From the Namdaemun fire to this month’s Daegu arson attack, possible motives behind criminal acts explained

President Yoon Suk-yeol declined to get ahead on the question of allowing alternative military service for K-pop group BTS, saying any decision should be based on public opinion. The issue has reemerged in political circles after the septet announced its suspension of group activities last week. "I don't think the president should state his position first," Yoon told reporters as he arrived for work. "Depending on how the people view it, it could proceed in accordance with th

The government will launch a joint investigation team to eradicate voice phishing crimes that cause damage worth more than 700 billion won ($538 million) annually, the prosecution said Thursday. The Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO) announced it will form the joint investigation team with relevant agencies, such as the National Police Agency, Financial Services Commission, Financial Supervisory Service and Korea Communications Commission, to launch a massive crackdown on voice phishing scams. The

The Presidential Archives on Thursday rejected a request by the family of a fisheries official killed by North Korea in 2020 to disclose confidential records on the controversial death, according to the family's lawyer. The family has demanded access to classified presidential documents from the previous administration related to the death of the late fisheries ministry official, Lee Dae-jun, who was shot and killed by North Korea's military near the western sea border on Sept. 22, 202

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed below 10,000 for the 14th straight day on Thursday amid a steady omicron downtrend, though the country remains vigilant against any potential virus resurgence. The country reported 7,497 new COVID-19 infections, including 92 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,305,738, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily tally has stayed below 10,000 since June 10. The numbers have declined at a steady pace after hit

ICHEON -- South Korea's military on Thursday launched new correctional facilities with an advanced monitoring solution, including the country's first suicide prevention sensors and other systems designed to improve the living conditions of inmates and help reduce the workload of guards. The opening of the institution, located 80 kilometers southeast of Seoul, came around two years after the Military Correctional Institution broke ground on a 17.7-billion-won ($13.6 million) project to

South Korea raised the alert level for monkeypox after confirming its first patient on Wednesday. The patient had come from Germany on Tuesday afternoon, and was sent straight to the Incheon Medical Center nearby the airport for showing possible monkeypox symptoms, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. His symptoms were a low-grade fever of 37 degrees Celsius, sore throat, fatigue and lesions around the body -- which he said began around the day of his departure. S

Strict regulations on firearms lead to virtually no gun violence in Korea; prevalent reluctance among police officers to pull trigger

Only 14 percent of South Koreans paid for online news content last year, according to a recent report. The proportion of people who said they paid for news content, however, has been gradually increasing over the past years, the report added. According to the 2022 Digital News Report, published by Reuters Institute, the proportion of survey respondents who had paid for online news content in South Korea last year increased by 1 percentage point from the previous year.　 The data, based on a Yo

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday named the chiefs of the state defense procurement and weather agencies, his office said. Eom Dong-hwan, a graduate of the Korea Military Academy and official of the Agency for Defense Development, was tapped to head the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, while Yoo Hee-dong, deputy chief of the Korea Meteorological Administration, was tapped to head the agency, according to the presidential office. Yoon also named Park Ku-yeon and Lee Jung-won, offici

A South Korean satellite has made two-way communication with its ground station, officials said Wednesday, confirming the success of the country's first-ever self-powered satellite deployment project. South Korea on Tuesday successfully launched the 200-ton Nuri from Naro Space Center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung in a major milestone in the country's space program. The rocket, also known as KSLV-II, succeeded in deploying satellites at a target altitude of

President Yoon Suk-yeol called Wednesday for stronger measures against the inflow of monkeypox after the country reported its first two suspected cases the previous day, an official said. Yoon instructed health authorities to strengthen quarantine measures for foreign arrivals and to thoroughly monitor the possibility of additional cases, the presidential official told reporters. Yoon also told health authorities to be fully ready to deploy vaccines and treatments to the medical front-lines and

Hong Kong will include Korean as one of the foreign languages in its university entrance exam starting in 2025, Seoul's education ministry said Wednesday. The ministry said its National Institute for International Education and Hong Kong's state examination board, Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the arrangement. Under the MOU, Hong Kong will accept test results of TOPIK, or the Test of Proficiency in Korean, in the

als said Wednesday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said two probable cases were found Tuesday and diagnostic tests are being conducted. KDCA said one of the suspected patients was a foreigner, who arrived in the country on Monday, and another was South Korean, who arrived on Tuesday. According to officials, the foreigner visited a hospital in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Tuesday after having a sore throat, skin lesions and other possible symptoms of the mo