Freezing cold wave to continue until early next week

The nation was hit with cold wave Wednesday, with the mercury plunging as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius in inner regions during the morning hours. The Korea Meteorological Administration, South Korea's weather agency, said the cold wave will continue until early next week, while issuing cold wave advisories across the nation. In Seoul, the temperature fell to minus 11 C on Wednesday morning. With the wind chill, the temperature recorded minus 19.7 C at 7 a.m. At a briefing Wednesday morni

Dec. 14, 2022

Subway train skips Samgakji Station due to protest by disability rights activists

A subway train skipped a station in Seoul on Wednesday due to subway-riding protests by a disabled advocacy group. Seoul Metro said a Subway Line 4 train passed through Samgakji Station without stopping at 8:50 a.m. after a brawl erupted as subway officials tried to block disability rights activists from bringing a ladder into the station. The Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination has been staging a four-day rush-hour subway protest at the station near the presidential office since Monday

Dec. 14, 2022

Liberal-minded show hosts sacked at TBS

TBS is cancelling three shows hosted by left-leaning figures, including its most-listened-to program, as the Seoul city-funded ratio station seeks to shake off accusations of political bias in the face of a severe funding cut. The shows’ hosts shared the news on their programs which aired Monday. Kim Eo-joon, host of the top-ranked “News Factory,” said that he will host the show for three more weeks before the program closes at the end of this year. Later in the day, two othe

Dec. 14, 2022

Season's coldest weather grips S. Korea

South Korea came under the grip of the season's coldest weather on Wednesday, with the morning lows dipping to minus 15 C in some inland areas, the state weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administrationsaid the freezing temperatures were accompanied by strong wind, with the wind velocity reaching up to 16 meters per second in some coastal areas. In Seoul, morning lows plummeted to minus 11 C and an apparent temperature of nearly minus 20 C as of 7 a.m., the KMA said. The weather agen

Dec. 14, 2022

Teenage survivor of Itaewon crowd crush found dead in apparent suicide

A teenage survivor of the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood has been found dead in an apparent suicide, police said Thursday. Police found the high schooler dead at an accommodation in western Seoul at 11:40 p.m. on Monday while searching the area following a report from his mother 30 minutes earlier that her son was missing, officials said. No suicide note was found at the scene while police said there were also no signs of foul play. "He is assumed to have taken his

Dec. 14, 2022

Municipal councilor faces backlash over comments slamming families of Itaewon tragedy

A Changwon City Council member is facing public outcry over a social media post accusing families of the Itaewon crowd crush victims of using the deaths. On her Facebook account on Sunday, Kim Mi-na, a member of the People Power Party on Changwon City Council, accused the bereaved families of “killing twice the innocent souls of their kids who died young in their prime” and “doing business with their kids’ deaths.” She also asked whether the victims “(died) sa

Dec. 13, 2022

Advisory issued as Korea hit with yellow dust

An air quality advisory was issued across the country on Tuesday as Korea was hit with yellow dust blowing from inner China, along with heavy snow advisories, raising concerns over public health safety. The Ministry of Environment raised the yellow dust advisory level in Seoul, Gwangju, Gangwon and North Jeolla Province from "attention" to "caution" as of 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Incheon and Gyeonggi Province was issued a "caution" level advisory from 7 a.m. the same day.

Dec. 13, 2022

Suspect of W15bn fraud case nabbed

A fraud suspect in his 40s was apprehended by the police on Monday with suspected crime revenue of about 15 billion won ($11.5 million) after several days on the run. The police caught an online merchant who disappeared with money paid by at least 46 people for luxury bags and gift cards, the Suwon Nambu Police Station on Tuesday. In the investigation, the suspect confessed that he made as much as 15 billion won in criminal revenue, according to local media reports. The suspect, who sold luxury

Dec. 13, 2022

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases jump to 3-month high of over 80,000

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases jumped to a three-month high on Tuesday amid looming concerns of another virus wave as the government mulls lifting the indoor mask mandate. The country reported 86,852 new COVID-19 infections, including 55 from overseas, bringing the total to 27,841,001, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Tuesday's tally is more than triple the figure a day earlier and over 9,000 higher than the same day last week. It is also the highest tally in the

Dec. 13, 2022

Fine dust advisories issued across Seoul, central Gyeonggi

Fine dust advisories were issued across Seoul and parts of Gyeonggi Province surrounding the capital Tuesday, authorities said. The advisories were issued at 4 a.m. for the capital and at 7 a.m. for 11 cities in central Gyeonggi, including Suwon, Bucheon and Ansan, according to city and environment authorities, The advisory is issued when the hourly average concentration of PM 10 -- particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter -- stays above 150 micrograms per cubic meter for over two hours

Dec. 13, 2022

[Graphic News] Foreign ownership of South Korean land rises 1.2% in H1

Foreign ownership of South Korean land rose 1.2 percent in the first half of 2022 from the end of 2021, the Land Ministry said. Foreigners owned 260.75 square kilometers - slightly more than four times the size of Manhattan - at the end of June. That represents 0.26 percent of South Korea’s total land area, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The value of land in foreign hands also increased 1.2 percent to 32.46 trillion won ($24.7 billion) over the cite

Dec. 13, 2022

‘Safety is K-food’s forte,’ says minister

OSONG, North Chungcheong Province -- Safety and quality are what make Korean food products stand out, according to Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yu-kyoung. “I believe the competitive edge that Korean food products have in the global market is their safety and high quality,” Oh said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “The interest in Korean culture has extended beyond K-pop or K-dramas. Now we’re seeing a growing popularity of Korean food -- hence I think the nam

Dec. 12, 2022

Frequent snow with possible cold wave advisory this week

The Korea Meteorological Administration said Monday that snow and rain will fall in various regions this week as temperatures drop from Tuesday, urging caution against safety accidents caused by icy roads and cold weather. The temperature, which will be similar to average year until Tuesday afternoon, will drop sharply at night as cold air comes down from the northwest. Compared to the previous day, Wednesday morning temperatures will be about five to 11 degrees Celsius lower throughout the coun

Dec. 12, 2022

Winter resurgence worries escalate as Seoul mulls lifting mask mandate

Worries of a possible resurgence of COVID-19 this winter is weighing on the South Korean government, as officials mull whether it should lift the indoor mask mandate as early as January next year. Monday’s total confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 25,667, including 63 cases from overseas, bringing the total to 27,754,149, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The tally is also the highest for a Monday in more than three months since it reached 36,917 on Sept. 12. South

Dec. 12, 2022

Terraform CEO Do Kwon hiding in Serbia: prosecutors

Do Kwon, the wanted co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs accused of fraud following the massive collapse of the blockchain firm's cryptocurrencies, is currently in Serbia, prosecutors said Monday. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office obtained intelligence that Kwon has stayed in Serbia for about month after leaving the United Arab Emirates. He was most recently spotted in Singapore in early September. The disgraced entrepreneur has been under investigation for alleged fraud and ta

Dec. 12, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases at 25,667 amid virus surge worries

South Korea reported more than 25,000 new COVID-19 cases Monday, the largest for a Monday in more than three months, amid concerns of another surge as the government mulls easing the indoor mask mandate. The country reported 25,667 new COVID-19 infections, including 63 from overseas, bringing the total to 27,754,149, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's daily infections marked the highest for a Monday since the figure reached 36,917 on Sept. 12. On Friday, the gove

Dec. 12, 2022

Korea mulls visa extensions, clarification of 'dangerous jobs'

The Korean government is considering a policy drive to ease the burden of foreign workers and improve the work environment here through extending visas and adding flexibility to the existing quota system, Labor Minister Lee Jung-sik said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Stressing that the ministry’s focus is on the welfare of both foreign and local workers, Lee cited extending the E-9 visa -- widely used by foreign workers -- as an example of one of the policy changes under considera

Dec. 11, 2022

Court sides with Egyptian man's plea for refugee status

An Egyptian facing persecution in his home country for participating in pro-democracy protests has been granted refugee status after winning a lawsuit against the South Korean Justice Ministry and its immigration office, the court said Sunday. According to the Seoul Administrative Court on Sunday, the Egyptian man took part in a pro-democracy protests in 2011 to oust then-President Hosni Mubarak and other protests from 2013 to 2014 against the coup of current Egyptian President Abdul Fatah al-Si

Dec. 11, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases at 54,319 amid virus surge worries

South Korea reported more than 50,000 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, the largest for a Sunday in more than three months, amid concerns of another surge as the government mulls easing the indoor mask mandate. The country reported 54,319 new COVID-19 infections, including 52 from overseas, bringing the total to 27,728,482, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Sunday's daily infections marked the most for a Sunday since the figure reached 72,112 on Sept. 4. The government earlier

Dec. 11, 2022

[Photo News] Fires break out across Korea

Multiple fires have been reported across South Korea on Saturday. A fire broke out in a traditional five-day market, also known as Oiljang, in Damyang, South Jeolla Province at around 8:07 a.m., burning down nearly 10 booths out of 40 there for 30 minutes. No casualties have been reported. At around 10:17 a.m., a fried chicken restaurant at Suwon Chicken Street in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, caught fire. Firemen put out the fire after an hour. No casualties were reported. Also in Suwon, a fire sta

Dec. 10, 2022