Police on Thursday raided some offices of the construction unions affiliated with the country's two biggest umbrella labor organizations as part of an investigation into alleged wrongdoing at construction sites. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent investigators to five offices belonging to the construction union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Union and three construction union offices of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions to seize evidence, officials said. Eight houses belong

Underwear maker draws attention amid widening probe into opposition leader

A US Forces Korea service member has died from a fall in the southern county of Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, police and the provincial fire station headquarters said Wednesday. The 28-year-old woman was found dead at the parking lot of her residence at 3:03 a.m. on Wednesday in the town of Waegwan, where the US Army base Camp Carroll is located, according to local media reports. The US staff sergeant was transferred by fire authorities to a hospital, but died. South Korean police hav

City to spend on infrastructure building, welfare, eco projects to bolster its ambition to become Silicon Valley of Korea

South Korean health authorities will decide on Friday whether to lift the indoor mask mandate as early as the end of this month. On Tuesday, health experts on the government advisory committee for COVID-19 held a video conference to discuss ending indoor mask requirements. As they agreed to phase out the indoor mask requirement, some experts also reportedly suggested lifting the mandate as early as Jan. 30, the first Monday after the Lunar New Year holiday. “The latest winter resurgence of

A Chinese national was sentenced to prison for 4 1/2 years for the attempted murder of a coworker who demeaned his native country, according to legal professionals and local reports Wednesday. The 60-year-old was indicted on charges of attempting to murder a 50-something coworker with a knife in a parking lot in Ulsan in June. It was reported that the attack happened after a dispute with the Korean worker broke out during a staff dinner in which the assailant claimed that the coworker had insult

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Wednesday tally in 13 weeks, showing signs the infection trend may be subsiding, as the country prepares to lift the indoor mask mandate. The country reported 36,908 new COVID-19 infections, including 80 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,898,142, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally is down by some 3,000 from a day earlier and nearly 17,500 from the previous week, KDCA data showed. It�

Military and police personnel resumed a search Wednesday for a presumed civilian drone thought to have crashed after flying near a US THAAD missile defense unit in a southern county the previous day, officials said. The authorities are conducting the search in areas close to the base in Seongju, 217 kilometers south of Seoul, while police are investigating who sent the drone and for what purpose. The Army said chances appear low that the drone was mobilized for espionage. US Forces Korea personn

The government will decide when to lift the indoor mask mandate this week, as the country is past the peak of the latest winter COVID-19 wave, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Wednesday. "With this winter's COVID-19 wave past its peak, the overall virus situation is stabilizing," Lee said during a government virus response meeting. Taking the virus situation and other external factors into account, the government will determine when and to what extent the indoor mask mandate wo

South Korea's military has identified the remains of two more soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, the defense ministry said Wednesday. The ministry's excavation team identified the remains of Choi Bong-keun and Oh Moon-kyo, recovered in 2001 and 2019, respectively, through DNA analysis based on samples provided by their families. Choi was a private first class, while Oh held a rank equivalent to the current sergeant. Choi's remains were found in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers

Last year was the 9th warmest year on record in South Korea, data showed. The Korea Meteorological Administration said the average temperature throughout 2022 was 12.9 degrees Celsius, 0.4 C higher than the average of 12.5 C during the baseline period from 1991 to 2020. It was also the ninth-highest temperature since the country began nationwide weather monitoring in 1973. Adding to evidence that the planet is heating up, all but two of the country’s 10 warmest years have occurred this cen

Kim Seong-tae, the fugitive former chairman of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, arrived in South Korea on Tuesday morning after he was arrested in Bangkok last week, roughly eight months after fleeing abroad. Kim is facing multiple charges, including a charge involving main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's leader Lee Jae-myung. Immediately after his arrival, Kim was taken to the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office in Gyeonggi Province. Kim denied a link with the main opposition le

Expats not eligible for child care subsidies rethink Korea as forever home

A brawl broke out at Haeinsa Temple, a Buddhist temple in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, resulting in at least one injury requiring hospital treatment, the police said. According to the police, around 50 monks on Monday became involved in a physical clash over selection of the temple’s new chief. The fight broke out in the entryway of Gwaneumjeon Hall as supporters of the candidate, backed by the temple's most senior monk, attempted to prevent members of the Emergency Response C

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Tuesday tally in 13 weeks in a sign of a downward trend in new infections, as the country prepares to lift the indoor mask mandate. The country reported 40,199 new COVID-19 infections, including 95 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,861,234, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Tuesday's tally is down by around 20,000 from the previous week and half the daily caseload from two weeks ago, the KDCA data showed. It