S. Korea to decide on lifting indoor masking Friday

South Korean health authorities will decide on Friday whether to lift the indoor mask mandate as early as the end of this month. On Tuesday, health experts on the government advisory committee for COVID-19 held a video conference to discuss ending indoor mask requirements. As they agreed to phase out the indoor mask requirement, some experts also reportedly suggested lifting the mandate as early as Jan. 30, the first Monday after the Lunar New Year holiday. “The latest winter resurgence of

Jan. 18, 2023

Worker stabs colleague over China insults

A Chinese national was sentenced to prison for 4 1/2 years for the attempted murder of a coworker who demeaned his native country, according to legal professionals and local reports Wednesday. The 60-year-old was indicted on charges of attempting to murder a 50-something coworker with a knife in a parking lot in Ulsan in June. It was reported that the attack happened after a dispute with the Korean worker broke out during a staff dinner in which the assailant claimed that the coworker had insult

Jan. 18, 2023

S. Korea's COVID cases down to lowest Wednesday tally in 13 weeks

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Wednesday tally in 13 weeks, showing signs the infection trend may be subsiding, as the country prepares to lift the indoor mask mandate. The country reported 36,908 new COVID-19 infections, including 80 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,898,142, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally is down by some 3,000 from a day earlier and nearly 17,500 from the previous week, KDCA data showed. It�

Jan. 18, 2023

Military resumes search for drone after its flight near THAAD base

Military and police personnel resumed a search Wednesday for a presumed civilian drone thought to have crashed after flying near a US THAAD missile defense unit in a southern county the previous day, officials said. The authorities are conducting the search in areas close to the base in Seongju, 217 kilometers south of Seoul, while police are investigating who sent the drone and for what purpose. The Army said chances appear low that the drone was mobilized for espionage. US Forces Korea personn

Jan. 18, 2023

S. Korea to determine when to lift indoor mask mandate this week

The government will decide when to lift the indoor mask mandate this week, as the country is past the peak of the latest winter COVID-19 wave, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Wednesday. "With this winter's COVID-19 wave past its peak, the overall virus situation is stabilizing," Lee said during a government virus response meeting. Taking the virus situation and other external factors into account, the government will determine when and to what extent the indoor mask mandate wo

Jan. 18, 2023

S. Korea identifies remains of two more Korean War troops

South Korea's military has identified the remains of two more soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The ministry's excavation team identified the remains of Choi Bong-keun and Oh Moon-kyo, recovered in 2001 and 2019, respectively, through DNA analysis based on samples provided by their families. Choi was a private first class, while Oh held a rank equivalent to the current sergeant. Choi's remains were found in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers

Jan. 18, 2023

[Graphic News] 2022 9th warmest year on record in S. Korea

Last year was the 9th warmest year on record in South Korea, data showed. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the average temperature throughout 2022 was 12.9 degrees Celsius, 0.4 C higher than the average of 12.5 C during the baseline period from 1991 to 2020. It was also the ninth-highest temperature since the country began nationwide weather monitoring in 1973. Adding to evidence that the planet is heating up, all but two of the country’s 10 warmest years have occurred this cen

Jan. 18, 2023

Fugitive tycoon denies links to Lee

Kim Seong-tae, the fugitive former chairman of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, arrived in South Korea on Tuesday morning after he was arrested in Bangkok last week, roughly eight months after fleeing abroad. Kim is facing multiple charges, including a charge involving main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's leader Lee Jae-myung. Immediately after his arrival, Kim was taken to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office in Gyeonggi Province. Kim denied a link with the main opposition le

Jan. 17, 2023

[Feature] Steep day care costs put squeeze on foreigners in Korea

Harry, who has called South Korea home for 16 years, is considering moving someplace else with more affordable child care. A senior semiconductor engineer working for a conglomerate here, he and his wife pay some 1 million won ($810) a month for their two young children to attend day care. Unlike Korean parents, who pay far less for day care thanks to monthly government subsidies, foreigners are not eligible for the aid. “If I’m able to find a job or get a good offer from any country

Jan. 17, 2023

Buddhist monks brawl over temple chief selection

A brawl broke out at Haeinsa Temple, a Buddhist temple in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, resulting in at least one injury requiring hospital treatment, the police said. According to the police, around 50 monks on Monday became involved in a physical clash over selection of the temple’s new chief. The fight broke out in the entryway of Gwaneumjeon Hall as supporters of the candidate, backed by the temple's most senior monk, attempted to prevent members of the Emergency Response C

Jan. 17, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to 13-week low; govt. to discuss lifting indoor mask mandate

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Tuesday tally in 13 weeks in a sign of a downward trend in new infections, as the country prepares to lift the indoor mask mandate. The country reported 40,199 new COVID-19 infections, including 95 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,861,234, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Tuesday's tally is down by around 20,000 from the previous week and half the daily caseload from two weeks ago, the KDCA data showed. It

Jan. 17, 2023

Fugitive ex-Ssangbangwool chief returns home to face probe linked to opposition leader

A fugitive underwear tycoon nabbed in Thailand last week in connection with the prosecution's ongoing investigation into opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's corruption allegations returned home Tuesday. Kim Seong-tae, former chair of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around 8:20 a.m. via an Asiana Airlines flight from Bangkok. He was apprehended by Thai police at a golf club near Bangkok a week ago, roughly eight months after he fled the

Jan. 17, 2023

[Newsmaker] ‘Swallow thumb drives if you get caught': Suspected NK spies reportedly under probe

South Korean authorities are investigating suspected operatives working for North Korea on Jeju Island and in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, who told each other to “swallow thumb drives” if they get caught, a vernacular newspaper reported Monday. The purported spies, mostly in their 50s and 60s, received orders from Kim Myong-song, an agent of the Cultural Exchange Bureau of the North’s Workers’ Party of Korea, to engage in anti-US campaigns, “infiltrate&rdquo

Jan. 17, 2023

Immigration officer warned for 'forcing' Chinese national to apologize

The National Human Rights Commission said Monday it asked the chief of the Daejeon Immigration Office to take precautions against an official at an investigation department for "forcing" a Chinese national to submit a statement apologizing for driving under the influence. According to the NHRC, a Chinese national with an F-5 visa or a permanent residency visa was told to write a statement when the person visited the immigration office to get the registration card reissued in November 2

Jan. 16, 2023

Barefoot woman's department store tantrum causes stir

A woman who runs a YouTube channel has been charged after making a scene at a department store in Seoul on Friday. A video of the incident was posted by the YouTuber to her channel over the weekend. The original video shows the woman, without shoes on, raging at the shoe section, knocking over displays and accusing the store of selling her counterfeit shoes. The footage she took of herself at the department store begins from the customer service section before she throws herself on the floor. In

Jan. 16, 2023

Ministry to disclose information of convicts who remove electronic anklets

Personal information of convicts will be disclosed to the public regardless of the crime if their whereabouts are unknown after removing their GPS-equipped electronic monitoring anklets. On Thursday, the Ministry of Justice began implementing the rules for revealing information if criminal offenders’ locations are unknown, in a bid to prevent offenders from committing secondary offenses. Previously, only the personal information of felons who had committed serious crimes like murder, sexua

Jan. 16, 2023

Man rams car into store after owner refuses to give plastic bag

A man rammed his car into a convenience store in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, after his request to buy a plastic bag a few months before was rejected by the store owner, police said Monday. The unnamed driver was arrested by police at the scene in the southern region of South Korea. Police are seeking charges of special destruction of private property and retaliatory crime. At around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, the driver slammed the car into the store, damaging some items there. With the lights p

Jan. 16, 2023

Lawmaker’s son blasted for Chun Doo-hwan reference in rap

Rapper No:el, or Chang Yong-joon, whose father is Rep. Chang Je-won of the ruling People Power Party, has come under fire for mentioning the late former President Chun Doo-hwan -- a military dictator responsible for killing civilians in the 1980s -- in his new track released Friday. In the song titled “Gang Gang Gang?” the rapper sings, “If it were Chun Doo-hwan’s era, you’d end up in the basement if you mess with me.” Chun is one of the most controversial fig

Jan. 16, 2023

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases down to lowest Monday tally in 12 weeks

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Monday tally in 12 weeks, as the government continues to make efforts to contain the inflow from China. The country reported 14,144 new COVID-19 infections, including 64 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,821,035, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Daily case counts on Mondays tend to be lower than other days of the week due to fewer tests over the weekend. The tally is down by around 5,000 from a wee

Jan. 16, 2023

Ultrafine dust level reaches 'bad' only on 17 days last year

The level of ultrafine dust was bad or worse only on 17 days last year, the lowest on record, thanks to lower dust levels in China, the environment ministry said Monday. South Korea categorizes concentrations of ultrafine dust -- particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, also known as PM 2.5 -- into four levels. PM 2.5 between 36 and 75 micrograms per cubic meter is categorized as "bad," while density higher than 76 micrograms per cubic meter is "very bad." During 2

Jan. 16, 2023