further hit when the country closed its borders to nearly all traffic, sending publicly reported trade with China tumbling by 75%. The circumstances facing North Korea now are decidedly different from the last party congress in 2016, when Kim unveiled the first 5-year economic plan since 1980. With few options for solving the country’s spiralling problems, Kim’s government may roll back some economic and political reforms allowed in the earlier years, analysts said. “North Korea’s political and economic policies may become more conservative, given the prolonged difficulties and the likelihood of their continuation into 2021, and consequently the regime’s perceived need to reinforce control to ensure national stability,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, an independent researcher and former open-source North Korea analyst for the US government. Already the government has imposed foreign exchange controls on diplomats, cracked down on currency traders, and markets have been more closely tied to centres of political authority, according to NK Pro, a website that tracks North Korea.  While smugglers, who could help alleviate the worst consequences of the border closure, have been accused of anti-state actions, it said. In an unusually emotional speech in October, Kim apologised for failing to deliver on his economic promises, but also struck a defiant tone, vowing to crack down on officials accused of corruption or of failing the people, as well as doubling down on his programme of expanding the nuclear deterrent.  In October, Kim called on his country to embark on an 80-day campaign to achieve its goals in every economic sector before the congress in January. The politburo meeting on Tuesday approved agendas and proposals to be presented at the congress, state news agency KCNA reported. “All the preparations for the Party Congress are going off smoothly,” state news agency KCNA reported. Commercial satellite imagery has shown formations of people in downtown Pyongyang in recent days, possibly practising for parades or other public events related to the congress, according to 38 North, a US think tank. Analysts will be watching for major leadership shuffles, which could provide clues to Kim’s plans for the future. The 2016 congress saw Kim officially elected to the position of chairman of the ruling Workers’ Party, and this gathering will likely be used to further cement his rule. Kim may offer some kind of olive branch to South Korea after saying in October that he hoped the two countries could repair relations after the coronavirus pandemic. But Kim may not break his silence on the stalled talks with the United States or the new Biden administration, Lee said. “He will probably want to maintain some flexibility until the Biden administration’s North Korea policy takes shape,” she said.

American troops stationed in South Korea received the first doses of coronavirus vaccine to be administered in the country yesterday, as health officials in Seoul reported a daily record of 40 deaths amid a surge in new cases. US Forces Korea (USFK), which includes around 28,500 American military personnel as well as thousands of other workers and family members, gave the first doses to military and civilian healthcare workers and first responders in the force as well as USFK’s top officers, the command said in a statement. The vaccinations are voluntary, and will be provided to the rest of the military command as more supplies arrive, USFK’s commander, Gen. Robert Abrams, said in the statement. “The Covid-19 vaccine is another tool that will help USFK maintain a robust combined defensive posture,” he said. The United States military began its first wave of Covid-19 vaccinations at Japan’s Yokota Air Base on Monday. Seoul plans to start its vaccinations in February, with health workers and vulnerable people first in line, but the government has been criticised for that schedule in light of vaccinations underway in the United States and European Union.  President Moon Jae-in has defended the timeline as more than adequate to achieve herd immunity across South Korea as fast or faster than other countries. Yesteray Moon’s office said he had spoken to Moderna Inc Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel to confirm plans to sign a deal for enough doses from that company to cover 20mn people. With that deal, by the end of next year South Korea will have arranged for enough doses to allow for coverage of 56mn people, more than the 52mn residents of the country, Moon’s office said in a statement. South Korean officials have vowed to accelerate the launch of the vaccination programme after detecting the virus variant linked to the rapid rise in infections in Britain. As of midnight Monday there were 1,046 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 58,725, with 859 deaths, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Of the new cases, 1,030 were locally transmitted and more than half were found in Seoul. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun expressed regret over a mass cluster infection in a Seoul prison, with a total 757 infections, and called for all-out prevention measures. Authorities had ramped up testing to track down potential cases of unknown origin and those that display no symptoms, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area. More than 500,000 tests were conducted in temporary testing centres in the greater Seoul area over the past two weeks, where over 1,400 patients were identified, said Chung. “We made progress in finding the silent spreaders and preventing the transmission,” Chung told a meeting. USFK had distributed its Moderna vaccines to three military treatment facilities across US bases in South Korea on Monday. South Korea is one of four overseas locations in the Department of Defense’s initial phased distribution plan. USFK requested formal talks with the South Korean defence ministry over plans to inoculate South Korean personnel who serve with the United States Army, ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan told a briefing.

South Korea posted its second-highest daily number of coronavirus cases on Saturday as outbreaks at a prison, nursing homes and churches continued to grow, prompting authorities to plead for a halt to all year-end gatherings. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said there were 1,132 new coronavirus cases on Friday, not far off the record 1,241 logged a day earlier. “The virus is spreading whenever and wherever it wants,” Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told an intra-agency meeting, adding that people were also being infected at small gatherings with friends and acquaintances. “As we stand at the crossroads of the third wave, how we stop the spread hinges on how we spend this year-end and New Year period.” KDCA chief Jeong Eun-kyeong urged that all private gatherings be cancelled and public and religious events be held online. The government plans to hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss whether it will tighten distancing rules to the toughest level for the greater Seoul area. That would shut another 1.2 million stores and allow only essential workers into offices. Curbs currently in place have closed night clubs, karaoke bars and other night entertainment venues as well as banned on-site dining after 9 p.m. Ahead of Christmas and New Year holidays, the government also banned gatherings of more than four people in the greater Seoul area and closed ski resorts and other tourist spots. South Korea had largely managed to control early major outbreaks with aggressive testing and contact tracing. But critics have faulted authorities for being over-confident and failing to properly prepare for the third and largest wave. The current largest cluster is at a prison in eastern Seoul, where 520 inmates, workers and their family members have been infected, prompting health authorities to test all 650 people there. The virus likely spread easily as the prison consists of five, high-rise buildings and suffers from over-capacity, a health official said. South Korea’s total infections now stand at 55,902, with 793 deaths, KDCA data showed.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in faced growing public pressure on Wednesday over his Covid-19 vaccine procurement plans as the country struggled to contain a third wave of the pandemic, reporting its second-highest daily tally of cases. Domestic media has lambasted the government's approach to securing newly developed Covid-19 vaccines as too relaxed and overly reliant on locally produced shots which will take more time than overseas options. According to a poll by research firm Realmeter, six in 10 South Koreans believe urgency should be prioritised over safety when it comes to Covid-19 vaccines and that inoculations should begin as soon as possible given the rapid surge in new cases. South Korea had 1,092 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the national tally to 52,550, with 739 deaths, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The record of 1,097 cases was logged on Sunday. Late on Tuesday, Moon's office said a public inoculation programme would "not begin too late". The government has previously said vaccinations could start as early as February. Health authorities have expressed concern over public perceptions that view the vaccination programme is a global competition, emphasizing instead the significance of confirming the safety of the shots. The United States and the United Kingdom, suffering much higher cases and death rates, have no alternative to anti-virus measures other than the vaccines, Son Young-rae, a senior official at the health ministry, told a briefing. "These countries are somewhat inappropriate for us to take as teachers, and considering the process of safety checks, we believe there is no reason for us to be the world's first or second country to receive the vaccines," Son said. Meanwhile, the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines for the U.S. military personnel stationed in South Korea will arrive as early as Thursday, Yonhap news agency said, citing a military source. Roughly 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea. "We can confirm that USFK was one of the overseas locations identified to receive the Moderna vaccine through the Department of Defense’s deliberate and phased distribution plan," Col. Lee Peters, a U.S. Forces Korea spokesman told Reuters. "We cannot confirm any other details at this time." South Korea’s aggressive tracing and testing early in the pandemic had made the country a global success story but the recent surge in cases has confounded efforts to contain the virus. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on Wednesday that authorities have so far secured around 8,000 of a targeted 10,000 additional hospital beds for Covid-19 patients with the help of private hospitals. Seoul and its surrounding areas have banned gatherings of more than four people from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3, and both restaurant owners and patrons may face up to 3 million won ($2,700) in fines for violation of the order. Authorities have also shut down all ski resorts and winter tourist spots in a bid to stop the spread during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

South Korea said on Tuesday it had scrambled fighter jets in response to an intrusion into South Korea's air defence identification zone by 19 Russian and Chinese military aircraft. Four Chinese warplanes entered the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) followed by 15 Russian aircraft, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The South Korean military dispatched air force fighters to take tactical measures. The South Korean military said in a statement the Chinese military had informed South Korea that its planes were carrying out routine training before the Chinese aircraft entered the KADIZ. "This incident seems to be a joint military drill between China and Russia but it requires a further analysis," the JCS said in a statement. In July last year, South Korean warplanes fired hundreds of warning shots toward Russian military aircraft on a joint air patrol with China, when they entered South Korean airspace. South Korea and Japan, which both scrambled jets to intercept the patrol at the time, accused Russia and China of violating their airspace. Russia and China denied it.

* President Moon says will need to review tightest Covid-19 curbs * S.Korea reports 1,030 cases, second day of record rises * Level 3 social-distancing rules would essentially be lockdown  South Korea's President Moon Jae-in warned on Sunday that Covid-19 restrictions may be raised to the highest level after a second day of record increases in cases as the country battles a harsh third wave of infection. Presiding over an emergency meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for the first time since February, Moon urged vigilance and called for an all-out efforts to contain the virus. "Unless the outbreak can be contained now, it has come to the critical point of considering escalating social-distancing measures to the third level," he said, referring to the tightest curbs under the country's five-tier system. Greater Seoul, home to about half of South Korea's 52 million people, is under level 2.5 restrictions. Gatherings of more than 50 people are banned and restaurants are prohibited from serving customers after 9 p.m. A country that had initial success controlling Covid-19, South Korea reported 1,030 new coronavirus infections on Sunday after 950 the previous day, bringing total infections to 42,766 with 580 deaths. Of the new cases, 1,002 were locally transmitted, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. "Our back is against the wall," Moon said. "This is a crucial moment to devote all our virus control capabilities and administrative power to stopping the coronavirus spread." Level 3 curbs would essentially mean a lockdown for the first time in Asia's fourth-largest economy. Schools would switch to remote learning, companies could allow only essential workers in offices and gatherings of more than 10 people would be banned. South Korea was praised for its early success in containing the coronavirus without a lockdown by relying heavily on contact-tracing and testing after the country's first case was confirmed in January. On Saturday, Moon ordered the mobilisation of police, military personnel and public medical doctors to block the spread, which he called an "emergency." 

* New infections at nine-month high * Officials call outbreak most serious yet * Stricter social distancing measures to be enforced * President apologises for burden of virus restrictions South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on Monday for expanded coronavirus testing and more thorough tracing as the country struggled to control its latest and largest wave of infections. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 615 new coronavirus cases as of midnight Sunday, capping a month of triple-digit daily increases that have led to 8,311 confirmed patients in quarantine, the most ever. The surge in cases has deliverd a blow to South Korea's vaunted pandemic-fighting system, which successfully used invasive tracing, testing, and quarantines to avoid lockdowns, blunt previous waves, and keep infections below 50 per day for much of the summer. Moon ordered the government to mobilize every available resource to track infections, and to expand testing by deploying the military and more people from the public service, presidential Blue House spokesman Chung Man-ho told a briefing. Moon said testing sites should operate longer hours to allow people working to get tested at their convenience and more drive-through testing facilities should be set up, Chung said. The positive rate for the latest batch of tests was about 4.2%, compared to the year's average of 1.2%, according to the KDCA. Starting next week, testing centres will begin using a test kit designed to more easily gather samples from saliva, hopefully reducing some of the difficulty they had faced when trying to collect usable samples, KDCA deputy director Na Seong-woong told a briefing. While questions remain over their accuracy, the centres will also start using antigen tests - which are supposed to detect specific proteins from the virus - as a stopgap, Na said. Na predicted that daily cases would hover between 550-750 for this week, possibly spiking to as much as 900 per day the next week. "This crisis is the most critical yet," he said, warning that the outbreak could lead to a "medical collapse" if the numbers aren't contained. On Sunday, authorities said they will impose heightened social distancing rules for the capital Seoul and surrounding areas that will last until at least the end of the month. With this third wave, the government has faced increasing criticism as cases continue to rise despite measures such as mask mandates, curfews for restaurants and other businesses, and restricted public transportation. Among the facilities ordered to completely close are the private academies or cram schools, called "hagwon”, used by students for extra study. The Korea Association of Hagwons staged a rare public protest over the outright ban on hagwons opening in the greater Seoul area, saying it is discriminatory because other businesses including PC cafes and movie theatres frequented by students are still allowed to be open until 9 p.m. The ban has prompted concerns among many students and parents ahead of the final exam period, and would deepen inequality by boosting private tutoring that only well-off students can afford, it added. In comments to a meeting of his senior ministers, Moon called the wave of infections the most serious yet and apologised for failing to blunt the surge and for the burden caused by the social distancing restrictions. Monday's total was down slightly from Sunday, when the agency reported 631 new cases, the largest daily tally since a peak in February and early March. In total, South Korea has reported 38,161 cases, with 549 deaths. 

Asymptomatic Covid-19 patients are driving a surge in new cases in South Korea, frustrating efforts to control transmission by the Asian country which managed to keep infections under control in previous outbreaks. South Korea reported 569 new cases in the 24 hours ending Thursday midnight, a level unseen in nearly nine months, as it grapples with the third wave of the pandemic that appears to be worsening despite tough new social distancing measures. With young people at the centre of the surge, health authorities in South Korea estimate asymptomatic patients now account for 40% of total infections, up sharply from 20-30% in June. That compares with research evidence suggesting about one in five infected people in general will experience no symptoms. The rate is much lower in China where the state disease control centre said in February that around 1% of more than 70,000 cases it analysed were asymptomatic. In Tokyo, about 19 percent of patients are asymptomatic. It's not clear why some patients who test positive for the virus do not display any symptoms, but health officials believe they pose less transmission risks. However, the people they infect may display symptoms. Also, the officials are concerned about a rise in untraceable clusters since these asymptomatic infections are more difficult to identify. Cold weather is further accelerating the spread as more meetings and activities are held indoors in places with poor ventilation, while the risk of unwitting infections by symptomless patients has increased. That poses a major challenge in South Korea, which succeeded in keeping infections low in previous outbreaks through aggressive contact tracing. It has introduced tougher social distancing measures this week to contain transmission and encouraged people to get tested. "We should have maintained tough social distancing measures longer," said Kim Woo-joo, a professor of Infectious Diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital. "In the wake of eased social distancing measures in early October, a lot of people, especially young people, let their guard down, and many of those who had very mild symptoms or no symptoms have gone unnoticed." As young people drive the surge in new cases, the number of young patients in serious conditions and in need of ventilators has also shot up to 19 this week in South Korea to nearly one fourth of total patients who need ventilator support.

South Korea reported 583 new coronavirus cases yesterday, the highest since March, as it grapples with a third wave of infections that appears to be worsening despite tough new social distancing measures.  The government reimposed strict distancing rules on Seoul and surrounding regions this week, only a month after they had been eased following a second wave of infections. Some experts say the government moved too early to relax those rules, as the daily tally exceeds 500 for the first time since March 6, with young people at the centre of the surge. “The easing was done because of economic concerns and growing fatigue but it was premature and sowed the seeds of people’s complacency,” said Kim Woo-joo, a professor of infectious diseases at Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul. South Korea’s first wave erupted in late February from meetings of a religious sect but the latest cases are more dispersed around the capital, Seoul, making them harder to trace and contain. Of the latest cases, 553 were locally transmitted and almost 73% of those were from the greater Seoul area, the highest ever for the region, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily tally could hover between 400 and 600 until early December if people fail to stick to stricter distancing, said Lee Sang-won, a senior KDCA official.  The armed forces ordered a 10-day ban on leave after a series of outbreaks at military facilities. Other clusters have been traced to a sauna, a high school, an aerobic academy, churches, a children’s cafe and a get-together among friends. “Covid-19 has arrived right beside you and your family,” Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told a televised meeting of health officials. “The spread of infections among young generations is extraordinary.” Infections among young people, many of whom show no symptoms, prompted the government to urge students to stop attending cram schools and private lessons ahead of college entrance exams on Dec. 3. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae pleaded with citizens to halt all unessential outside activity for at least a week so that some 490,000 students can take the exam safely. “We’re fighting a full-fledged third wave,” the KDCA’s Lee told a briefing. “Sources of infections have been diversified, and more active, young people are at the centre of the spread, which requires greater control efforts.” Health officials did not respond directly to criticism that the government had been too quick to ease restrictions following the previous spike in infections in August.  They have expressed regret about the economic impact of the latest measures, coming just after Asia’s fourth-largest economy returned to growth in the third quarter. Asked about some calls from experts for more curbs, Lee said time was needed for the rules to kick in but additional action would be taken “without hesitation” when necessary.  South Korean markets held their nerve as the central bank kept its policy rate steady and marginally raised its growth outlook for this year and next. South Korea’s total infections stand at 32,318, with 515 deaths.

More than 300 drones lit up the sky over Seoul on Friday in a show the government said was meant to give "comfort and hope" to residents enduring the coronavirus pandemic. The devices lined up in synchronised light displays, forming multi-coloured images of people wearing masks, and spelling out slogans promoting the government's "Korean New Deal" programme to rebuild the economy. "I hope this drone show serves as an opportunity to convey joy and hope for a moment to our people experiencing pandemic fatigue," Kim Sang-do, deputy minister for aviation policy, said in a statement. The show was designed to thank residents for their efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the statement said. The first such show in July was held over the city's Han River without notice, as organisers wanted to prevent crowds from gathering. This time, the event was announced in advance and held above the park built to host the 1988 Summer Olympics. South Korea's aggressive campaign to control the coronavirus outbreak has won international praise, helped the country avoid lockdowns and insulated its economy from some of the worst impacts of the crisis. But the country has continued to battle small and persistent clusters of infections, with 191 new coronavirus cases reported on Friday as daily infections creep higher. As of Friday South Korea will begin fining people who fail to wear masks in public.

With Joe Biden’s projected victory in the US presidential election, South Korean officials are expecting a win of their own in a drawn-out, multi-billion dollar dispute with Washington over the cost of thousands of US troops on the peninsula.  Officials and experts in Seoul don’t expect Biden to entirely drop the demand that South Korea pay more toward maintaining the roughly 28,500 US troops that are stationed in the country as a legacy of the technically unfinished 1950-1953 Korean War. But Biden has promised not to use the troop presence to “extort” South Korea, and South Korean government sources say they anticipate his administration would agree to a deal close to Seoul’s proposal to pay 13% more, or around $1bn per year. Outgoing US President Donald Trump demanded much as $5bn as part of a broader push to get allies to contribute more towards defence. A Biden campaign spokesman declined to comment, and South Korean officials say it’s unclear how deeply his team has thought about the exact outlines of a new Special Measures Agreement (SMA). “But the 13% increase discussed in past negotiations could be considered reasonable,” said one South Korean government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic negotiations. “We will know more when we actually sit down with their team after the new administration names a new negotiator or reappoints the incumbent, but at least there is more predictability now and a Biden White House wouldn’t veto a nearly done deal at the last minute,” the official added. In April, Reuters reported Trump had rejected that 13% proposal, which was seen as probably Seoul’s best offer ahead of its parliamentary elections that month. The impasse has strained the alliance in almost unprecedented ways, experts say. It comes as North Korea pushes ahead with its weapons programmes, including state-of-the-art weapons designed to target South Korea, as well as long-range, nuclear-capable missiles that may now put the entire United States within range. In early 2019, South Korea and the United States were forced to sign an SMA covering only one year instead of the usual five amid ongoing disagreements. But that short-term deal, under which South Korea agreed to pay 8.2% more, or about 1.0389 trillion won ($920 million) per year, expired earlier this year with no new agreement. One of the most tangible results of the breakdown in the talks was the roughly 4,000 South Korean workers on US bases furloughed as a result of the failure to reach a deal by an April 1 deadline. Eventually those workers were able to return to work under stop-gap agreements, but the ongoing deadlock led US Forces Korea to warn in October those workers could once again be placed on unpaid leave early next year if no agreement is made. One Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the US-South Korea alliance, said the dispute cast a near-constant shadow over many of the two countries’ discussions on other issues including North Korea and China. Trump’s view that wealthy South Korea, which has an economy larger than Australia’s, is taking advantage of the United States was met in Seoul by a perception that Washington has become a transactional partner with unreasonable demands. Ahead of the Nov 3 election, Biden vowed not to use the threat of reducing US troop levels in South Korea as a bargaining chip.  “As President, I’ll stand with South Korea, strengthening our alliance to safeguard peace in East Asia and beyond, rather than extorting Seoul with reckless threats to remove our troops,” Biden wrote in an unprecedented op-ed published on Oct 30 in South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. Cho Tae-yong, a former deputy national security advisor who worked with many Biden aides, said issues around U.S. troops and their costs would be “substantially” resolved under Biden. “Biden’s victory is a source of relief when it comes to alliance issues,” he said.

The wildly infectious and relentlessly repetitive children's song ‘Baby Shark’ became the most-watched YouTube video on Monday, with more than seven billion plays. The bane of parents and teachers worldwide, the South Korea-produced song has gone from the realm of children's YouTube to a global viral sensation, with a catchy and addictive melody buoyed by a hypnotically colourful video. ‘Baby Shark Dance’, the English-language version of the song, clocked up over seven billion views on YouTube at around 0400 GMT on Monday, dethroning Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's ‘Despacito’ as the most-watched video on the platform. The ubiquitous children's song and earworm, first uploaded to YouTube in June 2016, is a remix of an American campfire song by the Seoul-based production company Pinkfong. Its YouTube success paved its route into the global music charts, reaching the number 32 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2019. It has picked up plenty of adult fans along its way to global viral fame: the Washington Nationals baseball team took it up as an anthem and went on to win the World Series last year, prompting the White House to play the tune during the celebrations. One US town played the song on a loop, while another, Florida's West Palm Beach, used the melody to try to discourage homeless people from congregating in a public area. It has also been pressed into anti-pandemic service, with a coronavirus-themed version, ‘Wash Your Hands’, teaching children the importance of personal hygiene. Two of the last four tracks to hold the most-played record on YouTube are South Korean -- rapper Psy's megahit ‘Gangnam Style’ held the title for more than three years until it was dethroned by Wiz Khalifa's ‘See You Again’.

President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, one of the world’s most fossil-fuel reliant economies, said yesterday the country will go carbon neutral by 2050.  The announcement comes after Japan earlier this week said will cut greenhouse gases to zero by 2050 and become a carbon-neutral society, a major shift in position on climate change. “Together with the international community, we will actively respond to climate change and target carbon neutrality by 2050,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in a speech in parliament. He pledged to spend 8tn won ($7.10bn) on an earlier announced “Green New Deal” aimed at creating jobs and helping the economy recover from the coronavirus fallout by replacing coal dependence with renewables. The plan also includes remodelling public buildings, creating urban forests, recycling, establishing a foundation for new and renewable energy, and creating low-carbon energy industrial complexes to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.  South Korea aims to have 1.13mn electric vehicles (EVs) and 200,000 hydrogen cars on the roads by 2025, up from 91,000 and 5,000 each by the end of 2019, Moon had said, while the government would add more charging stations for the vehicles. The United Nations and the environmental groups welcomed South Korea’s commitment to net-zero emissions. “This is a very positive step in the right direction after Korea’s exemplary Green New Deal which was announced in July,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. “We expect that this important pledge leads the Korean industry to swiftly shift from fossil fuels to a 100% renewable based system,” Jude Lee, Program Director of Greenpeace East Asia said in a statement. First proposed by Moon’s ruling party ahead of the parliamentary election in April, the plan set ambitious goals of net-zero emissions by 2050, an end to funding of overseas coal plants, and introduction of a carbon tax. Coal makes up 40% of South Korea’s electricity mix and renewable power less than 6%, making carbon dioxide emissions per capita are among the highest in the region. In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to make his country carbon neutral by 2060.