Cancer and heart diseases were among the major causes of death for South Koreans in 2022, data showed, with the total number of deaths hitting a new record. Last year, the total number of deaths reported in the country came to 372,939, up 17.4 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. It was the highest figure since the agency began compiling such data in 1983. The agency said 727.6 deaths were reported per 100,000 South Koreans last year. Cancer was the major cause of death, t

Survivors and families of those who died in last year's Itaewon disaster say support for treatment insufficient

'We know our children won't come back, but tragedy should be remembered to build safer place for future generations'

A man in his 20s has been fined 7 million won ($5,200) for abusing and assaulting junior soldiers during military service. According to Incheon District Court on Tuesday, the 24-year-old was found guilty of abusing and assaulting soldiers while he was on his compulsory military service last year. The man is reported to have punched two soldiers five times on Sept. 10, 2022. The incident occurred at an army camp in Gyeonggi Province when two soldiers refused to say "Long live Kim Jong-un, Lo

Police searched former Taekwang Group Chairman Lee Ho-jin’s home and the company’s affiliated companies over allegations against Lee of embezzlement and breach of trust on Tuesday. Investigators from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency searched Lee’s home, as well as Taekwang Group's office in the Heungkuk Life Insurance Building in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, and Taekwang Country Club in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, to secure evidence regarding Lee’s suspected crime.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Korea Centre will release a video centered on career mentoring for ASEAN students residing in South Korea on Thursday. As part of their “Hey ASEAN” series, the video aims to help students from ASEAN member countries in Korea explore career opportunities and prepare for employment. Both students and mentors will be featured in the video to answer questions regarding the recruitment process and work life in Korea. The video will be released on

The Ministry of Justice on Tuesday announced plans to deprive convicted child sex offenders of their rights to choose where to live after they are released from jail. The Justice Ministry will propose a new bill aimed at restricting the civil rights of convicted child sex offenders at a Cabinet meeting, following a legislative notice to collect public opinions beginning from Thursday. The government is looking to designate specific areas where those sentenced to 10 years or more for child sexual

Sannakji -- octopus seasoned with salt and sesame oil and served while still squirming – is among South Korea's most notorious delicacies. The local dish shot to global infamy thanks to an iconic scene from 2004's "Oldboy," where Choi Min-sik's character devours a whole wriggling octopus alive at a sushi bar. Numerous videos on YouTube show fearless foreign tourists trying sannakji in Korea’s local fish markets, highlighting the cuisine’s enduring cult

A 64-year-old Buddhist monk has been given an 18-month prison term for assaulting a woman after she refused his sexual advances, according to the Cheongju District Court on Monday. Charges against the monk included assault, fraud and intimidation. The monk is reported to have assaulted a 52-year old woman at a house in Gamgok-myeon, Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province, on Feb. 9, 2022. He allegedly demanded sex, and when she refused his request, the monk slapped her across the face and assa

The amount of drugs smuggled into South Korea through the country's main gateway has increased since international travel resumed after the pandemic, an opposition lawmaker said Tuesday. The amount of narcotics smuggled into South Korea through Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, rose from 129,362 grams in 2020 to 538,241 grams in 2022, Rep. Maeng Sung-kyu of the main opposition Democratic Party said, citing data from the Korea Customs Service. From January to July this year, 311,

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Tuesday it has ordered disciplinary measures for 123 parents who failed to pay child support after divorcing their spouses. A review committee under the ministry ordered the identity disclosure of 12 people on the ministry's website, banned 71 others from leaving the country and suspended the driver's licenses of 40 people. The number of people under disciplinary measures has been on the rise since the ministry began issuing disciplinary

South Korea's agriculture ministry said Tuesday 12 suspected cases of lumpy skin disease in cattle have been under investigation, as health authorities were scrambling to prevent the disease from spreading. Since the first-ever outbreak of the disease last Friday, South Korea has reported a total of 17 confirmed cases so far. Health authorities have begun vaccinating cattle in the affected areas. Agriculture Minister Chung Hwang-keun has said the disease may further spread for the time bein

Joint declaration expected to address security issues involving N. Korea, Ukraine, Israel-Palestine conflict

South Korea reported seven additional cases of lumpy skin disease in cattle, sparking concerns over the nationwide spread of the highly infectious disease, the agricultural ministry said Monday. The authorities have confirmed 17 cases of infection so far since the first outbreak in South Chungcheong Province on Friday, with 1,075 cows being culled so far, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Of the seven cases reported in the day, four were reported from Gyeonggi Pro

Lotte World Aquarium recently filed charges against a local marine animal rights advocates' group for holding a protest within its premises, the latest development in their ongoing battle over the release of a beluga whale. Songpa Police Station in southern Seoul last week said it is pressing charges of destruction of property and interference with business against eight activists from the group Hot Pink Dolphins, a marine conservation activist group. Last year, they held a protest at the L