Star lecturer Seol Min-seok said he would take sole responsibility for the controversy surrounding misinformation during the second episode of popular tvN entertainment show “Seol Min-seok’s Naked World History.” The apology posted on YouTube on Tuesday followed the announcement the producers made on the program website the previous day, apologizing for the misinformation in the second episode on Saturday. Archaeologist Kwack Min-soo, one of the advisers for the program, poi

Critics question ethics of president’s son getting 14 million won from Seoul City-run foundation

K-pop band BTOB's rapper Jung Il-hoon was apprehended by the police earlier this year for allegedly smoking marijuana on multiple occasions, according to law enforcement authorities. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday they referred the 26-year-old rapper, together with accomplices, to the prosecution in July, with recommendations to indict him for violating the Narcotics Control Act. Jung is accused of repeatedly using marijuana he bought secondhand through his acquaintance. He w

A massive coronavirus outbreak has been discovered at a detention center in southeastern Seoul, with the source of infection remaining unknown. As of Monday morning, a total of 215 people -- including 185 inmates -- tested positive for the virus at the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, according to health authorities, after some 3,557 inmates and staff members underwent testing on Friday. District courts in Seoul are on alert as many of the inmates from the detention center are said to have att

South Korea's total COVID-19 caseload broke the 50,000 mark on Monday as new cases have been rising at their fastest pace ever, hampering authorities' antivirus efforts. New cases stood at 926 earlier in the day to push up the total to 50,591, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The daily death toll hit a record high of 24, raising the total to 698. The caseload surpassed the 50,000 mark in the 11 months since the nation reported its first case on Jan. 20. The

Ansan city asks streaming platforms to takedown contents concerning child rapist Cho Doo-soon

North Korea has been striving to stave off a COVID-19 outbreak on its soil ahead of a major national event, according to its state-controlled media Sunday. It plans to convene the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea next month, in which the Kim Jong-un regime is expected to unveil the direction of its major policies at home and abroad. No exact date has been announced yet. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the powerful ruling party, called for more thorough coronavirus virus

South Korea faces a dearth of hospital beds due to a surge in confirmed cases especially in Seoul and nearby areas. A total of four coronavirus patients have died while waiting for hospital treatment in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, authorities said Friday. And 251 patients, most of them severe cases, in Gyeonggi Province and 580 patients in Seoul are on standby for available hospital beds. 　 According to Gyeonggi Provincial government Friday, two coronavirus patients in their 70s and a pati

South Korea has completed the culling of 6.1 million poultry nationwide to curb the nationwide spread of highly pathogenic bird flu, as the total farm-related caseload reached 18, the agricultural ministry said Friday. The destroyed poultry included 4 million chickens and 1.2 million quails, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Under the local law, poultry within a 3-kilometer radius of farms infected with highly pathogenic bird flu must be culled. South Korea has

Unperturbed by justice minister’s offer to resign, Yoon continues head on against ruling bloc

High school dropouts will no longer be exempt from mandatory active duty from next year, South Korea’s Military Manpower Administration said Wednesday. All able-bodied men here aged between 18 and 30 must serve active duty for 18 to 21 months. Currently, those who do not graduate from high school must complete alternative service. Unlike soldiers on active duty, participants in the program do not live together or take part in training at military bases. Instead they work as delegates to d

South Korea's coronavirus death toll continued to rise Wednesday, posting a double-digit increase in virus fatalities for the second straight day as critically ill patients piled up amid spiking virus cases. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said the country reported 12 additional deaths from COVID-19, raising the total to 612. The country reported a daily high of 13 COVID-19 deaths Tuesday. The number of seriously or critically ill COVID-19 patients came to 226, sharply

President Moon Jae-in expressed high hopes Tuesday for the imminent launch of a new investigative body that will be tasked with looking into corruption among high-level government officials, such as prosecutors and presidents. Setting up the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, independent from the state prosecution office, is one of Moon’s main campaign pledges and is key to his reform push to fight corruption. Last week, parliament approved a bill on expediting i

The number of overseas tourists visiting South Korea is expected to slump to the lowest level in 32 years amid the new coronavirus pandemic that has practically paralyzed the global tourism sector, data showed Tuesday. The number of foreigners who visited the country in the January-October period reached 2.39 million, down 83.6 percent from the same period last year, according to the culture ministry and the state tourism office. Roughly half of the figure -- 1.27 million -- was tallied in Jan

Ansan Danwon Police Station said Monday eight people had been booked for alleged offences outside the residence of child rapist Cho Doo-soon in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, following his release on the weekend. One of those under investigation, a 17-year-old, was booked for allegedly attempting to break into Cho’s residence by climbing a wall, and another is under investigation for allegedly assaulting police officers. A man in his 50s was booked for allegedly interfering in the teenager&rs