A man on the run from the law turned himself in to police two days after he fled officers while shielding himself with a female hostage, who turned out to be his romantic partner. Changwon District Prosecutors' Office said Monday that the suspect in his 50s had turned himself in at around 11:05 p.m. the night before, after police contacted him and persuaded him to do so. He had been on the run since April, when he was supposed to return to prison after being temporarily released for medic

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon voiced strong confidence in the city's ability to host a profitable and successful 2036 Summer Olympics, citing Seoul's well-established infrastructure and robust public safety measures as key factors that would contribute to the event's success. In a Facebook post on Sunday titled "Again, the Seoul Olympics," Oh reiterated his commitment to bringing the Olympics back to Seoul, a pledge he first made two years ago. After visiting the Paris Olympics

The government will bring in 300 immigrant workers annually through a pilot visa program to address workforce shortages in power transmission line construction, officials said Monday. Under the two-year trial program, the government will issue E-7 work visas to 300 foreign workers annually, who will be employed in the country's power line construction industry, the justice and industry ministries said. The industry is struggling to hire new workers due to its dangerous and demanding work en

Despite the government's efforts to reduce the blind spot for the national pension, only four out of 10 people in the low-income bracket are enrolled in the national pension system, a study showed Sunday. According to the National Pension Research Institute, among the people aged 20 to 59 in the last tier of the income group, those who earn less than two-thirds of the median income of 2021, only 40.96 percent enrolled in the national pension system. The enrollment rate increased a mere 2.15

In response to a recent surge in fires caused by electric vehicles in underground parking lots across South Korea, the government is reportedly considering regulatory changes, including installing additional sprinklers and expediting the fire department's response times. The Ministry of Environment was set to hold a meeting Monday to have the National Fire Agency explain how to mitigate the risks associated with EV-related fires. Discussing major measures starting from the Monday meeting, t

A memorial event to commemorate the upcoming International Memorial Day for Comfort Women on Aug. 14, was held at the House of Sharing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday. Hosted by Gyeonggi Province, the event was themed "Yellow Butterfly -- A Promise to Next Generation" and included a cultural festival, a commemorative ceremony, and a wreath-laying at the statues of the victims. Attendees participated in symbolic activities like folding yellow butterflies and creating replicas

The Supreme Court recently confirmed the ruling that said the SK Telecom Co. did not violate the law with its electronic prescription service that the company provided 14 years ago, court officials said Friday. In a verdict reached last month, South Korea's highest court upheld the lower court's ruling that cleared SK Telecom of violating the Personal Information Protection Act and the Medical Services Act. The e-prescription service in question was launched by the largest wireless c

Two extra sets of stairs are to be installed at Seoul's notoriously crowded Seongsu Station, the Seoul Metro said Thursday, in a bid to resolve overcrowding issues in the popular area. One of the new stairways will be installed next to the existing stairs leading to Exit No. 2, and the other next to the existing stairs leading to Exit No. 3, according to Seoul Metro's officials. Construction of the new stairs at the Line No. 2 station will be completed before October next year, by wh

The number of foreign medical doctors in South Korea has been on a steady increase, data showed Saturday, amid a prolonged walkout by doctors and trainee doctors here over a government-proposed spike in the medical school quota. The report comes amid plans by the health ministry to allow foreign medical doctors to practice medicine in the country when needed, even before they obtain local licenses. According to the data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the r

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday new measures to prevent fires caused by overcharging electric vehicles, including banning EVs with over 90 percent battery levels from entering underground parking in residential buildings. The municipal government explained that electric vehicle fires can result from various factors, including external impacts and battery defects, with excessive charging also recognized as a significant cause. The policy comes a week after an Incheon incident w

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s recent appointment of a conservative professor who is accused of supporting the New Right political movement that justifies Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula as the source of Korea's modernization, as chief of the national museum dedicated to the country’s independence movement, has been met with a torrent of criticism from independence fighters' descendants. The Heritage of Korean Independence, a Seoul-based or

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Friday emphasized that easing greenbelt development restrictions is crucial to addressing the city's housing demands, particularly for newlyweds, as part of broader efforts to tackle South Korea's pressing low birth rate. Oh acknowledged Seoul's historical reluctance to lift greenbelt restrictions but argued that current challenges, including population decline due to low birth rates and the urgent housing needs of young couples, make this change necessar

Applications to be open until Aug. 14 for first-year residents and Aug. 16 for second to fourth-year residents

A senior official from South Korea's anti-corruption body, who had spearheaded high-profile and politically sensitive investigations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee and former opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, was found dead Thursday. The official was found deceased in his apartment in Sejong City with a suicide note at around 9:50 a.m. Thursday by a person who visited the apartment after the official failed to show up to work or answer calls. Police are looking into the exact circumstance

Sniffer dogs are typically tasked with detecting narcotics and explosives, but in South Korea, their roles have expanded to include finding bed bugs and submerged human remains. This week, two dogs made their debut in these new tasks: Ceco, who is trained to detect bed bugs, and Alpha, who locates human remains in water. Commissioned as South Korea’s first bed bug detection dog on Wednesday, Ceco is a beagle owned by local pest control company Cesco. Ceco showcased its exceptional olfactor