Live professional baseball games could be televised in the United States as early next week, with South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reporting Monday that ESPN and the Korea Baseball Organization are nearing an agreement.

The Korean baseball league opens its delayed season Tuesday in empty stadiums across South Korea and Canada's Jamie Romak, along with the rest of the league's players, are getting used to a new baseball normal that includes rules against high fives and spitting, daily temperature checks and the absence of fans.

The new baseball season began in South Korea on Tuesday with the crack of the bat and the sound of the ball smacking into the catcher's mitt echoing around empty stadiums.

Everyone is rooting for Korean baseball to succeed right now because, if it fails, we're left with a pretty dark thought: If they can't pull this off, what hope do we have?

A sports writer covering the strange return of South Korea's baseball season says fans should brace for similarly odd experience in Toronto, if and when the 2020 season begins.

CNA Staff, Apr 27, 2020 / 11:30 am (CNA).- The number of Catholics in South Korea increased by less than 50,000 in 2019, continuing a trend of slowing growth after a peak following the 2014 apostolic visit by Pope Francis to the country. 

According to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, there are 5.91 million Catholics in South Korea’s 16 dioceses; an increase of 48,000 over to 2018’s total. Catholics make up 11% of the national population. 

Overall, the number of Catholics in the country increased by 0.8%, which is slightly lower than last year’s increase of 0.9%. In recent years, the Catholic population in South Korea has grown by an average of 1% each year. 

Like many countries, South Korea’s Catholic population is aging. About one in five South Korean Catholics are over the age of 65, and only 8.5% of Catholics are age 19 or under. A total of 14% of priests are over the age of 65.

South Korea’s flock saw the largest overall percentage increase in 2014, when it increased by 2.2%. Pope Francis visited the country in August of that year, the third visit by a pope to the country. Pope John Paul II visited South Korea in 1984 and again in 1989, when the country hosted the 44th International Eucharistic Congress.

These numbers come as South Korea is grappling with an outbreak of COVID-19, a disease which has seen much of its spread in the nation come from a single member of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. About half of South Korea’s nearly 11,000 confirmed coronavirus infections stem from “Patient 31,” a member of that church who did not abide by isolation rules after coming down with COVID-19. 

The Catholic Bishops’ Association of Korea refers to Shincheonji Church of Jesus as a “pseudo-religious organization” and a “cult.” The church was founded in 1980 by a man who believes that he is the second coming of Jesus. 

In 2017, the conference created the "Korean Catholic Task Force on Newly-risen Religions” specifically to combat the growing popularity of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus. 

Another source of outbreak were 30 Catholic pilgrims who tested positive for the illness after returning to South Korea from a trip to the Holy Land. Korean Air Lines restricted travel to Israel after these infections were discovered.  

South Korea suspended the public celebration of Mass in late February, and re-opened churches--albeit with strict social distancing requirements--on April 26.

From 21 July - 19 August, Logos Hope brought the hope of the Gospel to over 50,000 people who visited the ship in Incheon, South Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not undergo surgery or any other medical procedure, a South Korean official has said amid continued speculation about his health.

South Korea says its troops have exchanged fire with North Korea along their tense land border.

China and South Korea both reported more coronavirus infections yesterday after reopening economies damaged by devastating outbreaks.

China and South Korea both reported more coronavirus infections Friday after reopening economies damaged by devastating outbreaks.

In the United States, adolescent obesity rates have tripled in the last 3 decades, with concomitant increases in other metabolic risk factors, including the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). However, in Asian countries, these same risks have only recently begun increasing.

Representative data for the United States and Korea reveal trends in adolescent obesity and MetSyn moving in opposite directions. This study provides a benchmark for Korea and other Asian countries toward mitigating the upward trends in obesity and MetSyn. (Read the full article)

The Washington Post report may force the White House to reconsider relaxing trade restrictions on Huawei, which is currently blacklisted from sourcing components from US technology suppliers.

Hyundai, the South Korean car manufacturer is currently working on the new generation Tucson SUV, which has been spotted doing rounds on the home soil. The SUV yet again has been spied testing in...

In the recent years, South Korea has become an ideal destination for international students to study, especially those from Asia. International students have to acquire the D-4-1 visa aka student visa to study in the Asian nation. However, the Justice…

He's a feared marksman on the football pitch but Tottenham forward Son Heung-min is also a crack shot on the shooting range, being given a top performer award on completing his military training in South Korea.
Read Full Article at RT.com

The presence of antibodies would mean the person is immune to the virus. The antibody test happens to be a faster alternative to the direct test, known as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), in which throat or nasal swabs are taken.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed the successful test of an unspecified “newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon,” state media reported Friday, in an apparent bid to apply pressure on the United States and South Korea.

1 Seychellois Rupee = 71.0504 South Korean Won

1 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar = 180.5087 South Korean Won

1 Swedish Krona = 124.8273 South Korean Won

1 Slovak Koruna = 54.9311 South Korean Won

1 Serbian Dinar = 11.2471 South Korean Won

1 Polish Zloty = 290.1005 South Korean Won

1 Qatari Rial = 335.0142 South Korean Won

1 Indian Rupee = 16.1554 South Korean Won

1 Pakistani Rupee = 7.6405 South Korean Won

1 Sierra Leonean Leone = 0.1237 South Korean Won

1 New Taiwan Dollar = 40.8547 South Korean Won

1 Thai Baht = 38.0945 South Korean Won

1 Turkish Lira = 172.067 South Korean Won

1 Singapore Dollar = 863.453 South Korean Won

1 Mauritian Rupee = 30.7174 South Korean Won

1 Nepalese Rupee = 10.0863 South Korean Won

1 Bangladeshi Taka = 14.3515 South Korean Won

1 Moldovan Leu = 68.4082 South Korean Won

1 Colombian Peso = 0.3131 South Korean Won

1 Uruguayan Peso = 28.2756 South Korean Won

1 Uzbekistan Som = 0.1207 South Korean Won

1 Russian Ruble = 16.6177 South Korean Won

1 Iraqi Dinar = 1.025 South Korean Won

1 Cayman Islands Dollar = 1463.369 South Korean Won

1 Swiss Franc = 1256.254 South Korean Won

1 CFA Franc BCEAO = 2.0162 South Korean Won

1 Vietnamese Dong = 0.0521 South Korean Won

1 Macedonian Denar = 21.4652 South Korean Won

1 Zambian Kwacha = 0.2351 South Korean Won

1 South Korean Won = 0.9756 Iraqi Dinar

1 South Korean Won = 4.2544 Zambian Kwacha