Lawmakers play blame game as the fear spreads over unidentified international parcels

A 2-year-old girl has died after falling into a pool at an unstaffed kids cafe in Incheon, which was absent of any safety personnel, local police said Sunday. According to the Incheon Seobu Police Station, the child was playing at the facility in Seo-gu, Incheon, Saturday morning, when she fell into the pool with a depth of 67 centimeters. The parent called 119 emergency services, which attempted to resuscitate the child while taking her to a nearby hospital, to no avail. The incident was report

Police launched an investigation Sunday after an unknown gas was detected inside an international parcel from Taiwan delivered to a home in the central city of Cheonan, officials said. The Cheonan Seobuk Police Station received a report that an unidentified parcel, wrapped around an A4-sized plastic bag, was delivered to a home in Cheonan, 85 kilometers south of Seoul, at 12:41 p.m. Saturday. The package was found to have been delivered from Taiwan, police said. Police and a team of explosive or

The state weather agency on Sunday issued a heavy rain watch for the Seoul metropolitan area and central and southern parts of the country, as authorities remain on high alert over additional damage from the torrential rains. The Korea Meteorological Administration issued the advisory for Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, forecasting the Seoul metropolitan area will see up to 100 millimeters of rain. A heavy rain watch has been in effect in Incheon, just west of Seoul, since Saturday.

Police said Saturday they received continued reports of suspicious international packages for the second straight day across the nation amid concerns that the parcels might contain an unspecified hazardous material. Police said they received a total of 987 reports related to the delivery of dubious parcels from abroad, mostly from Taiwan, on Friday alone, and more similar reports have continued. Regional government authorities sent out an emergency alert to citizens not to open such parcels in c

Fourth-grade students from Iseo Elementary School in Wanju, North Jeolla Province, are drawing attention online for their compassionate efforts in helping their community recover from flood damage after recent monsoon rains ripped through the country. A group of forty students, accompanied by their homeroom teacher, visited the Iseo-myeon Administrative Welfare Center on Wednesday morning. They expressed their concern about the hardships people were facing due to the heavy rains and donated 96,0

Rescuers have recovered one more body of people who were swept away by floods caused by recent torrential rains, raising the total confirmed deaths to 47, fire authorities said Saturday. The body of a man in his 60s was found in Yecheon, 161 kilometers southeast of Seoul, yesterday, according to them. But three still remained missing as of Saturday in the aftermath of the landslides and floods caused by the heavy rains, which have pounded the country since early last week. Around 2,000 of 18,000

Reports of unidentified packages are continuing nationwide Friday, the day after three people suffered from dizzy spells after opening a suspicious international package. Authorities are collecting packages from several cities, and about 1,700 people have been evacuated at the Seoul Central Post Office in Myeong-dong, after a similar package was found. The authorities are now investigating the possibility of terrorism, and as reports of related suspected cases continued, the Korea Post decided t

President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law was detained Friday after an appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced her to one year in prison for forging a financial document used in a land purchase deal. The appellate court in Uijeongbu, northeast of Seoul, dismissed an appeal by 76-year-old Choi Eun-soon who demanded the prison sentence handed down to her in 2021 be reconsidered. Choi was accused of falsifying her bank balance certificate in 2013 to make herself appear financial

A teacher in charge of a special education class at an elementary school in Incheon was taken to hospital after being assaulted by a student, according to the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education on Thursday. The incident, which took place on June 23 and reportedly resulted in serious injuries, comes amid growing debate over the lack of protection for teachers. The assault occurred when the teacher warned the student not to behave aggressively to other students. The student responded by

Everland, the largest theme park and zoo in South Korea, located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday released photos of 12-day-old panda twins born at the park. In the released photo, the twin cubs have started to grow distinctive black markings, which typically begin showing 10 days after birth. Newborn pandas do not sport the signature black-and-white markings, and their eyes will open after six weeks, according to National Geographic. Ai Bao and Le Bao, the panda parents who gave birth to

A stabbing spree in Sillim-dong, Seoul on Friday afternoon resulted in one death with three people injured, according to police. The incident took place near Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu in the early afternoon. Authorities received a report on the incident at 2:09 p.m., saying that an individual had stabbed multiple people near the station's Exit No. 4 before fleeing. Police apprehended the assailant at the scene at 2:20 p.m. The suspect was reported to be a Korean man in his 30s with 17 p

The average age of employed individuals in South Korea could exceed 50 years old by 2035, due to an aging population exacerbated by declining birth rates, a study showed, Friday. The Sustainable Growth Initiative, a branch of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recently released a report that revealed the average age of Korea's working population could reach unprecedented heights. The study projected the average age of employed Koreans to be approximately 46.8 years old in 2022, and

A woman in her 30s has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect resulting in death and disposing of a body illegally, according to Osan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on Friday. According to police, the woman gave birth in September 2014 at a maternity clinic in South Chungcheong Province. The woman reportedly told the police that the baby died three or four days after birth, and that she buried the body on a hill in the area. During questioning, the woman reportedly said she had planned

A professor teaching animal welfare at a local community college was found to be allegedly operating the country's largest network of illegal dog auctions, according to an animal protection group Thursday. The Beagle Rescue Network posted a statement on their Instagram account Thursday, saying “We have been conducting closed investigations into illegal animal breeding grounds and dog auction houses that procure and distribute dogs.” “It has been revealed that Hong, a pr