S. Korean military to revive long-delayed project to develop drones to spy enemy rear areas

South Korean men seek new options to avoid their two-year mandatory military service, and the number of draft dodgers continues to grow. According to data provided by Rep. Song Gab-seok of the Democratic Party received from the Military Manpower Administration, 578 people were turned over to prosecution for intentional draft dodging from 2012 until Nov. 30 last year. Recently, volleyball player Jo Jae-sung was charged with contacting a local military broker to help him show false symptoms of e

K-pop composer Kim Min-su, better known by his stage name Don Spike, was handed a three-year suspended jail sentence on Monday for buying 45 million-won ($36,100) worth of methamphetamine and abusing it for recreational purposes for at least 14 times. The Seoul Northern District Court ordered the 45-year-old to serve five years of probation and 80 hours of drug awareness classes for treatment. He was also given 120 hours of community service, and some 40 million won in penalty charges. The light

BUSAN -- A fire engulfed a parking tower in the southern port city of Busan on Monday, but no injuries were reported, fire officials said. The fire broke out at 6:32 a.m. at the parking structure connected to a building with residential and commercial units in downtown Busan, according to the Busan Metropolitan City Fire Disaster Headquarters. The fire agency said no injuries have been reported but 36 people inhaled smoke. Another 30 residents living nearby have also been evacuated, they said.

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest in nine weeks Monday amid the government's efforts to contain the inflow of the virus from China. The country reported 19,106 new COVID-19 infections, including 109 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,539,706, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's tally marked a decrease since Nov. 7, when the country reported 18,665 new cases. The country added 35 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death to

North Korea has called for strengthening quarantine measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the fast spread of the virus in such neighboring countries as South Korea and China, according to its state media Monday. The state-run Korean Central Television reported Sunday that virus cases shot up in the winter season in the South, China and Japan due to the fast spread of omicron subvariants, saying, "The virus situations in those regions are the most serious in the world." It call

The South Korean science ministry on Monday warned that a retired U.S. satellite could possible fall on the Korean Peninsula and its vicinities later this day. Launched in 1984, the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite is falling to Earth after completing its decadeslong mission to study how the Earth absorbed and radiated energy from the sun. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the ERBS is forecast to crash back down to Earth around 12:20-1:20 p.m. and the Korean Peninsula is included in the regio

A 3.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the western county of Ganghwa early Monday, the first quake stronger than 3.0 magnitude to hit South Korea this year, but no damage was reported, the state weather agency said. The quake occurred at 1:28 a.m. and was centered in waters 25 kilometers west of Ganghwa with a depth of 19 km, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. The earthquake was earlier estimated to be magnitude 4.0 but was later revised down. The seismic intensity of Monday's qua

The monthslong investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush is coming to a close, with police planning to refer Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Kim Kwang-ho and other officials to the prosecution this week for possible indictment. Kim is expected to be charged with professional negligence in connection with the Oct. 29 tragedy that killed 159 people, mostly those in their 20s. He is expected to be the highest-ranking police official to be held accountable. Other officials expected to be ref

More than 70 percent of South Koreans use online streaming services last year amid the protracted pandemic, a government survey showed. According to the annual poll conducted by the Korea Communications Commission, 72 percent of 6,708 respondents said they are using at least one over-the-top media service in 2022, up slightly from 69.5 percent last year. Among them, 95.7 percent said they use the service once or more per week, while 60.7 percent said they watch content five days a week on the pl

The government and the ruling People Power Party agreed Sunday to transfer the education ministry's authority related to financial support for local universities to provincial governments by 2025 as part of education reform measures under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Top government and senior PPP officials also agreed to ease regulations on the operation of universities nationwide to allow them to restructure departments, adjust the number of students and dispose of their assets, PPP

With the party convention approaching, the race for a new leadership of the ruling People Power Party is heating up. President Yoon Suk Yeol is unlikely to issue a public endorsement, but contenders’ closeness with the president is considered a major factor that can sway the outcome. Over the weekend, the presidential office and Na Kyung-won, four-time lawmaker and not a pro-Yoon contender for party’s chair, clashed over her remarks regarding government loans for young married couple

A woman in Ulsan, was fined for killing her husband's pet by throwing it from the veranda of their 11th-floor apartment after she was asked for a divorce, according to legal professionals and news reports Sunday. The Ulsan District Court ruled the woman to pay a fine of 5 million won ($4,000) for violating the the Animal Protection Act, in an appeals trial, upping the previous sentence of a 3 million won of fine. It was reported that the woman, who is in her 20s, came home after drinking in

Fine dust will likely plague most parts of South Korea until rain falls on Friday, authorities said Sunday, advising people to stay at home or to wear masks if they go outside. Fine dust levels are expected to be “bad” across most of the country, including the greater Seoul area, Gangwon, Chungcheong, North Gyeongsang, Jeolla Provinces as well as inland cities including Daegu and surrounding areas, according to Korea Meteorological Administration. As high levels of fine and yellow du

Webtoon on sex slaves, forced laborers may draw international attention on wartime abuses, Seo says