The area around Itaewon in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, full of excited Halloween partygoers on Saturday night, turned into a catastrophic scene in an instant. At least 153 people died and dozens were injured in a crowd crush that took place in a narrow alley near the neighborhood’s famous Hamilton Hotel. The celebratory scene quickly turned into a nightmare as screams and cries for help erupted from the crowd, and the sounds of ambulance sirens mixed with thumping music that continued to fl

Fire authorities in Seoul deployed dozens of rescue workers and have set up a temporary emergency medical center on Hangang-ro, the main road near Itaewon Station in central Seoul, to treat those injured following a large crowd crush incident late Saturday evening. At least 21 people experiencing cardiac arrest were reportedly transported to emergency rooms, while more than 100 were said to be injured from the incident, according to reports and authorities. Fire authorities mobilized 142 ambulan

President Yoon Suk-yeol held an emergency meeting and instructed officials to quickly dispatch the disaster medical assistance team, the presidential office said at around 1 a.m. on Sunday as dozens of people are reported to be in cardiac arrest in Itaewon, central Seoul, where large crowds were celebrating the first outdoor no-mask Halloween since the pandemic. "The top priority right now is saving and evacuating patients, and providing prompt transportation and treatment to victims (hea

At least 153 people died and more than 103 were injured in a crowd crush in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, according to fire authorities at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The fire department began to receive reports of patients having difficulty breathing at 10:22 p.m. on Saturday. Of the people who died, more than 100 were transferred to the hospital. The remaining bodies were kept on site and later moved to a nearby multi-purpose indoor gymnasium. Identifying the deceased is expected to take some ti

Two consecutive earthquakes, including a 4.1 magnitude one, struck South Korea's central county of Goesan on Saturday, the weather agency said, with no damage or casualties reported so far. The 3.5 and 4.1 magnitude quakes occurred in the village of Jangyeon, northeastern Goesan of North Chungcheong Province, at 8:27 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The KMA initially announced the measured strength of the latter at 4.3 but later revised it to 4.1. The two quakes app

Methodist pastor who was suspended from duties for blessing LGBT people thanks supporters, says the world will change for the better

The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Lee Jae-myung, on Thursday met with the bereaved families of the Sewol Ferry sinking in 2014, and discussed follow-up measures to take. Lee invited three committees, including the committee that represents the Sewol Ferry bereaved families, to the National Assembly early Thursday and held a closed meeting regarding the investigation result of "The Special Investigation Commission on Humidifier Disinfectants and April 16 Sewol Ferr

The detection rate of new BA.5 subvariants in South Korea have dramatically increased over the past week, increasing the possibility of a COVID-19 resurgence during the winter season here, according to the country's health authorities Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency data, the detection rate of two new omicron subvariants, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, increased four times to 3.7 percent during the third week of October, from 0.9 percent a week ago. The detection rate

What to do and how to prevent roadkill

The government announced on Thursday it will pay about 25.2 billion won ($18 million) to 300 victims for the Jeju April 3 incident. This will be the first state-given compensation since the incident occurred 74 years ago. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security's "Jeju April 3 Incident honor recovery committee" held a meeting on Jeju Island and decided to pay compensation to 300 out of 304 applicants -- 220 people who died or went missing, 77 people suffering from after

The number of people who made reservations for updated omicron-specific bivalent boosters reached almost 100,000, according to health authorities Friday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said it opened reservations on Thursday to anyone aged 18 or older. The number of people who made reservations as of 5 p.m. on Thursday reached 99,512, the agency added. Previously, updated omicron-specific bivalent boosters were mainly available for people aged 60 or above. But the government dec

Light could be used to treat viral infections in the respiratory tract, such as the common cold, a clinical trial by a local research team showed. A Jeonbuk National University research team led by Jeong Hwan-jeong, a professor at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, and Otorhinolaryngology professor Hong Yong-tae, conducted a clinical trial on treating the common cold with a laser device from March to September. Under the trial, the team's laser device, named "Bye-Vi," was used on

South Korean police said Friday that they have requested Interpol’s assistance for the capture of two suspects who fled the country after allegedly committing a series of graffiti vandalism on subway cars here. According to Incheon Nonhyeon Police, police have obtained an arrest warrant for the suspects on charges of breaking into a building and damaging property. Since they appear to have already left the country, they have requested Interpol to issue a red notice, investigators said.

Over 60 Vietnamese tourists who entered South Korea this month using the visa-free system have fallen out of contact with immigration authorities, raising suspicion that the individuals came here for illegal stay. Sixty-seven out of 1,600 Vietnamese tourists who came through Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province from Oct. 13-25 for packaged tours remain unaccounted for, as of Friday, according to the Korean Immigration Service. Earlier this week, Vietnamese media reported that its F

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 40,000 for the second straight day Friday amid lingering concerns over resurgence woes. The country reported 35,924 new COVID-19 infections, including 60 from overseas, bringing the total to 25,466,992, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's tally is a drop from the weekly peak but 11,173 higher than that logged from the previous week, KDCA data showed. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said early Friday that daily casel