Ex-nat'l security adviser quizzed in N. Korean fishermen repatriation probe

Prosecutors questioned a former national security adviser Tuesday as part of an investigation into allegations that the previous Moon Jae-in government repatriated two North Korean fishermen against their will. Chung Eui-young, who also served as foreign minister, was among 11 former officials that an organization monitoring North Korea's human rights accused of involvement in the fishermen's 2019 deportation despite their wishes to defect to South Korea. In November 2019, the governme

Jan. 31, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rise to nearly 20,000 amid downward trend

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose to around 20,000 on Tuesday as the government is working to fully restore pre-pandemic normalcy amid an overall downtrend. The country reported 19,629 new cases, including 31 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,176,646, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Tuesday's figure was a marked gain from the previous day's 7,416 cases. It was about 60 percent larger than that of a week earlier, when fewer people ap

Jan. 31, 2023

[Graphic News] About 1 in 20 young Seoul residents live in social isolation due mainly to unemployment

About 1 in 20 young people in Seoul live in isolation or seclusion from society due mainly to difficulties in finding a job or mental problems, a survey by the city government showed. An estimated 4.5 percent, or about 129,000, of Seoul residents aged between 19-39 were surveyed to be in social isolation or seclusion, the city government said following a survey conducted last year on 5,513 Seoul citizens in the age group. The corresponding number for the entire country may reach 610,000 if the s

Jan. 31, 2023

Wheelchair-using subway protesters not underprivileged: Seoul mayor

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Monday reiterated a zero-tolerance stance against subway protesters in wheelchairs affiliated with Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, who are demanding residences that allow for independent living. The mayor stressed the negative impact of the protests on ordinary commuters, and noted that funding for disability housing was a matter under the central, not municipal government's purview. "I don't think the protesters in wheelchairs are underpr

Jan. 30, 2023

Father reports son to police over drug use at home

A father in northeastern Seoul turned his 27-year-old son in to the police as he created disturbance with scissors after using drugs at home, police said Monday. According to Nowon police station, five needle syringes believed to have been used by the son were seized as investigators entered the house on Sunday evening. Police said they would decide whether to seek an arrest after investigating how he bought the drugs and the types of drugs he had used. The case was revealed a day after data rel

Jan. 30, 2023

[From the Scene] Koreans remain cautious over eased masking rule

On the first day of eased indoor masking, a 20-something worker surnamed Shin at a startup company in Seoul started her work day with her mask on as usual -- and she was not the only one. "Eight out of 10 people in our office were wearing masks when I walked into the office. I am also one of those who intend to keep masking,” Shin said. “(Masking) became a habit that makes me feel secure. I feel more comfortable with it." As of 12 a.m. Monday, South Korea's 27-month in

Jan. 30, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to seven-month low; indoor mask mandate lifted

South Korea on Monday lifted most mandatory indoor mask-wearing rules after more than two years amid a recent COVID-19 downtrend, with infections for the day falling to the lowest level in about seven months. The country reported 7,416 new cases, including 22 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,157,017, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It is the lowest level since July 4 last year when the daily caseload came to 6,239. Monday's figure also was around 20

Jan. 30, 2023

Indoor masking eased, with hope, confusion

Ending a 27-monthslong mandate on Monday, South Korea lifts mandatory masking at most indoor spaces except for on public transportation and at hospitals. But confusion lingered among students, teachers and workers demanding accurate and detailed guidelines for schools and workplaces. The eased indoor mask mandate still requires people to wear masks in special circumstances, as the risk of getting COVID-19 is still relatively high here, they said. At schools, for example, masks will still be mand

Jan. 29, 2023

Winter illnesses increase

Unusually cold weather in South Korea is driving a surge in winter illnesses, such as hypothermia, frostbite and chilblains, according to health authorities. The latest data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency found that the number of such patients reached 345 as of Friday since December, a 65.9 percent rise from the same period a year ago. The temperature in Seoul last week dropped below minus 17 degrees Celsius, a threshold that the country’s weather agency says has been

Jan. 29, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 20,000 ahead of lifting of indoor mask mandate

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 20,000 on Sunday, just a day ahead of the country's planned lifting of a mask mandate for indoor places that has been in place for more than three years. The country reported 18,871 new cases, including 37 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,149,601, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The daily caseload had been above 30,000 for the second straight day Friday due to increased tests after the Lunar Ne

Jan. 29, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 30,000

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell under 30,000 Saturday as the country plans to lift a mask mandate for most indoor places next week. The country reported 23,612 new cases, including 48 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,130,730, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily caseload had been above 30,000 for the second straight day Friday due to increased tests after the Lunar New Year holiday that ended Tuesday. Saturday's daily i

Jan. 28, 2023

Prosecutors indict head of hotel adjoining site of Itaewon crowd crush

Prosecutors indicted the head of a hotel adjoining the site of the deadly Itaewon crowd crush without physical detention Friday, amid allegations the hotel's illegally extended structures made the cramped area even narrower. The 76-year-old head of Hamilton Hotel, surnamed Lee, was accused of illegally building structures near the main building of the hotel and occupying an adjacent road without permission, in violation of the building and road acts. More than 150 people, mostly in their 20

Jan. 28, 2023

Ministry blasted over rape law U-turn

South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has come under fire for withdrawing plans to expand the legal definition of rape to non-consensual sex on the same day it was announced. The move would have ended the requirement in South Korea for the threat or use of force to be in evidence in order for an act to count as rape. Park Ji-hyun, who was briefly interim chair of the opposition Democratic Party, said in a Facebook statement Friday, “If nonconsensual sex isn’t rap

Jan. 27, 2023

Arrests for online drug purchases rise 20% last year

The number of arrests in South Korea in connection with online drug trades reached 3,092 in 2022, a more than 20 percent increase from the previous year, data showed Friday. The number of packages seized, however, declined from 957 to 657 over the same period, according to data revealed during a vice ministerial pangovernmental meeting held in Government Complex Seoul. Since the total weight of drugs confiscated was nearly double that of 2021, and nearly seven times over the past two years, th

Jan. 27, 2023

Seoul education superintendent convicted for unfair hiring

Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, was given a 1 1/2-year prison sentence suspended for two years for abusing his power in the teacher hiring process. The conviction will remove Seoul's top education policy decisionmaker from his seat, unless a higher court overturns the decision. In the ruling, Cho's aide was given a 10-month prison term, suspended for two years. Cho's actions "undermined the transparency in the teacher employment process," whi

Jan. 27, 2023

Bad weather disrupts operation of Jeju airport again after 3 days

The operation of Jeju International Airport, the gateway to the southern resort island, was again disrupted by inclement weather Friday, only three days after its operational paralysis. At present, wind shear and strong wind warnings are in effect for the airport. According to the Jeju branch of the Korea Airports Corp., 50 flights to and from the Jeju airport -- 18 departures and 32 arrivals -- had been canceled as of 10 a.m., while nine other flights were delayed. A total of 445 domestic fligh

Jan. 27, 2023

9 out of 10 who passed Seoul teacher exam are women

Nine out of 10 successful candidates for this year’s teacher employment examination for public kindergartens, elementary schools and special education schools in Seoul are women, data showed Friday, continuing a years-old trend of extreme sex-ratio imbalance. A total of 166 applicants passed the test -- 164 applying to work at schools operated by the city government and two for national educational facilities in the city, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Of the 16

Jan. 27, 2023

Korea's pension to run out faster on population decline

South Korea's public pension reserve is set to run out from 2055, two years earlier than the previous projection, in the face of rapidly changing demographics coupled with slowing economic growth, according to officials on Friday. A Health Ministry committee on the financial projection of the National Pension Service announced that the reserves will be depleted by 2055 as the fund is expected to fall from 2041 onward. A depletion will force the working population to provide more than 26 per

Jan. 27, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 30,000 for second day after holiday

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed at over 30,000 for the second straight day Friday due to increased tests after the Lunar New Year holiday that ended earlier this week. The country reported 31,711 new cases, including 49 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,107,363, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Friday's daily infections increased by more than 4,300 from a week earlier. The country added 36 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 33,332.

Jan. 27, 2023

Chaebol scions indicted for distributing marijuana in Korea

South Korean prosecutors said Thursday they have indicted 17 people on charges of distributing cannabis in the nation, where owning and using the substance are strictly prohibited. Among them were six scions of Korean chaebol families, a son of a high-ranking official, entrepreneurs, a musician and an entertainment agency chief, according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, ending a monthslong probe since September 2022. According to local reports, the chaebol scions includ

Jan. 26, 2023