Five times more patients than average of previous years

A family is under police investigation assaulting their middle school-age daughter in the middle of downtown Seoul. Gangnam Police Station said Sunday it had opened an investigation into the girl's parents, in their 40s, and her older brother on respective charges of child abuse and assault against the girl, whose exact age remains undisclosed. The three allegedly assaulted the victim for about 20 minutes, punching and kicking her on a road near an apartment complex in Gangnam, Seoul, aroun

High concentrations of micro dust appeared in most parts of the country on Monday and will remain through Tuesday, due to an influx of yellow dust from across the West Sea. As of 12 p.m. Monday, Korea Meteorological Administration said that yellow dust has been observed covering the country nationwide including the Seoul metropolitan area. The KMA added that the southern part of the country would also see showers mixed with the yellow dust, urging people to avoid exposure to the polluted rain. O

An incumbent police officer has been arrested for having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. The Namyangju branch of the Uijeongbu District Court said Sunday it had issued an arrest warrant for the police officer under the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on charges of rape against a middle school student. The court added that the warrant was issued against the suspect to prevent the officer from fleeing. The police officer was summoned on Thursday on accusations of requesting inappropriat

Seoul Metro, the operator of Seoul’s subway service, said Monday that it started offering a same-day luggage delivery service, dubbed “T-Luggage,” between Incheon and Gimpo International Airports and subway stations to enhance travel convenience for passengers. Under the service, travelers can leave their luggage at the subway station in the morning and claim it at the airport after work, which would streamline the overall travel process. Foreign travelers can leave their bagga

A woman in her 20s has been booked on counterfeiting charges for exchanging fake $100 bills at a bank in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, police said Monday. The suspect exchanged 30 $100 bills at a bank in Gimpo on Friday, according to Gimpo police. The bank reported the woman to the police after realizing that the notes were counterfeit. The suspect is reported to have told police that the counterfeit notes were movie props her family had bought, and that she had taken them to the bank by mistake. Po

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 7,000 on Monday, posting an on-week decline, with the post-pandemic recovery taking hold as the country has almost removed all virus restrictions. The country reported 6,798 new infection cases, including 22 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,548,083, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's tally marks a drop from 7,178 a week earlier and 8,155 logged the week before, showing a steady decline in the virus

South Korea’s crime rate fell to the lowest level in a decade in 2021, data showed, although offenses in the cyber domain shot up amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Asia’s No. 4 economy reported 1,774 cases of criminal violations per 100,000 people in 2021, down 12 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The number of murders reached 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2021, down 18 percent on-year. The figures for acts of violence and theft fell 16 percent an

Some 40 percent of Korean women suffer from menstrual disorders, including painful cramps, heavy bleeding and premenstrual syndrome, survey showed Sunday. According to the report titled “Menstruation Management in Korean Women," published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, and Korea University College of Medicine, over 40 percent of Korean women suffer from menstrual disorders, such as painful cramps during menstruation,

Court sees case as educational discipline, not abuse

Sightings of drywood termites not known to exist in South Korea until now are on the rise, raising concerns the winged species could breed nationwide and damage the country’s wooden cultural assets among others. Reports of these termites, which are considered pests because they feed on wood, in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu, and Asan, South Chungcheong Province, were recently made on online communities with photos. After an on-site inspection last week, the Ministry of Environment confirmed tha

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 20,000 for the second consecutive day Saturday as the country has been preparing to return to pre-pandemic normalcy, with new infections plateauing in recent months. The country reported 18,106 cases, including 19 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,524,477, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Saturday's tally was down from 19,586 cases a day earlier and about 1,200 lower than a week ago. The countr

HIROSHIMA, Japan -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with a group of Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Friday, saying he is sorry their homeland could not be with them when they suffer sorrow and pain. Yoon was the first South Korean president to meet with Korean victims of the bombing, which took place when the Korean Peninsula was under Japanese colonial rule. The meeting came as Yoon was in Hiroshima for a Group of Seven summit. "When our compatriots fell

Police sought a warrant Friday to arrest actor Yoo Ah-in on suspicions of the illegal use of five different drugs. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency filed for the warrant for the 37-year-old actor, accused of illegally using five different drugs for non-medical purposes: propofol, marijuana, cocaine, ketamine and zolpidem, an insomnia medication. Police reportedly made the decision in consideration of the seriousness of Yoo's case, the risk of flight and his continued denial of drug use.

A white ant species found in downtown Seoul has been identified as an "exotic species" that feeds on dry wood and causes significant damage to wooden structures around the world, South Korea's Ministry of Environment said Friday. The ministry weighed in after an online post on Wednesday claimed that a rare white ant species had been discovered at a residence in Seoul. The National Institute of Biological Resources and the National Institute of Ecology was unable to confirm the ant