The December edition of the Seoul Light show, a media facade show organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, kicked off on Dec. 17, welcoming visitors and tourists to enjoy large-scale light-emitting diode video displays woven into the exterior surface of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Seoul Light is an annual event that features media facade shows at the famed DDP in central Seoul, utilizing projection mapping and the curved aluminum-panel surface of the architectural building. The show comes in t

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to deliver a New Year's Day speech to be broadcast live nationwide on his major policy plans for the coming year, his aides said Sunday. Yoon is positively considering issuing his message for the new year on Jan. 1, an official at the presidential office said. A related schedule will likely be fixed through the president's weekly meeting with his senior aides on Monday. If the event is held, Yoon is expected to use it to reveal his major policy direction and v

North Korea plans to hold a key ruling party meeting this week to review this year's policies and discuss major tasks in 2023. Drawing keen attention from the outside world is the possibility that the reclusive Kim Jong-un regime will unveil strategies on inter-Korean relations and a stalemate in denuclearization talks with the United States. Pyongyang's state media reported that the 6th Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party will be held in late Decemb

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 70,000 for the third straight day Sunday, as the government is seeking to phase out mask-wearing regulations in certain places. The country confirmed 58,448 new coronavirus infections, including 64 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,659,055, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload jumped to 88,160 on Wednesday but has been on the decline through Sunday. Concerns still remain, however, over a possible wintertime s

  　Myeong-dong, a famous shopping district in central Seoul for locals and foreign visitors, is crowded with people to enjoy the Christmas spirit on Saturday. Some 40 safety guards will be deployed in the neighborhood over the weekend, according to Jung-gu office. Myeongdong Cathedral, founded in 1898, will have a Christmas mass late Saturday without restrictions on the congregation size.  　 　By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com) 　

The National Assembly on Saturday passed the 638.7 trillion won (US$497 billion) of government budget for 2023 as well as bills to cut corporate tax rate and delay financial investment income tax amid signs of economic slowdown. 　 　The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) approved the Yoon Suk Yeol administration‘s first budget, 22 days after its legal deadline of Dec. 2. 　 　The bill passed 251-4, with 18 abstentions, in an assembly where the DP h

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases remained below 70,000 for the second straight day Saturday, while new coronavirus-related deaths hit a three-month high. 　 　The country reported 66,211 new COVID-19 infections, including 66 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,600,607, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. 　 　The number of newly infected cases is down from 68,168 a day earlier and 66,930 a week ago. The daily tally slightly decreased after hitting a three-month high Tu

Two senior district police officers were arrested Friday for failing to promptly respond to the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood, which killed 158 people. The Seoul Western District Court issued an arrest warrant for Lee Im-jae, former head of the Yongsan Police Station, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death or injury. He is accused of not taking enough crowd control measures after prior warnings of overcrowding during the Halloween celebrations and arri

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo reaffirmed South Korea's support for Ukraine to help its fight against Russia during phone talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, on Friday, his office said. In their first phone talks since the war began in February, the two sides discussed Seoul's humanitarian aid and Ukraine's post-war recovery plans, the prime minister's office said. Han said South Korea has so far provided $100 million worth of assistance and will remain in solid

The Ministry of Justice decided Friday to recommend year-end presidential pardons for former President Lee Myung-bak, former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo and other high-profile politicians, sources said. The ministry's amnesty review committee held a meeting and finalized the list of candidates for presidential clemency, which will be granted next Wednesday. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon plans to report the list soon to President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is widely expected to ac

The Chinese Embassy to Korea on Friday expressed regret over an allegation that China had operated an undercover police station in Seoul, labeling a local media report about the matter as "groundless." "I am paying attention to a report on Friday by a Korean media outlet, citing sources, that China had installed an 'overseas police station' in Seoul and a restaurant in Gangnam served as a 'location,' and I regret this media depiction," a spokesperson of th

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea from Pyongyang's Sunan area, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea said Friday. One traveled some 350 kilometers while the other flew about 250 kilometers before falling into the sea off the east coast. South Korean military detected two missiles fired from Pyongyang at around 4:32 p.m. The latest provocation by North Korea is the first in five days following two midrange ballistic missile launches from Tongchang

Indoor masking will be phased out gradually, Korean public health authorities said Friday, with the mask mandate to be downgraded to a recommendation as long as certain conditions are met. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters did not specify when the phase-out would be implemented or any timeline for the measures. In the first stage of the phase-out, indoor masks will be encouraged to be worn voluntarily. The mask mandate will remain intact on public transportation and at

Heavy snow has fallen in the southwest of the peninsula since Thursday night, causing a large number of flights to be canceled and schools to be closed on Friday. A number of traffic accidents were also reported overnight. The heavy snow advisories, issued Thursday night around the southwest of the peninsula, continue to be in effect in Jeolla Province, Sejong, Chungcheong Province, Jeju Island, Ulleung Island and Dokdo as of 12:00 p.m., Friday. According to the Jeollabukdo Office of Education o

North Korea on Friday rejected accusations by Japan and the US that it transported munitions to Russia by rail. “The DPRK remains unchanged in its principled stand on the issue of arms transaction between the DPRK and Russia which has never happened,” the nation’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said in an English-language statement citing a Foreign Ministry spokesperson. The statement came after the Tokyo Shimbun reported the previous day that the North transported artill