Traffic begins to slow on last day of Lunar New Year holiday

Traffic on major highway sections began to slow Wednesday as people headed home after spending time with their loved ones or finishing trips on the last day of the Lunar New Year's holiday. This year's Lunar New Year holiday ran from Monday to Wednesday and was extended by two days due to the preceding weekend. As of 8:15 a.m., traffic on some sections of the inland expressway linking Yangpyeong near Seoul to the southeastern city of Changwon slowed, while congestion was also seen in parts of

Feb. 2, 2022

New cases top 20,000 for 1st time amid raging omicron spread

South Korea's daily virus cases on Wednesday exceeded 20,000 for the first time since the country reported its first virus case two years ago, due to the fast spread of the omicron variant. The country reported 20,270 new COVID-19 infections, including 20,111 local cases, raising the total to 884,310, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The death toll from COVID-19 came to 6,787, up 15 from Tuesday. The fatality rate was 0.77 percent. The number of criticall

Feb. 2, 2022

Over 3 in 10 out-of-school children at risk of suicide: survey

More than three in 10 children out of school have been suffering depression, being at risk of possibly taking one's own life, a survey showed Wednesday. The National Youth Policy Institute (NYPI) found through a survey that 35 percent and 29 percent of out-of-school children were experiencing depression and anxiety, respectively, while 36.8 percent were exposed to suicidal risks. The survey was conducted from July to August on 5,937 students between fourth graders in elementary schools and hi

Feb. 2, 2022

Policeman sentenced to 4 yrs in prison on charges of sexually assaulting colleague

A senior policeman has been sentenced to four years behind bars on charges of breaking into the house of a younger colleague and sexually assaulting her, officials said Wednesday. The 51-year-old police inspector in Seoul, only known by his surname Lee, was indicted in May last year, nearly two years after he broke into the colleague's house and sexually assaulted her in 2019. Charges against him also included sexually assaulting her on a separate occasion in 2018 while she was inebriated afte

Feb. 2, 2022

Korea to put stop to bear bile farming by 2025

Bear bile farming will be fully banned in Korea from 2026. The Ministry of Environment announced Wednesday, it would put a stop to breeding bears for bile farming by 2025. Korea is one of few countries that allow bear bile farming. As of 2021, there are 24 bear bile farms across the country with a total of some 360 bears. In bear bile farming, bears are kept in captivity to harvest their bile, a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, which is used by some tradit

Feb. 1, 2022

Number of full-time workers shrinks amid prolonged pandemic

The employment rate of the nation’s full-time employees working 40 hours a week has remained in the 50 percent rage for two consecutive years, raising concerns over deteriorating labor market amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, a lawmaker said Monday.  The “full-time equivalent” employment rate for 2021 posted 58.8 percent, nearly unchanged from 58.6 percent estimated a year earlier, according to Rep. Yoo Gyeong-joon of the main opposition People Power Party, citing

Jan. 31, 2022

[Subway Stories] New subway names with corporate links, another pandemic effect

Starting in March, the signboards at Euljiro 3-ga and Sinyongsan stations in the Seoul Subway will become longer, with respective references to a certain company located at the station. The former will be renamed Euljiro 3-ga Shinhan Card Station and the latter Sinyongsan Amorepacific Station. The changes are the result of contracts worth 874 million won ($733,000) and 380 million won, respectively, which Seoul Metro has signed with the companies for the sale of naming rights. Under their thre

Jan. 31, 2022

Rescuers retrieve one body, trying to find two buried workers in quarry

Rescuers discovered a body of a 28-year-old worker who was buried in a landslide in a quarry Saturday, fire department officials said. Rescue operations are under way to find the remaining two buried workers. The accident occurred at 10:08 a.m. when they were making holes for demolition work at the quarry in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, according to officials. Seven excavators were mobilized to find the buried workers, but rescue operations were hampered by huge amounts of soil. Authorities sa

Jan. 29, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases top 17,500 as omicron rages

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases reached yet another record high Saturday, driven by a rapid spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant, with a new nationwide virus response system coming into force. The country reported 17,542 new COVID-19 infections, including 17,349 local cases, raising the total to 811,122, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.   The daily count broke the record for the fifth consecutive day, spiking from 8,570 on Tuesday. The

Jan. 29, 2022

Traffic begins to slow ahead of Lunar New Year holiday

Traffic on some highway sections began to slow Friday as people hit the road to visit their hometowns or go on trips during the Lunar New Year holiday despite the coronavirus pandemic. This year's Lunar New Year holiday runs from Monday to Wednesday and is extended by two days due to the preceding weekend. The government urged people to refrain from traveling during the holiday to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The nation reported a record 16,096 new cases Friday. As of 7:47 p.m., some se

Jan. 28, 2022

Schools to administer rapid PCR, antigen testing methods

Schools in Korea are to administer rapid polymerase chain reaction and antigen testing methods to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students and faculty.  “We are working on adding rapid PCR testing and rapid antigen testing methods at schools to prepare for the start of the new semester in March,” minister Yoo Eun-hye said at a meeting held at the Korea Institute of Educational Facility Safety on Thursday. For boarding schools, students are to be required to undergo rapi

Jan. 28, 2022

Call for justice over trees ‘poisoned’ near Starbucks drive-thru

A local environmental group is calling for justice after three roadside trees were allegedly killed by poisoning in Seoul last July near a new drive-through outlet of Starbucks. The Korea Federation for Environmental Movements’ Seoul Branch on Thursday held a press conference at the site, decrying the state prosecution’s decision not to press charges against the person who admitted to having mistakenly poured pesticides.  “The (accused) has already admitted to spilling

Jan. 28, 2022

[Newsmaker] Police investigating needle placed in a study room chair

Police have launched an investigation Friday to nab a suspect who secretly stuck a needle into a chair in a study room in Seoul, resulting in injury to the next user of the seat. According to local reports, the victim was stabbed by a sewing needle hidden under the cushion when they sat down at a reading room in Shinlim-dong, Gwanak-gu, on Jan. 2. The victim suffered a minor thigh injury. The reading room is mainly used by college students preparing for the civil service exam. “Assau

Jan. 28, 2022

Defector activist indicted over last year's anti-NK leafleting

Prosecutors have indicted a vocal North Korean defector and activist known for anti-Pyongyang leafleting on charges of attempting to send propaganda leaflets and other items aboard balloons to the North last year, sources said Friday. Park Sang-hak, the head of Fighters for a Free North Korea, a North Korean defectors' group, is accused of having sent a total of 10 balloons carrying propaganda leaflets and booklets as well as $1 bills toward the North from the border provinces of Gyeonggi and G

Jan. 28, 2022

Military reports 95 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Friday reported 95 additional COVID-19 cases, including 90 breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 4,378. Of the new military cases, 72 are from the Army, 12 from the Air Force, five from units under the direct control of the ministry, two from the Navy, and two from the Marine Corps. There were also cases from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Defense Media Agency. Currently, 658 military personnel are under tr

Jan. 28, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases top 16,000 amid omicron wave

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases reached yet another record high Friday, as the country grapples with the rapid spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant with a new nationwide virus response system set to come into force. The country reported 16,096 new COVID-19 infections, including 15,894 local cases, raising the total to 793,582, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily count broke the record for the fourth consecutive day, spiking from 8,570 on Tues

Jan. 28, 2022

A first-year teacher under investigation over alleged sexual harassment against female students

Police are investigating a first-year teacher’s alleged sexual harassment of female students at a middle school in Busan. The Yeonje Police Station in Busan said Thursday that it launched the investigation earlier this month after the 30-something male teacher’s wrongdoings were reported. According to the police probe, the teacher had sent sexually harassing messages to a several female students. Through the messages, the teacher made inappropriate compliments about the female st

Jan. 27, 2022

Korea embraces ‘milder’ omicron, opts for focused protection

Health officials in South Korea say omicron is no cause for alarm, as the newly dominant variant smashes case records. The country saw 14,518 cases on Thursday, replacing the record of 13,012 cases set the previous day, when the daily count rose into five digits for the first time. Son Young-rae, the Ministry of Health and Welfare spokesperson, said Thursday that fears over omicron were unjustified and possibly disruptive. “Omicron is only one-fifth as severe as delta. About half of

Jan. 27, 2022

[Newsmaker] 4 years prison confirmed for Cho Kuk’s wife on academic fraud

The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a four-year prison sentence for Chung Kyung-sim, the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, on a number of charges linked to falsifying documents to help her daughter gain admission to medical school and for other actions concerning a private equity fund. The top court found Chung, a former Dongyang University professor, guilty of all charges related to the unfair college admission of her daughter and upheld the August ruling of the Seoul High Court. C

Jan. 27, 2022

Top court confirms 4-yr prison term for ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk's wife

The Supreme Court finalized a four-year prison term Thursday for the wife of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk for college admission fraud involving their daughter and other charges, bringing an end to one of South Korea's most divisive scandals in recent years. Chung Kyung-sim, a former professor of Dongyang University, was indicted in 2019 on 15 counts of charges, including forging a presidential citation from her university and getting a false internship certificate to use for her daughter's a

Jan. 27, 2022