2.6 magnitude quake hits S. Korea's southeastern region: KMA

A 2.6 magnitude earthquake struck South Korea's southeastern region Thursday afternoon, the state weather agency said. The quake occurred about 14 kilometers south of Changnyeong, about 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 12:02 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). It was the sixth strongest quake to hit the Korean Peninsula to date this year. The epicenter was at 35.42 degrees north latitude and 128.49 east longitude at a depth of 16 km. The quake's tremor was reco

Sept. 23, 2021

Pregnant women, teens to be inoculated in Q4

Pregnant women and children aged 12 to 17 will get COVID-19 vaccines in the fourth quarter of this year, officials said Thursday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it would announce new immunization plans on Monday afternoon for those who have until now been left out of the vaccination drive. The plan will include inoculating pregnant women, children and adolescents. Details on booster shots will also be unveiled. In August, a vaccination committee recommended that

Sept. 23, 2021

Tighter regulations on digital sex crime take effect

Police will be able to conduct undercover investigations in digital sex crime cases, and online grooming of minors will be punishable by law from Friday, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Thursday. Online grooming, which was difficult to punish due to a lack of legal grounds, will now face a fine of up to 30 million won ($25,400) or three years in jail, according to the revised Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses. Before the revision, only the act of

Sept. 23, 2021

Govt. devises measures to boost COVID-19 vaccination among migrant workers

The government has come up with a set of special measures to boost the COVID-19 vaccination rate among migrant workers here as fears of a possible crackdown on unregistered immigrants are holding back their vaccination turnout, officials said Thursday. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Justice and other related government agencies discussed the measures in an interagency pandemic response meeting held a day earlier in a bid to help ease the hesitation many migrant workers

Sept. 23, 2021

Moon fails on promise to halve no. of workplace deaths

President Moon Jae-in’s promise to halve the annual number of fatal industrial accidents by the end of his term seems unlikely to materialize. According to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of industrial accident deaths in the first six months of this year reached 474, meaning 2.6 deaths per day. That is four more than the figure for the same period a year earlier. If workplace deaths continue at their current pace through the remainder of this year, the yearly

Sept. 23, 2021

New cases over 1,700 for 2nd day; post-holiday resurgence in store

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 1,700 for the third day in a row Thursday due to fewer tests during the three-day Chuseok holiday, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, but concerns run high over a potential resurgence across the country down the road. The country reported 1,716 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,698 local infections, raising the total caseload to 292,699, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.  The latest caseload was slightly d

Sept. 23, 2021

[News Focus] Korea sees tax burden grow 3rd-fastest in OECD

SEJONG -- South Korea posted No. 3 in the growth of tax burden for workers last year among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. According to the French-based organization, Korea saw the tax wedge -- a barometer for taxation levels by measuring the difference between before-tax and after-tax salaries -- post 23.256 percent in 2020, up 0.307 percentage point from 22.949 percent a year earlier. The OECD defines tax wedge as the ratio between the amount of taxes pa

Sept. 22, 2021

[Photo News] President Moon Meets BTS

The seven bandmates of BTS and President Moon Jae-in pose for a group shot at Cheong Wa Dae on Sept. 14. The K-pop band was awarded certificates of appointment as special envoys for public diplomacy before attending the annual UN session.  V and President Moon pose for a shot together. Suga and President Moon pose for a shot together. RM and President Moon pose for a shot together. Jimin and President Moon pose for a shot together. Jin and President Moon pose for a shot together. J-Hope an

Sept. 22, 2021

Traffic jam on highways as people return on last day of Chuseok

Most highways and roads remained clogged with heavy traffic early Wednesday, as people were traveling back to Seoul on the last day of the Chuseok holiday. Major highways, running through the central part and along the western coast of the country, were jammed with vehicles, with the road congestion likely to peak at about 4-5 p.m., according to Korea Expressway Corp. As of 9 a.m., the estimated travel time to Seoul was 5 hours and 20 minutes from the southern port city of Busan, about 4 hours

Sept. 22, 2021

[Us and Them] I’m Korean, you’re not, and there’s a fine line you can’t cross

Silas Harper Bray, a 30-year-old English teacher based in Gyeonggi Province, has never regretted marrying her Korean husband. But others weren’t so fond of her decision, and they weren’t shy about letting her know. She has found out during her three-year stay in South Korea that some Koreans do not like the idea of “mixing blood,” and they made sure she got the message, no matter how offensive it might be. “Many people have told my husband that he should have marr

Sept. 22, 2021

Imports of cats, dogs double in 2 yrs amid pandemic-driven stay-at-home mode: data

INCHEON -- South Korea has imported twice as many cats and dogs this year compared with two years ago as people spend more time at home amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, customs data showed Wednesday. According to the data by the regional customs office in Incheon, a main gateway for trade located about 40 kilometers west of Seoul, the number of cats and dogs brought in to the country via air carriers reached 10,241 in the January-August period this year, including 7,961 canines and 2,280

Sept. 22, 2021

New cases over 1,700 for 2nd day; concerns grow over post-holiday surge

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed in the 1,700s for the second consecutive day on Wednesday despite fewer tests during an extended Chuseok holiday, raising concerns over a spike in new infections across the nation after the holiday. The country reported 1,720 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,703 local infections, raising the total caseload to 290,983, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload was slightly down from 1,729 on Tuesday, but

Sept. 22, 2021

[Photo News] Lycoris radiata blooms beautifully for fall

As fall arrives, Lycoris radiata, have bloomed in bright red at Greenway, which is located in Daegu.  Greenway consists of a total of 7 kilometers of trails made along unique blocks. Each individual block has its own theme, such as the Rose Garden, the Lilies Garden, and the Maple Garden.  The flowers have bloomed throughout the entire park. People stop to observe and photograph the beautiful sight as they enjoy their stroll.  Two women are admiring the flowers as they enjoy

Sept. 21, 2021

Farmers struggle with dearth of foreign workers during harvest

It is time to harvest, but farmers are facing a labor shortage due to a sharp drop in foreign arrivals caused by the pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic, the Ministry of Justice has been implementing a foreign seasonal worker system since 2017 to combat the shortage. In the first year of implementation, 1,085 people came in, and the number of entrants increased to 3,487 in 2019, but there were none last year when COVID-19 began to spread. This year, 504 people entered the country, and 1,01

Sept. 21, 2021

New cases slightly over 1,700; concerns grow over further spread after Chuseok holiday

South Korea‘s daily coronavirus cases increased to over 1,700 on Tuesday despite fewer tests over the weekend, adding to woes that infections could further increase after the Chuseok holiday in the wider capital area. 　The country reported an additional 1,729 COVID-19 cases, including 1,697 local infections, raising the total caseload to 289,263, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). 　It was the third straight day the daily caseload fell under 2,000, but t

Sept. 21, 2021

From vaccination reminders to relief aid info: Virtual assistant helps over 12m residents

Over 12 million residents have subscribed to the Korean government’s virtual assistant service for the public, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Thursday. The virtual assistant service named “GoodPy” provides various information on vaccine appointments, traffic fines, as well as reminders for driving license renewal and regular medical checkups. GoodPy sends notifications to its subscribers via popular mobile applications Naver, KakaoTalk and Toss. Last month, th

Sept. 20, 2021

2.2 magnitude quake hits southwestern South Korea, no damage reported

A 2.2 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern South Korea early Monday, but no damage was reported, the weather agency said. The quake hit some 20 kilometers northeast of Boseong County in South Jeolla Province, some 395 kilometers from Seoul, at 6:58 a.m. from a depth of 8 km, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was located at a latitude of 34.88 degrees north and a longitude of 127.25 degrees east. The maximum seismic intensity scale was 3, which means

Sept. 20, 2021

New cases slightly over 1,600; concerns grow over further spread after Chuseok holiday

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell to around 1,600 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but concerns have grown further over a surge in infections after the Chuseok holiday amid the fast spread of the virus in the greater Seoul area, officials said. The country reported an additional 1,605 COVID-19 cases, including 1,577 local infections, raising the total caseload to 287,536, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It was the second straight day

Sept. 20, 2021

[Photo News] Children make ‘songpyeon’ for Chuseok

“Songpyeon” are traditional Korean rice cakes that are usually made at home and eaten with family before Chuseok. The Namdo Local Food Museum in Gwangju hosted a songpyeon-making experience Sept. 14 for the upcoming Chuseok holiday. Children from a day care center within Gwangju’s Buk-gu Office participated along with their teachers. 

Sept. 19, 2021

Lawmaker’s son booked for refusing field sobriety test after car crash

The son of lawmaker Rep. Chang Je-won was booked by police for refusing a field sobriety test after a car accident occurred in southern Seoul on Saturday. Chang Yong-jun, 21, was involved in a car crash at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. According to police, the son of the three-term conservative lawmaker headbutt a police officer who requested Chang take a field test to see if he was driving under the influence. The car crash reportedly caused no injuries. Chang, who is a rapper that performs un

Sept. 19, 2021