South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 300,000 on Friday after spiking to a record high two days earlier, but deaths hit a fresh high amid the omicron surge. The country reported 282,987 new COVID-19 infections, including 282,880 local cases, raising the total caseload to 5,822,626, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The omicron-fueled surge in infections has recently led to more COVID-19 deaths, and severe and critical virus cases. The country conf

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday that the country is expected to see the omicron wave peak in the next 10 days with daily cases going up to 370,000. South Korea's daily virus infections exceeded the 300,000 mark for the first time Wednesday with 342,446 cases due to the highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19. "During that period, the government's top priority will be reducing the number of critically ill patients and deaths," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases have surpassed 300,000 for two days straight, government data showed Thursday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 327,549 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Wednesday, slightly down from the previous day. The country’s daily infections first topped the 300,000 mark a day earlier with 342,446 cases, the country’s current record-high tally. The daily tally currently appears to go beyon

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s seven companion animals are set to become the nation’s “first pets” after he is inaugurated on May 10. Without children, Yoon and his wife Kim Keon-hee live with four dogs -- Tori, Narae, Mari and Sunny -- and three cats -- Akkaengi, Navi and Norangi -- since they tied the knot in 2012. He will become the president with the most pets ever.  Among them, Jindo dog Tori is especially well known to the public from starring in a news phot

The Supreme Court has confirmed a 30-year prison term for a man who murdered his older sister and abandoned her body on a west coast island in 2020, officials said Thursday. The 28-year-old man, whose identity was withheld, was convicted of stabbing his older sister, in her 30s, multiple times and killing her at an apartment building in Incheon, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul, on Dec. 19, 2020. He put the victim's dead body in a piece of luggage and hid it inside storage on the rooftop of the

Kim Keon-hee, President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife and future first lady, spoke to local media early Thursday morning after Yoon won the 20th presidential election. “I will assist, with my humble capabilities, the president-elect to fulfill the tasks given to him by the people,” said Kim, 49, in an interview with a local media outlet early Thursday morning after Yoon’s win became clear. “I will try to help the president-elect pay more attention to (people living

South Korea confirmed more than 300,000 coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day Thursday as the dominant omicron variant of the coronavirus continued to spur new outbreaks nationwide. The country reported 327,549 new COVID-19 infections, including 327,490 local cases, raising the total caseload to 5,539,650, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Daily infections exceeded the 300,000 mark for the first time the previous day with 342,446 cases, when voters w

A local court is reviewing an arrest warrant request against a YouTuber under police custody for attacking the chief of the ruling party with a hammer on Monday. The Seoul Western District Court on Wednesday started reviewing an arrest warrant request filed by law enforcement for attacking Rep. Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, while Song was campaigning in Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul, on Monday afternoon. The 70-year-old man surnamed Pyo, who runs a political YouTu

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections spiked during the 24 hours of Tuesday to hit an all-time high of over 340,000, increasing more rapidly than the country’s health authorities had expected. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Wednesday, the country added 342,446 new COVID-19 cases. It was up 139,726 from the previous day’s 202,720. The previous record was the 266,847 reported Friday last week. The daily figure has increased faster than the

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases soared to hit a fresh record high of more than 340,000 Wednesday while voters went to the polls to pick a new president amid the fast spread of the omicron variant. The country reported 342,446 new COVID-19 infections, including 342,388 local cases, raising the total caseload to 5,212,118, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally jumped from the 202,721 reported Tuesday. Daily infections exceeded the 300,000 mark for the

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The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients in South Korea reached a two-month high as of midnight Monday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Tuesday. The country’s health authorities said severe and critical cases hit 1,007, up 52 from a day earlier. It was the first time in 64 days since the figure surpassed 1,000. The country added 186 more COVID-19 deaths, the second-highest figure since the government has collected related data. The death toll reached

The Seoul city government said Tuesday it plans to install 403 more CCTV cameras at riverside parks along the Han River to strengthen safety surveillance following a high-profile death of a medical college student last year. The plan to complete the installations of new CCTVs, including 40 smart poles, by the end of June, will boost the total number of cameras from the current 163 to 567, officials said. The new installations will be concentrated around lawn plazas and other popular zones. Calls

Multiple wildfires have charred east coastal mountain areas the size of more than 30,000 soccer fields over the past five days, but firefighting efforts have made slow headway hampered by thick smoke and fickle winds, officials said Tuesday. Firefighting authorities regard Tuesday as a watershed in their all-out efforts to contain the main fires, as the wind direction is forecast to change unfavorably in the afternoon. They initially aimed to extinguish the main fires Monday but were disturbed b