North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases remained below 20,000 for the second consecutive day, according to its state media Monday. More than 18,820 people showed symptoms of fever 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 information on whether additional deaths have been reported. As of last Wednesday, the death toll stood at 73, with

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest level in more than five months on Monday, partly due to fewer tests over the weekend, providing a clear indication of the slowing spread of omicron. The country added 3,538 new COVID-19 infections, including 96 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,280,090, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's figure marks the lowest since the 3,094 reported on Jan. 11. Daily infection numbers tend to drop on Mondays

South Korea and the United States have tentatively agreed to hold their regular defense talks in Washington D.C. next month, informed sources said Monday, with joint deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats likely to top the agenda. The biannual Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) will be held as the allies are striving to reinforce security coordination following a series of North Korean ballistic missile launches and speculation that Pyongyang has completed pre

A man in his 60s has been found dead in a burned car near the Han River in the city of Gimpo, police said Monday. Upon a fire report at 11:40 p.m. the previous day, policemen and firefighters extinguished the blaze in a car parked near a riverside road in Gimpo, west of Seoul, and found the man dead inside the vehicle. Police identified him as an office worker in his 60s and the owner of the car. An initial investigation showed he left his house at around 11 p.m. the previous day without telling

President Yoon Suk-yeol hosted a "housewarming" event in the front yard of the presidential office in central Seoul on Sunday, inviting some 400 neighbors and others to celebrate the relocation of the office. Living up to his campaign pledge, Yoon has moved the presidential office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan from Cheong Wa Dae in line with his campaign pledge to connect better with people.  About 400 residents of Yongsan, young Afghan refugees and small b

South Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri will be moved to the launch pad early Monday as planned for its scheduled launch the following day, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute said Sunday. The institute canceled its initial plan to launch Nuri, also known as KSLV-II, last Thursday after a part in the oxidizer tank sensor was seen malfunctioning during a final pre-launch checkup at the launch pad in Naro Space Center in Goheung, a southern coastal village some 470 kilometers south of Seoul

The rallies near the homes of President Yoon Suk-yeol and his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, are turning into partisan feuds among people with little regard for residents affected by the demonstrations, with both sides proposing a volley of revisions to amend the demonstration law. Since April this year, a total of seven legislative motions, most of them separately, by the People Power Party and Democratic Party of Korea, have been proposed to revise the demonstration law. But local residents will

South Korea is going full steam ahead in its bid to host the World Expo in 2030, with a delegation of top government and business leaders set to attend a presentation for the bid in Paris. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is set to attend the general assembly at the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organization overseeing the World Expos, on Tuesday, accompanied by more than 50 top officials. South Korea’s Busan is competing against Rome and Riyadh for the international festiv

Metro operators selling more station names to cover deficits amid a yearslong freeze in fares, free ride offerings to seniors

South Korea’s main opposition party’s interim chief Rep. Woo Sang-ho on Sunday accused conservative ruling party of strategically framing the previous liberal Moon Jae-in administration as “pro-North Korea,” following a decision overturning the initial conclusion regarding a civil servant killed by North Korea. “Instead of taking care of people’s livelihoods, (the incumbent Yoon Suk-yeol administration) is trying to create an image (of his predecessor) as h

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday it was trying to verify a statement from Russian authorities claiming that four Koreans who joined as volunteer fighters in Ukraine have died. The Moscow Times, an independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper, released a report quoting a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday that claimed 1,956 “mercenaries and weapons specialists” had been killed among the 6,956 from 64 countries who had arriv

The remains of a Canadian veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War will be laid to rest in the UN cemetery in South Korea's southeastern city of Busan later this week in line with his dying wish, the veterans affairs ministry said Sunday. The ministry plans to hold a ceremony marking the return of the remains of John Robert Cormier at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at 6 p.m. on Monday, officials said. The following day, his remains will be placed at the UN Memorial Cemetery. Cormier

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 10,000 for the 10th straight day Sunday, with fewer tests conducted over the weekend amid the slowing spread of the virus. The country added 6,071 infections, including 83 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,276,552, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally marked a fall from 7,198 on Friday and 6,842 on Saturday. The nation's coronavirus cases have been trending downward since peaking at an all-time h

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases dropped below 20,000, according to its state media Sunday. More than 19,310 people showed symptoms of fever 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 information on whether additional deaths have been reported. As of Wednesday, the death toll stood at 73, with a fatality rate of 0.002 percent. The

‘Cat moms’ looking after stray cats a subject of fierce debate over animal rights and public well-being