Number of deaths from COVID-19 reaches three-month high

Prosecutors investigating the case of the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in November 2019 raided the Presidential Archives on Friday. The prosecution is investigating allegations that the Moon Jae-in government ordered the early termination of an investigation into two North Korean fishermen and forcibly returned them to North Korea despite their intention to defect. At the time, the government said the two had murdered 16 people and attempted to enter the South to avoid prosecuti

The Ministry of Security and Public Administration’s newly launched police bureau is facing further controversy, as allegations mount that its first chief, Kim Sun-ho, began his career by informing on his former labor activist colleagues. Kim attended a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee on Thursday and denied allegations of having been a spy, claiming the reason he had quit working for a labor activist group in his 20s was becaus

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday announced that the government would provide a 300,000 won ($226) monthly subsidy to babysitting family members to help young parents find child care. 　 But, concerns have already mounted that the system could be abused. According to the city government, Seoul will provide a monthly subsidy of 300,000 won to those looking after a relative’s child under three for over 40 hours per month. The household’s combined earnings must be less th

South Korea's military reported 2,048 additional COVID-19 cases Friday, raising the total caseload among its service members to 248,256, the defense ministry said. The new cases included 1,383 from the Army, 318 from the Air Force, and 117 each from the Navy and units under the direct control of the ministry. There were also 107 cases from the Marine Corps, four from the ministry and two from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Currently, 11,095 military personnel are under treatment. (Yonhap)

Hundreds of beer bottles flooded a street in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, after falling off a truck that had made a sharp turn on Aug. 12. A group of passersby came to the rescue, cleaning up the mess in about 30 minutes. If this sounds familiar to you, you‘re not alone. A video showing a very similar incident in the same city went viral in late June. Surveillance camera footage showed how, in the June incident, good Samaritans turned up one by one and did what needed to be done. Afte

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, slammed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his “audacious initiative,” saying the road map he has offered is the “height of foolishness.” The “audacious initiative” refers to plans for engaging North Korea and providing aid in return for steps toward denuclearization, as revealed by Yoon in his Liberation Day speech on Monday. Through a statement released via the North’s official Korean

A district court on Friday delivered a not-guilty verdict to Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon indicted on charges of making a false statement in the run-up to last year's by-election, citing the lack of evidence. Park was indicted for denying news reports that he was involved in the National Intelligence Service (NIS)'s surveillance of environmentalists campaigning against a major river restoration project in 2009, when he was the public relations chief for then President Lee Myung-bak. How

DAEJEON -- Prosecutors on Friday raided the Presidential Archives as part of their investigations into possible illegalities in the controversial decision by the preceding Moon Jae-in government to close an aging nuclear reactor earlier than its legal expiration date. The Daejeon District Prosecutors Office sent prosecutors and investigators to the Presidential Archives in the central administrative city of Sejong to search for documents related to the early closure decision for the Wolsong 1 re

The Supreme Court was expected to rule as early as Friday on an appeal that Japanese firm Mitsubishi Heavy Industries filed against a lower court's order that some of its assets in South Korea be sold off to compensate victims of wartime forced labor. Should the top court reject the appeal, Japan is sure to protest massively, and the already frayed relations between the two countries, which have shown signs of improvement since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office, would be dealt a heavy b

The presidential office expressed regret Friday over the "rude" remarks of the North Korean leader's sister on President Yoon Suk-yeol's offer of economic aid in exchange for denuclearization steps. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a scathing commentary earlier in the day, calling Yoon's initiative "the height of absurdity" and lambasting the president by name. "We consider it very regrettable that North Korea continues to

South Korea plans to take part in US-led negotiations over the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) in a way that maximizes national interests, the finance minister said Friday. Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said as a ministerial meeting of the IPEF, the new economic framework launched by US President Joe Biden in May, will be held from Sept. 8-9, its official negotiations will start in earnest. He said from the rule-setting stage, there is a need to reflect his country's stance and buil

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday called for vigilance in efforts to contain the outbreak of African swine fever, a day after officials reported this year's second case of the virus, which is deadly to pigs but not harmful to humans. The second case was confirmed at a pig farm in Yanggu, a county located about 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul, late Thursday, according to the agriculture ministry. "Along with swift anti-epidemic measures, thorough anti-epidemic management is needed

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Friday called on the government to launch negotiations with the United States to get South Korean-made electric vehicles eligible for tax benefits under the newly legislated Inflation Reduction Act. Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, PPP's floor leader, said that Korea-made electric cars should enjoy equal tax benefits as those produced in North America in accordance with the free trade agreement between Seoul and Washington. The $430 billion bill, signed into law

The agricultural ministry has issued a 48-hour standstill order on pig farms and related facilities in the eastern Gangwon Province after confirming this year's second African swine fever (ASF) case. The movement ban effective through 10:30 p.m. Saturday came as the animal disease broke out at a pig farm in Yanggu, a county located about 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul, late Thursday, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It marked this year's second ASF c