As the government gears up to lift the last of its COVID-19 restrictions, the nation is grappling with a surge of cases, recording the highest number of daily infections since half a year ago. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on Sunday, the nation saw a 35.8 percent on-week increase in confirmed cases in the third week of July, the fourth such jump in as many weeks. In particular, the number of patients over 60 rose significantly, showing a 44 percent increase. On July 19,

Social Affairs July 30, 2023

The Supreme Court concluded that a man who wrote online comments about actor Bae Suzy using the expression "national hotel girl" is guilty of insulting her, confirming the lower court's sentence of a fine of 500,000 won ($390), Thursday, nearly eight years after the offense occurred. On Oct. 29, 2015, a man in his 40s wrote in an online comment about Suzy: "A bubble created by media manipulation, just a national hotel girl." The first trial had concluded that the express

Social Affairs July 27, 2023

Cho Sun, who stabbed a man to death and injured three more in Seoul, had searched online for information about another stubbing rampage in Hong Kong early last month, police said Thursday. Gwanak Police Station is investigating the connection between Cho's Internet search record and his crime by analyzing his mobile phone and computer data from January. The Hong Kong stabbing that Cho had searched for seems to refer to a case in which a man in his 30s wielded a weapon to kill two women in t

Social Affairs July 27, 2023

Police disclosed the personal information of the suspect in a deadly stabbing rampage that killed one person and injured three in Seoul as 33-year-old Cho Sun, Wednesday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency held a Personal Information Disclosure Committee to discuss whether to reveal the information of the suspect and decided to unveil the identity of the man, who was arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder. "The cruelty of the crimes is recognized in light of the fact that the

Social Affairs July 26, 2023

The monsoon season officially ended across all regions of Korea as of Wednesday, paving the way for a period of intense humidity and heat wave conditions, according to the weather agency. As Typhoon Doksuri heads north, the edge of the North Pacific high expanded north, pushing away the stationary front. The monsoon season of the central and southern region of the peninsula ended Wednesday, after the monsoon season on Jeju Island ended a day earlier, the Korea Meteorological Administration said

Social Affairs July 26, 2023

With the 25th World Scout Jamboree just a week away, the reclaimed land of Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, is ready to welcome more than 43,000 scouts from around the world as a number of types of safety equipment and various programs have been prepared. The recent heavy rains have raised concerns, but officials assured the public that safety measures for all circumstances are prepared. "Diverse outdoor programs, cultural experiences and measures for the safety and health of young partic

Social Affairs July 25, 2023

This year’s monsoon season, which has broken records for precipitation, is nearing its end, but it is not yet clear when the sporadic downpours will stop, the weather agency said Monday. The Korea Meteorological Administration said heavy rain will fall in most parts of the country on Monday and Tuesday, as a stationary front moves south. Up to 120 millimeters of rain is expected for the North and South Jeolla provinces and up to 80 mm in southern Gyeonggi Province, the North and South Gyeo

Social Affairs July 24, 2023

A stabbing spree in Sillim-dong, Seoul on Friday afternoon resulted in one death with three people injured, according to police. The incident took place near Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu in the early afternoon. Authorities received a report on the incident at 2:09 p.m., saying that an individual had stabbed multiple people near the station's Exit No. 4 before fleeing. Police apprehended the assailant at the scene at 2:20 p.m. The suspect was reported to be a Korean man in his 30s with 17 p

Social Affairs July 21, 2023

The average age of employed individuals in South Korea could exceed 50 years old by 2035, due to an aging population exacerbated by declining birth rates, a study showed, Friday. The Sustainable Growth Initiative, a branch of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recently released a report that revealed the average age of Korea's working population could reach unprecedented heights. The study projected the average age of employed Koreans to be approximately 46.8 years old in 2022, and

Social Affairs July 21, 2023

Reports of unidentified packages are continuing nationwide Friday, the day after three people suffered from dizzy spells after opening a suspicious international package. Authorities are collecting packages from several cities, and about 1,700 people have been evacuated at the Seoul Central Post Office in Myeong-dong, after a similar package was found. The authorities are now investigating the possibility of terrorism, and as reports of related suspected cases continued, the Korea Post decided t

Social Affairs July 21, 2023

There had been warnings issued before almost all disasters that have happened recently in Korea, including the deadly underpass flooding on July 15. But the warnings delivered to on-site officials were often ignored or did not reach the top decision-makers, according to disaster management experts. Lee Soo-gon, a former civil engineering professor at the University of Seoul, said that the "top-down" system of administrations, where officials are instructed to carry out orders rather th

Social Affairs July 20, 2023

After days of monsoon rain left at least 44 dead, clear weather has emerged across the country, but danger from swollen rivers and strong torrents of water remained Wednesday. According to the Marine Corps on Wednesday, a private from the First Marine Division's artillery battalion, who was searching for missing people around the Bomun Bridge on the Naeseong River in Yecheon-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, was swept away by a rapid stream at around 9:10 a.m. Marines were deployed to search

Social Affairs July 19, 2023

In the wake of record-breaking nationwide downpours, authorities discovered three bodies on Tuesday in Yecheon-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, bringing the death toll associated with the heavy rain in the province to 22. This brings the total number of deaths from downpour to 44 nationwide as of 6 a.m. The North Gyeongsang Fire Service Headquarters confirmed on Tuesday that the body of a woman in her 50s who had gone missing on Saturday with her husband, was discovered at 10:27 a.m. by Marines a

Social Affairs July 18, 2023

Flooding and landslides due to heavy monsoon rains in South Korea have caused dozens of casualties, while over 10,000 residents have been forced to evacuate, South Korean authorities said Monday. As the death toll continues to rise, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has confirmed that at least 41 people have died as of Tuesday 6 a.m. The total number of deaths includes 14 people who died in a flooded tunnel in the central South Korean city of Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Five bodi

Social Affairs July 17, 2023

At least nine people have died in a flooded underpass in Osong-eup, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, as of Sunday afternoon. Fire authorities are continuing drainage and operations to search for the missing. At around 8 a.m. Sunday, fire authorities found the body of a woman in her 70s on a bus, as well as the bodies of four others who have yet to be identified. Another body was found near the underpass entrance at around 8:50 a.m. Two more bodies, reportedly female, were found in the after

Social Affairs July 16, 2023