South Korea's Justice Ministry announced Friday plans to ease visa requirements in an apparent move to attract more Chinese tour groups. Starting Sunday, a group of three or more composed of Chinese primary or secondary students and at least one adult leading the group will be permitted to travel to Korea without visas for up to 30 days, as long as they get approval from Korea's consular offices in China. Also, stopover passengers from China will be able to go on a short trip outside the airport

Authorities face conundrum over fate of death row inmate as 30-year statue of limitations date nears

Seoul's Jamsu Bridge connecting Yongsan and Seocho districts will be closed from 12:00 a.m. on Saturday to 12:00 a.m. on Sunday due to a fashion show hosted by French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton, the city government said Friday. During this time, the bridge will be inaccessible to cars, bicycles, motorcycles and pedestrians. Buses will also be taking temporary detours, it added. To inform people in the vicinity of the bridge about the traffic control measures and encourage them to fi

A group of doctors and other medical workers are reportedly considering launching a nationwide strike following the passage of a bill that stipulates a clear definition of nursing and nurses’ roles in medical services at the National Assembly's plenary session on Thursday. They have been opposing to the bill, saying that it would provide legal ground for nurses to open their own medical institutions. Despite strong opposition from the ruling People Power Party, the main opposition Dem

With South Korea having lifted its mask mandate in stages, the number of patients with respiratory infections -- especially infants -- has been rapidly increasing, data showed Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country saw a total of 13,268 patients hospitalized at 220 government-monitored medical institutions for seven weeks from March to April 2023. The figure is more than 13 times the 1,002 people hospitalized during the same period last year. In particu

A grandson of late former President Chun Doo-hwan was referred to the prosecution Friday for investigation and potential indictment on drug charges. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency referred the 27-year-old Chun Woo-won, the son of the former President Chun's second son, Jae-yong, to the prosecution without physical detention on charges of taking several different drugs during his stay in the United States, officials said. The grandson has attracted widespread media attention after maki

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed at the 10,000 level for the fourth consecutive day Friday, as the country is nearing to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 13,791 cases, including 22 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,142,861, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's tally is lower than the 14,284 a day earlier but a tad higher than the 13,596 a week ago. Daily infections fell to 5,027 on Monday after staying above 10,000 for the

The opposition-controlled National Assembly on Thursday passed a nursing act aimed at defining the roles and responsibilities of nurses in a clearer manner amid fierce opposition from the ruling party and doctors. The bill was approved in a plenary session with 179 votes in favor and two abstentions out of 181 lawmakers present. All but two members of the ruling People Power Party, which has opposed the bill, boycotted the vote and walked out of the chamber en masse before voting began. The

Nearly half of Korea's young people don't want their children to receive the same kind of education they had, a survey showed Thursday. According to a survey conducted by the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) last August, 49.6 percent of Korean respondents reacted negatively to the question of whether their children should receive the same kind of education they had. Among the respondents of other countries who also answered the question negatively, Japanese ranked second at 39.5

The percentage of children from multicultural families entering university has sharply fallen behind the total figure for all kids in South Korea, data showed Thursday. As of 2021, 4 in 10 multicultural kids were admitted to higher education institutions, according to data suggested by the Prime Minister's Office. This showed a contrast from the nationwide general figure, as over 70 percent of Koreans advanced to higher education. The gap between the figure for Koreans overall and that of multic

Six soldiers stationed in a division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, were caught smuggling illegal narcotics into the army, according to local media and the South Korean military. The military said late Wednesday that the soldiers are currently under internal investigation for allegedly sneaking cannabis into the garrison through a parcel and smoking the banned substance inside the military base. One is facing a police investigation following his discharge from the military after the incident.

The Supreme Court on Thursday finalized a six-year prison sentence for the founder of South Korean budget carrier Eastar Jet Co. convicted of embezzlement of company funds and breach of trust. Eastar founder and former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sang-jik was indicted for causing about 43 billion won ($32 million) in losses to the airline by underselling company shares to a subsidiary owned by his children in 2015. He was also charged with embezzling 5.36 billion won from Eastar and its affili

South Korea's new coronavirus cases remained above 10,000 for the third consecutive day Thursday as the country is on track to return to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 14,284 cases, including 43 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,129,070, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Thursday's tally is lower than the 16,383 a day earlier but slightly higher than the 14,088 a week ago. Daily infections fell to 5,027 on Monday after staying above 10,0

Nearly half of single-member households are considered poor, and it is nearly 3 in 4 for senior citizens living alone, a report showed. The relative poverty rate of one-person households came to 47.2 percent in 2020, compared to 15.3 percent for all households, according to the report from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. The rate refers to the percentage of people with income below 50 percent of the median income. The figure for single-person households, however, has been decl

President Joseph R. Biden of the United States of America and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (ROK) met on this 26th day of April, 2023, to mark the 7oth anniversary of the US-ROK Alliance. The Alliance between our two nations has been forged in shared sacrifice, fortified by enduring security cooperation, and nourished by close kinship that has enabled both countries to leverage their diplomatic resources to peaceably achieve crucial, strategic outcomes. What began as a secur