[Newsmaker] Probe underway on med student found dead in Han River

A 22-year-old medical student was found dead in the Han River on Friday after going missing for six days, and his family is awaiting the results of an autopsy to learn how he died. Sohn Jung-min was last seen asleep at the riverside park in Banpo, Seoul, early on April 25 by his friend, who had also fallen asleep. The two had been drinking together. An autopsy was conducted at the request of Sohn’s family, as two wounds were found behind his left ear. Sohn’s father told Yonhap New

May 3, 2021

Task force seeks warrant to arrest ex-senior official over alleged land speculation

A government task force said Monday it has sought a warrant for the arrest of a retired senior government official who is suspected of land speculation. Nam Gu-jun, the task force chief, told reporters the request was sent to the prosecution on Friday as part of his team's ongoing probe into allegations of property speculation by public officials. "We decided this is a case that calls for a warrant. We'll have to wait for the decision of the prosecution and the court," Nam, who is al

May 3, 2021

Surviving victims of sexual slavery by Japan reduced to 14

A South Korean woman forced into sexual slavery for Japanese troops during World War II has died, a civic group said Monday, bringing down the number of registered surviving victims to 14. The woman, identified only with her surname Yoon, died at around 1 p.m. Sunday at the age of 92 in Seoul, according to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. Born in North Chungcheong Province in 1929, she was dragged away to Japan in 1941 at age 13

May 3, 2021

Govt. denies sex crime suspect's request to serve alternative military duty

The government has turned down a conscientious objector's request to perform other public services instead of his mandatory military service following revelations that he has been on trial on charges of digital sex crimes. The decision marked the first rejection of a conscientious objector's request for alternative services since the country allowed conscientious objectors last year to do 36 months of alternative service instead of serving in the military for about two years. According to the

May 3, 2021

New cases back to 400s on fewer tests amid low vaccine supply

South Korea's daily new virus cases fell back to the 400s on Monday as fewer people took new virus tests over the weekend with concerns over another round of the pandemic still worrisome amid a low vaccine supply. The country reported 488 more COVID-19 cases, including 465 local infections, raising the total caseload to 123,728, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The country added one more death, raising the death toll to 1,834. The fatality rate fell to 0.69 percent from

May 3, 2021

S. Korea faces looming COVID-19 vaccine shortage

South Korea may soon face a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as less than 10 percent of the country's AstraZeneca vaccine doses are left, the health authority said Sunday, raising concerns over delays in the nation's immunization schedule. The nation has secured 2 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses so far, and 1.82 million have received their first jab of the two-shot regimen as of Sunday, the COVID-19 vaccination management task force said. There are only 166,716 shots left, or 8.8 percent of t

May 2, 2021

[News Focus] Korea’s 7 major cities lose 120,000 in population in 3 months

SEJONG -- South Korea’s seven major cities are leading the nation’s population decline, with the nation’s largest and second-largest cities -- Seoul and Busan -- particularly posting negative growth in the demographic tally for several years. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the nation’s seven major cities saw the population decrease by 122,083 collectively for the first three months of the year. This marked the highest decline since the nation faced a

May 2, 2021

[News Focus] Delivery workers to vote on strike against ‘gapjil’

Parcel delivery workers are mulling whether to stage a full-scale strike later this month as they ask logistics firms to step in and resolve an ongoing conflict with some apartment complexes and their residents over a ban on ground-floor parking. A delivery workers’ union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said Sunday that 76 percent of its 371 lead members agreed to start a vote within the union on a full-scale walkout. The vote will take place Thursday for all delivery worke

May 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Unseasonal snow falls in May, first in 22 years

Unseasonal snow fell on parts of Gangwon Province over the weekend, an unlikely event for May, when early summer weather is typically seen across the country. It is the first time in 22 years that it has snowed in South Korea in the month of May. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Sunday that up to 18.5 centimeters of snow blanketed Gangwon Province from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. An influx of strong wind from the east concentrated a pack of rain clouds in mountainous regions

May 2, 2021

[Newsmaker] Police arrest 94 suspects over deepfake crimes in 5 months, with 70 percent teenagers

Police said Sunday they have arrested 94 suspects over allegations of creating or distributing illegal deepfake content in the past five months amid calls for tightened scrutiny over crimes using the deep learning technology. Deepfake content refers to digitally manipulated images or videos that could lead viewers to wrongly perceive the processed media to be real, often becoming a source of fake news, fraud and defamation. Of the arrested suspects, 65, or 70 percent, were teenagers, while 17

May 2, 2021

Climate change makes summers longer, winters hotter and shorter in Korea

Human-caused climate change has brought about extensive meteorological changes on the Korean Peninsula over the past century, making summers longer and winters hotter and shorter and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy downpours, a report said Sunday. The report from the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that the number of days of precipitation has decreased on the peninsula in the past 100 years but the intensity of precipitation has in

May 2, 2021

New virus cases above 600 for 4th day; further surge in offing

South Korea's daily new virus cases stayed in the 600s for the fourth consecutive straight day Sunday as sporadic cluster infections popped up across the nation, complicating antivirus efforts. The country reported 606 more COVID-19 cases, including 585 local infections, raising the total caseload to 123,240, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country added two more deaths, raising the total death toll to 1,833. The tally of new patients was down from 627 Saturd

May 2, 2021

S. Koreans bid farewell to Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk

South Koreans bade farewell Saturday to the country’s second Roman Catholic Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk in a funeral Mass at Seoul’s landmark cathedral. Cheong, who was given the title of cardinal in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI, died Tuesday night at a Seoul hospital at the age of 89. He served as the Catholic archbishop of Seoul for 14 years from 1998, before becoming archbishop emeritus of Seoul. Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, the Catholic archbishop of Seoul, recalled th

May 1, 2021

New virus cases above 600 for 3rd day; another wave of pandemic worrisome

South Korea's daily new virus cases remained in the 600s for the third straight day Saturday as sporadic cluster infections were reported across the nation amid concerns of another wave of infections. The country reported 627 more COVID-19 cases, including 593 local infections, raising the total caseload to 122,634, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally was down from 661 new cases Friday and 680 Thursday. The number of locally transmitted cases fell below 600

May 1, 2021

[Photo News] Korea to roll out coronavirus self-test kits at pharmacies

At SD Biosensor’s factory in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, the South Korean drugmaker producing COVID-19 self-test kits and its staff conduct a final inspection before the products go on sale at local pharmacies and online channels.  The test kits of SD Biosensor use a sterile nasal swab by which people can detect specific antigens of COVID-19 present in specimens collected from the nasal cavity.  Those who use the home test kits are able to see the test results in 15 to

May 1, 2021

[Photo News] South Korean civic groups’ strong petition against Japan’s Fukushima water release

Following Japan’s announcement that it will release contaminated wastewater in the Pacific Ocean, civic groups all around the nation expressed strong concern on the decision, denouncing the action as a threat. Weeks after the initial announcement, civic groups are still acting strongly to portray their rage in petitions.  Concerns are especially high on Jeju Island, as it is the first province to be affected by the released water. In front of the Consulate General of Japan on Jeju, r

May 1, 2021

Prosecutors again drop charges against McDonald's Korea in burger patty scandal

South Korean prosecutors said Friday they have decided not to file charges against the local unit of McDonald's after wrapping up their reinvestigation into the so-called hamburger disease case involving some local consumers of the American fast food giant. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office said it has decided not to indict McDonald's Korea after concluding that it is difficult to acknowledge a causal relationship between hamburgers from McDonald's Korea and the hamburger disease

April 30, 2021

Police raid dairy firm over alleged exaggeration of yogurt's effects against COVID-19

Police raided the headquarters of a major dairy firm on Friday as part of a probe into allegations that it exaggerated anti-coronavirus effects of its yogurt products. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it had been conducting searches at the headquarters and five other facilities of Namyang Dairy Products Co., including a laboratory in the central city of Sejong, since 9:30 a.m. The operation came after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety filed a complaint on April 15 against Namyang

April 30, 2021

S. Korea to adopt new social distancing scheme in July as vaccinations gather pace

South Korea will introduce new COVID-19 social distancing rules in July if the nation's daily caseload remains below 1,000, health authorities said Friday. The new rules are aimed at imposing fairer restrictions and giving the public a simpler message on containment, officials said. The revamped distancing rules will also come as the country's vaccination campaign is gathering pace. As of Thursday, the country has vaccinated more than 3 million people, or 6 percent of the country's 52-million

April 30, 2021

Number of foreign visitors dips 10.7% in March

The number of foreign visitors to South Korea dropped nearly 11 percent in March from a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Friday. A total of 74,604 foreigners visited the country last month, down 10.7 percent from the same month a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO). Chinese arrivals were the largest number at 18,980, followed by Americans with 12,321 and citizens from the Philippines with 9,268. Visitors from China ros

April 30, 2021