Burglar fries chicken, takes beer in late-night restaurant break-in

A burglar broke into a fried chicken restaurant overnight, fried some chicken, grabbed a beer, and left without taking anything else. Three days later, the bizarre incident repeated itself. When police caught the culprit, they discovered it was a former staff member, returning for a late-night snack. This case, which took place in Sejong in August last year, gained media attention this week, after a court sentenced the culprit to six months in jail, suspended for one year. The Daejeon District C

March 20, 2025

Opposition lawmakers hit with raw eggs during anti-Yoon event

Two opposition lawmakers were hit with raw eggs Thursday during an outdoor press conference calling for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's removal from office. Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party were holding the press conference outside the Constitutional Court when the eggs were thrown at them from across the road and hit Democratic Party Reps. Back Hye-ryun and Lee Geon-tae. Police launched a search for the perpetrator and formed a task force to investigate the case. "In light

March 20, 2025

29-year-old preschool teacher saves 5 through organ donation

A 29-year-old preschool teacher who was declared brain-dead saved five people through organ donation, a donation agency said Thursday. The Korea Organ Donation Agency said Lee Seul-bi donated her heart, lungs, liver and kidneys at Yeungnam University Hospital on Feb. 27 to five patients. On Jan. 28, Lee collapsed in a car while traveling to her hometown to visit her parents. She was taken to the hospital but never regained consciousness, eventually being declared brain-dead. Lee’s family struggl

March 20, 2025

Prosecutors raid Seoul mayor over corruption allegations

Prosecutors on Thursday raided Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's office and residence over allegations of corruption surrounding his ties with self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office sent prosecutors and investigators to Oh's office at Seoul City Hall and his residence in the morning to search for possible evidence linked to the allegations. They also raided the residence of Kang Cheol-won, the city's former deputy mayor for public affairs. The prosecuti

March 20, 2025

[Graphic News] Spring blooming delayed by colder weather

According to the Korea Forest Service’s predictions, which include the blooming periods of plants such as Korean azaleas and cherry trees, 2025’s blossoms will come slightly later than last year. Average temperatures dropped to minus 1.8 degrees Celsius from December to February, 2.5 degrees lower than last year. The colder winter is expected to lead spring flowers to emerge a little later. Starting from Jeju Island in mid march, blooming season is expected to gradually spread across the souther

March 20, 2025

Exonerated ex-teacher to be compensated for jail time

A 70-year-old former teacher who was recently exonerated of his anti-state charges will receive compensation for being wrongly imprisoned for two years, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The Busan District Court on Feb. 25 ruled that the state should give Lee Tae-yeong 291.4 million won ($200,000) for the damages inflicted by his time behind bars in the 1980s. The initial sentence was handed down in 1980 when then-high school teacher Lee was serving his mandatory military dut

March 19, 2025

False rumors about police spread ahead of ruling

False rumors about police deployed to protest sites is spreading among right-wing social media users, fueling conspiracy theories ahead of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment ruling. On social media platforms such as X, photos of mobile police squad officers with long or bleached hair have spread, with claims alleging that such police are not Korean, but Chinese nationals. Referring to a screenshot of what appears to be the AI-generated response of an unknown large language model

March 19, 2025

Anyang to enhance quality of life with innovation, entertainment

The city of Anyang, located in the heart of Gyeonggi Province, plans to make a name for itself as one of the most livable cities in South Korea with innovative developments and new cultural activities. Recognized for its outstanding performance in administrative innovation since 2017, Anyang ranked No. 1 in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s annual innovation assessment of 75 local governments for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024, earning the designation of "self-sufficient city." T

March 19, 2025

Korea to deploy 14,000 police to Seoul for impeachment ruling

The Korea National Police Agency will raise its emergency alert to the highest level on the day of the Constitutional Court’s final verdict on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, deploying over 60 percent of the country's crowd control units in Seoul. This is just one of many measures as authorities ramp up security efforts to preempt potential safety threats as it is widely believed that the Constitutional Court's final ruling nears though an exact date has not yet been released. According t

March 19, 2025

72-year-olds in 2023 are as fit as 65-year-olds in 2011: study

The physical health of Koreans in their 70s in 2023 was similar to that of people in their mid-60s 12 years ago, according to a study by a Korean medical expert released Tuesday. Lee Yun-hwan, a professor of preventive medicine and public health at Ajou University School of Medicine, presented his study at a government-hosted discussion, comparing the functional health of senior citizens in 2011 and 2023. He quantified the concept of "healthy aging" using an index he devised based on the physica

March 19, 2025

Military purchased over 3,000 more body bags around Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration

Suspicions grow about purchase, inquiry into 1,000 cardboard coffins made in August The South Korean military placed a substantially larger purchase of body bags than normal around the time when now-suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3, a local media outlet and a lawmaker said, fueling suspicions on whether the military anticipated a large number of potential deaths. MBC reported Tuesday evening that the Army had 4,940 body bags in December of last year, quoting data

March 19, 2025

Police to deploy 14,000 riot officers on day of Yoon's impeachment ruling

Police will deploy about 14,000 riot police officers in Seoul on the day of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment ruling by the Constitutional Court to respond to possible social unrest, police officials said Wednesday. The number represents 60 percent of all available riot control forces to be mobilized nationwide under the police's highest-level security alert, the officials said. The court wrapped up the impeachment trial of Yoon over his Dec. 3 martial law declaration late last month and is

March 19, 2025

Avian influenza antigens found in dead wild mammal for 1st time

Avian influenza antigens found in dead wild mammal for 1st time Avian influenza antigens of the H5 strain have been detected in a dead wild mammal in the first case reported in South Korea, the environment ministry said Tuesday. The bird flu antigens were detected in the body of a wild leopard cat found near a reservoir in the southwestern county of Hwasun, 277 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the ministry. The ministry has notified relevant government agencies and conducted emergency ant

March 18, 2025

S. Korea reports additional FMD case, total at 9

South Korea on Tuesday reported an additional foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) case at a local cattle farm, raising the number of cases this year to nine, officials said. The latest case was found at the farm in the county of Yeongam, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, according to them. The farm is 90 km from a cattle farm where this year's first FMD case broke out last week for the first time in almost two years. Following the first outbreak, the government has raised the crisis level for Yeonga

March 18, 2025

Education Ministry reiterates stance against medical students on leave

The Ministry of Education has reiterated its stance against medical students taking leaves of absence en masse, warning universities that such actions cannot be considered valid reasons for academic leave. In an official notice sent to 40 medical schools nationwide on Tuesday, the ministry stated that it had repeatedly informed universities that leave requests on a large scale "cannot be a justifiable reason for a leave of absence.” The directive comes as the government continues to pressure str

March 18, 2025