Korea hit by worst dust storm this year

South Korea was blanketed by a yellow dust storm from China, with the fine dust density level hitting a record high this year in almost every part of the nation Wednesday. As of 5 p.m., the fine dust level in every region in the country was classified as "very bad," which is the worst level. The Ministry of Environment said Wednesday that it has raised its yellow dust crisis warning, which had been issued to 17 cities and provinces nationwide the previous day, from "attention"

April 12, 2023

Justice Ministry moves to nix execution sunset clause

The Ministry of Justice on Wednesday announced plans to clear the way for the execution of inmates who have been on death row for over 30 years through a law revision. Those who are sentenced to the death penalty will no longer be able to avoid execution according to the revision proposed by the Justice Ministry. The government is to put up the legislative notice for the revision Thursday, after which it requires parliamentary approval. Under the current rules, an execution must take place withi

April 12, 2023

Korea, Portugal PMs agree to foster business ties

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and his Portuguese counterpart, Antonio Costa, on Wednesday agreed to foster development cooperation during bilateral talks held in Seoul for the first time in 39 years. Han said in a speech before the talks that there is ample room for bilateral cooperation, which would lay a cornerstone for the rules-based international order. In response, the Portuguese Cabinet leader echoed the need for supply chain restructuring to achieve the economic resilience in the face of d

April 12, 2023

Pastor jailed for 2 years for embezzling church funds

The Seoul Central District Court has sentenced a reverend who purchased a house with church funds to two years in prison, officials said Wednesday. The reverend, in his 60s, used 590 million won ($445,000) of church funds to buy an apartment in his own name in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, in the fall of 2020. Church funds are received by a church for paying church programs, salaries and operating expenses. Embezzling public funds is a violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic

April 12, 2023

S. Korea confirms 2 more locally acquired mpox cases

Health authorities in South Korea confirmed two more cases of mpox Wednesday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, two South Koreans tested positive for the virus, formerly known as monkeypox, on Monday and Tuesday, bringing the total to eight. The KDCA has concluded the cases were locally acquired, as neither of the two new patients had traveled overseas in the past three months. Korea's sixth case, reported Friday, was recorded as the first locally transmitted mpo

April 12, 2023

Yoon designates wildfire-hit Gangneung as special disaster zone

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday designated Gangneung as a special disaster zone after the eastern coastal city was ravaged by a massive wildfire the previous day, his office said. The designation makes Gangneung, 168 kilometers east of Seoul, eligible for the government's financial support in recovery work, relief funds for victims and other benefits. Yoon instructed acting Interior Minister Han Chang-seob to make every effort to help recovery work and enable residents to quickly return to

April 12, 2023

Ruling party asks govt. to designate fire-hit Gangneung as special disaster zone

The ruling People Power Party leader asked the government Wednesday to designate the northeastern coastal city of Gangneung hit by a massive wildfire as a special disaster zone eligible for various types of state support. Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon made the suggestion at a party meeting held a day after a fire broke out in the seaside city, 168 kilometers east of Seoul, destroying about 70 homes and buildings, and burning woodland the size of 530 football fields. Firefighters brought the main body of the

April 12, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 10,000 for 2nd day

South Korea's new COVID-19 caseload stayed above 10,000 for the second straight day Wednesday, as public gatherings rise amid warmer weather. The country reported 13,926 cases, including nine cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,944,430, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Wednesday's tally is a slight increase from 12,444 a day earlier but around 500 lower than the same day a week ago. The country added 14 COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to

April 12, 2023

Top court sides with foreign ministry's dismissal of ex-ambassador to Vietnam over graft

The top court has ruled in favor of the foreign ministry's 2019 decision to dismiss former Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Do-hyon for receiving free hotel stays and other benefits from a company in the host country, the court said Wednesday. The Supreme Court recently delivered the decision, reversing the Seoul High Court's previous ruling against the dismissal and sending the case back to the appellate court for retrial, the top court said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed Kim in

April 12, 2023

Dog attack reignites calls for stronger measures

A woman who was severely injured after being attacked by an unleashed large dog has been causing outrage on social media. A video posted on a community forum of website Bobaedream on Monday shows a large white dog walking with a little child without a leash. The dog suddenly attacks an unidentified woman. The child tries to stop the dog initially, but then freezes, seemingly in a panic. A passerby kicks the dog but the dog doesn't stop, biting the woman's leg and her neck. The person w

April 11, 2023

Bereaved family call for heaviest punishment in Daejeon school zone accident

The bereaved family of one of the victims of the Daejeon school zone drunk driving accident called for the heaviest punishment for the suspect, as well as for other drunk drivers, after the funeral held Tuesday. “There should never be another child sacrificed like Seung-ah again,” victim Bae Seung-ah's older brother said in an interview with local media after the nine-year-old girl's funeral in Daejeon. He insisted that far stricter punishments must be given to those who en

April 11, 2023

[Herald Interview] Fighting for diversity in the 'Land of Squid Game'

For many Koreans, the name Min Byoung-chul rings a bell. In the 1980s, his “Practical English” book series introduced learners to “wanna” and “gonna” instead of “want to” and “going to," which were taught in local textbooks. An educational TV show bearing his name attracted millions of people who aspired to learn “real” English as spoken by Americans. Over the past some 15 years, the man who was once a household name in Korea

April 11, 2023

Seoul to disclose emissions annually, nurture carbon capture technology

South Korea finalized its first basic plan at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday to gradually reduce annual national carbon emissions to address climate change, so that Asia's fourth-largest economy in 2030 would emit 40 percent less greenhouse gases compared to 2018. The five-year overarching implementation plan for Korea to emit a net 436.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and its equivalent in 2030, compared to 727.6 million tons in 2018, gained approval at the Cabinet meeting held at the Governm

April 11, 2023

Hundreds flee Gangneung wildfire

One man was found dead in a wildfire that spread fast due to strong winds blowing across Gangneung, Gangwon Province, leading hundreds of residents, students and tourists to evacuate due to safety concerns, on Tuesday. According to the Gangwon Fire Headquarters, the forest fire broke out in the Nangok-dong area of the city, 260 kilometers west of Seoul, at around 8:30 a.m. and the flames then began to spread to houses nearby and other areas through the strong winds. About 379 hectares of forest,

April 11, 2023

4 Southeast Asian women held captive by sex traffickers on Jeju Island

Four Southeast Asian women were held captive and forced to work as prostitutes on Jeju Island, Korea's southern resort island. The suspects who allegedly held the women have been arrested, local police said Tuesday. The island's provincial police agency said they had arrested four suspects, including a Korean bar owner in his 40s, his Chinese wife, and two of their accomplices. The suspects have been sent to the prosecutor's office. The victims arrived in Korea in November for wor

April 11, 2023

Prosecutor to-be put on probation for assaulting cop while drunk

A soon-to-be prosecutor has been placed on probation without a sentence for assaulting a police officer while under the influence of alcohol, a South Korean court ruled Tuesday. The Seoul Central District Court handed down a suspended imposition of a fine of 3 million won ($2,300) to the woman, only identified by her surname Hwang. Prosecutors had asked the court for a six-month jail term for Hwang, who pleaded guilty during a trial. Hwang did not respond to reporters' questions on her way

April 11, 2023

Strong winds hamper wildfire response in Gangneung

With strong wind warnings in effect across half of the nation, a wildfire broke out in Gangneung, Gangwon Province at around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Strong winds of up to 30 meters per second in the area have grounded helicopters, impeding response efforts to a Level 3 wildfire that has broken out. Level 3 is the second-highest level in the four-notch system. The fire agency issued a Stage 3 response, the highest possible. This is the first time this year that such a response has been issued for a wi

April 11, 2023

Serial motorbike brake cutter wanted by police

Police are seeking a suspect believed to have cut the brake lines of at least six motorbikes in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Police received six reports beginning April 5 that brake lines had been intentionally cut in the Sugok-dong and Bunpyeong-dong neighborhoods, Cheongju Sangdang Police Station told local media on Monday. Someone claiming to be one of the victims posted purported security camera footage of the crime in an online community on Saturday, asking for help finding the sus

April 11, 2023

Chungju taxi driver saves passenger from taking own life

The story of a local taxi driver is going viral on the internet for saving a passenger from attempting to take his own life. Lee Ho-yeon, a 29-year-old taxi driver, successfully dissuaded a man standing on the railing of Tangeum Bridge from jumping after leaving his taxi on the night of March 26 in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. Lee felt some foreboding that the man might attempt suicide considering his condition and requested destination. Dashboard footage provided by Seonjae Taxi, Lee&rs

April 10, 2023

Manhunt underway for suspect who threatens to assassinate Yoon

Police said Monday they were tracking a suspect who posted a terror threat online toward President Yoon Suk Yeol. According to police, a 112 report was filed Sunday night that a terror threat had been posted to a moderate conservative online community. The suspect uploaded the post at 10:22 p.m. on Sunday along with a photo of a pistol. The registration number of the pistol was covered. "I bought the pistol with cryptocurrency and finally received it. The president has ruined the country an

April 10, 2023