Twenty-nine foreign nationals got caught cheating on a recent Korean language proficiency test, the organizer of the test said Tuesday. According to the National Institute for International Education, the foreigners either disobeyed supervisors' order to turn in their phones and other mobile gadgets or were caught possessing forbidden electronic devices while taking the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) at a school in Seoul's Gangdong district Sunday. Of them, 13 were Chinese and nine othe

South Korea is set to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions starting next month as the vaccination rate rises, joining a list of countries embracing a new scheme of returning to normal life with the coronavirus. The scheme, dubbed "Living with COVID-19," is set to take effect in early November. It means that COVID-19 will be treated as an infectious respiratory disease, like seasonal influenza, with eased social distancing being implemented. From the early stages of the pandem

SEJONG -- Seoul has the smallest number of people per household, on average, among the eight major cities across the nation. The average population per household in Seoul fell to an all-time low of 2.16 -- 9.52 million people in 4.42 million households -- as of September, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. The average household size of the capital posted a noteworthy slide in the last five years, falling from 2.38 in September 2016 and 2.44 in September 2011. Further, the pace

In a hierarchical society, discrimination is tolerated

Korea opens COVID-19 vaccinations to 16- and 17-year-olds

The gender ministry said Monday it will begin a pilot service this week that allows citizens to search where convicted sex offenders live using internet portal operator Naver Corp.'s map app. The pilot service, which uses the Naver map to display actual home addresses of sex offenders listed in the government's registry system (www.sexoffender.go.kr), will run from Tuesday to the end of this month before the official launch, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The service

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The first frost of the season was observed in Seoul on Monday as unseasonably cold weather continued for most parts of the country in the morning, the state weather agency said. Morning lows hovered around 5 C across the country, slightly up from Sunday, when some areas experienced record-low temperatures for mid-October, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. The first frost of this fall was spotted in Seoul and nearby Suwon, the agency said. The weather is expected to warm up i

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases dropped to the lowest level in more than three months Monday as the country eased restrictions on private gatherings ahead of preparations for a gradual shift to the "living with COVID-19" scheme. The country reported 1,050 new cases, including 1,030 local infections, raising the total caseload to 343,445, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's tally is the lowest daily number since July 7, when the country reporte

The Supreme Court on Sunday overturned a lower court’s ruling that a foreign woman who married a Korean man and later divorced could not have child custody due to a lack of Korean language communication skills. The nation’s highest court said that it partially reversed and remanded the case to the Jeonju District Court after the lower court previously ruled in favor of the Korean husband and gave him parental rights over the Vietnamese wife in a divorce and child custody case. Acc

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Temperatures in Seoul sharply dropped to nearly 1 degree Celsius on Sunday, marking the coldest morning for mid-October in 67 years, the state weather agency said. The morning low in Seoul came to 1.3 C in the day, the lowest since Oct. 13, 1954, when the figure was 1.2 C, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Some areas of the capital city saw the mercury drop below zero, and the season's first ice was seen in the city, 17 days earlier than average, it added. Cold weath

Seoul records 1st ice of year with the lowest temperature for mid-October since 1957

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases fell to the 1,400s on Sunday, as health authorities plan to apply eased distancing rules for a gradual return to normal life. The country added 1,420 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,403 local infections, raising the total caseload to 342,396, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest tally fell from 1,618 cases reported on Saturday, and 1,684 on Friday and 1,940 on Thursday. The daily infection count has stayed in th

A key figure in a sprawling land development scandal is expected to return home from the United States early next week, legal sources said Saturday. Attorney Nam Wook, who left for the US in mid-September before the investigation into the case began, will arrive in Seoul as early as Monday, they said. Nam played a key role in the residential development project in Seongnam, south of Seoul. The project was initiated in 2015 under then Mayor Lee Jae-myung, who is now the ruling Democratic Party'