NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

The Korea Aerospace Research Institute announced today that the nation's first pathfinder lunar orbiter Danuri entered the moon's targeted orbit. Danuri is currently circling the moon at a two-hour cycle from the altitude of 70 and 130 kilometers. Launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on August 15th, Korea's lunar orbiter reached lunar orbit on December 17th after traveling for more than four and a half months.
The number of births for October set a record low while the number of deaths reached a record high. Statistics Korea announced today in its population trend report for October that the number of births stood at 20,658, falling 0.4% from October 2021 and continuing an 83-month decline. The number of deaths registered a record high of 29,764, increasing by 7.3% or 2,013 from the same period last year.
Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyoo-hong said at today's meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters that the government will be closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation in China and taking subsequent measures so that Korea's supply of cold medicines and disease control management won't be disrupted even if COVID-19 spreads in China. Minister Cho added that more details will be announced after the CDSCH meeting on Friday. Earlier on December 16th, Korean disease control authorities added China on the list of target quarantine nations and strengthened quarantine measures on the arrivals from China as the disease keeps surging in that country.