The campaign of ruling party presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung on Friday released photos of Lee holding his wife's hand as she was taken to a hospital in an ambulance earlier this week. Kim Hye-kyung, the wife of the Democratic Party nominee, was admitted to a hospital in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Tuesday after sustaining injuries from a fall at their home, according to the party. Lee canceled his campaign activities that day, saying he wanted to be by her side. "This shows Lee Jae-m

A South Korea-US nuclear planning group and the conditional redeployment of US tactical nuclear arms can be policy options for the next Seoul government to address North Korea's evolving nuclear threats, a local think tank said Friday. In a 175-page research report, the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy (KRINS) made policy suggestions for the next government to be launched in May next year, as concerns persist over Pyongyang's steady focus on its nuclear and missile programs. The

South Korea is monitoring the possibility of North Korea holding a major event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of leader Kim Jong-un's rise to power, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday. Kim assumed power in December 2011, following the sudden death of his late father and former leader Kim Jong-il.  "North Korea has not announced a plan for such a commemorative event as of now, but we will continue monitoring related moves as there are some needs for one to strengthen interna

Secretly urinating on a stranger constitutes forced molestation, the Supreme Court said Friday, overturning a not guilty verdict by lower courts. The unnamed defendant in the unusual legal case was charged with secretly peeing on a girl's hair, hoody and padded jumper from behind while she was talking on a cell phone on a bench at an apartment playground in the central city of Daejeon around 11 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2019. The 33-year-old defendant, known only as a theater actor, allegedly committed

South Korea's military reported five additional COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total caseload among its personnel to 2,110, the defense ministry said. Among the new cases was an officer of a Marine Corps unit in Pohang, 374 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The officer tested positive after a family member was infected. A draftee at a boot camp in Nonsan, 213 km south of Seoul, also contracted the virus while in quarantine. A civilian employee of an Army unit in Goyang, just northwest of Se

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum apologized Friday for violating social distancing rules when he met with his college alumni last week. "I am deeply sorry," Kim said at the start of a state affairs coordination meeting. "I promise that I will look after myself thoroughly so that this kind of incident never happens again." Kim came under fire after media reported that a total of 11 people, including Kim himself, had a luncheon at the prime minister's residence in Seoul last Sat

A 2.1 magnitude earthquake struck the southeastern city of Pohang early Friday but is not expected to cause any damage, the state weather agency said. The quake occurred at 1:31 a.m. in a region about 12 kilometers north of the Buk ward office in Pohang, some 375 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was at a depth of 8 km. The quake's tremor was recorded at Level 2 on the seismic intensity scale in North Gyeongsang Provinc

South Korea said Friday the number of COVID-19 patients in critical condition hit a record high as the daily caseload stayed above 2,300 for the third consecutive day amid eased antivirus curbs. The country reported 2,368 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 390,719, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally marked a fall from the previous day's 2,520, but the daily caseload has hovered over 2,000 for three days in a row. The daily tally

    The National Assembly voted Thursday to abolish a decade-old controversial anti-online gaming rule banning minors from late night access to online games.    Parliament held a plenary session and passed a revision to the youth protection act, which no longer includes the previous rule banning online game access to minors under 16 between midnight and 6 a.m.    Discussions surrounding the so-called gaming shutdown rule first surfaced in the early 2000s amid grow

South Korea and Indonesia reached an agreement Wednesday on the payment Indonesia would have to make for their joint fighter jet project after concerns for months that Jakarta could default on the deal to produce a cheaper, less-stealthy alternative to the US-made F-35. The KF-21 program -- in which Indonesia seeks a 20 percent share and technology know-how while Korea holds the rest -- aims to mass produce jets as early as 2027, but the Southeast Asian nation had hardly paid its contributions

US Embassy refutes news reports, asking fair and thorough investigation

Critical COVID-19 patient numbers reach new high for 2nd day in a row

Japan’s newly appointed Foreign Minister on Thursday expressed willingness to step up dialogue with South Korea to improve their strained ties, but urged Seoul to take appropriate action to resolve the historical issues at the center of their feud.  Veteran lawmaker Yoshimasa Hayashi was named the country’s top diplomat the previous day, as Fumio Kishida was formally inaugurated as Japan’s new prime minister. Hayashi replaced Toshimitsu Motegi, who now occupies the rulin

Wide gender, regional gaps seen nationwide

South Korea and Russia agreed Thursday to establish direct bilateral military hotlines to strengthen their communication to prevent accidental clashes at sea and in the air, Seoul's defense ministry said. Kim Sang-jin, the ministry's director general for international policy, and Viktor Kalganov, deputy director of Russia's National Defense Control Center, signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to set up a hotline between the two countries' Navies and another between their Air Forces. Th