N. Korea seeks to deliver hawkish message to Yoon Suk-yeol government, say Seoul-based experts

Most regions across the country plan to raise public utility charges in the new year, including public transportation fares, water and sewage rates, and prices of standard garbage bags. According to the public utility charge plan of South Korea's 17 provinces and metropolitan cities, most regions have already decided to or are considering raising fares for public transportation such as taxis, subways and buses. Seoul announced last week it would raise the basic fare for taxis from 3,800 won

All five victims who died in a fire in a soundproof tunnel on a highway in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday, were identified Saturday. “The identity of the five victims has been confirmed through DNA tests by the National Forensic Service,” the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Saturday. The forensic service confirmed that, of the five victims, three were women and two were men. Three were in their 60s, while the others were in their 20s and 30s, respectively. Two wom

President uses New Year address to call for labor, education, pension reforms for long-term prosperity

South Korea has confirmed a new case of avian influenza at a duck farm in a southern region, local officials said Sunday. The highly pathogenic avian influenza strain of H5N1 was found at the farm located in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, according to the officials. The new case brought the total bird flu infections confirmed in the province this winter to four. About 15,000 ducks have been culled at the farm and those located nearby. Local authorities have enforced restrictions on vehicles mo

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the fifth straight day on Sunday, but the number of critically ill patients rose to the highest in about eight months as the government is bracing for a wintertime surge and a spike in imported cases from China. The country confirmed 57,527 new coronavirus infections, including 110 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,116,800, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The latest tally marked the fifth straight fall since Tuesday, when

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed the need to "exponentially" increase the number of the country's nuclear arsenal, saying South Korea has emerged as an "undoubted enemy," Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday. He delivered the message during a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea that ended the previous day. It was held to set Pyongyang's major policy directions for the new year. In a situation where South Korea has become "

North Korea fired one short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) into the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch from the Ryongsong area in Pyongyang at 2:50 a.m., adding the missile flew some 400 kilometers before splashing into the sea. It appears to be another response to Seoul's test launch of a homegrown solid-propellant space rocket on Friday, according to North Korea observers. On Saturday morning, the North shot three SRBMs from C

Emergency phones, round-the-clock CCTV and high railings not enough to stop rise in suicide attempts

‘Slowly, things are changing for the better’

1. Tough living conditions ① COVID cases The number of COVID-19 cases grew by 28.2 million this year due to the highly transmissible omicron subvariant. The figure was 635,253 on Jan. 1 but surged to 28.7 million at the end of this year. ② Inflation Fried chicken: 9.2% Gas: 36.2% Ramen: 12.6% Cooking oil: 43.3% (Nov. 2022, Year-on-year increase) South Korea has been no exception to global inflation, with “everything has risen except my salary” becoming a popular catchphrase. 2. U

The coming year will see a number of changes ranging from minimum wages to university admissions fees. Each will have varying degrees of impact on day-to-day lives, below are some of the changes likely to have a direct effect on the lives of the individual. 1. Minimum wage increase The minimum hourly wage will rise by 460 won from Jan. 1 to 9,620 won ($7.60) an hour. Employees working eight hours, five days a week, will earn over 2 million won a month, including 346,000 won of holiday pay. 2.

South Korea will resume its annual bell-tolling ceremony to celebrate New Year's Eve after two years of suspension due to COVID-19. The ceremony hosted by the Seoul metropolitan government will take place at 11:30 p.m. Saturday at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul with about 100,000 people attending.   Cho Gue-sung, a member of the national football team who competed in the World Cup in Qatar, painter-actress Jung Eun-hye of the popular TV drama "Our Blues," and honorary

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the fourth consecutive day Saturday amid the government's efforts to contain the virus' wintertime resurgence. The country confirmed 63,104 new coronavirus infections, including 67 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,059,273, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Saturday's tally is down from 66,211 a week ago as daily infections have been on the decrease since Tuesday. The KDCA reported 61 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll

Following series of recent provocations, Pyongyang’s military warning continues on the last day of 2022