US Embassy refutes news reports, asking fair and thorough investigation

Critical COVID-19 patient numbers reach new high for 2nd day in a row

Wide gender, regional gaps seen nationwide

A US diplomat fled into the Yongsan Garrison after allegedly hitting a taxi from behind while driving in Seoul earlier this week and has since been refusing to cooperate with a police investigation, officials said Thursday. The diplomat, whose identity is not known, was suspected of rear-ending the taxi's bumper while changing lanes near the Namsan No. 3 tunnel in central Seoul at 5:35 p.m. Wednesday but left the site without stopping to deal with the accident. The taxi's driver chased the dip

Seoul Metropolitan Government will invest 241.8 billion won ($204 million) over five years as part of its plans to transform the city into a global financial hub, the city said Thursday. The city also plans to establish an agency for overseeing foreign investment in the city, with the goal of attracting more than 250 foreign financial firms and attaining foreign direct investment of $30 billion by 2030. The agency, which is set to open in 2024, will work with Korea Trade-Investment Promotion A

A total of 377 people have been apprehended on charges of using violence in disputes over COVID-19 rules between September and October, police said Thursday. Of them, 265 used violence in mask-wearing disputes, followed by 73 accused of assaulting business owners or employees in disputes over operating hours or gathering size limits, police said. The remaining 39 were apprehended for blackmailing or extorting goods from small business owners by threatening to report their violations of social

Urea solution limited to 10 liters per purchase until year-end for passenger cars

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 2,400 for the second consecutive day Thursday as the country relaxed its virus restrictions last week in line with the "living with COVID-19" scheme. The country reported 2,520 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 388,351, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Thursday's tally marked a slight hike from the previous day's 2,425, which marked the first time in six days that daily infections exceeded 2

‘Return to normal adds to existing strains for hospitals’

South Korea said Wednesday it can secure a two-and-a half month stockpile of urea solution for vehicles through various means amid a short supply of the key fluid needed in diesel cars to cut emissions. The government said the estimated stockpile is calculated based on planned imports from Australia, Vietnam and China, as well as secured amounts through crackdowns and the military's reserves. "Given the unspecified amount of domestic reserves, there will be no problem in securing urea sol

South Korea and a group of Latin American countries agreed to respond preemptively to the climate change crisis and seek ways to deepen cooperation in green sectors, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. At the Korea-Pacific Alliance Green Economy Forum, held both online and offline in Seoul, the two sides discussed cooperation on the hydrogen economy and other energy transition efforts, as they acknowledged the need for a shift to a low-carbon and eco-friendly economy, according to the ministry

Teenagers accounted for a quarter of offenders recently caught by police over allegedly supplying sexually exploitative materials across the internet, authorities said Wednesday. The cyber crime division of the National Office of Investigation said 1,625 alleged offenders were rounded up during its special crackdown campaign period against offenses connected to sexually exploitative online material between March and October. They included 919 producers and distributors, and 706 consumers of su

South Korea on Wednesday reported suspected cases of highly pathogenic bird flu from a local farm, a day after detecting similar cases from a nearby farm for the first time in months, the agricultural ministry said. The latest suspected cases of the avian influenza were reported from a duck farm in the central county of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, which raised around 23,000 ducks, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. They were found as the health authorit

The first snow of the season fell Monday on Hallasan, South Korea’s tallest mountain, on Jeju Island. Last year, the first snow fell on Nov. 29 in the province. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the temperature hit minus 3.1 degrees Celsius at Utse Oreum, a volcanic crater of Hallasan.  The KMA forecasts 1-5 centimeters of snow to fall by this Wednesday and warned hikers of the slippery trek up the mountain.  Meanwhile, snowfall was also recorded at Gwanak

South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 2,400 for the first time in six days Wednesday amid growing concerns over a resurgence of infections as the country began its "living with COVID-19" scheme last week. The country reported 2,425 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload to 385,831, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally marked a sharp hike from 1,715 reported a day earlier. The daily infection tally has stayed in the