One-third of senior public officials have over W2b in personal wealth: data

About one-third of the ranking public officials at the central government and state-run institutions have more than 2 billion won ($1.5 million) in personal wealth, an annual government report showed Thursday. A total of 2,037 senior public officials declared an average of 1.94 billion won in personal assets as of the end of last year, with 31.3 percent holding assets worth over 2 billion won, according to the gazette compiled by the Government Ethics Committee. It was compiled for the first tim

March 30, 2023

Arrest warrant denied for broadcasting watchdog chief over alleged score rigging in cable channel relicensing

A Seoul court on Thursday denied the arrest warrant for the chief of the state broadcasting regulator who is being investigated for suspected score manipulation during the 2020 broadcasting license renewal for a cable TV channel. Prosecutors requested the pretrial warrant last week to detain Korea Communications Commission Chairman Han Sang-hyuk, on charges of involvement in deliberately giving low scores to TV Chosun, a right-leaning cable channel, during its license renewal evaluation process

March 30, 2023

S. Korean Coast Guard catches two Chinese boats fishing illegally

The South Korean Coast Guard on Monday caught two Chinese fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing in South Korea’s exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, near Incheon after intense resistance by the sailors. The Coast Guard on Monday evening successfully chased the two vessels that were working while hiding the ships’ name with a fishing net in the South Korean EEZ, 100 kilometers southwest of Socheongdo, one of three westernmost islets adjacent to the North Korean coast near Incheon. Fi

March 29, 2023

Two Kazakh nationals arrested for illegal entry

The illegal entry of two male Kazakh nationals came to an end on Wednesday, as one suspect who absconded from Incheon Airport turned himself in earlier this morning. This comes three days after the police apprehended another fugitive, a man in his 20s, in Daejeon on Sunday. The two, aged 21 and 18, had broken a terminal window and climbed over a fence near a runway of the airport at around 4:20 a.m Sunday while waiting for a repatriation flight. They had been denied entry into Korea, as the purp

March 29, 2023

S. Korea to allow online permit-free entry for tourists from 22 nations to spur spending

South Korea will temporarily exempt people from 22 visa-waiver nations, including the United States, Japan and Taiwan, from mandatory online travel permits and transit visa requirements as part of efforts to attract more foreign tourists and boost domestic demand, the finance ministry said Wednesday. These are a set of measures aimed at attracting 10 million foreign tourists this year, a goal that could help spur private spending and revitalize the economy amid an economic slowdown, according

March 29, 2023

Korean lawmakers, foreign diplomats launch pro-diversity campaign in Korea

Seven South Korean lawmakers, 25 diplomats and 15 envoys from 40 different countries as well as a Seoul-based civic group have joined forces to launch a pro-diversity campaign, calling for the equal treatment of multicultural families and diverse ethnic groups here, officials said on March 28. According to the Sunfull Foundation, which has been campaigning against online hate speech and cyber bullying and is now leading a movement called, “Respect for Multicultural Families and All Ethnic

March 29, 2023

Civic group calls for probe on Chun's family

A civic group on Wednesday staged a rally in front of a police station in Seoul where Chun Woo-won -- the grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan -- is being investigated for drug crimes, calling for a greater focus on the junior Chun's other claims. The National Action to Judge Chun Doo-hwan said that rather than the junior Chun's drug crimes, investigators should prioritize his apology and reflection on the massacre that happened during the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in May 1980,

March 29, 2023

Seoul plans shortening COVID-19 isolation to 5 days

South Korea has proposed a plan to shorten the mandatory COVID-19 isolation period from seven days to five starting early May, moving away from the country's crisis-response mode, health authorities said Wednesday. According to a set of new plans dubbed "road map for returning to normalcy," the government will also consider lowering the crisis level from "serious" to "alert," as well as the disease's classification level. "The government will shorte

March 29, 2023

Emergency text-messages to skip stations to be employed on overcrowded subways

Subway operators are to be issued new guidelines that will require them to consider not stopping at stations when trains are overcrowded, according to the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport. The ministry said that once the new guidelines are issued, local governments will send emergency text-message alerts guiding subway users to alternative transportation. The ministry on Tuesday announced its plan to adopt the emergency alerts to deal with excessively crowded subways, revising its r

March 29, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases at around 13,000; govt. eyes shorter isolation period

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed in the 13,000 range Wednesday, a similar level from a week ago, as the government unveiled plans to shorten the mandatory COVID-19 isolation period in efforts to restore pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 13,134 new COVID-19 infections, including 15 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,798,723, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Wednesday's figure is up from the previous day's 12,129 cases, and h

March 29, 2023

Crypto fugitive Kwon in good health in Montenegro: S. Korean officials

  SPUZ, Montenegro -- Do Kwon, the co-founder of Terraform Labs, the company behind a cryptocurrency that suffered a multibillion-dollar crash last year, is in good health while being held in Montenegro, according to South Korean officials. The 32-year-old, whose full name is Kwon Do-hyung, is locked behind bars in a detention facility in Spuz, a small town just north of the capital Podgorica. He was arrested last week after being on the run for nearly 11 months. "I met Kwon Do-hyung a

March 29, 2023

COVID-19 isolation period likely to be shortened to 5 days in May

The mandatory COVID-19 isolation period is expected to be reduced to five days from the current seven starting in early May as the government is considering downgrading the virus to a lower infection level. COVID-19 has been classified as a "serious" disease since February 2020 and a classification downgrade to an "alert" level means that infected people will be required to isolate for five days, from the current seven. A decision on whether to downgrade it will be made in

March 29, 2023

Yoon orders review of low birth rate policies

President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered a reevaluation of low birth rate policies and an inquiry into the reasons for their failure, expressing that he is determined to address the issue of South Korea's low fertility rate, which is currently the lowest in the world. “The low birth rate issue is an important national agenda, and the government and the private sector must work together to solve it,” Yoon said on Tuesday during his opening remarks at the first meeting of the Preside

March 28, 2023

Food Safety Ministry orders recall of Chinese castella

South Korea's food and drug safety authorities said Tuesday they have ordered to halt the sales of castella products imported from China after they found a preservative substance banned for use in bakery goods. “Mini castella produced in China and imported by PTJ Korea has been found to contain benzoic acid and will be subject to a recall," the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said. "Benzoic acid is a commonly used antimicrobial preservative in antibacterial ointment and m

March 28, 2023

Korean men live 6 years shorter than women

Korean men have an average lifespan that is six years shorter than Korean women, data showed Tuesday. According to Statistics Korea, in 2020, Korean women had a life expectancy of 86.5 years, while men had a life expectancy of 80.5 years. The difference in life expectancy is due mainly to men being more vulnerable to diseases, including lung cancer, pneumonia, heart disease and vascular disease. “As long as records have been kept in all countries, women have lived longer than men,” s

March 28, 2023

Korea introduces new foreigner ID cards

The Ministry of Justice said Tuesday a new type of identification card will be issued to foreigners staying in South Korea for more than 90 days, starting on Saturday. This is the first time in 12 years the ministry will introduce a new design for a Residence Card, formerly known as an Alien Registration Card. A new Residence Card will feature a full-color photo of the holder that is 35 percent larger than the current version. The current design has a black-and-white photo of the holder. Also, t

March 28, 2023

Thirteen-year-old boy murders aunt, sent for psych evaluation

A 13-year-old boy was apprehended for murdering his aunt, but released and sent for psychological evaluation. The suspect is alleged to have attacked his aunt when she would not let him play video games. The victim was taken to hospital and later died due to injuries caused by the suspect. The victim was discovered unconscious on the third floor of her home by her father. The victim and her father had been taking care of the suspect and the suspect's brother since their father -- the victim

March 28, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases continue on-week growth amid eased curbs

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose to over 12,000 on Tuesday to report on-week growth for eight days in a row amid the relaxation of most antivirus restrictions to regain pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 12,129 new COVID-19 infections, including 14 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,785,589, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Tuesday's figure is up from the previous day's 4,204 cases and also marks a slight growth from 12,013 ca

March 28, 2023

Four labor group officials arrested for alleged unauthorized contact with N. Korea spies

SUWON -- Four current or former executives of a major umbrella labor group have been arrested on charges of making unauthorized contact with North Korean spies, according to court officials Tuesday. The Suwon District Court issued warrants to detain the four, including a ranking executive of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions whose identity has been withheld. They are accused of violating the National Security Law that prohibits unauthorized contact with North Koreans. The court cited the

March 28, 2023

Ex-president's grandson arrested over drug use as he enters Korea

INCHEON -- Chun Woo-won, grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan, arrived in Korea on Tuesday and was immediately arrested on suspicion of drug offences. The 27-year-old, who lives in New York, arrived at Incheon Airport at around 6 a.m., Tuesday. The drug investigation team under Seoul Metropolitan Police arrested Chun and took him to Seoul for further investigation. He was wearing handcuffs as he appeared at the arrival gate. Before the flight, Chun repeatedly expressed his will to visit Gw

March 28, 2023