The government will beef up quarantine inspections at major airports as the number of travelers are expected to rise sharply in the summer vacation season amid a new wave of virus resurgence, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Friday. Some 200 quarantine workers will be additionally assigned to Incheon International Airport, the No. 1 gateway to the country, and seven other regional airports in stages to tighten quarantine inspection, the minister said during a government virus response meeting

South Korea's new coronavirus cases more than doubled in a week again on Friday to near 40,000 amid the fast spread of a highly contagious new omicron subvariant. The country added 38,882 new COVID-19 infections, including 261 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,680,142, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's figure more than doubled from 19,308 new cases logged a week earlier, as the country has seen a marked growth in infections from end-Ju

South Korea ranked second at this year's youth international mathematics competition in Norway earlier this month, with China clinching the top spot, the event's organizers said Friday. The six-member South Korean delegation earned a combined 208 points with three gold medals and as many silvers at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2022 that took place in Oslo from July 6-15, according the IMO's website. South Korea finished in second place out of 104 countries. Last y

The committee considering Supreme Court nominations convened a meeting Thursday afternoon and zeroed in on three finalists. The nominees are Daejeon High Court Chief Justice Lee Kyun-yong; Jeju District Court Chief Justice Oh Seok-jun; and Seoul High Court Senior Justice Oh Young-jun. The Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Kim Myeong-soo will pick one of them to be reviewed for appointment by President Yoon Suk-yeol. The three contend to replace Kim Jae-hyung, a Supreme Court judge who is

President Yoon Suk-yeol has said he would handle the pandemic better than his predecessor Moon Jae-in; that his response would be “driven by science rather than politics.” But the shift that the president signaled was not realized in the summer resurgence preparedness plans announced Wednesday -- his administration’s first major COVID-19 measure -- with experts labeling them a repeat of what has already been done. The presidential spokesperson’s office said Monday tha

Subway stations in Seoul will house more clinics and pharmacies, providing easy access to commuters who need medical services on the go. According to Seoul Metro, operator of Seoul’s subway system, the first two installments of the Metro Medical Zone consisting of medical clinics and pharmacies opened at Yeoksam Station on Line No. 2 and Jongno 3-ga Station on Line Nos. 1, 3 and 5 on Thursday. Both are open 365 days a year from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, including weekends. Some

South Korea on Thursday confirmed the first case of BA.2.75, another omicron subvariant that is rapidly gaining ground in India and several other countries. The patient, who is in his 60s, lives in Incheon and has no recent travel history, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The KDCA said the BA.2.75 patient tested positive Monday and started experiencing symptoms around three days prior to testing. He is isolating at home, so far in a stable condition. He has not c

The Constitutional Court in South Korea held an open hearing Thursday on whether the death penalty is constitutional or not. It is the first time in 12 years and the third time in the country’s history that the death penalty has been challenged at the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the death penalty system both in 1996 and 2010, with 7-2 and 5-4 decisions, respectively. For The death penalty to be found unconstitutional, at least six out of nine have

The Supreme Court finalized a 40-year prison sentence Thursday for the CEO of private equity investment firm Optimus Asset Management in one of the country's largest investment scams. Kim Jae-hyun, 52, allegedly raised more than 1.3 trillion won ($992 million) from thousands of private and institutional investors between April 2018 and June 2020, promising the money will be invested in low-risk assets involving public institutions. However, the money was invested in risky assets or used to

A 26-year-old man responsible for running one of the world's largest child sexual abuse websites has appealed a two-year prison term sentenced for concealing criminal proceeds, court officials said Thursday. Son Jong-woo filed the appeal with the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday from a detention center he was put into last week after the court convicted him for hiding the money he had raised from selling child exploitation materials while operating "Welcome to Video." Pro

South Korea's new coronavirus cases more than doubled in a week to near 40,000 on Thursday, as the country has experienced a resurgence of infections amid the fast spread of a highly contagious new omicron subvariant. The country added 39,196 new COVID-19 infections, including 338 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,641,278, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's figure also more than doubled from 18,511 cases logged a week earlier, as the country ha

A group of elementary school parents near the presidential office has filed a petition asking police to take steps to safeguard their children from noise and other hazards from constant rallies around the top office. A series of rallies have been held near the new presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, in recent months, led by protestors ranging from a progressive labor union to a disabled advocacy group. The parents' association of Yongsan Elementary School -- adjacent to the offic

Why some people haze each other to ‘celebrate’ birthdays or important milestones

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration faces its first major COVID-19 test, as BA.5, a recent subvariant of omicron, begins to drive up cases across South Korea. In a televised news conference Wednesday morning, top health officials stressed that social distancing will not be making a comeback. Peck Kyong-ran, Yoon’s first Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency commissioner, said, “Social distancing won’t be mandated like it had been in the past.” She said that the c

Until this summer, Jeong Ran, a freelance photographer, had no idea where Hamyang was. The rural county of South Gyeongsang Province is just about one and a half hours’ drive from the city of Gumi, where she lives, yet it has never entered her scope of interest. When this reporter talked to her early this week, the 32-year-old was on her second trip to Hamyang. Only two weeks ago, she returned from a two-week rural stay program there. “This time, I want to make postcards with