Three people were found dead in a flooded semi-basement apartment in Seoul on Tuesday, after the heaviest rainfall in 80 years wreak havoc on many parts of the city.  According to local police, a 47-year-old woman, her older sister and 13-year-old daughter were trapped in the submerged home in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, western Seoul and likely died by drowning.  The police recovered their bodies around 11:30 p.m. on Monday. They had received a report of flooding in the house from

The Justice Ministry on Tuesday reviewed candidates for presidential pardons to be granted on the occasion of next week's Liberation Day amid attention as to whether Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong and former President Lee Myung-bak will be among the beneficiaries. The ministry's nine-member pardon review board held a meeting to evaluate candidates, including several high-profile business moguls and politicians, for special pardons to be granted in celebration of Liberation Day, which falls

More than 1,000 vehicles sustained water damage due to the heavy rains that hit Seoul and surrounding regions late Monday and early Tuesday. According to the insurance industry’s figures, more than 1,000 cases of vehicle flooding have been reported as of Tuesday morning. Some larger insurers, including Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and DB Insurance received hundreds of reports, with damages amounting to several billion won, or millions of dollars. 　 Small insurance companies are

The government on Tuesday postponed its planned announcement of housing supply measures in a bid to focus on responding to damage from overnight heavy downpours. The government had planned to announce details of its plan to supply more than 2.5 million houses Tuesday as part of efforts to stabilize home prices. It would be the first package of housing supply measures under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration that took office in May. "To respond to the downpours, the government has decided to p

North Korea issued a heavy rain alert across its southern regions, state media reported Tuesday, as downpours pounded Pyongyang and other areas earlier this week. The advisory was issued for regions in the southwestern provinces of North and South Hwanghae, some southern parts of the eastern Gangwon Province and the border city of Kaesong, according to the Korean Central Broadcasting Station. It said 50 to 80 millimeters of rain is forecast in those regions. On Monday, state media footage showed

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited a flood control center along the Han River on Tuesday and instructed officials to redouble efforts to minimize damage after heavy rains left seven people dead and six others missing, his office said. The inspection came as the heaviest rainfall in 80 years battered Seoul and its surrounding areas and officials warned of more downpours in the region in the coming days. "The capability of a nation is to be exercised in times of crisis," Han said during

BUCHAREST/SEOUL -- National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo promoted South Korean arms and nuclear reactor exports to Romania in his meeting with the country's Senate leader, his office said Tuesday. Kim held talks with Alina-Stefania Gorghiu, acting speaker of Romania's Senate, in Bucharest on Monday. Romania is the second leg of a two-nation trip that has also taken him to Poland. "South Korea participating in Romania's arms modernization project is one way the two countries c

President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency meeting Tuesday to respond to the heaviest rainfall in 80 years that left seven people dead and six others missing, his office said. The meeting was held in the disaster and safety situation room of the government complex in Seoul, a day after heavy rains pounded the capital and its surrounding areas and flooded homes, vehicles, buildings and subway stations. Yoon had been scheduled to travel to the central city of Sejong to preside over a Cabin

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases jumped to a nearly four-month high Tuesday amid a resurgence of infections driven by a highly infectious omicron variant. The country added 149,897 new COVID-19 infections, the highest since April 13 when the tally hit 195,387, bringing the total caseload to 20,694,239, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally includes 588 cases from overseas. Tuesday's figure is up from 55,292 the previous day and 111,785 from a week earli

South Korea, the United States and 19 other countries are conducting a U.S.-hosted exercise in Hawaii with an aim to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the U.S. State Department has said. The five-day Fortune Guard 22 kicked off in Honolulu on Monday. It is part of the exercises for the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) launched in 2003 to stop or impede transfers of WMDs and related items flowing to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases has remained at zero for over a week, according to its state media Tuesday. No new fever cases were reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It did not provide any other information in its report. The North's daily fever tally hit zero on July 29 after peaking at over 392,920 on May 15, three days aft

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) was set to hold a national committee meeting Tuesday to finalize a switch to an emergency leadership system despite fierce opposition from suspended party chief Lee Jun-seok. Following a meeting of national committee standing members on Friday where they declared an "emergency" situation for the embattled party, the committee's plenary meeting is set to take place at 9 a.m. to complete the leadership transition. Participants will vote by phone o

Flooding displaces hundreds from their homes, interrupts public transportation across capital region

Heavy downpours battered Seoul on Monday, flooding homes and roads and causing traffic chaos in parts of the city, including Gangnam.  No casualties were reported as of midnight. Here are some photos from the mayhem.  Major roads in Daechidong in southern Seoul are completely submerged. (Yonhap)    Rainwater pours into the Isu subway station in southern Seoul on Monday night. (Yonhap)  Cars are seen half-submerged in a flooded

Heavy downpours battered the country's central region, including the capital area, on Monday, flooding homes, roads, buildings and other properties. Southern Seoul received more than 100 mm per hour, forcing sections of the subway to halt, and causing blackouts and residents in low-lying areas to flee for safety. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered relevant agencies to stay alert and do their best to prevent causalities and property damage in high-risk areas. The Korea Meteorological Admi