S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to around 4,200 amid overall downtrend

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to around 4,200 on Monday amid the overall downturn of the infections, as the government is mulling further easing antivirus restrictions. The country reported 4,198 new coronavirus cases, including 12 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,638,929, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. It marked a decline from 9,342 cases reported Sunday and also a fall from the previous week's 4,295 cases. The country reported 12 deaths

March 13, 2023

State should pay in assault after police left scene: court

A court ruled that police officers were accountable for a second assault that happened when a victim was left alone with perpetrators. It was revealed that the officers left the scene after the perpetrators requested a private conversation. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the three perpetrators to pay a cumulative fine of about 23 million won ($17,000) to the victim, of which 9.48 million won must be paid by the state, legal sources said Sunday. The victim was assaulted by three perpe

March 12, 2023

Police to crack down on gangs

The National Office of Investigation said Sunday it will conduct a special crackdown on organized crime for four months, starting from Monday. A total of 320 dedicated investigation teams of 1,539 police officers will be set up at city and provincial police agencies and police stations across the country to respond with all-out efforts. Crackdown targets include gangsters involved in gambling websites, fraudulent phone calls and text messages and violations of public welfare by extorting money f

March 12, 2023

[Weekender] Envisioning Korea in 2070 in births, deaths, marriages and immigration

A dynamic, cutthroat society that never rests -- that has been South Korea until now. Changes have taken place in this Asian country in recent decades at speeds no other nation could follow: from poverty to prosperity, from the ruins of colonial occupation and civil war to becoming a rising cultural superpower on the international stage. But at the same breakneck pace, Korea is leading the world into a future where the majority live past 90 years old and fewer people are working to keep the econ

March 11, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 10,000 for 5th day

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases remained above 10,000 for the fifth day Saturday as health authorities mull over further easing antivirus measures. The country reported 10,009 new COVID-19 infections, including 15 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,625,389, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Saturday's tally is slightly down from 10,335 a day earlier and from 11,246 a week earlier, KDCA data showed. South Korea added three COVID-19

March 11, 2023

1 year prison sought for assault with rock in Jeju City

Prosecutors are seeking one year of imprisonment for a 24-year-old man accused of smashing an unacquainted man’s face with a rock in Jeju City on Jan. 31. The man was caught on security footage hitting the victim with a rock and then fleeing the scene. The victim was watching a street performance at the time. The victim and the assailant appeared to not be connected in any way. Police found that the suspect had been drinking before the assault and battery scene. The victim, in his 20s, suf

March 10, 2023

Middle school teacher under police investigation for wielding scissors at colleague

A middle school teacher in Seoul was booked by police on suspicion of brandishing scissors at a colleague. The Seoul Seongbuk Police Station said Friday that the offender, whose name and age have not been disclosed, is facing assault charges involving scissors and physical abuse. According to police, the offender, who also serves as the director of the school affairs department, allegedly shouted and cursed at the victim for raising an issue during a meeting earlier this month. After the quarrel

March 10, 2023

218 passengers evacuated after live bullet found in Korean Air plane

Airport police said they evacuated 218 passengers and 12 crew members from a Korean Air plane after a suspicious item reported to be a live bullet was found on the plane as it was ready for departure early Friday morning. No injuries were reported as everyone disembarked. Korean Air flight KE621 was scheduled to depart from Incheon to Manila, the Philippines, at around 7:45 a.m., but a report was filed with emergency response officials that a live bullet had been found on the plane. At around 8:

March 10, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 10,000 for 4th day amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed over 10,000 for the fourth straight day Friday amid eased COVID-19 virus curbs, with health authorities mulling further easing antivirus measures. The country reported 10,335 new COVID-19 infections, including 10 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,615,522, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Friday's tally is slightly down from 10,890 a day earlier and from 10,408 a week earlier, KDCA data showed. Sou

March 10, 2023

N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missile toward Yellow Sea: S. Korean military

North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the Yellow Sea on Thursday, Seoul's military said, in the latest show of force ahead of a major South Korea-US military exercise set to begin next week. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch from the North's western port city of Nampo at 6:20 p.m. It did not elaborate further. "While strengthening its monitoring and vigilance, our military is maintaining a full readiness posture in close cooperation with the

March 9, 2023

Suspected animal fat sprayed in front of mosque construction site in Daegu

White liquid suspected to be animal fat has been found sprayed near a mosque construction site in Daegu amid continued discord between an anti-mosque committee and the Muslim community. CCTV footage revealed by Muaz Razaq, a representative of Muslim community members who support the mosque, shows two people throwing unknown white waste on the street several times at around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The footage also shows one person holding an umbrella, apparently to hide his or her face from being

March 9, 2023

School violence countermeasures 'ineffective': study

Existing countermeasures against school violence in Korea were found to have been mostly ineffective, with preventative programs implemented by schools seven years ago not leading to an actual decrease in cases of bullying, a study showed Thursday. According to the study, various types of school violence prevention programs were deployed across a number of schools from 2016 to 2017. But even though students spent more time in school violence prevention classes and more parents participated in si

March 9, 2023

Mask rule on public transport may be lifted in coming weeks

South Korea’s disease control authorities are considering lifting the mask mandate on public transport. The mask mandate, introduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19, has mostly been lifted here, with the exception of on public transportation and at high-risk facilities such as hospitals. The central disease control team has been discussing the possibility of lifting the public transport mask mandate with experts, according to government officials. The final decision will be made after th

March 9, 2023

Four put on trial for forcing woman into prostitution for 3 years

A woman and two men have been arrested and put on trial for forcing a woman into prostitution for three years, the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office said Wednesday. Another suspect has been indicted without detention. According to the prosecution, the victim was beaten, tortured and forced into prostitution by the three suspects from October 2019 to September 2022. The suspects forced the victim to carry out prostitution on about 2,500 occasions, and took the proceeds amounting to 500 mil

March 9, 2023

Three fined for neutering cat without anesthesia

Three Vietnamese nationals have been fined for neutering a cat without anesthesia, filming the process and posting the video online. According to reports, one of the individuals neutered a male cat without anesthesia while the other two looked on in January last year at one of the individuals’ homes in Gwangju. None of the individuals are licensed veterinarians. All three were found guilty of violating the Animal Protection Act, and were fined 2 million won ($1,500), 1 million won and 700,

March 9, 2023

Justice minister in France to discuss immigration policies

South Korea’s Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon met with French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Wednesday, his office confirmed Thursday, a trip highlighting his focus on coping with the fast-growing number of foreign residents here. The two ministers exchanged information on immigration and border and migration management policy issues between Korea and France and decided to build a cooperative system to deal with the challenges of international migration, the ministry added. Han headed

March 9, 2023

Women earn 65% of what men earn in Korea: data

South Korean female workers were paid on average two-thirds of the wages of their male counterparts in the first half of 2022, data showed Wednesday. The average monthly salary of female workers during the cited period came to 2.2 million won ($1,600), which stood at 65 percent that of male workers' 3.39 million won, according to data gathered by the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions' research institute. The fact that a greater proportion of women than men are underpaid, with a mon

March 8, 2023

[Newsmaker] [From the Scene] From meat to companion: 200 pups freed from dog farm in Asan

ASAN, South Chungcheong Province – A serene countryside village in Asan, located in central South Chungcheong Province, was filled with hysterical barking and sometimes whining as rescuers entered a dog meat farm on Wednesday. With fear and anxiety in their eyes, the dogs on the farm -- most of whom had never experienced meaningful interactions with humans -- seemed confused. Rescuers carefully went into narrow, dirty cages and moved the dogs into mobile kennels one by one. "It's

March 8, 2023

Seoul City to build world's tallest spokeless Ferris wheel by 2027

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday unveiled a plan to build the world's tallest hubless Ferris wheel on the banks of Han River near the World Cup Stadium in northwestern Seoul. The 180-meter Ferris wheel on the landfill-turned-grassland Haneul Park, which is located on a hilltop, will be the tallest one of its kind, the city government said. The world's tallest spokeless Ferris wheel, at 145 meters, opened in Shandong province in China in 2017. It will also be the second-ta

March 8, 2023

Pig farm owner arrested for disposing of Thai worker's dead body

A pig farm owner in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, has been arrested on the suspicion of disposing of the dead body of a Thai farm worker earlier this month, according to local police Wednesday. According to the Pocheon Police Station, the farm owner is alleged to have buried the body of the 60-something Thai man on a nearby hill on March 2 at around 8:00 a.m. The deceased had lived and worked at the farm for nearly a decade and a post-mortem autopsy suggests he likely died of underlying health pro

March 8, 2023