SEOUL, June 17 (Korea Bizwire) – As news of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) dominates the country, medical staff fighting against the deadly virus are suffering from discrimination from their neighbors who are afraid of being infected by them. There is a widespread trend of people treating medical staff as possible MERS patients or ostracizing [...]
“The outbreak of the respiratory illness is fueling uncertainties just when the domestic economy started gaining traction helped by (a) rise in consumption. The measures will be unveiled at the end of this month.” “The MERS outbreak has started to weigh down on consumer spending and other areas. Sales at department stores and large discount [...]
SEOUL, June 15 (Korea Bizwire) – South Koreans are increasingly turning to online channels for grocery shopping as they eschew their usual visits to grocers amid the continued spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), industry data showed Monday. South Korea has reported 150 MERS infections since the first case was confirmed on May 20, [...]
SEOUL/SEJONG, June 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday South Korea is bracing for a drawn-out battle against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), saying its outbreak is “large and complex.” The warning came amid reports of a rebound in the daily tally of confirmed cases. A dozen new infections were found, raising the [...]
SEJONG, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans are cutting back on their cash gifts and donations as the economy remains sluggish, government data showed Friday. According to the data by Statistics Korea, transfer spending that includes cash given as wedding and condolence gifts fell in the first quarter after backtracking in the October-December period. [...]
“We are very understanding of the decision. President Barack Obama is looking forward to meeting Park at a “mutually convenient time.” “Obviously, we have been in close consultations back and forth with the government (of South Korea), watching the situation closely over the last several days. We are very understanding of the decision,” - Mark [...]
SEOUL, June 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s central bank on Thursday lowered the base rate to a record low of 1.5 percent amid growing concerns the country’s first-ever outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) will likely dent growth and consumption. In the monthly rate-setting meeting, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Korea (BOK) [...]
SEOUL, June 10 (Korea Bizwire) – The preparatory committee for the Korea Queer Culture Festival and Rainbow Action, an activist group for sexual minorities, proceeded with their 16th annual festival at Seoul Plaza for the first time in its history amid protests from conservative and Christian groups. At the opening ceremony, only some 150 organizers and activists [...]
SEOUL, June 10 (Korea Bizwire) – The country’s first-ever outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is forecast to hinder economic growth as South Koreans scale back spending amid growing alarm over the viral respiratory illness, a report showed Wednesday. Morgan Stanley projected South Korea’s annual economic growth to fall by 0.15 percentage point if the MERS [...]
SEOUL, June 9 (Korea Bizwire) – The outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Korea is even having a negative effect on sales of agricultural products from Sunchang County in North Jeolla Province, where a patient tested positive for MERS. One raspberry farmer said, “Among some 30 pre-orders for raspberry products, almost half were cancelled in [...]