Among Seoul’s subway lines, No. 1 has worst fine dust in air: data

  Seoul’s Subway Line No. 1 posted the highest concentration of fine dust among all eight lines operated by Seoul Metro this year, data showed Thursday.  Subway Line No. 1 recorded an annual average of 74 micrograms per cubic meter of dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, or PM10. The reading was higher than last year’s 66.6 micrograms, data from the operator of the eight subway lines in the Seoul metropolitan area showed. Line No. 4 came next at 70.

Dec. 17, 2021

Air Force officer gets 9-year prison term over sexual harassment

A noncommissioned Air Force officer was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment Friday for sexually abusing a female colleague who later took her own life, according to a military court. The master sergeant, surnamed Jang, was accused of groping the victim of the same rank inside a car in March. He also blackmailed her not to report the case to the authorities while sending threatening text messages. The ruling by the General Military Court in Seoul came seven months after the victim took her

Dec. 17, 2021

S. Korea mulls shipment of booster doses to overseas units amid omicron concerns

South Korea is considering sending COVID-19 vaccines for booster shots to its troops abroad, officials said Friday, amid concerns over breakthrough infections and the omicron variant. It initially sought the local supply of additional vaccines needed for booster jabs. But it has begun consultations with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the direct provision of vaccines, as they may not be readily available in some areas and there may be shortage of medical facilities, they said

Dec. 17, 2021

New COVID-19 cases above 7,400 for 3rd day ahead of restoring tougher virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 7,400 for the third consecutive day Friday, with the country set to restore tight social distancing and other virus curbs to contain the fast spread of the virus. The country added 7,435 more COVID-19 cases, including 7,400 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 551,551, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's tally is down from the previous day's 7,622 and the record high of 7,850 reported Wednesday, bu

Dec. 17, 2021

3.2 magnitude aftershock reported 3 days after Jeju earthquake

A 3.2 magnitude earthquake struck near South Korea's southern island of Jeju on Friday in the 18th aftershock following a 4.9 magnitude quake earlier this week, officials said. The aftershock occurred at 6:22 a.m. in waters about 38 kilometers off the island's southwestern city of Seogwipo, near the epicenter of Tuesday's quake, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Officials said the quake was the 18th and the biggest aftershock of Tuesday's earthquake. Local fire authori

Dec. 17, 2021

What’s the fuss about Jeju quake?

After a rare 4.9 magnitude earthquake rattled the southern island of Jeju on Tuesday, social media is abuzz with what some say could have been Mother Nature’s warnings of the incoming quake. Photos of purported “earthquake clouds,” allegedly taken hours and minutes before the quake struck at 5:19 p.m. Tuesday, have gone viral, prompting the weather agency to clarify them as just regular “cirrocumulus” clouds.  “Such clouds are spotted everywhere. There

Dec. 16, 2021

S. Korea reintroduces toughened social distancing rules, dining curfews

South Korea has decided to reinstate toughened social distancing rules and a 9 p.m. curfew for restaurants and cafes to combat record-high surges of COVID-19 infections, top officials said Thursday. During the 16-day period between Saturday and Jan. 2, private gatherings will be capped at four people nationwide -- if they are fully vaccinated. People who are not vaccinated will only be able to dine out alone, or use takeout or delivery services, according to the reintroduced social distancing

Dec. 16, 2021

Season's coldest weather to grip S. Korea this weekend

South Korea will come under the grip of the season's coldest weather later this week, with the morning lows dipping to minus 9 C in Seoul and minus 15 C in some inland areas, the state weather agency said Thursday. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that the freezing temperatures will be accompanied by snow, which is forecast to begin in central and western coastal areas Friday and spread to the greater Seoul area and almost all central regions over the weekend. It did not rule

Dec. 16, 2021

[Newsmaker] Schools to reduce attendance, reintroduce online classes

Schools will return to a mix of online and offline classes from Monday, as the country reinstates stricter social distancing measures due to rising cases of COVID-19. The Ministry of Education announced Thursday that schools in Korea will reduce student density to prevent classroom transmissions starting Monday, less than a month after schools returned to in-person classes on Nov. 22. The ministry said as the rate of transmission in schools is not high, they will continue to have in-person cl

Dec. 16, 2021

Supreme Court rules in favor of Hyundai Heavy workers in ordinary wage suit

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of workers at Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., who have fought the company for nine years demanding that regular periodic bonuses be counted as part of their "ordinary wage." The top court ruled in favor of 10 employees who filed the appeal on behalf of some 30,000 workers at the shipbuilding conglomerate and sent the case back to the Busan High Court for a retrial. The suit was launched by workers asking the company to recognize regular bonu

Dec. 16, 2021

Critically ill COVID-19 cases near 1,000; tighter virus curbs to take effect

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 7,000 for the second consecutive day Thursday and the number of critically ill COVID-19 patients rose close to 1,000 as the country prepares to bring back tougher virus curbs to stem the spread of the virus. The country added 7,622 more COVID-19 cases, including 7,591 local infections, bringing the cumulative total to 544,117, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Among them, the public health agency reported 20 omicron v

Dec. 16, 2021

Marriages down 43%, births 64% in Seoul over 20 years

In the past 20 years, the number of marriages in Seoul has decreased by 43 percent and the number of births by 64 percent, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday. Marriage registrations in the capital city hit a 20-year low of 44,746 in 2020, down 43.2 percent from 78,745 tallied in 2000. From a year ago, the 2020 figure also represented a drop of 7.3 percent. The average age of first marriages last year was 33.61 for men and 31.6 for women, up 3.96 years and 4.35 years

Dec. 16, 2021

‘Living with COVID-19’ plan halts, gatherings limited to 4 people nationwide

The government has halted the measure for phased daily recovery as infections continue to surge. From Saturday, the number of people allowed to attend private gatherings will be reduced to four and entertainment facilities, restaurants, and cafes will only be open until 9 p.m. nationwide. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the new measure at the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on Thursday morning. He said a meeting was held earlier than scheduled because &ld

Dec. 16, 2021

How much are you willing to pay for green spaces?

In Seoul’s affluent neighborhood of Hannam-dong, where top celebrities and corporate big shots live, a bleak and desolate 28,197-square-meter plot of land lies barren and untouched. Fenced off with barbed wires, the land -- the size of four soccer fields -- has been off limits to residents for decades. Records dating back to the 1940s show authorities reserved the land for a public park. In reality, the dusty plot stands as a legacy of the turbulent times Korea has been through, with

Dec. 15, 2021

The pandemic effect: more Koreans obese

The loss of routines in lives of South Korean people caused by COVID-19 appeared to have affected their physical states, including growing muffin top. More than half of South Koreans in their 30s and 40s were found to be obese last year, according to data compiled by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The prevalence of obesity was 48 percent for men in 2020, a sharp increase compared to 41.8 percent a year earlier, the data released Monday showed. The rate among women rose 2.7

Dec. 15, 2021

[Newsmaker] In Suneung, half a percent has big implications

Nearly a month of trouble over a two-point question on this year’s college entrance test was settled in court on Wednesday, highlighting once again the weight the annual test carries in Korean society. On Wednesday, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled that a question in the bioscience part of the recent college scholastic ability test was inaccurate, and ordered the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation to cancel its designated answer. “There is not a distinguished diff

Dec. 15, 2021

KLES CEO proposes labor-management relations as key to overcome the ongoing crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has prolonged a global economic recession, accompanied by disruptions in global supply chains that jeopardize many work environments.　 Chung Hyoung-Woo, secretary-general and CEO of the Korea Labor and Employment Service, said the ongoing economic difficulties could potentially escalate conflicts between labor and management over a wide range of matters, including wages, layoffs, safety, work hours and unionization. “The outbreak of the COVID-19 variant has cast un

Dec. 15, 2021

Top officials implore parents to vaccinate children

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Wednesday held an offline meeting with parents and students to reassure the safety of vaccination for children, amid a growing backlash against the government’s inoculation policy for the adolescent population. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong also joined the meeting held in central Seoul, where some 20 students and parents also participated. “The government has carefully r

Dec. 15, 2021

Spy agency warns of increased hacking attempts ahead of presidential election

South Korea's spy agency warned Wednesday of a possible rise in the number of hacking attempts to glean information on the country's diplomatic and security affairs ahead of the March presidential election. In a document on cybersecurity, the National Intelligence Service said state-backed hackers could beef up attempts to steal information on Seoul's North Korea policy and other security issues as a new administration is set to be launched in the South in May next year. This year, South Korea

Dec. 15, 2021

Court orders cancellation of answer to disputed CSAT bioscience question

A court on Wednesday ruled that a bioscience question in this year's college entrance exam had errors and ordered the state-run agency responsible for producing the test to cancel its designated answer. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of 92 examinees disputing question No. 20 of the bioscience part 2 section of this year's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) developed by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE). The examinees argued the question centering aroun

Dec. 15, 2021