South Korean Catholics on Monday mourned the loss of former Pope Benedict XVI, led by tributes by religious leaders. Benedict, who served as the head of the Catholic Church from 2005 through 2013, died Saturday morning (local time) in the Vatican monastery at the age of 95. He retired for health reasons to become the first Catholic pope to abdicate in 600 years. Myeongdong Cathedral set up a memorial altar in the underground sanctuary one day after his death to commemorate Benedict XVI, which wi

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the sixth consecutive day Monday amid concerns over a wintertime surge, with the government beginning to require a PCR test for travelers from China as the virus spreads in the neighboring country. The country confirmed 22,735 new coronavirus infections, including 35 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,139,535, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload has been on a steady decline since Tuesday when the figure jump

ULSAN-- A court has ruled in favor of the immigration office's decision to deport a foreigner convicted of drunk driving, court officials said Monday. In accordance with the Immigration Control Act, immigration authorities issued the deportation of the Chinese national after he was handed down a suspended prison term for driving while under the influence of alcohol and causing car accidents. The Chinese national then filed a lawsuit with the Ulsan District Court, asking the court to nulli

Most regions across the country plan to raise public utility charges in the new year, including public transportation fares, water and sewage rates, and prices of standard garbage bags. According to the public utility charge plan of South Korea's 17 provinces and metropolitan cities, most regions have already decided to or are considering raising fares for public transportation such as taxis, subways and buses. Seoul announced last week it would raise the basic fare for taxis from 3,800 won

All five victims who died in a fire in a soundproof tunnel on a highway in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday, were identified Saturday. “The identity of the five victims has been confirmed through DNA tests by the National Forensic Service,” the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Saturday. The forensic service confirmed that, of the five victims, three were women and two were men. Three were in their 60s, while the others were in their 20s and 30s, respectively. Two wom

South Korea has confirmed a new case of avian influenza at a duck farm in a southern region, local officials said Sunday. The highly pathogenic avian influenza strain of H5N1 was found at the farm located in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, according to the officials. The new case brought the total bird flu infections confirmed in the province this winter to four. About 15,000 ducks have been culled at the farm and those located nearby. Local authorities have enforced restrictions on vehicles mo

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the fifth straight day on Sunday, but the number of critically ill patients rose to the highest in about eight months as the government is bracing for a wintertime surge and a spike in imported cases from China. The country confirmed 57,527 new coronavirus infections, including 110 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,116,800, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The latest tally marked the fifth straight fall since Tuesday, when

Emergency phones, round-the-clock CCTV and high railings not enough to stop rise in suicide attempts

‘Slowly, things are changing for the better’

1. Tough living conditions ① COVID cases The number of COVID-19 cases grew by 28.2 million this year due to the highly transmissible omicron subvariant. The figure was 635,253 on Jan. 1 but surged to 28.7 million at the end of this year. ② Inflation Fried chicken: 9.2% Gas: 36.2% Ramen: 12.6% Cooking oil: 43.3% (Nov. 2022, Year-on-year increase) South Korea has been no exception to global inflation, with “everything has risen except my salary” becoming a popular catchphrase. 2. U

The coming year will see a number of changes ranging from minimum wages to university admissions fees. Each will have varying degrees of impact on day-to-day lives, below are some of the changes likely to have a direct effect on the lives of the individual. 1. Minimum wage increase The minimum hourly wage will rise by 460 won from Jan. 1 to 9,620 won ($7.60) an hour. Employees working eight hours, five days a week, will earn over 2 million won a month, including 346,000 won of holiday pay. 2.

South Korea will resume its annual bell-tolling ceremony to celebrate New Year's Eve after two years of suspension due to COVID-19. The ceremony hosted by the Seoul metropolitan government will take place at 11:30 p.m. Saturday at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul with about 100,000 people attending.   Cho Gue-sung, a member of the national football team who competed in the World Cup in Qatar, painter-actress Jung Eun-hye of the popular TV drama "Our Blues," and honorary

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell for the fourth consecutive day Saturday amid the government's efforts to contain the virus' wintertime resurgence. The country confirmed 63,104 new coronavirus infections, including 67 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,059,273, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Saturday's tally is down from 66,211 a week ago as daily infections have been on the decrease since Tuesday. The KDCA reported 61 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll

Travelers from Hong Kong, Macau not included

Foreigners working in South Korea on an E-9 visa with a high command of the Korean language will likely be allowed to stay in Korea continuously for up to 10 years. According to a plan announced Friday by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Employment Permit System will be revised to give benefits to foreign laborers who are fluent in Korean. Currently, holders of the E-9 nonprofessional work visa wishing to extend their stay after 4 years and 10 months must leave Korea and reapply for th