South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 70,000 for the second straight day Wednesday, fanning concerns over a new virus wave this winter. The country reported 70,324 new COVID-19 infections, including 69 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,725,053, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Wednesday's tally is a 2,549 drop from a day earlier, but more than 3,700 higher than the same day last week. The KDCA has said daily caseloads will likely contin

A man in his 50s has been arrested on charges of threatening to burn down a parliamentary building under the influence of alcohol, police said Wednesday. The 57-year-old suspect, surnamed Kim, allegedly made a call to the police's 112 emergency hotline at 9:32 p.m. Tuesday, threatening to set fire to the National Assembly building located in Seoul's Yeouido district, they said. After tracking down Kim's location, police arrested him at around 11:15 p.m. as he was getting out of hi

South Korea’s fourth monkeypox patient is a health care worker who came into close contact with the country’s third monkeypox patient on Nov. 15, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The KDCA said the health care worker was exposed while taking samples from the third monkeypox patient a week ago, and has been put under “active monitoring” since. The health care worker’s test results came back positive on Tuesday. The health care worker sh

At Seoul International School (SIS), we have the great privilege of having immensely talented students across diverse disciplines, from academics to sports, music, arts, forensics, community service, and more. Last year alone, five students scored perfect scores on Advance Placement tests. They are Jin Wook Shin ('23) in Physics I, Clare Hyunsuh Kim ('23), Abigail Kim ('22) and Rachel Lee ('22) in Drawing, and Hyunseo Yoo ('22) in 2D Design. To put this in perspective,

The bereaved families of the Halloween crowd crush victims spoke out for the first time on Tuesday, demanding the government for a sincere apology and clarification on who is responsible for their deaths. “We still don’t know what killed my son and why he had to die,” said the mother of Lee Nam-hoon, a 29-year-old who is among the 158 deaths from the night of the Halloween festivities. On Oct. 29, Itaewon, a central Seoul district known for its nightlife, was filling with yo

South Korea's public World Cup viewing parties have been highly anticipated celebrations for decades, but this year the decision whether to host such fan gatherings has been complicated by recent events.

A conditional offer from government, ruling party fails to avert strike

Probe launched into death threat against reporter

The Interior Ministry claimed it does not hold responsibility over the Itaewon tragedy, following criticism the ministry was at the center of control for police response to the incident. The ministry issued an official statement Monday claiming the police bureau did not have authority to intervene in police operations, except at an organizational level. And so the police bureau, as a separate organization from police administration, was not relevant to the police’s response. The police bur

Being one of the most beloved celebrities in the country, there are few places Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min would not feel welcomed in South Korea. One such rare place, however, may be the blood donation center, as the star soccer player is not eligible to be a blood donor. The reason? He works in England. According to the Korean Red Cross, the list of those ineligible for blood donation include those who have stayed in areas that have had outbreaks of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseas

South Korea's financial regulator said Tuesday it will recommend six financial firms to rescind sales contracts on a German fund and reimburse customers, as they provided false information and caused them to make a "mistaken" investment decision. A dispute-arbitration meeting was held Monday to look into complaints with regard to the German Heritage derivative-linked securities and made the decision, according to the Financial Supervisory Service. The fund was designed to make a p

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stood at around 72,000 on Tuesday, a similar level from a week earlier, amid concerns over the spread of a new virus wave in winter. The country reported 72,873 new COVID-19 infections, including 81 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,654,729, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Tuesday's count is almost identical to the 72,866 cases logged seven days ago. The daily infection numbers have stayed in the five di

　Three out of every 10 students from elementary to high school were overweight or obese last year, as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic kept them from outdoor activities, an Education Ministry report showed. 　The rate of overweight or obese students reached 30.8 percent as of 2021, according to the report based on health checkup results from 1,023 elementary, middle and high schools nationwide. 　Of the total students included in the report, 19 percent were obese, up 3.9 percentage points, while

Like Seoul, Spanish city also looks for ways to resolve digital divide, according to City Council CTO

Seoul police chief says no riot squad request came from Yongsan