The number of critical COVID-19 cases rose above the 300 mark for the first time in over two months, while daily cases stayed above 100,000 for the third consecutive day, fueling concerns of another surge following the summer vacation season. 　In the 24 hours ending midnight Wednesday, the country recorded 107,894 new COVID-19 infections, pushing the cumulative figure over 20 million, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. 　The number of seriously ill patients increased by 26 f

Former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung was discharged from prison Thursday after completing a 3 1/2-year prison term for sexually abusing a female secretary who worked for him. An, 58, did not respond to questions from reporters as he boarded a vehicle outside the Yeoju Correctional Institution in Gyeonggi Province around 7:55 a.m. Once deemed a powerful presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, An stepped down as South Chungcheong governor in 2018 over accusations that he

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 100,000 for the third straight day Thursday amid a fresh wave of infections driven by a highly infectious omicron variant. The country added 107,894 new COVID-19 infections, including 435 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 20,160,154, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's figure fell from the 119,922 the previous day, which was the highest since the 125,822 cases reported April 15. But it increas

North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases stayed at zero for the sixth consecutive day, with apparently no remaining fever patients under treatment, according to its state media Thursday. No new fever cases were reported over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing data from the state emergency anti-epidemic headquarters. It did not provide information on additional deaths or those under treatment. As of July 5, the death toll

Travelers from Japan, Taiwan and Macau will be temporarily allowed to enter South Korea without a visa this month, Seoul city said Wednesday. The city has pushed for the visa waiver program in consultation with the culture, justice and foreign ministries, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency since June. Travel to South Korea has been hampered by the lengthy time needed to get a tourist visa. The process takes three to four weeks in Japan. Seoul expects the visa exemption poli

A total of 112 Thais were denied entry for an alleged attempt at illegal job-hunting after their arrival on the southern island of Jeju earlier this week, officials said Wednesday. Of 184 Thai nationals who arrived at Jeju International Airport from Bangkok on Tuesday morning, 125 underwent reexamination for their entry, according to the Jeju Immigration Service. Of them, 110 were flown back home late Tuesday night. Two others who had been staying at the airport were also sent back for the sam

Vaccinations in time of omicron BA.X

Around 98 percent of students, parents and teachers opposed government’s plan to lower the school entry age

Kookmin University is facing backlash from alumni, current students and the main opposition party over its decision regarding first lady Kim Keon-hee’s papers. Kookmin University, where Kim attended her Ph.D. program, announced after eight months of investigation on Monday that among Kim’s four controversial papers, doctoral dissertation and two articles published in academic journals had no sign of plagiarism, saying “they do not correspond to plagiarism or cheating to the ex

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose further on Wednesday amid a fresh wave of infections driven by a highly infectious omicron variant. The country added 119,922 new COVID-19 infections, including 600 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 20,052,305, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The nation, with a population of 51.6 million, reached the grim milestone 2 1/2 years after its first COVID-19 case was reported on Jan. 20, 2020. Wednesday's figure wa

President Yoon Suk-yeol has ordered the education ministry to swiftly put to public debate the government's proposal to lower the elementary school starting age by one year to 5, an official said Tuesday. Yoon also instructed the ministry to play a role in facilitating bipartisan discussions about the plan in the National Assembly because the plan is subject to parliamentary approval, said senior presidential secretary for social affairs Ahn Sang-hoon. "Even if necessary reforms are ne

A nursing staff member at Asan Medical Center, Seoul’s largest general hospital, died late last month after collapsing while on duty, local reports said Tuesday. The reports, which were based on an anonymous post on Blind, a social app for workplace-related talk amongst verified workers, said the nurse fell unconscious in the wee hours of July 24, showing symptoms of a brain hemorrhage.  But the hospital with over 2,700 beds had no neurosurgeon who could give an emergency surgery

South Korea's electricity consumption reached a record monthly high last month, as the country was gripped by a sweltering heat wave, the power operator said Tuesday. The country's average maximum power consumption came to 82,007 megawatts (MW) in July, up 1 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Power Exchange (KPX). It marked the highest level since the government began compiling related data in 2005. The previous record was set in July 2021, when the figure stood at 81,

A police bureau came officially into being at the interior ministry Tuesday, marking the first time in 31 years for the ministry to have an organization overseeing the law enforcement agency. The bureau's establishment came after some front-line police officers protested strongly against the envisioned organization that they claim would put police under political influence and compromise their political neutrality. The government has stressed that the bureau is necessary to keep massive pol

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases sharply rose to over 110,000 on Tuesday as a highly infectious omicron variant has fueled a surge of new infections. The country added 111,789 new COVID-19 infections, including 568 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 19,932,439, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Daily cases tend to increase through the mid-week before falling again on weekends and Mondays on fewer tests. Tuesday's figure jumped from the previous day