The driver responsible for a deadly car crash that killed nine pedestrians in central Seoul last week underwent a second round of police questioning Wednesday, officials said. The 68-year-old man, identified only by his surname Cha, was questioned for approximately four hours while receiving treatment at a hospital, according to the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station. Cha reportedly reiterated his claim that the brakes of his car did not function properly at the time of the accident, consistent with

WASHINGTON -- President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Washington on Wednesday to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit with a strong message against North Korea's military cooperation with Russia amid the prolonged war in Ukraine. South Korea was invited to the NATO summit for the third consecutive year as one of the Indo-Pacific partners, alongside Japan, Australia and New Zealand. During his two-day stay, Yoon is expected to have a series of bilateral meetings with leaders from ov

At least 4 dead, including man in Nonsan found in flooded elevator

Five months into medical students' boycott of classes in protest over the government's decision to increase the quota for students at the schools, the Ministry of Education announced guidelines Wednesday to grant universities the flexibility needed to prevent these students from failing out due to their prolonged absence. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho said at the Government Complex Seoul that schools can individually apply different timing, criteria and stan

The number of teenagers seeking medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is growing markedly in Seoul and other major cities, government data shows. There were a total of 17,230 teens seeking ADHD treatment in the capital last year, up 64.3 percent from two years ago when the figure stood at 10,489. Rep. Kim Dae-sik of the ruling People Power Party, which obtained the data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the National Health Insurance Service, said this inc

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday officially announced he will run again to be the leader of the main opposition here, with observers saying he is likely to be reelected at the party's convention next month. The announcement comes two weeks after Lee resigned as chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party. Lee had taken office as the party leader in 2022 after winning 77.77 percent of the vote at the national convention in August that year. At a press conference

One of the three suspects behind the May murder of a South Korean tourist in Pattaya, Thailand has been extradited here Wednesday, 58 days after he was apprehended in Cambodia. Korea's National Police Agency said the 27-year-old suspect arrived via Incheon International Airport this morning. He was nabbed by police in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 14, and the Korean police has been working with the local authorities to ensure that the suspect is sent here as quickly as possible within the bou

From K-pop-themed arena to hanok village and sock industry, northernmost Seoul district seeks sustainable makeover to lure tourists, new residents, investment

Older local residents pushing carts laden with discarded cardboard on the street have become a poignant symbol of South Korea’s elderly poverty crisis. These individuals roam the streets collecting cardboard boxes to sell to recycling centers. According to the Ministry of Welfare on Wednesday, at least 1 out of every 650 South Koreans aged 65 or older engage in the activity to make a living. Between February and May this year, there were 14,831 such individuals. Their average monthly inc

Union claims their actions could disrupt chipmaker's production; management denies

President says international solidarity key to fighting 'reckless actors'

Jung Pak, who served as the United States' top diplomat for North Korea issues, has recently resigned, leaving the position vacant again amid stalled talks between Washington and Pyongyang since the Biden administration's inauguration in January 2021. Pak's resignation is noteworthy in light of the Biden administration's trend of downgrading similar positions. The trend led to the US special representative for North Korea position within the State Department remaining unfille

Over two dozen people are being investigated in a drug scandal surrounding former professional baseball player Oh Jae-won, Seoul police said Wednesday. Seoul Gangnam Police Station said it has forwarded the case to the prosecution, with 29 people facing charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. The list includes 13 active or retired pro baseball players, a trainer for Oh's former team the Doosan Bears of the KBO, parents of a player from Oh's baseball academy, three people who

South Korea's highest court recently upheld a lower court ruling that cleared an 82-year-old man of spy charges, for which he served a seven-year prison term after being convicted over five decades ago. The Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the prosecution, who claimed that the man, surnamed Kim, was guilty on some of the charges pressed against him back in 1969. The court said the evidence presented against him did not indicate that Kim could potentially threaten the nation's securi

An actor in his 40s is being investigated on the charge of drunk driving, with additional allegations of him assaulting the people who reported him to the authorities. The officials at Seoul Seongdong Police Station said they have handed prosecutors a drunk driving case that occurred at on July 2 in Seongdong-gu, eastern Seoul. The actor is believed to have been drinking at a restaurant in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, before driving his car some three kilometers to his home in Seongdong-gu. The m