The National Assembly Sunfull Committee and the Sunfull Foundation said they will hold a launching ceremony for the "Respect for Multicultural Families and All Ethnic Groups in Korea" campaign at the National Assembly Hall on March 27. The campaign aims to promote equal treatment for multicultural families and ethnic minority groups living in Korea, according to the organizers. It will shed light on the role these populations play in Korean communities, the economy and Korean culture

Suspicions of cult leader Jeong Myeong-seok abusing lawyer visits have risen, with records showing that he had visits from his legal representative on average of 1.7 times a day during his detention since October, a lawmaker revealed Wednesday. According to Rep. Park Bum-gye of the main opposition Democratic Party, Jeong had met lawyers 265 times during his current detention as of March 3. He was detained on Oct. 4 on suspicion of sexually assaulting his follower in the South Korean religious gr

A man in his 40s was sentenced to 18 months in prison for multiple counts of fraud, which he tried to get away with by faking his own death, Gwangju District Court said Tuesday. Some additional charges were dismissed because the statute of limitations has already passed, the court said. From 2008 to 2013, he swindled 375 million won ($287,000) out of five people under the pretense of finding them employment in the Yeosu Industrial Complex. As he faced lawsuits, he forged his death by tipping ove

The government unveiled a five-year plan aimed at improving emergency medical services throughout the region on Tuesday. Under the new plan, paramedics will play a vital role in determining the severity of patients' conditions and directing them to the appropriate emergency room. This approach is expected to reduce wait times and improve patient outcomes. To help optimize resources and ensure patients receive the best possible care, emergency rooms at hospitals will be graded into three cat

South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday said they are reviewing allegations of illicit funds surrounding late ex-President Chun Doo-hwan’s family, sparked by Chun’s grandson’s recent confession on social media that his family was “living off black money.” According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the case has been allocated to the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Department to see if the disclosure made last week by Chun Woo-won -- the grandson in q

The government will offer free COVID-19 vaccinations to all Korean nationals and residents with foreign registration numbers in the final quarter of the year to better control the spread of the disease that the authorities believe is under control. The vaccine will likely be offered once a year for free, similar to flu shots. While it has yet to be officially confirmed, once-a-year vaccinations will likely be maintained based on scientific evidence, according to Kim Won-ki, an official at the Ko

A former South Korean rugby national team member who starred in Netflix’s sports entertainment show “Physical: 100” has been indicted on charges of rape and physical assault against his girlfriend. He allegedly committed the assault while threatening her with a knife. Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said on Wednesday that it had indicted the athlete the previous day. The suspect has been in police custody since he was apprehended on Feb. 23. A knife, believed to

A father was booked by police on Monday for possessing and using controlled drugs in the presence of his newborn baby. The Women’s and Juvenile Affairs bureau under Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday that it had booked the man, only identified by his surname Jung, for breaching the Child Welfare Act, stating that abuse of drugs can cause emotional child abuse to an infant. According to a complaint filed to the police last week by his family, Jung, who owns a home appliance impor

A soldier was fined for sexual harassment, asking random women on the street to spit on him. The soldier was fined 150,000 won ($115) by the military court under violation of the Minor Offense Law on Monday. In October, the soldier approached a 27-year-old woman in a residential area in Busan, inquiring as to whether she was a smoker and then asking her to spit on him. Then he is reported to had said, "Can you spit on me? If that's too much, could I have the cigarette end when you are

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose to over 13,000 Wednesday, two days after the country lifted its mask mandate on public transportation. The country reported 13,081 new COVID-19 infections, including 23 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,728,057, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The Wednesday figure is slightly up from Tuesday's 12,016. The daily coronavirus caseload tends to peak at mid-week before falling again toward the weekend. The KDCA

Police are investigating drug allegations stirred up after a series of disclosures by a grandson of the late former President Chun Doo-hwan, Chun Woo-won, through social media, as well as his own drug suspicions. The National Police Agency on Monday said it had partially verified claims made by Chun Woo-won, and that preparations were underway to open a formal investigation. Police acquired a warrant for search and confiscation of Instagram for a closer look into the accused. Chun Woo-won posted

Police said on Tuesday they have filed for the arrest warrant of a male US national in his 70s who allegedly carried two bullets onboard a Korean Air flight on March 10. The charges are for violating aviation security law. The suspect's current whereabouts are unknown. Under the aviation security law, anyone who carries prohibited items onto an aircraft, or has another person do so, are subject to between two and five years in jail, or between 20 and 50 million won ($15,200 - $38,100) in

The police are after suspects who absconded with money they collected from operating a temporary animal shelter in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, leaving several animals abandoned, abused and even dead. Arrest warrants have been issued for three suspects on the run for violating animal protection law. They face charges of allegedly receiving about 1 million won ($765) per animal "to take care of them" and then vanishing, neglecting or abusing the dogs and cats, said police on Tuesday. The

The age at which people start having sex is earlier for men than women in South Korea, with 65.9 percent of men and 57.4 percent of women reporting having first had sexual intercourse between the ages of 20 and 24, survey data showed Tuesday. According to the report from the National Evidence-based Health Care Collaborating Agency, which surveyed 3,193 individuals aged 19 to 59 from Jan. 6 through March 18, 8.9 percent of men and 6 percent of women had their first sexual intercourse aged 19 or

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday introduced blueprints to build a floating pool and marina facilities on the banks of the Han River in Ichon, central Seoul. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said during his trip to Denmark on Sunday that the swimming complex was inspired by the Harbor Bath, an open-air floating public swimming pool in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Seoul city authorities explained that Copenhagen’s floating public pool had played a noticeable role in transforming the ind