Snow will fall in the capital area and central inland regions between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, the state weather agency said, forecasting snow accumulation of up to 3 centimeters in Seoul. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that snow clouds have been forming in the Yellow Sea as cold air from the northwest has met with relatively warm air. As the snow cloud belt moves...

To deal with a possible testing crisis driven by an omicron surge, South Korea says it would give people at higher risk PCR tests first, while lower priority people take at-home rapid antigen tests. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said the country’s COVID-19 diagnosis system, which so far has only used the highly accurate PCR tests, may start using the rapid antigen tests for less urgent case...

The omicron caseload in Seoul has more than doubled to 456 on Monday from last week's 183 cases, the city government said. Omicron marks 0.2 percent of the total COVID-19 cases confirmed in Seoul so far. Omicron is highly likely to become the most prevalent COVID-19 variant in the city by late this month or February, Park Yoo-mi, a disease control official of the city government said. The city...

Over 1,900 police detectives lost their qualification this year to lead investigations after refusing field assignments too long, the National Police Agency said Monday. Detectives are reviewed yearly for renewal of their qualifications under a system introduced in 2005. This year’s number of investigators losing their status is the highest since the system was introduced, the NPA said. The tot...

Fine dust plagued most parts of South Korea on Monday due to air stagnation caused by the high atmospheric pressure in the west, weather authorities said. As of 8 a.m., the density of ultrafine dust, called PM 2.5, had hit the "very bad" level for the greater Seoul area, North Chuncheong Province and the central city of Sejong, and the southeastern city of Daegu, according to the Comprehensive A...

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed below 4,000 for the fourth straight day Monday amid tightened distancing rules to curb the spread of COVID-19. The country added 3,007 new COVID-19 infections, including 2,768 local infections, raising the total caseload to 667,390, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). South Korea reported 34 more COVID-19 deaths, rais...

Korea’s new policy requiring people to be completely vaccinated or cleared in tests to enter public places is stirring up a wave of protests and court challenges. On Saturday civic groups and local community organizations marched from Seoul Station to Gwanghwamun Square demanding that the compulsory vaccine-or-testing policy be scrapped. The Saturday rally, among the firsts of many that is being...

As of Saturday, 90.1 percent of 18-year-olds have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, passing the 90 percent threshold. More than 79.6 percent have received a second shot. However, following the suspension of the vaccine pass enforcement at cram schools, the increase of the overall vaccination rate in minors above 13 has slowed down. According to the Education Ministry, some 76.2 perce...

Korea on Sunday was blanketed by dangerous levels of ultrafine dust expected to persist until at least Monday, which prompted the government to issue emergency reduction measures for the first time this year. According to the Metropolitan Air Quality Management Office under the Ministry of Environment, the ultrafine dust density levels in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and South Chuncheong Province we...

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The captain of a fishing boat that had capsized in waters off South Korea's southwestern coast was found dead Sunday, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard said the captain in his 70s was found inside his boat's wheelhouse just before noon Sunday. The vessel, carrying five crew members, capsized after colliding with a bigger fishing vessel in waters 3.5 kilometers northeast of Jang Island in So...

Bae Eun-sim, the mother of a late student activist whose death became a symbol of South Korea's pro-democracy movement in 1987, died Sunday. She was 82. Bae had been hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction last Monday, and was discharged Saturday. She died at Chosun University Hospital in the southwestern city of Gwangju after collapsing on Sunday. Bae's surviving family members decided ag...

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed below 4,000 for the third straight day Sunday as the country maintained tightened distancing curbs amid concerns over the spread of the omicron virus variant. The country added 3,376 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,140 local infections, raising the total caseload to 664,391, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Th...

South Korea's military on Saturday reported 22 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 3,425. Of the new cases, 13 are from the Army, six from the Air Force, one from the Navy, and one from an officer of the defense ministry. A unit under the direct control of the ministry also reported one case. The military said 1,612 are breakthrough cases out of the total mili...

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases stayed below 4,000 for the second day Saturday as the country maintained tightened distancing curbs amid persistent worries over a resurgence in infections and the spread of the omicron variant. The country added 3,510 new COVID-19 infections, including 3,300 local infections, raising the total caseload to 661,015, according to the Korea Disease Control and...