Another death linked to a growing house rental scam was reported Monday, pushing up the death toll to three. All the deaths are thought to be from suicide. The so-called "construction king" fraud is a massive house rental scam that occurred in Incheon. A woman in her 30s was found unconscious at around 2:12 a.m. at her house in Incheon, along with a suicide note. The woman died in transit to the hospital, Incheon Michuhol District Police Station said. According to the police investigat

A teenage girl livestreamed her death by apparent suicide on Instagram on Sunday, prompting several viewers to alert the police, officials said Monday. Seoul Gangnam Police Station said the victim, whose name and exact age was withheld, died after falling from a 19-story building near Gangnam Station at around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. She reportedly suffered from severe depression. It is unclear how many watched the suicide livestream, but police said they received “several” reports from

The Seoul city government began to stop collecting toll fees at Namsan tunnels on Monday until May 16 to determine if the temporary pricing model for congested highways effectively alleviates traffic. Under the temporary scheme, the city will waive fees for vehicles with less than three people traveling through tunnel numbers one and three from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. The decision comes as questions were raised over the effectiveness of the policy implemented in 1996, by which the city has been char

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 10,000 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, with the country moving toward regaining pre-pandemic normalcy following the relaxation of most antivirus restrictions. The country reported 4,946 cases, including 23 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 30,994,088, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's tally fell from 10,188 cases a day earlier but is higher than 4,005 a week ago. The daily caseload s

South Korea's daily coronavirus caseload stayed under 12,000 for a third straight day on Saturday, with new deaths declining. The country reported 11,682 cases, including 25 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 30,978,954, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Saturday's tally is up from 11,666 the previous day and 10,372 a week ago. The country added two COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 34,368. The number of critically ill patients came to 114, down

A group of foreign English teachers employed across the private academy industry are seeking to launch the first nationwide union to represent their rights, organizers told The Korea Herald. Most new foreign English teachers, as well as Korean parents and students, are unaware of the labor abuses rampant in the private academy industry, they said. Wage theft is among a list of common issues, they explained, referring to online posts of teachers claiming they have been forced to work more than th

Former co-chair of Green Party Korea Kim Ye-won has been under police investigation and was arrested for illegally possessing and using cannabis, police said Friday. Police arrested Kim in February for allegedly using cannabis for entertainment purposes and keeping the product, which is strictly banned in Korea, at home since late 2022, it said. An investigation was launched in January, it added. Kim offered to quit the progressive party after admitting that she was under a police probe for her

Eighty-six people will be given disciplinary measures for intentionally not paying for child support even after receiving orders from the court. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Friday it has decided to impose penalties on 86 of those who neglected their duty to pay child support expenses at the 29th Child Care Review Committee. By type of disciplinary measures, there are six people whose identity has been revealed to the public, 41 people who are banned from leaving the country a

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said it has indicted four people for growing cannabis at home and selling it. One of them, a 37-year-old man surnamed Park, cultivated cannabis in his apartment where he lived with his pregnant wife, officials said. The four suspects consisted of two groups. The first duo -- Park and his friend Jung, 38 -- allegedly sold marijuana grown in their respective apartments located in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, from May last year to February t

The Ministry of Health and Welfare unveiled a five-year plan aimed at decreasing the nation's high suicide rate on Friday. According to the suicide prevention plan, the government aims to see fewer than 20 suicide deaths out of 100,000 people in 2027. At 26.7 deaths per 100,000, suicide was the fifth leading cause of death here in 2021, far exceeding deaths from traffic accidents. Korea's suicide mortality rate should drop by 30 percent to 18.2 by 2027, over the course of six years beg

Health authorities in South Korea confirmed one more locally transmitted case of mpox infection Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, a South Korean national tested positive for the disease, formerly known as monkeypox, on Friday, bringing the total cases here to ten. The KDCA said the new patient had not traveled overseas in the past three months. The patient is reported to be in good health by the KDCA. Of the ten total infections so far, five were locally trans

South Korea reported 11,666 new cases of the coronavirus Friday, as the country moves toward regaining pre-pandemic normalcy following the relaxation of most antivirus restrictions. The daily infection number includes 15 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 30,967,692, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's tally is up by 70 from the previous day and over 900 higher from a week ago. The daily average number of infections has remained around the 10,000 mark

CHUNGJU, North Chungcheong Province -- A tour bus fell sideways in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, killing one Israeli and injuring 34 people on board, 32 of them Israelis, police said Thursday. Eleven people who sustained serious injuries were taken to a nearby hospital. Among them, one Israeli, believed to be in his 60s, died at the hospital, police said. The accident occurred around 6:05 p.m. in Suanbo-myeon, located southeast of the city. The bus had departed from the southeastern city

The government on Thursday unveiled plans to combat child abuse by conducting a nationwide inspection. Under the plan, the government will keep track of toddlers aged 2 or younger who have either not seen a pediatrician in the past year, or who have not completed the essential vaccination program that a baby has to go through within four months after birth. Korea estimates the number of such children to stand at around 11,000. The three-month inspection of toddlers will kick off Monday. "(S

"What do your parents do for a living?" "Why did you not go to high school?" "Were you ever a victim of school bullying?" These are some of the questions an employment candidate may still encounter while seeking for a job in South Korea. According to data collected by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, 84 cases of privacy violations during the employment interviews have been reported in the past two years. Job applicants were asked questions irrelevant to their a