NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

According to Finance Ministry data, the number of Chinese tourists visiting South Korea last month plunged 99% marking the steepest drop since records began to be compiled in 1999. Meanwhile domestic credit card transactions fell 5.7% in April, down for the second month. In March, the figure posted minus 4.3%, the first negative growth in nearly two and a half years.
A new survey shows that domestic travels of South Koreans dropped 40% since the COVID-19 outbreak, but as more people moved about during the recent Labor Day and Children's Day holiday, movement was restored to about 83% the pre-COVID level. Statistics Korea and SK Telecom analyzed mobile data of 22 million SK Telecom subscribers from January to May.
Korean Air will mandate wearing masks for all passengers boarding its domestic flights starting next week to help contain the coronavirus. This follows government guidelines on the so-called everyday life distancing rules which urge passengers using public transport to wear masks.
A ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the May 1980 Gwangju Uprising will be held this year for the first time outside the former Jeollanam-do provincial government building. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said the event will take place from 10 a.m. Monday at the May 18th Democracy Square in Gwangju City.