An unidentified wild animal was spotted on Mount Palgong, Daegu, causing a widespread online debate about its identity, despite the local environmental authority's announcement that it was a badger. A photo taken by a hiker on a trail at 6 a.m. on April 24 in Daegu shows a wild animal with dark fur, four legs, small ears and a long snout. The hiker reported the animal as a bear cub, because the black fur covering its whole body made it look like a bear, the Palgongsan Natural Park Managemen

A group of doctors and other medical workers said Tuesday that they will stage a nationwide strike in protest of the passage of a so-called nursing bill, which they say would give nurses legal rights to establish their own medical institutions. A statement released Tuesday morning said the association of 13 medical groups led by doctors and nursing assistants will go on a one-day nationwide strike on May 17. The protest, which is planned for a weekday, is feared to disrupt the country's med

One in 5 elementary and middle school students have expressed a desire to attend medical school, a survey showed Tuesday. According to a poll of 1,344 students conducted by MegaStudy Education, an online-based education platform, 21.6 percent of respondents chose medical science as their preferred major in university. The second most popular choice was natural science with 18.7 percent, followed by engineering, and humanities and social science, with 15.5 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively

South Korea's new coronavirus cases rose to over 15,000 on Tuesday as the country is considering further easing antivirus curbs to regain normalcy. The country reported 15,741 cases, including 27 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,192,401, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Tuesday's tally was a marked growth from the previous day's 5,774 infections and also higher than 14,811 cases a week earlier. The country added 10 COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, rai

A labor union official attempted self-immolation outside a court in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung on Monday, just hours before he was scheduled to attend a pretrial detention hearing on charges of business obstruction. The 50-year-old man doused himself in flammable liquid and set himself on fire at around 9:35 a.m. in front of a district court in Gangneung, 163 kilometers east of Seoul, fire officials said. He sustained serious burns and was taken to a nearby hospital, but remained unco

Tens of thousands of workers took to the streets nationwide on Monday in South Korea to mark Labor Day with protests against labor reforms being pushed by the Yoon Suk Yeol government. Workers belonging to the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korea Trade Unions -- the country’s two major umbrella labor organizations -- participated in large-scale rallies across the country, including in the metropolitan cities of Seoul, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju and the southern island

BUAN, North Jeolla Province -- With less than 100 days to go, South Korea’s Boy and Girl Scouts are eagerly anticipating the 25th World Scout Jamboree, which will bring together around 43,000 teenagers from 170 countries around the world. Ahn Ye-sung, a 17-year-old student at Buan High School in Buan-gun, North Jeolla Province, is one of three thousand Korean students fortunate enough to seize a one-time-only opportunity to participate in the Jamboree, which will be held under the theme of

Jeju Special Self-governing Province has mandated its female employees to work night shifts starting Monday, responding to complaints that it is unfair to have only the men work the night shift. Before, female workers at the provincial office were exempt from late night shifts -- from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day. The women were required instead to do their shifts during holidays and weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Of the province’s two cities, Jeju city has already implemented night shift

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 10,000 on Monday due mainly to fewer tests over the weekend as the country is considering further easing antivirus curbs to regain normalcy. The country reported 5,774 cases, including 23 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,176,660, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's tally was down from 13,614 cases a day earlier but is higher than the previous Monday's 5,022 cases. The country added eight COV

A 3.1 magnitude natural earthquake hit Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, Sunday, the state weather agency said. The quake struck 16 kilometers east of the town, 149 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 7:03 p.m. with no damage reported so far, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The quake, which occurred at a depth of 14 kilometers, was recorded up to Level 4 on the seismic intensity scale, the strength at which most people can feel tremors and can wake up if the quake occurs a

Hana Financial Group opened a new childcare center in the southern county of Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. The new opening is part of the financial giant’s ongoing 100 Childcare Centers Initiative, which aims to help tackle the nation’s declining birth rate while enhancing social responsibility activities in collaboration with the local economy. The latest Waegwan Hana Childcare Center marks the 64th of such facilities established since 2018, with 150 billion won ($112

Fledgling union reflects transitional phase in labor movement scene, with growing calls for change from younger workers

Seoul aims to jump-start tourism impacted by the pandemic with K-pop, fashion and beauty

Food shortages, continued economic hardships weigh on fertility rate

The prosecution and financial regulators will jointly investigate a suspected case of large-scale stock manipulation following the recent collapse of stock prices of eight companies, officials said Friday. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office said it will form a joint inquiry team with the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service to investigate the suspicious trading allegedly led by an investment consulting firm. The stocks of the eight domestic companies ha