South Korea’s new COVID-19 infections continued to double from a week earlier on Saturday, largely due to the highly contagious BA.5 omicron subvariant and waning immunity among the people, government data showed Sunday. Health experts anticipated that daily infections could increase more than the government has projected, given the current pace of the spread. The introduction of a newer strain of omicron, BA.2.75, also known as ”centaurus,“poses another threat. According t

A freshman at Inha University in Incheon, west of Seoul, appeared at a court Sunday to answer questions over charges that he raped a female schoolmate and caused her to fall to her death. "I am sorry," said the 20-year-old suspect wearing a cap and a mask upon arrival at the Incheon District Court when reporters asked him if he has anything to say to the victim. The court was to arraign him to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant for him. He was taken into emergency custody Fri

Former Foreign Minister and National Security Adviser Chung Eui-yong rejected allegations Sunday that South Korea sent two North Korean fishermen back to their homeland in 2019 after North Korea requested their repatriation first. Chung made the remark in a statement issued via Rep. Yoon Kun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party, stressing that South Korea first asked the North if it was willing to accept the two fishermen before deporting them. The statement came after a newspaper repor

President Yoon Suk-yeol renewed his commitment to promote the constitutional values of free democracy, human rights and rule of law as South Korea commemorates Constitution Day on Sunday. "The constitutional values of free democracy, human rights and rule of law are the foundation of national unity, and the process of realizing such values leads to the road for prosperity and development," Yoon wrote on his Facebook account. "I will safeguard the spirit of the Constitution togethe

A court in Incheon, west of Seoul, was to question an Inha University student Sunday to determine whether to issue a warrant to formally arrest him on charges of raping a female schoolmate and causing her to fall to her death. The suspect, 20, was taken into emergency custody 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.m. reportedly with blood on her head, mouth and ears. Police believ

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 40,000 on Sunday due to the spread of a highly contagious new omicron subvariant despite fewer tests over the weekend. The country reported 40,342 new COVID-19 infections, including 305 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,761,757, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Sunday's figure is slightly down from 41,310 cases a day earlier. But it marked the highest figure for a Sunday since April 24 when the

The state human rights watchdog is expected to announce its opposition next month to the government's proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility below 14, officials said Sunday. Currently, children aged between 10 and 14 cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions and are instead sent to juvenile detention facilities, not prisons, or made to do community service, in accordance with the Juvenile Act. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon has ordered an amendment loweri

Thousands of people gathered in front of City Hall in Seoul to attend the Seoul Queer Culture Festival on Saturday, marking the event’s return after two years of a pandemic-induced hiatus. With rainbow flags, colorful outfits, face paint and glitter, participants celebrated their identities and diverse sexual orientations, and joined the march for LGBT rights.  This year’s event took place with the slogan “Let’s live, unite and go forward.” In the early eveni

Chief of city-run broadcaster TBS cries foul over city council’s move to gut funding

South Korea's new coronavirus cases reached a 66-day high at over 41,000 on Saturday amid the spread of a highly contagious new omicron subvariant. The country reported 41,310 new COVID-19 infections, including 287 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,721,415, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Saturday's figure more than doubled from 20,286 new cases recorded a week earlier, as the country has seen a marked increase in infections from end-June due to the

Instances of workplace harassment have modestly decreased for the past three years after the implementation of a workplace anti-bullying law in 2019, a poll showed Friday, though the degree of abuse felt by the victims is still serious. According to the recent poll of 1,000 salaried workers by pollster Embrain Public, 29.6 percent said they experienced workplace bullying this year, marking a decline of 14.9 percentage points from 44.5 percent in a similar poll conducted in 2019. In a similar out

A lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) claimed Friday the previous administration's repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019 is not an unusual case, citing a unification ministry report that shows there were dozens of similar cases since 2010. Rep. Yoon Kun-young made the case amid growing criticism that the previous administration of President Moon Jae-in sent the fishermen back to the North in what critics said was an effort to curry favor with Pyongyang, even though

The UN-Habitat Korean National Committee signed a deal with the Economic Crisis Management Research Institute on Friday in Yeouido, western Seoul, to establish a cooperative relationship for the realization of the UN‘s Sustainable Development Goals and new urban agenda. (UN-Habitat Korean National Committee)

The state human rights watchdog is expected to announce its opposition next month to the government's proposal to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility below 14, officials said Friday. Currently, children aged between 10 and 14 cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions and are instead sent to juvenile detention facilities, not prisons, or made to do community service, in accordance with the Juvenile Act. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon has ordered an amendment loweri