The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Seoul topped the 20,000 mark for the second consecutive day, officials said Sunday, bring the total caseload in the capital city to over half a million. A total of 22,102 virus cases were confirmed on Saturday after 23,193 cases were reported a day earlier. The latest cases, which represent nearly a two-fold jump from a week earlier, brought the accumulated number of infections in Seoul to 519,923, officials said. South Korea has seen virus cases spiking mas

The Seoul city government said Sunday it will launch a 180 billion won ($150 million) project to link parks and other green spaces with "green roads" in an effort to make urban green spaces more accessible. Under the Green Road Project, the city government plans to renovate and create eco-friendly roads spanning a total of 2,000 kilometers by 2026 that connect to the city's forests, parks, and other green areas. About 1,600km of roads will be renovated while 400km will be created in va

BEIJING -- South Korea's dominance in short track speed skating is hardly new. Despite some early hiccups in Beijing, South Korea still emerged as the leader in the short track medal count with two gold medals and three silver medals. The country also added four medals in speed skating with two silver and two bronze from the oval. But South Korea didn't get medals in sports other than the two skating events -- four years after expanding its Winter Olympic horizons four years go. Winter sports fa

March 9 is voting day in South Korea. Gearing up for the 20th presidential election and by-election of the National Assembly, the Daegu Election Commission on Thursday launched “D-20 Until Election Bread” with Samsong BNC, a local company in Daegu. To encourage citizens to vote, Samsong Bakery, a famous bakery affiliated with Samsong BNC, baked pastries with election-themed decorations. Starting Thursday, “D-20 Until Election Bread,” will be produced and sold for a lim

South Korea reported more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row on Saturday amid the rapid spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The new daily infections came to 102,211, including 102,072 local infections, raising the total caseload to 1,858,009 the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The death toll from COVID-19 reached 7,354, up 71 from Friday. The fatality rate was 0.4 percent, the KDCA said.  The number of critically ill COVID-19

Gender segregation has deep roots in Korea and is a to-go reaction to sex crime worries

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases surpassed the 100,000 mark for the first time since the country reported the first COVID-19 infection in January 2020. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 109,831 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Thursday. The total caseload came to 1,755,806. Daily infection numbers have been surging due to the omicron wave. On Jan. 26, the country added 13,004 new infections, the first time that the country&

South Korea has decided to partly ease current social distancing curbs, the government announced Friday. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said the current 9 p.m. curfew for dining out at restaurants and other businesses will be pushed back by an hour to 10 p.m. Kim, however, noted that the government will keep the six-person limit on private gatherings. The change will become effective from Saturday to March 13. Kim noted further changes can also take place, depending on how the omicron wave develo

The labor ministry on Friday raided an air conditioning component manufacturer in the southern city of Changwon over suspected violations of the workplace disaster prevention law after 16 workers were diagnosed with acute poisoning with a hazardous substance. The raid into Doosung Co. came after acute chloroform intoxication was reported in the 16 workers showing liver function problems after they were exposed to as high as six times the normally permitted level of the chemical during a product

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases exceeded 100,000 on Friday for the first time since the pandemic began about two years ago as the highly transmissible omicron variant spreads rapidly. The cases could continue to rise going forward as the government is set to partially relax social distancing rules, apparently to help small merchants taking the brunt of the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The country reported 109,831 new COVID-19 infections, including 109,715 local cases, raising the t

The government decided to push back the curfew on cafes and restaurants by one hour to 10 p.m. while keeping the private gathering size limit at six starting this weekend, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday. The easing of the social distancing rules comes despite a massive surge in new COVID-19 cases, with the country's daily virus cases exceeding the 100,000 mark for the first time Friday since the pandemic began two years ago. The updated antivirus curbs will be in place from Saturday to

The number of critically ill patients in Korea rose to 389 on daily figures released Thursday, up 76 from the previous day. COVID-19 cases reported during the 24 hours of Wednesday increased to hit another high of over 93,000, health authorities said. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Thursday that the country’s daily COVID-19 cases reached a fresh high of 93,135, which raised the total caseload to 1,645,978. The figure was up from the previous day’s 90,443. Th

Temperatures in Seoul fell to below minus 10 degrees Celsius Thursday as a cold snap continued to grip the country, the state weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) has issued cold wave alerts in the central inland area, most parts of the eastern Gangwon Province and the southeastern North Gyeongsang Province. As of 8 a.m, temperatures were minus 10.7 C in Seoul, minus 9.7 C in Incheon, minus 10.1 C in Daejeon, minus 7 C in Gwangju and minus 6.6 C in Busan, due to col

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases hit another high Thursday, exceeding 90,000 for the second consecutive day, amid few signs that the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant will subside. The country reported 93,135 new COVID-19 infections, including 93,045 local cases, raising the total caseload to 1,645,978, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of daily cases rose sharply Wednesday to surpass the 90,000 level for the first time ever, coming

UIJEONGBU -- A total of 38 Southeast Asians have been apprehended on charges of distributing and using illegal drugs smuggled from overseas, police said Thursday. The suspects, 36 Thais and two Cambodians, are alleged to have either resold methamphetamines purchased from overseas or used them from January 2019 to this month, according to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency. Of those, 19 have been formally arrested. Many of them were illegal aliens, according to police. Authorities have a