The personal information of 54-year-old Kim Geun-sik, a serial rapist who sexually assaulted 11 minors, will be officially posted on government website on the day of his release, said the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Friday. The ministry said that it will disclose eight pieces of personal information on Kim: his name, age, photo, address, height and weight, criminal record, court ruling and whether he has an electronic tracking device. The Gender Ministry began the process of regist

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the second consecutive day Friday, as the virus wave has subsided in recent weeks. The country reported 23,583 new COVID-19 infections, including 60 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,076,239, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's count marked a fall from the previous day's 26,957. The comparable figure for a week earlier came to 22,289. The country has seen a gradual downtrend i

Couples outside legal boundaries are still facing various disadvantages, data showed Thursday. According to a report from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 28.3 percent of partners who are in a nontraditional form of family, such as common-law partners, said they have faced disadvantages in government policy. The survey asked 159 men and 177 women between the ages of 19 and 49 in 291 households with unmarried couples whether they have experienced any kind of discrimination or in

Visa regulations for foreign workers in the agricultural and fisheries sectors will be eased as part of efforts to address labor shortages in rural areas. According to the advance notice of legislation the Ministry of Justice announced Thursday, visa issuance regulations will be eased for workers in those sectors. Foreigners who have stayed in South Korea for longer than five years on E-9 non-professional employment visas or E-10 maritime crew visas cannot apply for visa issuance certificates, b

While the rest of South Korea is moving on from the pandemic, returning to normal may still be far off for hospitals as they continue to treat COVID-19 patients and heed the strictest precautions. Dr. Song Young-goo, the general director of Severance Hospital in Gangnam, southern Seoul, said during a press conference Wednesday that he didn’t think hospitals would be able to “go back to the pre-pandemic status quo any time soon.” According to government statistics, more than

To expand the Hangeul Party as a global event that promotes the beauty of Korean script, The Korea Herald, Hangul Planet, Art Token and Witty sealed an agreement on Oct. 7. Hangeul Party is an event that aims to convey the beauty of Hangeul to the world. It originally kicked off as a simple event hosted by the Korean Consulate General in May 2015. From Sept. 27-30 this year, the fifth Hangeul Party was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 370 students majoring in Korean language at six

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 30,000 on Thursday amid a gradual downward trend in new infections after peaking at over 180,000 in mid-August. The country reported 26,957 new COVID-19 infections, including 71 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,052,677, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload fell below 10,000 for the first time in 14 weeks at 8,981 on Monday due to fewer tests over the extended weekend that ended on Monday.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the Seoul city government will look into whether late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was involved in a US cryptocurrency expert’s attempts to help North Korea evade US sanctions via cryptocurrency, during a parliamentary inspection of the city government at Seoul City Hall, Seoul, Wednesday. Oh provided the answer to Rep. Cho Eun-hee of the ruling People Power Party, who asked if the former mayor was related to the case involving cryptocurrency expert Virgil

Eighty-nine child support obligors have been added to the shame list released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Since October 2021, the ministry has been imposing punitive measures against noncustodial parents failing to pay court-ordered expenses for their children based on the Act on Enforcing and Supporting Child Support Payment, revealing their names, imposing a travel ban or revoking their driver’s licenses. On Wednesday, the ministry announced it has added 11 names, re

The number of police assigned to work on dating violence and stalking cases remains largely unchanged despite soaring cases, data showed Wednesday. According to data Rep. Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party received from the Seoul Metropolitan Police, the number of dating violence cases reported in 2021 was 10,266, up 223 percent from 2018. From January to August this year, 9,865 cases were reported, and the number is expected to exceed last year's figure by the end of the year. Reports o

The coldest weather of the season swept across the nation on Wednesday with temperatures dropping below freezing in some areas in Gangwon Province, east of Seoul, the state weather agency said. The lowest daily temperatures fell to around 5 C in most of the country, while residents in inland mountain areas experienced a morning low of around zero and a mix of frost and ice, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. The morning low dipped to minus 1.3 C in the Daegwallyeong district, in

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases jumped to over 30,000 on Wednesday on increased tests following the extended weekend, though daily infections have been on a downward trend. The country reported 30,535 new COVID-19 infections, including 70 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,025,749, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload fell below 10,000 for the first time in 14 weeks at 8,981 on Monday but rebounded to 15,476 on Tuesday. South Korea h

The Japanese government resumed visa waiver programs for 68 countries and regions Tuesday, lifting COVID-19-induced restrictions for South Koreans visiting Japan. With the visa waiver program reinstated, visitors from 68 countries and regions are able to stay in Japan for up to 90 days without a visa. The upper limit of people entering the country per day -- set at 50,000 -- has also been abolished, and individual visitors coming for sightseeing are now allowed. Antivirus measures remain in plac

  Over 30 percent of international schools in South Korea have been using textbooks that refer to the East Sea, a body of water between South Korea and Japan, only as the Sea of Japan, a lawmaker said Tuesday. As of August 2020, 12 of 38 international schools were using textbooks that solely use the Japanese name. The number of those textbooks with the Sea of Japan reference marked 24, according to the office of Rep. Ahn Min-seok of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The office refer

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebounded to over 15,000 on Tuesday following the extended weekend, though daily infections have been on a downward trend. The country reported 15,476 new COVID-19 infections, including 95 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,995,246, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. On Monday, the daily caseload fell below 10,000 for the first time in 14 weeks at 8,981 amid waning virus infections and fewer tests over the extended wee