Prosecutors are launching an investigation into Cho Kuk and Im Jong-seok, both of whom served top roles at former President Moon Jae-in’s Cheong Wa Dae, over allegations that they blacklisted high-ranking public officials appointed during the Park Geun-hye administration. The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office has recently tapped its criminal department to handle the investigation into two ex-Cheong Wa Dae officials, according to sources familiar with the matter. The then-oppositio

Renewed discussions on the seven-day mandatory quarantine for COVID-19 patients have begun, but related restrictions appear likely to remain in place due to the recent resurgence of cases. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s new expert committee for infectious disease, under the wing of the prime minister‘s office, will discuss whether to keep the quarantine measure in place, and the government will announce its decision Wednesday. Other antivirus measures are also to be discusse

Passengers and crew members safely arrived in South Korea on an extra flight after their Korean Air plane made an emergency landing in Azerbaijan due to an engine defect, the airline said Monday. No one was hurt. Flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. said 215 passengers and 10 crew members landed at Incheon International Airport at around 9 a.m., almost a day later than their original arrival time. The Incheon-bound plane from Turkiye made an emergency landing at Heydar Aliyev International Airport

Platforms required to aggressively police some content, but measures not able to prevent another ‘Cyber Hell’ from opening, experts say

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell to below 15,000 on Monday due mainly to fewer tests over the weekend amid rising concerns about a recent resurgence in infections. The country added 12,693 new COVID-19 infections, including 180 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,524,583, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The KDCA reported 18 deaths from the virus, putting the death toll at 24,661. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent. The number of critica

Dental implant maker Osstem Implant Co. has launched a compensation suit against its former employee accused of embezzling company funds worth 221.5 billion won ($171 million) and his family, sources said Monday. Osstem Implant sued the former employee in charge of managing corporate funds, only identified by his surname Lee, and his wife, sister, sister-in-law and her husband, demanding compensation worth 1 billion won, they said. Lee has been indicted on charges of embezzling company funds bet

South Korea is warily eyeing its latest bump in cases as omicron’s new and likely more elusive subvariant, BA.5, begins to dominate. For two consecutive days on Sunday, the number of cases counted daily topped 20,000 -- a mark that has not been passed since mid-May in the aftermath of the spring omicron wave. Over the most recent seven-day period, 17,467 cases were reported per day on average, marking a 92 percent jump from 9,092 cases seen in the prior period. Lee Ki-il, the vice min

Meth overdoses could be the cause of the two deaths – just hours apart – of a patron and a staff member of a late-night bar in Seoul’s Gangnam, police investigating the case said Sunday.  On July 5, at around 8 a.m., a man in his 20s was found unconscious in his car at a park in southern Seoul. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.  About two hours later, a woman in her 30s was found dead at her home. The deceased was an employee of a bar in Gan

ISTANBUL/SEOUL -- A Korean Air plane that departed from Turkiye made an emergency landing in Azerbaijan after a defect was found in one of its engines, the Seoul-based firm said Sunday. The Incheon-bound KE9956 aircraft with 215 passengers and 10 crew members aboard landed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in the capital of Baku, about 1 1/2 hours after taking off from Istanbul at 6:25 p.m. on Saturday (local time). A vibration sensor message emerged from the No. 2 engine on the right, and

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 20,000 for the second consecutive day Sunday amid growing concerns about a resurgence in infections nationwide. The country added 20,410 new COVID-19 infections, including 250 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,511,845, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The KDCA reported 19 more deaths from the virus, putting the death toll at 24,643. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent. The number of critically il

South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back above 20,000 for the first time in 45 days Saturday, putting authorities on alert over a possible uptick amid the summer vacation season. The country added 20,286 new COVID-19 infections, including 223 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,491,435, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Saturday's tally is up 963 from the previous day and nearly double the 10,712 reported a week ago. It also marks the first time the dai

The South Korean government announced Friday that it would introduce anti-epidemic measures for the inter-seasonal resurgence of COVID-19 next week. During a COVID-19 response meeting on Friday, Lee Ki-il, the second vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, officially confirmed that the country is going through a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee added the government is currently consulting with medical experts for anti-epidemic measures to counter the resurgence that has re

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon has tested positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Justice announced Friday. According to the ministry, Han received a PCR test on Thursday after he arrived at Incheon Airport from his eight-day visit to the US, which included a meeting with the director of the FBI. The ministry noted Han would work from home until Wednesday next week, following the country‘s mandatory seven-day self-quarantine rule applied to those infected with COVID-19. Han had visited

South Korea's first reported monkeypox patient has been discharged from a hospital after recovering following self-isolation treatment, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Friday. The South Korean, who was admitted to Incheon Medical Center upon arriving in the country from Germany on June 21, left the hospital Thursday after doctors concluded there was no virus infectivity. The isolation treatment of the person, whose identity was withheld, lasted 15 days. "The

A letter of apology will have a smaller impact in court, beginning in October this year, according to the Sentencing Commission, an independent agency affiliated with the Supreme Court, Thursday. An apology letter is a widely used measure in court, through which defendants can show that they are sorry for their offending behavior and fully understand the seriousness of their wrongdoings. However, while apology letters have been widely regarded as an effective measure to improve defendants&l