The number of violent crimes in the second quarter of the year jumped 14 percent compared with a quarter earlier, data showed Wednesday, partially on the back of eased social distancing measures. A total of 367,412 crimes occurred in the April-June period, compared with 322,346 cases in the previous three months, according to the data compiled by the National Police Agency (NPA). The number of arrests made in the second quarter came to 284,503, up 22.1 percent on-quarter, the NPA said. By the ty

Action for Clean Environment (ACE), a global non-profit organization aiming to facilitate global environmental activism, completed the 2022 Fellowship for Young Leaders Program with a ceremony held on Saturday in Seoul.  According to the organizers, 11 students ranging from second to eleventh grade participated in the program this year. The program, lasting three weeks, comprised of three main sessions; active team debate on the issue of pollution: touring Sikmulsung Dosan, essay writing

With no executions in nearly 25 years, S. Korea debates once again whether it needs capital punishment on the books

Most suicide victims showed warning signs before taking their own lives, according to a Ministry of Health and Welfare report. The report, released Tuesday, reviewed 801 cases of suicides involving South Koreans ages 19 and older between 2015 and 2021. The report found that 94 percent of suicide victims exhibited signs that included talking about dying or wanting to die; making preparations such as sorting through their belongings and cleaning out their surroundings; withdrawing from friends

Daily cases increase faster than government estimates

A South Korean national considered to be one of the country's biggest drug traffickers based in Southeast Asia was repatriated from Vietnam on Tuesday, police said. The 47-year-old suspect, only identified by his surname Kim, was the subject of an Interpol red notice for supplying illegal substances, such as methamphetamine, through Telegram, since 2018, the National Police Agency (NPA) said. He did not respond to questions from reporters as he was escorted to a police vehicle outside a ter

Second COVID-19 booster shots for people aged 50 and older began Monday as the country battles a resurgence in cases. The second boosters are also available for those aged 18 and older who have underlying health conditions, along with patients and workers at some facilities considered vulnerable to disease transmission, such as senior care centers. For people aged 50 and older, the government will send out text messages to inform them that they are eligible for booster shots. The governme

Seoul city is offering transport subsidies for pregnant women, but the measure is limited to Korean residents, casting questions on the inclusiveness of the city’s policies. The Seoul city government has been offering pregnant women living in the city 700,000 won ($538) each in transportation vouchers since July 1. However, depending on their residency status, some pregnant mothers may not receive the voucher, even if they are bearing a child of South Korean nationality. According to t

The National Police Agency announced that it has issued two Purple Notices related to new drug smuggling methods via airplane or ship components, which were shared with 195 member countries of the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, Monday.　 Interpol Notices are “international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information” according to the official Interpol website. The Purple Notice is one of

A member of the Seoul city council filed a petition Monday asking the state rights watchdog to get to the bottom of the previous administration's 2019 repatriation of two North Korean fishermen against their will. Lee Jong-bae, a ruling People Power Party-affiliated member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, denounced the repatriation as human rights violations as he filed the petition with the National Human Rights Commission. In November 2019, the North Koreans were captured near the sea b

South Korea's new coronavirus cases more than doubled Monday from a week earlier amid a resurgence of infections and the fast spread of a highly contagious new omicron subvariant. The country reported 26,299 new COVID-19 infections, including 319 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,788,056, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's figure fell from 41,310 cases Saturday and 40,342 on Sunday, but it more than doubled from 12,681 cases logged a we

The South Korean Air Force's aerobatic flight team received two top awards at the world's largest military air show in Britain over the weekend, the armed service said Monday. The Black Eagles team clinched the King Hussein Memorial Sword for the best overall flying demonstration and the As the Crow Flies Trophy at the three-day Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at Fairford, Gloucestershire, which closed Sunday. At the same air show a decade ago, the team won the same awards for it

Lured by ‘high-paying jobs,’ young Koreans tricked into working for phishing syndicates

A freshman at Inha University in Incheon, west of Seoul, has been formally arrested on charges of raping a schoolmate and causing her to fall to her death, officials said Monday. The Incheon District Court issued an arrest warrant for the 20-year-old suspect late Sunday after arraigning him earlier in the day, officials said. He was detained Friday after the victim was found dead earlier in the day apparently after a fall from a campus building. She was found lying naked on the ground at 3:49 a.

State prosecutors put on hold the police’s push to put down a dog which attacked and severely injured an 8-year-old boy in a case that sparked public outcry over the weekend, local reports said Sunday. They cited a lack of evidence to prove the dog was dangerous. According to reports, the disposal process of the mixed breed dog, which mauled the neck and arms of an elementary school student at an apartment complex in Ulsan on July 11, has been suspended following the prosecution’