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SEOUL, Jan 13 (Reuters) - South Korea’s unemployment rate surged to an 11-year high in December, while the number of employed plunged at the fastest rate in over two decades, as stringent COVID-19 curbs at home intensified pressure on businesses.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 4.6% in the final month of 2020, up from 4.1% in November and the worst since January 2010.
For the 2020 year it stood at 4.0%, the highest since 2001, data from the Statistics Korea showed on Wednesday.
The data also showed the number of employed was 26.5 million in December, 628,000 fewer than a year earlier, marking the worst downturn since February 1999.
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SEOUL South Korea has signed deals with Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen to import coronavirus vaccines for 10 million people and 6 million, respectively, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a televised briefing on Thursday.
The government had previously arranged to purchase vaccines with four companies, including Janssen and Pfizer and the global COVAX initiative, backed by the World Health Organization, as part of a program to cover up to 85% of its population.
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FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea has signed deals with Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen to import coronavirus vaccines to cover up to 16 million people, as it grapples with the third wave of the pandemic, the prime minister said on Thursday.
The government has faced growing public pressure over their COVID-19 vaccine procurement plans as the country reported its second-highest daily tally of cases on Wednesday.
UPDATE 1-S Korea signs deals to import Pfizer and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines thesundaily.my - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thesundaily.my Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
S.Korea to import J&J, Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for 16 million people
FILE PHOTO: Vials with a sticker reading, COVID-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Johnson & Johnson logo in this illustration taken October 31, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration reuters tickers
This content was published on December 24, 2020 - 07:51
December 24, 2020 - 07:51
By Sangmi Cha
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea has signed deals with Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnsonâs Janssen to import coronavirus vaccines to cover up to 16 million people, as it grapples with the third wave of the pandemic, the prime minister said on Thursday.