Interior minister says reform plan on safety control measure on the way

A comprehensive plan to reform the safety control measures of the Korean government will be announced by the end of the year, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Friday. "The government is concentrating its capability on damage control, investigating the causes and response related to the accident, while preparing prevention measures," Lee said at meeting held to discuss reform measures of the state's disaster and safety controls. “The government is also making efforts on al

Nov. 18, 2022

[Newsmaker] Daejeon expands free subway use to foreign seniors

Foreign residents of Daejeon aged 65 or over will be able to ride the subway for free, according to the officials of the municipal government and the city transit authorities on Friday. Daejeon Metropolitan Government and the Daejeon Transportation Corporation have agreed to exempt subway fares for foreign seniors who live in Daejeon and have acquired permanent residency. The policy is expected to be implemented within this month.   South Korea currently has a policy of allowing senior citi

Nov. 18, 2022

Friday's new COVID-19 cases mark first on-week fall in 6 weeks

The Friday count of South Korea's new COVID-19 cases made its first on-week drop in six weeks, fueling hope that the virus's recent surge may peak earlier than expected. The country reported 49,418 new COVID-19 infections, including 66 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,462,319, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The Friday tally dropped from 55,437 on Thursday and was the first on-week fall for a Friday since Oct. 7. From Monday to Thursday, Sout

Nov. 18, 2022

Yongsan Ward chief, senior police officer to be summoned over Itaewon crush probe

Police are set to bring in a Yongsan Ward chief and a ranking police officer for questioning on Friday as part of an investigation into the crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood. Yongsan Ward office chief Park Hee-young, who administers the Itaewon district, will appear for the questioning before a special investigation team as a suspect at 10 a.m. Park has been booked on charges of professional negligence resulting in the deaths of at least 158 people, mostly those in 20s. She has al

Nov. 18, 2022

Korean flight attendant on layover among 2 victims of LA stabbing

A 25-year-old Korean flight attendant on a layover was critically injured in a stabbing at a Target store in downtown Los Angeles, California, according to US news media reports. The incident occurred at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to eye witnesses, the suspect -- a homeless man -- walked into the store, grabbed a large butcher knife off of a store shelf and attacked the Korean woman and a 9-year-old boy. He also punched another woman who tried to intervene in the situation. The 40-year-

Nov. 17, 2022

Nerves, relief greet Suneung

Students and parents bid goodbyes to each other at the gate of Myoungji High School Thursday, giving hugs and some in tears, as Suneung, the national college entrance exam, took place. A total of 450,477 out of 510,000 test takers flocked to 1,265 test sites in 84 test districts across the country to take the annual exam, also known as the College Scholastic Ability Test, which plays an important part in deciding which universities they will be admitted to. Even before sunrise rose, test taker

Nov. 17, 2022

Seoul wins at World Smart City Awards for its projects for the underprivileged

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has won the city category at the Smart City Expo World Congress, the organizer announced Wednesday, in recognition of its smart city strategies for the underprivileged. The World Smart City Awards is given for innovative city strategies, that can make an impact on the lives of citizens and make cities more sustainable and inclusive. Seoul has been “proven to be an inspiration for those concerned by inequalities. The digital transformation is amplifying,&rd

Nov. 17, 2022

Yongsan fire station chief, ex-Yongsan police chief to be summoned for questioning next week

The chief of the Yongsan Fire Station and a former head of the Yongsan Police Station will be summoned for questioning next week as part of a police investigation connected to the deadly crowd crush in the district's Itaewon neighborhood. A special investigation team recently told Choi Seong-beom, chief of the Yongsan Fire Station, and ex-Yongsan Police Station head Lee Im-jae to show up for questioning on Monday, police officials said. The two were booked for investigation last week on cha

Nov. 17, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit highest Thurs. count in 2 months

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose to the highest Thursday figure in two months amid concerns of the virus' possible resurgence in the winter. The country reported 55,437 new COVID-19 infections, including 39 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,412,901, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. It marked a fall from 66,587 on Wednesday, but it is the highest Thursday tally since Sept. 15 when there were 71,444 new infections. South Korea's COVID-1

Nov. 17, 2022

National college entrance exam to kick off

More than half a million students were set to sit for the college entrance exam on Thursday, the nation's most important annual academic event that includes an English listening test during which all airplane takeoffs and landings are banned nationwide. A total of 508,030 high school seniors, graduates and others signed up to take the state-administered College Scholastic Ability Test, a nine-hour five-session exam, held at some 1,300 test sites across the country. It is the third CSAT the

Nov. 17, 2022

[Graphic News] Number of international marriages hits fresh low amid pandemic

　The number of marriages between South Korean nationals and foreign spouses set a new record low last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed. 　A total of 13,926 transnational couples tied the knot here in 2021, down 13.9 percent, or 2,251, from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. They accounted for 7.2 percent of all marriages. 　It marked the lowest reading since 2008, when the statistics agency started to compile related data. 　The decrease came as the pandemi

Nov. 17, 2022

Interior Minister investigated as Itaewon probe expands

Police said they will book Interior Minister Lee Sang-min on suspicion of dereliction of duty and professional negligence resulting in death, over the deadly crowd surge in Itaewon, following a complaint filed by a union of fire department workers. The independent investigation team set up by the National Police Agency announced Wednesday it is looking into the allegations against Interior Minister Lee Sang-min as a suspect in connection with the crowd crush, following a complaint filed agains

Nov. 16, 2022

Gyeonggi bus operators to ban standing passengers

For those commuting to Seoul from cities in Gyeonggi Province, rush hour means standing on the aisle of a packed bus running on an expressway. It is unsafe and against the law, but widely considered just part of life. Starting from Friday, 44 percent of intercity buses in Gyeonggi Province will no longer accept passengers when there are no seats left. Gyeonggi Provincial Government confirmed the no standing policy on Tuesday, saying it is for the safety of passengers. The move comes amid a natio

Nov. 16, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit highest Wed. tally in two months

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose to the highest Wednesday figure in two months in the latest sign that the virus may surge again in the winter. The country reported 66,587 new COVID-19 infections, including 67 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,357,464, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. It marked a fall from 72,883 on Tuesday, but it is the highest Wednesday tally since Sept. 14 when there were 93,949 new infections. South Korea's COVID-19 o

Nov. 16, 2022

Seoul joins Smart City Expo World Congress 2022

BARCELONA -- The Seoul city government will showcase the city’s latest smart city innovations as well as its future vision at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2022, the Seoul Digital Foundation said Tuesday. SCEWC is the world’s leading smart city fair held annually, where governments, companies and experts come together to share the latest smart city innovations. For this year’s event, held between Tuesday and Thursday at Fira de Barcelona, Spain, the Seoul city government h

Nov. 16, 2022

Anger over list of Itaewon tragedy victims

Controversy over disclosure of the list of Itaewon tragedy victims is intensifying with liberal-leaning online media and Catholic priests' groups releasing the list of victims Monday. Two progressive online media outlets released a list of 155 people who died in the tragedy, on their website Monday. The list included only their names, without photos, ages or any other personal information of the victims. "Bizarre memorial altar even without memorial tablets and picture of the deceased

Nov. 15, 2022

Ministry to inject W11.2tr into higher, lifelong education

The government will allot an extra 11.2 trillion won ($8.4 billion) for higher and lifelong education, redirecting 3.2 trillion won from the budget for early childhood, elementary and secondary education, the Ministry of Education announced Tuesday. The Korean government has been stepping up its efforts to increase support for higher education, following President Yoon Suk-yeol’s initiative to expand the local semiconductor and technology industries. From earlier this year, the ministry

Nov. 15, 2022

[Newsmaker] ‘It’s not stalking if you don’t pick up’

Recently, a local court cleared a 54-year-old man of stalking allegations, although the accused had apparently harassed his ex-girlfriend with repeated phone calls. The logic behind the verdict? She didn’t answer the phone. “While the (accused) called, the ex-girlfriend did not talk to him on the phone. The sound of the phone ringing cannot be regarded as the sound that was transmitted to the recipient through the information and communications system. ... Even if records of unanswer

Nov. 15, 2022

Anglican minister sacked hours after ‘wishing president’s plane to crash’

A priest of the Anglican Church of Korea has been deposed from the ordained ministry hours after he wished President Yoon Suk-yeol’s plane to crash on Facebook. Daejeon Diocese of the Anglican Church of Korea said Monday that the Rev. Kim Gyu-don had been removed from his duties, as his comments “are not ones that a priest can do.” In a Facebook posting earlier on Monday, the penalized priest said the entire Korean population should wish for the crash, saying such effort will &

Nov. 15, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebound to 70,000s in two months

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases bounced back to above 70,000 in two months on Tuesday in a sign that the virus may surge again in the winter. The country reported 72,883 new COVID-19 infections, including 50 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,290,877, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. It marked a sharp rise from 23,765 on Monday, and it is the highest tally since Sept. 15 when there were 71,444 new infections. South Korea's COVID-19 outbreaks ha

Nov. 15, 2022