South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit around 35,000 on Wednesday, a rebound from the previous day but down by more than 1,000 from a week ago, with a rise in reinfections adding to concerns ahead of the winter season. The country reported 34,739 new COVID-19 infections, including 69 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,882,894, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's count is up from 16,423 reported the previous day, but it's a drop from

Nearly 1 in 2 South Koreans have been infected with COVID-19, with the reinfection rate on the rise, the government said Wednesday. A total of 48 percent of the country's population have so far tested positive for the virus, said Kim Sung-ho, a senior interior ministry official in charge of disaster management, during a regular briefing. Kim also said the reinfection rate has steadily increased from 9.65 percent in the fourth week of August to 10.17 percent in the first week of September an

About half of convicted sex offenders against children and the disabled, and the majority of child abusers, have avoided jail terms, data showed Tuesday. According to Supreme Court data revealed by Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok of the People Power Party, 42 percent of those convicted of sex crimes against the disabled between 2016 and 2020 and 50.3 percent of those convicted of sex crimes against children under the age of 13 had received suspended sentences. Among 565 child abusers who were sentenced to

South Korea has progressed a long way over the past three decades. But that journey has not been the same for the country’s women, the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report suggests. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Pedro Conceicao, the UNDP director of the Human Development Report Office, said that Korea “has evolved since the 1990s to have a very balanced growth” on the Human Development Index. The HDI looks at three components: economy

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 20,000 for the second consecutive day Tuesday, extending the declining trend as the virus wave is subsiding. The country reported 16,423 new COVID-19 infections, including 106 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,848,184, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Tuesday's count is up from 12,150 the previous day but a significant drop from 39,410 a week earlier. Fewer tests from the extended weekend appear to

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 20,000 on Monday after staying in the 20,000s for the previous three days amid waning virus infections and fewer tests over the extended weekend. The country reported 12,150 new COVID-19 infections, including 132 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,831,761, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest virus wave, triggered by the spread of a highly contagious omicron variant, has been on a decline since mid-

Seoul Metropolitan Government has started providing foreign language services on its personal safety app, Ansimi, in an effort to ensure the well-being of foreign residents and visitors to the city. The service, which was previously only available in Korean, will now offer service in three additional languages -- English, Chinese and Japanese -- starting Saturday. This comes as the number of foreign residents in Seoul grew by 31 percent over a decade, while crimes against foreigners have seen

For Koreans under the age of 40, the most common cause of death is suicide, while cancer remains the No. 1 killer overall, according to recent data from the state-run Statistics Korea. On average, 37 people took their own lives per day in South Korea last year, which is the highest level among the member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Of the 317,680 deaths reported in the country in 2021, those who died from cancer accounted for 26 percent. This was followed b

The total number of visitors to the former presidential compound of Cheong Wa Dae has topped the 2 million mark, data showed Sunday. The milestone was reached around 10:35 a.m. Sunday, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA). Cheong Wa Dae had been the presidential office and residence for the past 74 years in Seoul before President Yoon Suk-yeol relocated the top office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan in central Seoul. Cheong Wa Dae opened its doors to the

Trials for sexual crimes in the military jumped 77.6 percent over the past four years, according to data from military courts. The number of trials for active-duty soldiers accused of sexual crimes amounted to 2,185 between 2018 and last year, according to the data provided to Rep. Kim Seung-won of the main opposition Democratic Party. The figure breaks down into 443 in 2018, 434 in 2019, 521 in 2020 and 787 last year. "Sexual crimes keep happening in the military," Kim said. &quo

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the third straight day Sunday as the virus wave has been gradually slowing down, coupled with fewer tests over the extended weekend. The country reported 23,597 new COVID-19 infections, including 246 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,819,611, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally was down from the 28,497 reported Friday and 26,960 Saturday. It was also the lowest in 12 weeks for any virus

An explosion sparked a fire at a pharmaceutical factory in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, on Friday, leaving one person dead and 14 others injured, officials said. The fire broke out at the Hwail Pharmaceutical Co. factory in Hwaseong, about 50 kilometers south of Seoul, at 2:22 p.m. and dozens of emergency calls came in reporting they heard the sound of an explosion, fire officials said. Officials said one person was killed and 14 others were injured. Officials said the deceased was a person in

The prosecution on Friday asked for life sentences for a woman and her accomplice who are standing trial for murdering the woman's husband. In the trial for Lee Eun-hae, 31, and Cho Hyeon-soo, 30, who are accused of killing Lee's husband and attempting to cover it up as an accidental drowning, the prosecution has requested life imprisonment. The court's decision will be made on Oct. 27. An official from the Prosecutors Office at the trial on Friday said the nature of the crime is serious, as

South Korea will completely lift the requirement for a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test for travelers entering the country starting from Saturday, the country‘s health authorities said Friday. From Saturday, inbound travelers will no longer have to take a PCR test within a day of their arrival, Second Vice Health Minister Lee Ki-il said during a COVID-19 response meeting on Friday. Until Friday, a PCR test has been mandated, and inbound travelers have been required to take the te

SEJONG -- South Korea's state power utility said Friday it will raise fourth-quarter electricity rates for consumer and industrial use amid high energy costs and mounting losses. Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said it has decided to jack up the adjusted unit fuel cost -- a key part of the country's electricity rates -- by 2.5 won ($0.002) per kilowatt hour for the October-December period. It comes on top of the 4.9-won increase the government has already decided to apply from Octob