The number of commuter buses between Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province is set to increase next year, adding about 4,000 more seats during rush hour. Seoul and Gyeonggi governments on Monday agreed on a plan to provide more buses during rush hour on 33 routes that link residential neighborhoods across Gyeonggi Province and Seoul’s business districts, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced. The move allocate 58 additional buses from 6-9 a.m. and 5-10 p.m. The

An interministry consultative body to deal with microplastic problems will be launched Wednesday, the Ministry of Environment said Tuesday. Eight ministries, including the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, will participate in the consultative body. The intentional use of microplastics – plastic debris less than 5 millimeters in diameter – to improve products' quality, such as using microplastics in l

South Korea may need to put off reviewing COVID-19 isolation rules until after the winter. Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong told a press conference on Monday that the country will be ready for a discussion on whether to keep the remaining COVID-19 rules once winter passes and the outbreak situation across the country stabilizes. The two COVID-19 rules that remain in place here are seven-day isolation for patients from the day of a positive test and an indoor mask mandate. “There

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit over 87,000 on Tuesday, the largest number in more than three months, as the winter virus wave takes hold. The country reported 87,559 new COVID-19 infections, including 74 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 28,302,474, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Tuesday's count is the highest since 93,949 on Sept. 14. South Korea has seen a steady rebound in daily infections over the past several weeks amid fears of a winter re

A total of 13 out of 42 skiers isolated on ski chairlifts have been rescued at Aplensia ski resort in Gangwon Province, the country’s fire authorities said Monday. The reason for the chairlift malfunction remains unclear as of 6:30 p.m., fire authorities said. They said there were no reported casualties. Passengers on the lift included children, who were rescued first. Cold protection supplies have been delivered to the other passengers. An official at Alpensia Resort said engineers are

Bae, a 29-year-old jeonse tenant in Seoul is at risk of losing the 200 million won ($154,000) deposit she paid to the landlord surnamed Kim who was found dead in October. “My husband and I took out bank loans to rent the jeonse apartment after we got married. We thought it was a safe jeonse contract because there were no mortgage loans secured on this house. I never imagined that I may not get my deposit back because the landlord died,” said Bae, who tied the knot last year. Jeonse i

As authorities attempt to block disabled protesters from disrupting subway operations, activists on wheelchairs said they have decided to stage a demonstration without informing the authorities of the location. Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, the country’s largest disability rights group, unveiled the location of its Monday protest on social media, just 8 minutes before it began. The protest began around 8 a.m. Monday at City Hall Station on Line No. 1, which delayed subway o

Recent releases of notorious child rapists spark calls for measures to prevent them from residing near children

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 27,000 on Monday, rising from a week earlier, in a moderate virus uptrend that adds to uncertainty over the government's push to lift the indoor mask-wearing rule by early next year. The country reported 26,622 new COVID-19 infections, including 81 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 28,214,915, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's count is up by around 1,000 from a week ago, marking a steady rebound i

First Vice Health Minister Lee Ki-il was set to depart for Japan on Sunday to look into the country's national pension scheme and caretaking policies for the elderly, the health ministry said.    During the four-day trip, Lee is expected to meet with Kazuhiro Oshima, Japan's administrative vice health minister, and policy experts to hear their advice on reforming South Korea's national pension system, according to the ministry.    The itinerary also includes visits to medi

The opportunity to receive higher education still depends largely on the income level of parents in South Korea, a country with one of the highest college entrance rates in the world, a study showed Sunday. The study published by the Korea Institute of Vocational Education and Training suggests that the lower the income of parents, the lower the proportion of their children attending four-year universities. Only 41 percent of children from the lowest income quarter went to four-year colleges, wh

Mandate likely to be remain for public transportation, medical institutions, sanatoriums

Drug offenders who bought marijuana liquid from a man surnamed Hong and the grandson of the founder of Namyang Dairy, turned themselves over to the prosecution asking for leniency, according to legal professionals and news reports Saturday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has been investigating three offenders including a son of former commissioner of the Korea National Police Agency and an office worker identified as Kim on charges of violating drug law. They reported their

  JEJU-- Major snowfall caused a series of road accidents and flight cancellations in southern South Korea on Sunday. As of 9:10 a.m. Sunday, 51 outbound and 44 inbound flights at Jeju International Airport, on the southern resort island of Jeju, had been canceled. Only six domestic flights out of 231 scheduled for Sunday had operated normally, Jeju aviation authorities said. The airport has been placed under wind shear and strong wind warnings after getting blanketed by heavy snowfall earl

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 60,000 Sunday due to fewer tests a day earlier amid concerns of a surge in cases during the winter season. The country reported 58,862 new COVID-19 infections, including 85 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,188,293, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload jumped to over 86,830 on Tuesday, the highest in three months, from 25,657 a day ago but it had been on the decline to 66,930 on Saturday. Health authorities rem