South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 40,000 on Tuesday amid the government's eased virus curbs to move the country back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 49,933 new COVID-19 infections, including 23 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,614,895, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally is up from 40,064 on Sun...

The confirmation hearing for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s arguably most contested Cabinet pick, Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon, was gripped by partisan tensions. During the hearing held on the eve of Yoon’s inauguration, Han argued that the Democratic Party of Korea-led prosecutorial reforms -- which entail expanding police powers while curtailing those of the prosecution -- would end up hu...

Upcoming administration is expected make adjustments to the country’s return to normal scheme

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell Monday, a week after the government lifted the outdoor mask mandate in the latest attempt to return to pre-pandemic normalcy amid a downward trend in COVID-19 cases. The country added 20,601 new COVID-19 infections, including 19 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,564,999, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KD...

More than half of single 20-somethings in South Korea do not want to have babies after marriage due apparently to concerns over high child-rearing costs in the country, a poll showed Monday. According to a survey reported in a monthly economic journal by the state-run Korea Development Institute, 52.4 percent of unmarried Koreans in their 20s think it is OK not to have children after tying the k...

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases for Saturday rebounded week-on-week for the first time in around six weeks, government data showed Sunday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 40,064 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Saturday. The total caseload came to 17,544,398. The daily figure on Saturday was up from 37,771 cases on Saturday a week...

From makgeolli restaurants, a UNESCO world heritage site to gay bars, the bustling district remains a cultural focal point for Seoulites old and young

South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to the 40,000s on Sunday, but daily COVID-19 cases are widely on a downward trend even after the lifting of almost all antivirus curbs. The country added 40,064 new COVID-19 infections, including 16 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,544,398, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally is up ...

Packaging and bottles floating over from the North show development of private markets, informal economy

South Korea reported nearly 40,000 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, marking a gradual decrease in infections, amid eased social distancing rules designed to return the country to normalcy. The country added 39,600 new COVID-19 infections, including 26 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,504,334, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Saturday‘s figur...

The 15th World Forestry Congress concluded with the closing ceremony on Friday in Seoul, adopting the Seoul Forest Declaration. The five-day congress is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization and held every six years to share worldwide forest-related and environmental problems, like climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification, and devise solutions through forests. The closing...

At the last meeting of Moon Jae-in administration’s COVID-19 headquarters top officials applauded South Korea’s handling of the pandemic over the years. Presiding over the meeting Friday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum warned against “disparaging the country’s success in combatting COVID-19 without any evidence” in a message to critics. “There have some criticisms that compared to other countries,...

South Korea's government-civilian consultative body on dog meat consumption decided Friday to extend its operations for two more months for further discussions on the sensitive issue in the country. The 21-member task force was launched in December to come up with compromise policy recommendations on dog meat consumption in order for the incoming government to take measures to deliver them, incl...

Last month ranked as the second warmest April on record in the nation, the weather agency said Friday. Data compiled by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) showed the average temperature last month was 13.8 C, the second highest for April since nationwide record-keeping began in 1973. It was 1.7 degrees above the 30-year average of 12.1 C. The average daytime high was 20.4 C, the fou...

The amount of illegal narcotics confiscated in South Korea reached an all time high last year, with an increase of foreign and juvenile drug offenders, government data showed Friday. According to the data compiled by the Supreme Prosecutors Office (SPO), a total of 1,295.7 kilograms of illegal drugs were confiscated in 2021, more than a threefold jump from a year earlier. Noticeably, the amount...