A subway collision in central Seoul that has injured more than 200 passengers was caused by a mechanical malfunction, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Saturday.Two trains collided on Seoul's busiest subway line at around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, injuring 238 passengers. No fatalities have been reported. Some 1,000 other passengers escaped safely around 10 minutes after the collision.The collision happened at Sangwangsimni Station on Subway Line 2 when a train ran into the back of another train

Prosecutors raided the office of the operator of a subway line on Saturday to look into what caused a train collision that injured more than 200 passengers a day earlier.Two trains collided on Seoul's busiest subway line at around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, injuring 238 passengers. No fatalities have been reported. Some 1,000 other passengers escaped safely around 10 minutes after the collision.The collision happened at Sangwangsimni Station on Subway Line 2 when a train ran into the back of another t

Swift currents and high waves caused by heavy winds have hampered divers in their search of a sunken ferry for some 70 people still missing amid concerns that their bodies may have been swept away, officials said Saturday.Navy, Coast Guard and civilian divers recovered two more bodies earlier in the day, bringing the death toll to 230. Seventy-two people are still missing from the sinking off South Korea’s southwestern island of Jindo on April 16.Concerns are growing that the bodies of the missi

The prosecution said Friday that it sent final notices to family members of the owner and the associates of the sunken Sewol ferry to appear for questioning after they twice refused to comply with summons.The summons were part of an investigation into corruption allegations against Yoo Byung-eon, the former chairman of Semo Group and alleged owner of Chonghaejin Marine Co., which owns and operates the ferry Sewol.The Yoo family is accused of embezzlement, dereliction of duty, tax evasion and bri

A ferry with around 400 passengers on board connecting the eastern island of Ulleung and the easternmost islets of Dokdo returned to its port of origin due to an engine malfunction, the Coast Guard said Friday.The ferry Dolphin, which departed Ulleung Island at 2:40 p.m., sailed for two hours towards Dokdo when one of its two engines suddenly failed, the Donghae Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said there were 390 passengers and six crew on the 310-ton ship, slightly fewer than the ship's capaci

Five more bodies were recovered from a sunken ferry on Friday amid concerns that swift currents will hamper search operations and may have swept many bodies far away from the sinking site. Since the ferry Sewol carrying 476 people capsized off South Korea's southwestern island of Jindo on April 16, a total of 226 people have been confirmed dead, mostly high school students on a field trip to the southern resort island of Jeju.With 76 people still remaining missing, concerns have grown that the b

Insurance firms are not required to pay for vessels that sink due to changes in the structure of the ship, a Seoul court said on Thursday.The Seoul Central District Court on April 3 ruled in favor of Dongbu Insurance Co., concluding that the firm does not have to pay for the vessel Seokjung 36 that sank off the coast of Ulsan in 2012. The then 29-year-old Japanese ship was purchased by Seokjung Engineering and Construction in 2007. Its structure was later modified, adding more than 500 tons to i

The South Korean government said it would reduce the medical fees for choice-based treatment starting from August as part of efforts to reduce the financial burden on patients, officials said Thursday. Under the choice-based treatment system, patients can opt for certain experienced doctors, with more than 10 years of experience. In return, patients seeking higher quality treatment pay 20 to 100 percent more in additional charges, which are not covered by the national health insurance. Under the

SACHEON, South Gyeongsang Province (Yonhap) ― A civilian diver taking part in the search for those missing from a recently sunken ferry was admitted to a hospital Thursday after falling unconscious during a mission, hospital officials said.The diver, identified as a 40-year-old man surnamed Kim, was brought to Samcheonpo Seoul Hospital in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, round 1 a.m. Thursday, officials said. According to the hospital, Kim took part in search operations near the ferry Sewol a