An employee of Woori Bank, one of South Korea's largest domestic banks, has been taken into custody after he turned himself in for embezzling about 50 billion won ($39.5 million) from the company, police said Thursday. The employee, whose identity was withheld, confessed to his actions at Namdaemun Police Station in central Seoul at around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to officials. The confession was made while police were taking measures to issue a travel ban on the employee after they recei

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases went down to fewer than 60,000 on Thursday as most of the country's virus restrictions have been lifted amid the slowdown of the omicron wave. The country added 57,464 new COVID-19 infections, including 21 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,144,065, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Thursday's tally is slightly down from 76,787 cases reported Wednesday and sharply down from 90,867 a week earlier, the

Severe cases drop to 500s for first time in about nine weeks

Kim In-chul, the nominee for deputy prime minister and education minister, denied allegations that his family unfairly received Fulbright scholarships from an association he was closely related to, arguing all procedures were fair. On Wednesday, the parliamentary confirmation hearing team for the Education Ministry representing Kim released a statement denying the allegations brought against his family over the scholarship. “Suggesting Kim’s family was selected as recipients becau

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol comes into office as South Korea’s huge omicron wave is subsiding. Daily cases have been falling for six consecutive weeks, now down by nearly 80 percent from the peak in mid-March. The presidential transition team’s COVID-19 task force on Wednesday unveiled a plan illustrating how the new administration would handle the recovery phase of the pandemic. Last week incumbent President Moon Jae-in celebrated “the return of normal” before the

Fine dust will rise to "very bad" levels in South Korea's central region, including the greater Seoul area, on Wednesday morning due to the influx of yellow dust originating from deserts in northern China and Mongolia, the state weather agency said. The density of fine dust particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter, known as PM 10, will reach "bad" levels in the eastern Gangwon Province and most of the southern region, including Jeju Island, according to the Korea Met

Total COVID-19 caseload surpasses 17m

Other planned strikes by unionized bus drivers in different regions across the country have also been canceled or postponed

At least 52 dead after suspected reinfection

Seoul is offering a series of free programs for dog owners, including a pet school for puppies with behavior problems. The school, set to open in May, will provide socialization and obedience training for dogs younger than 1 year old. For older dogs, the course will be divided by issue, such as for aggression and being overly attached with owners. There will also be online courses for pet owners and prospective pet owners, officials at the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. More are planned

South Korea plans to build the country's first floating airport in the southern port city of Busan by 2035, the land ministry said Tuesday. Last year, the National Assembly approved a bill on a mega state project worth some 13.7 trillion won ($10.97 billion) to build the new airport on Gadeok Island, the biggest island of Busan, to handle growing air traffic demand and facilitate prosperity in the country's southeast region. According to the detailed plan announced by the land ministry on Tuesda

DAEGU -- Ten current and former employees of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) are under investigation on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for jobs at an unidentified US Army base, with two of them in custody, police said Tuesday. The suspects, who were recruitment officers, were accused of receiving 175 million won ($140,000) from five South Koreans in return for hiring them between April 2018 and December 2020, according to the Daegu Metropolitan Police. They allegedly had the applicants' ca

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases jumped to over 80,000 on Tuesday as most of the country's virus restrictions are lifted amid the slowdown of the omicron wave. The country added 80,361 new COVID-19 infections, including 16 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,009,865, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Tuesday's tally is sharply up from 34,370 cases reported on Monday as the daily counts tend to fall on Mondays due to fewer tests on th

Ahead of summer festival season, revelers welcome return of concerts as they were pre-pandemic

Young environmental activists across Asia discuss climate change in commemoration of Earth Day