South Korea removes post-travel quarantines for unvaccinated

From Wednesday all arriving air travelers to South Korea do not need to quarantine even if they are not vaccinated. Also being lifted is the limit on the number of international flights using airports here. Until the previous day, people who had not been completely vaccinated -- meaning they were boosted or no longer than 180 days had elapsed since the completion of a primary series -- had to quarantine for seven full days upon arrival, on top of pre-departure tests. The requirement that trav

June 8, 2022

15 unionized truckers nabbed for alleged business interference

More than a dozen unionized truckers on a general strike were apprehended Wednesday for allegedly obstructing business operations of a plant in Icheon, officers said. A total of 15 members of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity, under the wing of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, were taken into custody on charges of blocking cargo trucks from entering the plant operated by the country's leading beverage company, Hite Jinro Co., in the city 80 kilometers southeast of Seoul at around 8:30

June 8, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rise to over 13,000 amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases bounced back to over 13,000 on Wednesday following an extended weekend, as the country is working to return to pre-pandemic normalcy by easing antivirus restrictions. The country added 13,358 COVID-19 infections, including 59 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,188,200, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload had stayed below 10,000 from Sunday through Tuesday on fewer tests over the weekend and the

June 8, 2022

S. Korea's oldest TV host Song Hae dies at 95

Song Hae, South Korea's oldest TV presenter, died Wednesday. He was 95. According to the police and hospital officials, he passed away in the morning at his home in southern Seoul. He had been admitted to a hospital for medical treatment and released several times this year. He tested positive for COVID-19 in March. Born in 1927 in Hwanghae Province in present-day North Korea, Song crossed the inter-Korean border to the South during the 1950-53 Korean War. He started his entertainment caree

June 8, 2022

S. Korea to approve AstraZeneca's COVID-19 drug Evusheld this month

South Korea is pushing to approve AstraZeneca's antibody treatment Evusheld this month to better protect people with weak immune systems, the health authorities said Wednesday. The government plans to wrap up due procedures for its approval for emergency use within June and administer it to the people "as soon as possible," Second Health Vice Minister Lee Gi-il said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. Evusheld is designed to stop the c

June 8, 2022

Employee of KB Savings Bank arrested for embezzling W9.4b corporate funds

An employee of KB Savings Bank, a unit of KB Financial Group, has been arrested for allegedly embezzling 9.4 billion won ($7.5 million) of corporate funds over a six-year period, officials said Wednesday. The Songpa Police Station in southern Seoul detained the employee in his 40s a day earlier on embezzlement charges following its investigation into the case since December at the request of the bank, according to the officials. The bank employee in charge of corporate financing allegedly embezz

June 8, 2022

Special counsel gets 70 days to probe Air Force sexual abuse scandal

The special counsel investigation into the Air Force sexual abuse scandal officially kicked off Tuesday, more than a year since the victim -- 23-year-old Master Sgt. Lee Ye-ram -- took her own life. Ahn Mi-young, the prosecutor tasked with leading the probe, told reporters outside the team’s office in western Seoul that the military was facing “mounting allegations of mishandling sexual abuse complaints and engaging in victim-blaming.” “Through the probe I hope to mak

June 7, 2022

Seoul resumes late-night services on additional subway lines

Late-night subway services on additional subway lines were resumed Tuesday amid robust demand for transportation services at night, following the lifting of most social distancing rules. According to Seoul Metro, the operator of the Seoul subway system, the operation hours of Line No. 2, and Line Nos. 5 to 8 are extended by one hour to 1 a.m. on weekdays. The subway operator said that late-night services on all subway lines in Seoul will fully return to the pre-pandemic level by early August

June 7, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 10,000 for 3rd day amid slowing virus trend

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to below 10,000 for the third consecutive day Tuesday amid a slowing virus trend. The country added 6,172 COVID-19 infections, including 35 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,174,880, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily cases have been on a steady decline since mid-March when the daily caseload had spiked to over 620,000 amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The country a

June 7, 2022

Cargo truckers go on strike

South Korea’s unionized cargo truckers staged a nationwide, indefinite strike starting Monday midnight, marking the first major labor-government conflict since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office last month amid a worsening market economy and sharp price hikes here. According to the union, a majority of the 25,000-member Cargo Truckers Solidarity, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and a large number of non-unionized truckers have joined the general strike. They are

June 7, 2022

Seoul population continues fall to below 9.5m; down to 7.2m by 2050: report

The number of South Koreans living in the capital Seoul is declining sharply, and will continue to drop in the coming decades, according to government data Monday. Seoul’s total population of native South Koreans reached 9.49 million as of May according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, showing an alarming decline. Seoul has been widely known as a city of 10 million residents. The population of Seoul -- both natives and foreigners included -- first surpassed the 10 million ba

June 6, 2022

COVID-19 cases dip to 5,000 for the first time since January

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases fell to the 5,000s for the first time since Jan. 19, when the country reported 5,804 infections. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 5,022 COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Sunday. The total caseload reached 18,168,708. The decrease came largely as the number of tests conducted typically dips on the weekend then later rebounds. The extended holiday, which includes Memorial Day on Monday, also contrib

June 6, 2022

[From the Scene] Month into retirement, chaos reigns at ex-president's home

On early Sunday, the otherwise quiet village of Pyeongsan in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province was disrupted by sounds blaring from a minivan covered with insults about former President Moon Jae-in. “My protest is for Moon to receive legal punishment for the crimes he committed, and be expelled from Yangsan,” said Choi Young-il, a Seoul resident and member of the group calling itself the Freedom-Justice-Truth-Revolution Party. A month had passed after Moon had stepped down as pre

June 6, 2022

New COVID-19 infections fall to around 5,000 amid slowing trend

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell sharply to around 5,000 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, with health authorities working to return to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 5,022 COVID-19 infections, including 17 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,168,708, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload fell from 9,835 a day earlier, marking the lowest number in 139 days since 4,068 cases were reported Jan. 18. Few

June 6, 2022

New COVID-19 cases fall below 10,000

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 10,000 on Sunday due to fewer tests the previous day as the country works to return to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 9,835 COVID-19 infections, including 48 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,163,686, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload is down from 12,048 on Saturday. Daily infections have shown a downward trend after posting an all-time high of over 620,000 in mid-March. The

June 5, 2022

Police nab student for posting online terror threat against Yoon

Police on Saturday apprehended a university student who allegedly posted an online message threatening a terror attack on the home of President Yoon Suk-yeol. The man in his late teens was nabbed on the southern island of Geoje, about 400 kilometers south of Seoul, the Seocho Police Station in Seoul said. The student, currently on leave of absence, told police he posted the threat in anger over Yoon's breach of his campaign pledge to more than triple conscripted soldiers' salaries. The

June 4, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases drop as pandemic slows

South Korea's new coronavirus cases inched down Saturday as the country works to return to pre-pandemic normalcy.   The country added 12,048 COVID-19 infections, including 41 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,153,851, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally is down from 12,542 on Friday and from 14,396 a week earlier. Daily infections have shown a downward trend after posting an all-time high of over 620,000 in mid-March.

June 4, 2022

Cho Kuk denies role in college admissions scandal that jailed wife

Cho Kuk, who was justice minister for ex-President Moon Jae-in, on Friday denied involvement in the college admissions scandal, insider trading tied to a family-owned firm and other charges that his wife was found guilty of and sentenced to jail for. In January, the Supreme Court confirmed a four-year term for Cho’s wife Chung Kyung-shim on a dozen charges. Most notably Chung was convicted of fraudulently securing her two children’s admissions to colleges and grad schools, and tra

June 3, 2022

Authorities aim to suppress Miryang wildfire by mid-morning

The main blaze in a wildfire in the southeastern city of Miryang is expected to be brought under control on its fourth day Friday, officials said. The fire broke out on a hill in Miryang, around 280 kilometers southeast of Seoul, early Tuesday and has so far burned nearly 752 hectares of woodland. About 110 residents have evacuated their homes, but no casualties or property damage have been reported yet. Overnight, 1,300 personnel battled the blaze and the containment rate was raised to 92 perce

June 3, 2022

Police looking into online post threatening terror attack at Yoon's home

Police are investigating an online post threatening a terror attack at the home of President Yoon Suk-yeol in southern Seoul, officials said Friday. The post was uploaded on the online community FM Korea at around 8:40 p.m. Thursday, threatening to launch a terror attack at Yoon's house at 6 p.m. Friday, according to the police officials. After an unidentified person reported the post to the National Intelligence Service, the Seocho Police Station beefed up security around Yoon's home,

June 3, 2022