Amid lax oversight, illegal rental businesses cater to those wanting a pet experience without responsibility or commitment

South Korea broke its single-day COVID-19 case record again Thursday with infections topping 20,000 for the second day in a row, as holiday gatherings and travel fueled omicron's fast spread. The country reported 22,907 new virus infections, including 22,773 local cases, raising the total to 907,214, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The previous daily record was 20,270 reported on Wednesday. The death toll from COVID-19 came to 6,812, up 25 from a day earli

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases as of midnight Tuesday surpassed 20,000 for the first time since the country reported its first virus case in January 2020. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s announcement Wednesday, the country added 20,270 new COVID-19 infections for the 24 hours of Tuesday, due to the fast spread of the omicron variant. Of the total, 20,111 were locally transmitted cases, while the number of imported cases reached 159. Among the l

South Korean agricultural authorities on Wednesday reported an additional confirmed case of highly pathogenic bird flu from a local farm. The outbreak occurred in a duck farm in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, bringing the total number of such outbreaks to 29 since the first confirmed case in fall last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The farm is known to be raising some 9,000 meat ducks. Upon the report, the government cordoned off the duck farm a

Traffic on major highway sections began to slow Wednesday as people headed home after spending time with their loved ones or finishing trips on the last day of the Lunar New Year's holiday. This year's Lunar New Year holiday ran from Monday to Wednesday and was extended by two days due to the preceding weekend. As of 8:15 a.m., traffic on some sections of the inland expressway linking Yangpyeong near Seoul to the southeastern city of Changwon slowed, while congestion was also seen in parts of

South Korea's daily virus cases on Wednesday exceeded 20,000 for the first time since the country reported its first virus case two years ago, due to the fast spread of the omicron variant. The country reported 20,270 new COVID-19 infections, including 20,111 local cases, raising the total to 884,310, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The death toll from COVID-19 came to 6,787, up 15 from Tuesday. The fatality rate was 0.77 percent. The number of criticall

More than three in 10 children out of school have been suffering depression, being at risk of possibly taking one's own life, a survey showed Wednesday. The National Youth Policy Institute (NYPI) found through a survey that 35 percent and 29 percent of out-of-school children were experiencing depression and anxiety, respectively, while 36.8 percent were exposed to suicidal risks. The survey was conducted from July to August on 5,937 students between fourth graders in elementary schools and hi

A senior policeman has been sentenced to four years behind bars on charges of breaking into the house of a younger colleague and sexually assaulting her, officials said Wednesday. The 51-year-old police inspector in Seoul, only known by his surname Lee, was indicted in May last year, nearly two years after he broke into the colleague's house and sexually assaulted her in 2019. Charges against him also included sexually assaulting her on a separate occasion in 2018 while she was inebriated afte

Bear bile farming will be fully banned in Korea from 2026. The Ministry of Environment announced Wednesday, it would put a stop to breeding bears for bile farming by 2025. Korea is one of few countries that allow bear bile farming. As of 2021, there are 24 bear bile farms across the country with a total of some 360 bears. In bear bile farming, bears are kept in captivity to harvest their bile, a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, which is used by some tradit

The employment rate of the nation’s full-time employees working 40 hours a week has remained in the 50 percent rage for two consecutive years, raising concerns over deteriorating labor market amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, a lawmaker said Monday.  The “full-time equivalent” employment rate for 2021 posted 58.8 percent, nearly unchanged from 58.6 percent estimated a year earlier, according to Rep. Yoo Gyeong-joon of the main opposition People Power Party, citing

To cover operating losses amid pandemic, Seoul puts station names up for auction

Rescuers discovered a body of a 28-year-old worker who was buried in a landslide in a quarry Saturday, fire department officials said. Rescue operations are under way to find the remaining two buried workers. The accident occurred at 10:08 a.m. when they were making holes for demolition work at the quarry in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, according to officials. Seven excavators were mobilized to find the buried workers, but rescue operations were hampered by huge amounts of soil. Authorities sa

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases reached yet another record high Saturday, driven by a rapid spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant, with a new nationwide virus response system coming into force. The country reported 17,542 new COVID-19 infections, including 17,349 local cases, raising the total to 811,122, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.   The daily count broke the record for the fifth consecutive day, spiking from 8,570 on Tuesday. The

Traffic on some highway sections began to slow Friday as people hit the road to visit their hometowns or go on trips during the Lunar New Year holiday despite the coronavirus pandemic. This year's Lunar New Year holiday runs from Monday to Wednesday and is extended by two days due to the preceding weekend. The government urged people to refrain from traveling during the holiday to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The nation reported a record 16,096 new cases Friday. As of 7:47 p.m., some se

Schools in Korea are to administer rapid polymerase chain reaction and antigen testing methods to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students and faculty.  “We are working on adding rapid PCR testing and rapid antigen testing methods at schools to prepare for the start of the new semester in March,” minister Yoo Eun-hye said at a meeting held at the Korea Institute of Educational Facility Safety on Thursday. For boarding schools, students are to be required to undergo rapi