43,000 Red Cross volunteers head to N. Korea to help with virus and floods
	Vietnamese street-styled eatery preferred in South Korea
	South Korean actress Ha Ji Won reveals the secret to her never-changing looks

Protest outbreak leaves South Korea COVID-19 infections ‘in full swing’ (Photo: Anadolu Agency)

A total of 288 new cases were reported as of Wednesday midnight, marking a week of triple-digit daily increases, report from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The latest outbreak is driven by hundreds of infections among members of a church run by a far-right preacher. They had attended an anti-government protest in Seoul on Aug. 15, the 75th anniversary of Japan’s World War Two surrender and the end of colonial rule, Reuters said.

Following the incident, KCDC deputy director Kwon Jun-wook urged all demonstrators to get tested immediately at nearby public health clinics to protect the vulnerable around them.

The demonstration may have been a “catalyst” for the nationwide outbreak, as churchgoers chartered buses to the capital from their homes across the country, including the southern port of Busan, Kwon said.

“This is a grave situation that could possibly lead to a nationwide pandemic,” Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told a briefing.

Kwon commented that the country could experience the types of spikes and continued infections witnessed in the United States and Europe unless any aggressive contact tracing is put in place.

“Consider the COVID-19 pandemic now to be in full-swing”, Kwon was quoted by New York Post as saying.

To date, South Korea has reported 16,346 cases of the new coronavirus with 307 COVID-19 deaths (Photo: VIR)

COVID-19 Updates (August 21): Removing case 944 from the list of COVID-19 infection The Ministry of Health said that case 994 has no history of returning from the pandemic area, not related to the outbreak, and has not ...

Health cooperation, COVID-19 on top of list at Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Summit Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will attend the virtual third Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Summit on August 24, Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang announced ...

Vietnam: COVID-19 a call to action on climate change To advance parliamentary actions towards the urgency of climate change, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan made several proposals at the virtual fifth World ...