South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 30,000 Monday due to fewer tests during the Christmas weekend. The country confirmed 25,545 new coronavirus infections, including 67 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,684,600, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally on Monday, which tends to be lower due to fewer tests over the weekend, is down by around 1,000 from a week ago. It is also slightly lower than the 25,657 reported two weeks ago. The KDCA reported 42 more

A 2.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the southeastern city of Andong on Sunday, the state weather agency said. The quake struck 10 kilometers southwest of the city, 191 km southeast of Seoul, at 7:31 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The epicenter was at a latitude of 36.51 degrees north and a longitude of 128.65 degrees east at a depth of 14 km. (Yonhap)

The Han River in Seoul was declared frozen by South Korea's state weather agency for the first time this winter Sunday, as a cold snap has continued for days. The first freeze of the river was observed on the river running through the capital city more than two weeks earlier than in previous years, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. According to the KMA, the river is officially frozen when it has thick ice in a 100-meter-long area between the Han River Bridge's secon

After three years of pandemic-related setbacks, the traditional bell-ringing ceremony is returning as an offline event on Saturday night at Bosingak in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, to ring in the new year. Amid growing anxiety over public safety at high-density events following the Itaewon crowd crush, the city said it would deploy 1,000 safety personnel. The roads in the Bosingak area will be fully controlled from Saturday, 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. the next day. More than 100,000 people are expected to

Amy Lee, a former TV entertainer who goes by her first name, has been sentenced to three years in prison, according to legal professionals and news reports Sunday. The Supreme Court ruled for a three-year imprisonment for Lee for violating the Narcotics Control Act, they said. Lee, who holds US citizenship, pleaded not guilty during the trial, saying she committed the crime “involuntarily” because of an accomplice surnamed Oh, although her innocence claim was rejected. She was on tri

The December edition of the Seoul Light show, a media facade show organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, kicked off on Dec. 17, welcoming visitors and tourists to enjoy large-scale light-emitting diode video displays woven into the exterior surface of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Seoul Light is an annual event that features media facade shows at the famed DDP in central Seoul, utilizing projection mapping and the curved aluminum-panel surface of the architectural building. The show comes in t

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 70,000 for the third straight day Sunday, as the government is seeking to phase out mask-wearing regulations in certain places. The country confirmed 58,448 new coronavirus infections, including 64 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,659,055, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload jumped to 88,160 on Wednesday but has been on the decline through Sunday. Concerns still remain, however, over a possible wintertime s

  　Myeong-dong, a famous shopping district in central Seoul for locals and foreign visitors, is crowded with people to enjoy the Christmas spirit on Saturday. Some 40 safety guards will be deployed in the neighborhood over the weekend, according to Jung-gu office. Myeongdong Cathedral, founded in 1898, will have a Christmas mass late Saturday without restrictions on the congregation size.  　 　By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com) 　

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases remained below 70,000 for the second straight day Saturday, while new coronavirus-related deaths hit a three-month high. 　 　The country reported 66,211 new COVID-19 infections, including 66 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,600,607, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. 　 　The number of newly infected cases is down from 68,168 a day earlier and 66,930 a week ago. The daily tally slightly decreased after hitting a three-month high Tu

Two senior district police officers were arrested Friday for failing to promptly respond to the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood, which killed 158 people. The Seoul Western District Court issued an arrest warrant for Lee Im-jae, former head of the Yongsan Police Station, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death or injury. He is accused of not taking enough crowd control measures after prior warnings of overcrowding during the Halloween celebrations and arri

Indoor masking will be phased out gradually, Korean public health authorities said Friday, with the mask mandate to be downgraded to a recommendation as long as certain conditions are met. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters did not specify when the phase-out would be implemented or any timeline for the measures. In the first stage of the phase-out, indoor masks will be encouraged to be worn voluntarily. The mask mandate will remain intact on public transportation and at

Heavy snow has fallen in the southwest of the peninsula since Thursday night, causing a large number of flights to be canceled and schools to be closed on Friday. A number of traffic accidents were also reported overnight. The heavy snow advisories, issued Thursday night around the southwest of the peninsula, continue to be in effect in Jeolla Province, Sejong, Chungcheong Province, Jeju Island, Ulleung Island and Dokdo as of 12:00 p.m., Friday. According to the Jeollabukdo Office of Education o

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit below 70,000 on Friday, continuing an upward curve, as the country is set to remove the indoor mask mandate, the last remaining antivirus rule, as part of broader recovery efforts. The country reported 68,168 new COVID-19 infections, including 95 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 28,534,558, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's count is up by about 1,200 from a week ago. The daily infection numbers have been on

South Korea witnessed the coldest day of the season on Friday, with the morning low plummeting to minus 13.6 C in Seoul, the state weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administrationsaid the freezing temperatures were accompanied by heavy snow in the southern part of the country, including the Chungcheong and Jeolla areas, and the southern resort island of Jeju. In Seoul, morning lows plummeted to minus 13.6 C and a sensible temperature of nearly minus 22 C, the KMA said. The weather ag

A fire broke out at 6:24 a.m. in a Seoul subway tunnel on Line No. 3, with smoke suspending train operations between Yaksu Station to Gupabal Station for nearly two hours, according to Seoul Transportation Corp. on Friday. The fire broke out in a tunnel between Muakjae Station and Dongnimmun Station, authorities said. Seoul Metro resumed operations between Yaksu Station and Gupabal Station at 8:12 a.m. Trains did not run for two hours in either direction as smoke plumed from the subway tunnel. N