South Korea's point man on North Korea said Sunday he believes North Korea's recent series of missile launches are aimed at "taming" the new South Korean government while at the same time grabbing US attention. Unification Minister Kwon Young-se made the remark to Yonhap News Agency at Incheon International Airport ahead of his departure for Germany for a four-day trip aimed at seeking support for Seoul's peace and denuclearization efforts while joining the celebration for the 32nd a

Trials for sexual crimes in the military jumped 77.6 percent over the past four years, according to data from military courts. The number of trials for active-duty soldiers accused of sexual crimes amounted to 2,185 between 2018 and last year, according to the data provided to Rep. Kim Seung-won of the main opposition Democratic Party. The figure breaks down into 443 in 2018, 434 in 2019, 521 in 2020 and 787 last year. "Sexual crimes keep happening in the military," Kim said. &quo

PAJU  -- An anti-Pyongyang group of North Korean defectors said Sunday they released eight giant balloons carrying face masks, Tylenol pills and other items toward North Korea the previous day. Park Sang-hak, head of the Fighters for a Free North Korea, told Yonhap News Agency that the balloons also carried vitamin C tablets, booklets outlining South Korea's development over the past 50 years and USBs containing U.S. lawmakers talking about North Korea's human rights situation. The ball

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the third straight day Sunday as the virus wave has been gradually slowing down, coupled with fewer tests over the extended weekend. The country reported 23,597 new COVID-19 infections, including 246 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,819,611, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally was down from the 28,497 reported Friday and 26,960 Saturday. It was also the lowest in 12 weeks for any virus

The 53rd Air Demonstration Group of the Korean Air Force, nicknamed the Black Eagles, demonstrates a flying stunt at the ceremony to mark South Korea's 74th Armed Forces Day on Saturday. The event held at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

South Korea's military demonstrated some of its major high-tech weapons at its headquarters in a central city Saturday on the occasion of the Armed Forces Day following a series of ballistic missile provocations by North Korea this week. The defense ministry held an official ceremony marking the anniversary at the Gyeryongdae compound, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, under the theme of "strong defense, robust military based on science and technology." That theme resonated throughou

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Saturday takes part in a military parade held at the ceremony to mark South Korea's 74th Armed Forces Day, held at the Gyeryongdae military headquarters, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

Pyongyang fires two missiles hours before S.Korea is due to stage military parade to mark its Armed Forces Day

 A US Forces Korea (USFK) unit carried out surgical strike drills involving its special commandos earlier this week at an American military base just south of Seoul, its public affairs office said Friday, following North Korea's missile provocations. The USFK's Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) revealed on its Facebook account a series of photos showing key activities of the Exercise Teak Knife at an airfield of Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wedne

 A top US military officer in South Korea stressed the importance of maintaining the "ironclad" alliance between the two countries Friday, as he decried North Korea, China and Russia as a threat to peace in Northeast Asia and beyond. Lt. Gen. Willard M. Burleson, the commander of the Eighth US Army, delivered a lecture on the alliance as Seoul and Washington are moving to deepen and broaden the alliance amid Pyongyang's evolving military threats and Beijing's growing assertiven

Prosecutors on Friday indicted a former CEO of Doosan Engineering & Construction Co. and an official of Seongnam City in connection with alleged corruption involving opposition leader Lee Jae-myung. The case centers on allegations that the city government of Seongnam, just south of Seoul, had attracted about 16 billion won (US$11.14 million) in donations from six corporations, including Doosan Engineering, to its pro-football club in return for business favors between 2016 and 2018. Lee,

An explosion sparked a fire at a pharmaceutical factory in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, on Friday, leaving one person dead and 14 others injured, officials said. The fire broke out at the Hwail Pharmaceutical Co. factory in Hwaseong, about 50 kilometers south of Seoul, at 2:22 p.m. and dozens of emergency calls came in reporting they heard the sound of an explosion, fire officials said. Officials said one person was killed and 14 others were injured. Officials said the deceased was a person in

  President Yoon Suk-yeol rejected a call to dismiss South Korea's top diplomat on Friday, defying pressure from the main opposition party that controls parliament. In a note sent to the media, Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential press secretary, said Yoon will not accept a parliamentary no-confidence motion to hold Foreign Minister Park Jin accountable for what the Democratic Party (DP) claims was a disastrous overseas trip by the president. No further explanation was provided. On Thursday,

The prosecution on Friday asked for life sentences for a woman and her accomplice who are standing trial for murdering the woman's husband. In the trial for Lee Eun-hae, 31, and Cho Hyeon-soo, 30, who are accused of killing Lee's husband and attempting to cover it up as an accidental drowning, the prosecution has requested life imprisonment. The court's decision will be made on Oct. 27. An official from the Prosecutors Office at the trial on Friday said the nature of the crime is serious, as

South Korea will completely lift the requirement for a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test for travelers entering the country starting from Saturday, the country‘s health authorities said Friday. From Saturday, inbound travelers will no longer have to take a PCR test within a day of their arrival, Second Vice Health Minister Lee Ki-il said during a COVID-19 response meeting on Friday. Until Friday, a PCR test has been mandated, and inbound travelers have been required to take the te