Deposits will be needed to buy drinks using disposable cups at cafes and fast-food chains starting in June as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste spiking amid the pandemic, the environment ministry said Tuesday. Starting on June 10, people will have to pay a deposit between 200 won ($0.17) and 500 won per disposable cup they buy drinks in at coffee shops and fast-food chains. The deposit will be given back when they return the used cups to the stores for recycling. About 38,000 cafes and

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases climbed back above 4,000 on Tuesday as health authorities remain vigilant over a possible upsurge in infections and the spread of the omicron variant ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The country added 4,072 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,763 local infections, raising the total caseload to 700,102, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The number of critically ill COVID-19 patients stood at 543 Tuesday. The country r

Japan blocks most tsunami attacks from the Pacific, but Korea is not a safe zone

Mandate for adults removed at malls and other ‘lower-risk’ places

A 60-something man is in serious condition after setting himself on fire out of anger over a feud with an international marriage agency that refused to arrange a marriage for him, officials said Monday. The 64-year-old man, whose identity was withheld, set himself ablaze at the office of the marriage agency on the southern island of Jeju at around 12:56 p.m. a day earlier, according to police and firefighting authorities on the island. During talks with the head of the agency, the man suddenly

Complaints have been mounting among owners of cafes and restaurants after the government decided Monday to keep COVID-19 vaccine pass requirements on eateries while suspending its enforcement at other multiuse facilities. The government decided to halt vaccine pass requirements at department stores, supermarkets, cram schools and theaters across the country starting Tuesday, after the Seoul Administrative Court ordered a suspension of vaccine pass requirements on such facilities in the capital.

Foreign children aged 3-5 in Seoul will receive education fee support equivalent to that for South Korean children from March, the city's education office said Monday. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will provide up to 150,000 won ($126) -- 100,000 won for daytime programs and 50,000 won for after-school programs -- per month to foreign children enrolled in public kindergartens. Up to 350,000 won -- 280,000 won for daytime and 70,000 won for after-school programs-- will be given to

INCHEON -- Police said Monday they were looking into a report of a suspected animal abuse attempt using sausage-skewered fishhooks at a park in Incheon popular among dog owners. Police said they received the report of the suspicious fishhooks in the park in Bupyeong Ward of Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, at 9:45 p.m. Sunday. Authorities said they searched the park but failed to discover the hooks in question. The fishhooks were first made public by a dog owner who discovered them at th

The government has allowed a convicted conscientious objector to replace his military service duty with an alternative service for the first time, a decision suggesting a softening of the government's stance on the issue. Jeong Wook, who was sentenced to a one-year jail term for draft dodging and served nine months before being released on parole, was notified earlier this month of the Military Manpower Administration's decision to accept his application for alternative military service, accord

South Korea's military on Monday reported 22 additional COVID-19 cases, with all of them being breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,633. Of the new cases, 19 are from the Army, two from the Marine Corps and one from the Navy. Currently, 235 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,810 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 4,000 for the first time in a week Monday, but health authorities remained vigilant over a possible resurgence due to the fast spread of the omicron variant amid partially eased antivirus curbs. The country added 3,859 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,551 local infections, raising the total caseload to 696,032, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure marked a fall from 4,193 new cases logged in the pre

Daily figure hovers over 4,000, omicron likely to become dominant strain in coming days

South Korea on Sunday reported another highly pathogenic avian influenza case at a duck farm in a southwestern region. The farm is raising about 33,000 ducks in Yeongam, 384 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the agriculture and livestock ministry. It marked the 21st case of highly pathogenic avian influenza found at poultry farms this winter. The government has alerted local poultry farm owners to recently increasing outbreaks of avian influenza, urging them to keep an eye on their far

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed above 4,000 for the fifth straight day Sunday as health authorities remain vigilant over a possible upsurge in infections and the spread of the omicron variant ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. The country added 4,194 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,813 local infections, raising the total caseload to 692,174, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure was smaller than the previous day's 4,419 but

Experts voice need for more authority of frontline workers with budgetary, legal support