Runaway suspect nabbed in massive solar energy fraud case

JEONJU -- Police have apprehended a man who allegedly ripped off tens of billions of won from investors in a fraudulent solar energy development project and went on the run amid a probe, officials said Monday. The 53-year-old man was charged with defrauding around 800 people of some 70 billion won ($61.9 million) on false solar power business proposals from December 2017 to June 2020, according to Deokjin Police Station in Jeonju, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul. He disappeared ahead of a

Social AffairsMarch 22, 2021

Military reports 9 COVID-19 cases

The military on Monday reported nine coronavirus cases among its members, including five soldiers. Three soldiers and one Marine, all from different units, tested positive while on vacation, and another soldier was confirmed to have been infected in a test required to exit quarantine following his recent vacation, according to the defense ministry. Currently, the military authorities enforces the Level 2 social distancing scheme, which allows service members to go on vacations while strictly a

DefenseMarch 22, 2021

Police raid LH regional office in land speculation probe

Police on Monday raided a regional office of the state housing developer, Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of land speculation by LH employees. The Jeonbuk Police Agency said its investigators seized relevant materials at the LH office in Jeonju, 243 kilometers south of Seoul, and the home and vehicle of an unnamed person involved in the case. "We are executing search warrants for two separate cases and will reveal the details after f

Social AffairsMarch 22, 2021

S. Korea investigating new suspected case of bird flu, total now at 106

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it is investigating a new suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu, with the country's total caseload standing at 106. The suspected case came from a duck farm in Jangheung, South Jeolla Province, the previous day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. It was the first suspected case in 10 days. South Korea has reported a total of 106 cases of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza since November last year. Over the

Social AffairsMarch 22, 2021

New infections in 400s for 6th day, no clear signs of slowdown in sight

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 400s for the sixth day in a row Monday as cluster infections continued to pop up across the country, raising concerns over a resurgence during spring. The country reported 415 more COVID-19 cases, including 396 local infections, raising the total caseload to 99,075, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The country added one more death from COVID-19, increasing the total to 1,697. The fatality rate was 1.71

Social AffairsMarch 22, 2021

Moon's approval rating at all-time low of 34.1%: Realmeter

President Moon Jae-in's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point of 34.1 percent since he took office in 2017, Realmeter said Monday, citing the negative impact from a massive real estate speculation scandal involving public officials. In its five-day survey through last Friday on 2,510 adults nationwide, support for the president dropped 3.6 percentage points week-on-week. The previous low of 35.5 percent was recorded in the first week of January. The proportion of those who disapprove

PoliticsMarch 22, 2021

Defense chief to visit UAE, India this week

Defense Minister Suh Wook has embarked on a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India to meet with senior officials there to discuss ways to boost defense and arms industry ties, his office said Monday. Suh left for the UAE on Sunday for a four-day visit at the invitation of Mohammad Ahmed Al Bowardi, the country's Minister of State for Defense, and hold their annual security talks, according to the ministry. He also plans to meet major military figures in the country "to have in-

DefenseMarch 22, 2021

Opposition frontrunners ahead of ruling party rival for Seoul mayoral by-election: poll

Two leading opposition candidates for next month's Seoul mayoral by-election are double digits ahead of their ruling party rival should their unify candidacy and run in  two-way race, a survey showed Sunday. Conducted by three pollsters, Ipsos, Korea Research and Hankook Research, the survey found that Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition people Power Party garnered 47 percent with Park Young-sun of the ruling Democratic Party winning 30.4 percent in a hypothetical two-way race. Ahn Cheol-so

PoliticsMarch 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] Diplomatic spat between NK and Malaysia deepens

A diplomatic spat between North Korea and Malaysia is escalating over the Southeast Asian country’s decision to extradite a North Korean person to the United States to face money laundering charges. In protest over Malaysia’s decision, North Korea said Friday it would sever diplomatic ties, signaling even further diplomatic isolation for the hermit kingdom. In response to Pyongyang’s move, Malaysia ordered North Korean diplomats stationed in Kuala Lumpur to leave the country

North KoreaMarch 21, 2021

[News Focus] Smaller households hit record high of 14.6 million

SEJONG -- All-time low fertility rates have caused a surge in the number of two-member households in South Korea, alongside the sharp increase in the number of single-person households amid sliding marriage rates, official data showed. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the number of one- or two-member households reached a record high of 14.61 million (9.16 million and 5.44 million respectively), or 62.9 percent of the total 23.19 million households nationwide as of February. T

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] Oh, Ahn to conduct survey for unifying Seoul mayor candidacies from Monday to Tuesday

Two leading opposition candidates for Seoul mayor will conduct a public opinion poll early this week to determine who should run as the single unified candidate in next month's by-election, their campaigns said Sunday. The campaigns for Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor opposition People's Party said they agreed during working-level talks to hold the survey from Monday to Tuesday and announce the winner as soon as the results of the survey are o

PoliticsMarch 21, 2021

Spring travel surge adds to concerns as S. Korea reports over 400 cases

Warmer spring weather is concerning authorities in South Korea as the country battles community infections amid the third COVID-19 wave to date. As flowers blossom across the country, traffic has surged nationwide with an increasing number of people traveling for gatherings in the warmer weather. Although most regions have canceled their flower festivals for the season, the number of travelers is expected to stay high, especially on weekends. The situation is alarming, as the number of daily n

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2021

S. Korea to begin inoculating people aged 65 or over at nursing homes, hospitals this week

South Korea will start administering vaccines to inpatients and employees of nursing homes and long-term care hospitals who are aged 65 or older this week as part of its monthslong inoculation plan, health authorities said Sunday. Starting from Tuesday, more than 370,000 health workers and patients aged 65 and older at sanatoriums, nursing facilities and rehabilitation facilities will receive their first shots of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine in steps, according to the Korea Disease Control an

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2021

S. Korea to provide own satellite-backed real-time air quality map

South Korea will begin providing a real-time air quality map for the Korean Peninsula and neighboring areas to the public, utilizing data sent from Chollian-2B, its environmental satellite launched last year, the science ministry said Sunday. The new service, available from Monday, will provide data of seven types of air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, ozone and aerosol optical depth, whose coverage ranges from India to Japan. It will also provide additional data, such as sulfur dioxi

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2021

Prosecution decides to close false testimony case related to ex-PM

The top prosecution office said Sunday that it has finally decided to put an end to the reexamination of allegations of false testimony in a bribery case involving former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook. The Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) said it reported the decision to the Ministry of Justice the previous day. It came as a group of senior prosecutors reached a conclusion to drop the false testimony case after a 13-hour marathon meeting on Friday. Han, who served as prime minister from 2006

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2021

No S. Korean casualties in Japan earthquake: ministry

No South Korean casualties have been reported in a powerful earthquake that struck off northern Japan on Saturday, the foreign ministry said. The 6.9 magnitude quake occurred shortly after 6 p.m. off the coast of Miyagi prefecture, according to news reports. Its strength was revised downward from a magnitude of 7.2. "As of now we understand that there have been no casualties among our nationals," a ministry official said. "The ministry and the consulate general in Sendai immedi

Foreign AffairsMarch 21, 2021

Oh, Ahn agree on terms of survey for unifying Seoul mayor candidacies

The two leading opposition candidates for Seoul mayor agreed Saturday on the terms of a public opinion survey that will determine which of them runs as the single unified candidate in next month's by-election. Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the minor conservative People's Party reached the deal after closed-door working-level talks between the two campaigns, both sides said. The public opinion survey will be conducted on mobile phone users only, not l

PoliticsMarch 21, 2021

New virus cases in 400s for 5th day on cluster infections

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases stayed in the 400s for a fifth day on Sunday, raising concerns that continued sporadic cluster infections might lead to a resurgence in the pandemic. Cases tied to saunas, sports facilities and church gatherings continued to take place, and more infections are likely in the coming weeks from spring outings. The country reported 456 more COVID-19 cases, including 437 local infections, raising the total caseload to 98,665, the Korea Disease Control and P

Social AffairsMarch 21, 2021

Govt. expresses condolences over deaths of 4 ethnic Koreans in Atlanta shootings

The government expressed its condolences Saturday over the deaths of four women of Korean descent, including one South Korean national, in this week's shootings in Atlanta. In a statement issued by the foreign ministry's spokesman, the government said it expresses "deep condolences and profound consolation to the families" of the four who were shot dead by a gunman in the US city on Tuesday (local time). "Our government, in line with our firm and consistent position that such a

Foreign AffairsMarch 21, 2021

Korea to add clot warning to AstraZeneca vaccination guidance

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said in a press briefing Saturday that official instructions for vaccinators and emergency medical services will now include a warning about blood clotting risks following AstraZeneca vaccinations. The update comes as the European Medicines Agency said the previous day that although the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, a link to rare blood clots could not be ruled out. The European regulator urged hea

Social AffairsMarch 20, 2021