Ravi of boy band VIXX was booked by the joint investigation team of the prosecution and the Military Manpower Administration on charges of illegally evading military service through the use of a broker, media outlets reported Thursday. The joint investigation team suspects that the rapper had contacted a military broker to help him show false symptoms of epilepsy during a military examination. During the reexamination, he was deemed unfit to serve as a soldier in the army, which allowed him to s

Police wrapped up a monthslong investigation Friday into the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood last year, with 23 government officials referred to the prosecution on fatal professional negligence and other charges. The special police investigation team concluded the crowd crush was a "man-made" disaster caused by authorities' failure to come up with disaster prevention measures and respond promptly to an emergency situation. The crowd crush killed 159 people,

North Korea's commission in charge of science and technology has set the development of agriculture and the country's key industries as its main research goals for the new year, Pyongyang's main newspaper said Friday. In an interview carried by the Rodong Sinmun, Seng Kyong-chol, the vice chair of the State Science and Technology Commission, said the agency aims to put the priority of its research areas on the 12 major goals for the national economic development laid out at a rece

Police said Friday they have arrested 78 people in a massive housing rental scam that caused a combined unpaid sum of 8 billion won ($6.5 million) in deposits belonging to dozens of tenants. An investigation came as the tenants were unable to reclaim their housing deposits after their landlord -- referred to as a "villa king" by local press for owning hundreds of properties -- died before paying his tenants back. Among the suspects are a real estate consultant surnamed Shin who alleged

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Friday tally in 11 weeks, with health authorities staying on high alert over rising imported cases from China and other regions. The country reported 39,726 new COVID-19 infections, including 137 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,737,769, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally marked the lowest for any Friday since Oct. 28, when the country reported 35,913 new cases. The country added 51 COVID-

The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol has allowed local broadcaster MBC's reporters to board the presidential jet for his upcoming overseas trip, officials said Friday, after banning them earlier over controversial coverage. MBC reporters were informed of the decision late Thursday ahead of Yoon's trip to the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland, which starts Saturday. "It was President Yoon's instruction to maximize reporting opportunities for the presidential office corresp

WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden underscored the importance of a strong US-South Korea alliance on Thursday, saying the countries are stronger when they work together. The US leader also used the famous phase of US Forces Korea, "Katchi Kapshida" or Let's go together, in a statement released by the White House to mark Korean American Day. "One hundred and twenty years ago today, a group of 102 Korean men, women and children arrived in Hawaii in search of a new start,"

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is widely expected to continue its provocations this year, presenting a very serious challenge for the entire international community, South Korea's ambassador to the United States Cho Tae-yong said Thursday. Cho said part of the reason for North Korea's continued provocations may be because leader Kim Jong-un is not happy with his "utter failure" in developing the North Korean economy. "I cannot see positive things coming out of North Korea in

WASHINGTON -- The United States remains ready and capable to deter and counter any potential aggression against South Korea under its extended deterrence, a Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday, in apparent opposition to possible nuclear armament of its Asian ally. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said earlier this week that Seoul may deploy tactical nuclear weapons "or possess its own nuclear capabilities" should North Korean provocations intensify. Yoon's remark followed an u

Prosecutors raided the drug safety ministry Thursday over possible illegal activities in clinical trials during the approval process for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, officials said.    The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office sent investigators to nine locations, including the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, to seize data related to its probe.    The raid was carried out in connection to a government project to provide support for the development of homegrown

President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent comment on the possibility of South Korea's own nuclear armament was an expression of his firm commitment to defending the nation against North Korea's growing nuclear threat, his office said Thursday.  Yoon made the remark during a policy report by the foreign and defense ministers Wednesday, saying if North Korea's provocations intensify, "The Republic of Korea could deploy tactical nuclear weapons or possess its own nukes."  When asked

    An underwear tycoon nabbed in Thailand earlier this week in connection with the prosecutors' ongoing investigation into opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's corruption allegations is willing to voluntarily return home later this week at the earliest, judicial and other officials said Thursday.    Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, was apprehended by Thai police at a golf club near Bangkok on Tuesday evening, roughly eight months afte

Compromise revealed at latest public debate ‘half-hearted,’ victims say

The head of main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Rep. Lee Jae-myung asked for a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday, saying the conservative administration was not making an effort to bring the parties together. The party chair repeated his request for a meeting with the president at the press conference held just two days after he was summoned by prosecutors in an investigation into allegations that he solicited bribes while he was mayor of Seognam, Gyeonggi Province. In Sept

Despite opposition pressure for first lady Kim Keon Hee to keep to a more supporting role, eyes are on whether she would continue to strike out on her own when she accompanies Yoon Suk Yeol on his first presidential trip this year Saturday. She and Yoon will go on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates and attend the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, for six days. “There is a high possibility that Kim will take an independent step (as she did in Cambodia) during the tri