South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Tuesday tally in 10 weeks in a sign of a downturn in the virus' spread. The country reported 60,041 new COVID-19 infections, including 87 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,599,747, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally marked the lowest for any Tuesday since Nov. 1, when the country reported 58,359 new cases. The country added 44 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 32,669. The num

The Hankyoreh newspaper has decided to dismiss a senior reporter for borrowing money from a key culprit in a high-profile development scandal. The newspaper said Tuesday it decided to fire the reporter during a personnel committee meeting the previous day for violating a duty of integrity and fairness required for journalists, as well as the company's ethics code and work rules to avoid conflicts of interests with news sources. The reporter, whose identity was withheld, had borrowed a total

Complaints grow over 'invasive, annoying' emergency text messages

South Korean men seek new options to avoid their two-year mandatory military service, and the number of draft dodgers continues to grow. According to data provided by Rep. Song Gab-seok of the Democratic Party received from the Military Manpower Administration, 578 people were turned over to prosecution for intentional draft dodging from 2012 until Nov. 30 last year. Recently, volleyball player Jo Jae-sung was charged with contacting a local military broker to help him show false symptoms of e

K-pop composer Kim Min-su, better known by his stage name Don Spike, was handed a three-year suspended jail sentence on Monday for buying 45 million-won ($36,100) worth of methamphetamine and abusing it for recreational purposes for at least 14 times. The Seoul Northern District Court ordered the 45-year-old to serve five years of probation and 80 hours of drug awareness classes for treatment. He was also given 120 hours of community service, and some 40 million won in penalty charges. The light

BUSAN -- A fire engulfed a parking tower in the southern port city of Busan on Monday, but no injuries were reported, fire officials said. The fire broke out at 6:32 a.m. at the parking structure connected to a building with residential and commercial units in downtown Busan, according to the Busan Metropolitan City Fire Disaster Headquarters. The fire agency said no injuries have been reported but 36 people inhaled smoke. Another 30 residents living nearby have also been evacuated, they said.

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest in nine weeks Monday amid the government's efforts to contain the inflow of the virus from China. The country reported 19,106 new COVID-19 infections, including 109 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,539,706, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's tally marked a decrease since Nov. 7, when the country reported 18,665 new cases. The country added 35 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death to

A 3.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the western county of Ganghwa early Monday, the first quake stronger than 3.0 magnitude to hit South Korea this year, but no damage was reported, the state weather agency said. The quake occurred at 1:28 a.m. and was centered in waters 25 kilometers west of Ganghwa with a depth of 19 km, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. The earthquake was earlier estimated to be magnitude 4.0 but was later revised down. The seismic intensity of Monday's qua

The monthslong investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush is coming to a close, with police planning to refer Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief Kim Kwang-ho and other officials to the prosecution this week for possible indictment. Kim is expected to be charged with professional negligence in connection with the Oct. 29 tragedy that killed 159 people, mostly those in their 20s. He is expected to be the highest-ranking police official to be held accountable. Other officials expected to be ref

More than 70 percent of South Koreans use online streaming services last year amid the protracted pandemic, a government survey showed. According to the annual poll conducted by the Korea Communications Commission, 72 percent of 6,708 respondents said they are using at least one over-the-top media service in 2022, up slightly from 69.5 percent last year. Among them, 95.7 percent said they use the service once or more per week, while 60.7 percent said they watch content five days a week on the pl

A woman in Ulsan, was fined for killing her husband's pet by throwing it from the veranda of their 11th-floor apartment after she was asked for a divorce, according to legal professionals and news reports Sunday. The Ulsan District Court ruled the woman to pay a fine of 5 million won ($4,000) for violating the the Animal Protection Act, in an appeals trial, upping the previous sentence of a 3 million won of fine. It was reported that the woman, who is in her 20s, came home after drinking in

Fine dust will likely plague most parts of South Korea until rain falls on Friday, authorities said Sunday, advising people to stay at home or to wear masks if they go outside. Fine dust levels are expected to be “bad” across most of the country, including the greater Seoul area, Gangwon, Chungcheong, North Gyeongsang, Jeolla Provinces as well as inland cities including Daegu and surrounding areas, according to Korea Meteorological Administration. As high levels of fine and yellow du

TAEAN -- A fire broke out at a coal power plant in the southwestern city of Taean on Sunday, with no casualties reported, fire authorities said. They received a 119 emergency call at 8:46 a.m., reporting that flames had risen from the 380-megawatt thermal plant in Taean, 109 kilometers south of Seoul, and there was the sound of an explosion. Firefighters were soon dispatched to the site and put out the fire at 11:32 a.m., according to the authorities. No deaths or injuries have been reported, as

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the fifth consecutive day Sunday amid the government's efforts to prevent the inflow of the virus from China. A total of 46,766 new coronavirus infections, including 132 from overseas, have been confirmed, bringing the total to 29,520,600, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The number of daily infections surged to over 80,000 on Tuesday but has since been on a steady decline. Compared with a week earlier, Sunday'

South Korean Catholics held a Mass on Saturday in memory of late former Pope Benedict XVI, remembering and praising, in particular, his past keen interest in establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Mass, organized by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea and Catholic priests in the country, was held at Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul and was attended by Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick, the archbishop of Seoul, and Alfred Xuereb, the Apostolic Nuncio to South Korea, among