The searing heat wave gripping South Korea for over one week is expected to further intensify on Thursday, the state weather agency said, with the highest temperatures climbing to 33 degrees Celsius, to 38 C across the nation. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the hot and humid North Pacific high pressure has completely covered the nation, pushing up the maximum sensible temperatures above 35 C in most regions in the day. Daytime highs are to reach 35 C in Seoul, Ulsan and Daejeon, 33

A total of 88 people were taken to hospitals during the opening ceremony of the 25th World Scout Jamboree, with most of them showing signs of heat-related illness, officials said Thursday. The opening ceremony for the world jamboree, dubbed the "cultural Olympics for youth," was held Wednesday night, with about 43,000 young Scouts from 158 countries gathered at a massive campsite in Saemangeum Reclaimed Area on the southwestern coast. During the event, 83 participants who had symptoms

Organizers of the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea said Wednesday the event that kicked off on Wednesday is on the safe track, as it resolved a flooding problem and improved the facility management after facing complaints over the matters. There were reports of international participants spending the night at the airport and temporary indoor facilities at the Jamboree site, as they were not able to set up tents on puddles of muddy water. The Jamboree venue is located on the reclaimed area of

Parents in Seoul will have to make reservations through an app to meet or speak over the phone with teachers under a voluntary pilot program to be rolled out in November, Seoul Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said Wednesday. The reservation system is aimed at putting more safeguards in place for teachers at schools, after educators complained of being harassed by parents who have appeared unannounced at schools or called them after workhours, Cho said. The education office aims to launch t

One man was found dead and another critically injured inside a vehicle parked by a highway near Yeosu, South Jeolla Province on July 31, leading to a police investigation last weekend. Both victims were discovered with severe wounds to the thigh, apparently inflicted by an external object. Police autopsy revealed the man died of excessive bleeding and sepsis, resulting from an injury inflicted by rocks. According to authorities, the two men were friends who met through an online game three years

Low salary cited as main reason for leaving work

Study suggests daunting consequence of climate change amid growing concerns over health risks from scorching heat

Extreme summer heat poses life-threatening risks to outdoor laborers, while making travel more challenging for vacationers

The head of South Korea's disease control agency said Wednesday that the government would take caution when deciding whether to downgrade the infectious disease classification of COVID-19 next week, noting an uptick in the number of infections in recent weeks. “We will carefully assess the timing of lowering COVID-19's classification to class 4 by studying domestic and foreign trends, quarantine operations and consulting with experts,” Jee Young-mee, commissioner of the Kor

Nearly 15 percent of employees in the South Korean construction industry were foreign nationals in the first quarter of this year, amid a shortage of local workers at construction sites, a report showed. A total of 110,000 workers of foreign nationality were working at construction sites here as of the end of March, accounting for 14.8 percent of the total 741,000 construction workers, according to a quarterly report by the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association. The number of foreign const

Over 43,000 participants gather on reclaimed land for 1st post-pandemic event

Typhoon Khanun’s predicted path has changed, such that it could land in South Korea, according to the Korea Meteorological Association on Tuesday. As of 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the typhoon was heading in a west-northwest direction 260 kilometers southeast of Okinawa, Japan. Typhoon Khanun is expected to continue its west-northwest trajectory to Okinawa before stalling for around five to six days in the East China Sea near Shanghai on Thursday. The typhoon’s intensity is expected to stagna

Probe into gang fight uncovers local industry of artists catering to criminal groups

City government to run 24 summer programs at 8 Han River parks from Friday until Aug. 20

Six days after two cats were confirmed to have been infected with avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, at an animal shelter in Seoul, an additional cat was confirmed to have contracted the virus at an animal shelter in another district of the city, the Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday. A cat at an animal shelter in Gwanak-gu died after showing respiratory symptoms and receiving treatment. An in-depth test found it was infected with a highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain, according