The Korean government on Friday announced a plan to ensure the safety of children, based on the Child Safety Management Act, enacted in May 2020. In cooperation with other ministries, the Ministry of Interior and Safety pledged to ensure the safety of children from traffic accidents by improving the pedestrian environment in school zones and tightening the management of traffic lights, and more. It will designate roads without sidewalks as “pedestrian priority roads,” giving pr

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld lower courts' acquittal of a religious sect leader of charges that he obstructed the government's response to COVID-19 outbreaks in 2020. Lee Man-hee, the 91-year-old founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was indicted two years ago for allegedly underreporting the number of Shincheonji followers and church locations to the government when the virus was quickly spreading among the followers. The top court also approved an appellate court's d

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in South Korea declined for the second straight day Friday, but infections stayed above 100,000 for a fourth day amid a fast-spreading omicron variant of the virus. The country added 128,714 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total caseload to 21,111,840, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Of the new cases, 464 were from overseas. The tally marked a fall from 137,241 the previous day, but it was higher than 112,858 a week earlie

Seoul is banning subterranean living spaces after a series of deaths due to flooding. Over the last three days of downpour, a child and three adults drowned in their semi-basement homes, known as “banjiha.” Seoul announced Wednesday that in the next two decades, it would phase out all forms of underground residences that are home to about 5 percent of all families in the city. Mayor Oh Se-hun said in a press release that banjiha homes were “residential structures

The section of the Olympic-daero between Gayang Bridge and Dongjak Bridge has been closed off from Thursday 3 p.m. due to heavy rain. The outflow of the Paldang Dam increased due to torrential rains in Seoul and the upper regions of the Han River, and the water level of the Han River rose, said the official from the Seoul city government and requested nearby vehicles to make a detour. The same section was also closed off once on Tuesday night.

Rep. Kim Sung-won of ruling People Power Party is facing criticism over his remarks wishing for rain at a flood recovery volunteer work site. “I hope it rains for nicer photos,” Kim was caught saying by a television camera, at a recovery site in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Kim was taking part in volunteer work along with the party’s lawmakers including interim committee chair Rep. Joo Ho-young and floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong. Kim made the comment while waiting to help with th

Nearly 60 people died with the COVID-19 virus Wednesday, the highest in around three months, and is expected to keep rising along with cases. According to data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Thursday, South Korea added 59 deaths from the virus during the previous day, the highest since May 11, when the government added 63 deaths. The death toll came to 25,441, and the fatality rate was 0.12 percent. Health authorities added 89.8 percent or 53 deaths were

Five-day event returns after two years in a bid to jump-start tourism with K-pop, Formula E and more

Civic groups on Wednesday called for overhaul of government housing policies, claiming that related policies are the root cause of deaths in semi-basement homes in Monday night’s downpour. According to the authorities, four of the 11 confirmed deaths caused by the rain occurred in semi-basement properties. “We condemn the government’s negligence on those marginalized in housing for this tragedy. As rainfall becomes stronger and more frequent under the influence of clim

The authority has elevated landslide warnings for North Jeolla Province and North Gyeongsang Province as of 11 a.m. Thursday as rain cloud move south. In Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Sejong, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, North Chungcheong and South Chungcheong Province, a lower alert level will be maintained. According to the Korea Forest Service, torrential rains of up to 200 mm are expected in Chungcheong Province, North Jeolla Province, and North Gyeongsang Province between Wednesday an

The number of new daily COVID-19 cases in South Korea fell Thursday after reaching a four-month record high the previous day, but new deaths climbed to a three-month high amid the fast spread of a highly contagious omicron subvariant. The country added 137,241 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total caseload to 20,983,169, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Of the new cases, 522 were from overseas. Thursday's tally fell from 151,792 the previous day but surged

Casualties from this week's heavy rains have risen to 11 people dead and eight others missing, officials said Thursday. Of the dead, six were in Seoul, three in Gyeonggi Province and two in Gangwon Province while three of the eight unaccounted for were from Seoul, according to data from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. A total of 3,775 homes and buildings were inundated, most of them in Seoul. Over 980 people from 548 households, mostly from the wider Seoul area, ha

Eight people missing, 11 confirmed dead, and authorities say casualties could rise

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday issued an apology over the downpour that plagued the greater Seoul area, and pledged fundamental measures to prevent a repeat of Monday night’s havoc. Due to the record-setting heavy rain which hit Seoul, its surrounding regions and Gangwon Province from Monday to Tuesday, nine people have been reported dead, seven missing and some 600 displaced as of Wednesday morning. The president presided over an emergency meeting held at the governmental comp

Health authorities readjust the prediction of the summer COVID-19 peak to 200,000 from 150,000