Opposition leader says he will appear before prosecutors at a later date; denies alleged bribery case

An elementary school teacher has been convicted of child abuse for publicly humiliating students, according to local experts and news reports Monday. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the teacher to six months in prison and two years of probation for violating the child abuse punishment act. The court also ordered the teacher to attend a 40-hour lecture on child abuse prevention and mandated a two-year restriction on employment at any child-related institutions. From August until Novemb

Man died last week after returning from Thailand says disease control agency

TOKYO-- South Korea and Japan held working-level diplomatic consultations Monday on their protracted row over wartime forced labor and other bilateral issues. Seo Min-jung, director general for Asia and Pacific affairs at South Korea's foreign ministry, met with her Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi, for discussions at the Japanese foreign ministry in Tokyo. The two previously met on Nov. 24 in Japan. Discussions were expected to focus on the issue of resolving compensation for force

South Korea and Vietnam agreed to facilitate bilateral trade and deepen cooperation on nuclear power and other renewable energy sources as they marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, Seoul's industry ministry has said. The consensus was reached when Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang met his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyn Hng Diên and held meetings of the bilateral joint industry and free trade agreement committees last week, according to the industry ministr

The ruling People Power Party decided Monday to hold a national convention on March 8 to pick a new leader. The upcoming convention will be the first time the PPP applies a set of revised rules, including choosing a leader only by a vote of party members, not by a ratio of 70 percent from party members and 30 percent from a public opinion survey. The party will also hold a runoff if none of the candidates wins a majority. "Even if there is a runoff, we will make our final decision by March

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 30,000 Monday due to fewer tests during the Christmas weekend. The country confirmed 25,545 new coronavirus infections, including 67 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,684,600, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally on Monday, which tends to be lower due to fewer tests over the weekend, is down by around 1,000 from a week ago. It is also slightly lower than the 25,657 reported two weeks ago. The KDCA reported 42 more

North Korea publicly called for loyalty to its leader Kim Jong-un as it convened a congress of a major children's group in Pyongyang for the first time in five years, according to its state media Monday. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said the members of the Korean Children's Union participating in the 9th Congress received certificates of delegation Sunday. The North appears to have kicked off the event given that the certificates have been handed out to the membe

A 2.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the southeastern city of Andong on Sunday, the state weather agency said. The quake struck 10 kilometers southwest of the city, 191 km southeast of Seoul, at 7:31 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The epicenter was at a latitude of 36.51 degrees north and a longitude of 128.65 degrees east at a depth of 14 km. (Yonhap)

Kim Keon-hee is expanding her role as first lady, straying from her earlier promise that she would not play a role “beyond that of a spouse.” While Yoon Suk-yeol was still a presidential candidate, the couple had said that Kim would not serve as first lady in the traditional sense if he is elected. Kim told a press conference held last year that she would not have a formal presence as first lady during her husband’s tenure in office, and that she would “not have a role be

Police said Friday that a North Korean hacker group was behind a series of phishing attacks this year targeting security experts in South Korea by sending them emails and inviting them to click on links to fake websites. The scam, which took place between April and October, involved faking the identity of local reporters covering national security and an assistant to Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South and is now a ruling party lawmaker. Of the 892 people w

This year marks a watershed moment for South Korea and Vietnam in their 30 years of relations, as they are about to embark on a new path of greater mutual prosperity, Foreign Minister Park Jin said Thursday at a dinner reception. The gathering -- attended by Park and Vietnam’s Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung -- is the latest effort by Seoul to cement ties with the Southeast Asian country for a bigger foothold in the region. In a video statement, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Tha

The Han River in Seoul was declared frozen by South Korea's state weather agency for the first time this winter Sunday, as a cold snap has continued for days. The first freeze of the river was observed on the river running through the capital city more than two weeks earlier than in previous years, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. According to the KMA, the river is officially frozen when it has thick ice in a 100-meter-long area between the Han River Bridge's secon

After three years of pandemic-related setbacks, the traditional bell-ringing ceremony is returning as an offline event on Saturday night at Bosingak in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, to ring in the new year. Amid growing anxiety over public safety at high-density events following the Itaewon crowd crush, the city said it would deploy 1,000 safety personnel. The roads in the Bosingak area will be fully controlled from Saturday, 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. the next day. More than 100,000 people are expected to

Amy Lee, a former TV entertainer who goes by her first name, has been sentenced to three years in prison, according to legal professionals and news reports Sunday. The Supreme Court ruled for a three-year imprisonment for Lee for violating the Narcotics Control Act, they said. Lee, who holds US citizenship, pleaded not guilty during the trial, saying she committed the crime “involuntarily” because of an accomplice surnamed Oh, although her innocence claim was rejected. She was on tri