North Korea said Monday that the submarine-launched ballistic missile South Korea test-fired last week was primitive and not a threat. Pyongyang is seen as trying to discredit Seoul’s missile capabilities because South Korea is the first non-nuclear state to have tested an SLBM. Previously, SLBMs had been developed by only six countries: China, France, India, Russia, the UK and the US. “South Korea’s SLBM will not be effective in war. No strategic or tactical value there,&rdq

A 2.2 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern South Korea early Monday, but no damage was reported, the weather agency said. The quake hit some 20 kilometers northeast of Boseong County in South Jeolla Province, some 395 kilometers from Seoul, at 6:58 a.m. from a depth of 8 km, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). The epicenter was located at a latitude of 34.88 degrees north and a longitude of 127.25 degrees east. The maximum seismic intensity scale was 3, which means

“Songpyeon” are traditional Korean rice cakes that are usually made at home and eaten with family before Chuseok. The Namdo Local Food Museum in Gwangju hosted a songpyeon-making experience Sept. 14 for the upcoming Chuseok holiday. Children from a day care center within Gwangju’s Buk-gu Office participated along with their teachers. 

President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook sent out regional specialties as Chuseok gifts for about 15,000 people, including front-line health care workers fighting COVID-19, according to Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday. The presidential couple favors locally produced foods when giving official gifts for major holidays. This year’s gift boxes consisted of rice from Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province; Yanggu, Gangwon Province; Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province; Yesan, South Chungcheong Provi

Korea Meteorological Administration releases new seasonal observation data from 1991 to 2020

The son of lawmaker Rep. Chang Je-won was booked by police for refusing a field sobriety test after a car accident occurred in southern Seoul on Saturday. Chang Yong-jun, 21, was involved in a car crash at around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. According to police, the son of the three-term conservative lawmaker headbutt a police officer who requested Chang take a field test to see if he was driving under the influence. The car crash reportedly caused no injuries. Chang, who is a rapper that performs un

K-pop sensation BTS flew to New York on Saturday to attend a United Nations event as a special presidential envoy. The chart-topping group is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony for the Sustainable Development Goals Moment of the Decade of Action event in New York on Monday (US local time), along with President Moon Jae-in. The president appointed the seven-member group as a "special presidential envoy for future generations and culture" Tuesday. BTS will give a speech in New Yo

South Korea's daily coronavirus cases fell below 2,000 on Sunday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but concerns linger over a spike in transmissions after the Chuseok holiday, when millions of people usually travel across the country to meet relatives. The country reported an additional 1,910 COVID-19 cases, including 1,871 local infections, raising the total caseload to 285,931, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The country added 10 more deaths from COVID-19, r

South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in New York on Sunday to attend an annual session of the United Nations General Assembly. He plans to deliver a keynote speech on Korean peace and Seoul's role in resolving global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis, according to his office. His five-day visit to the US, which will also take him to Hawaii for an alliance event, comes as Korean people celebrate Chuseok, one of their biggest and most important traditional hol

A hit Netflix series exploring the culture of abuse among South Korea’s enlisted soldiers is fueling calls for the military to get tougher on rights violations, just as a military task force in charge of reform is set to wrap up its work. “D.P.,” short for Deserter Pursuit, aired Aug. 27 and is one of the top shows in Korea. It looks at the country’s mandatory conscription system, and physical and mental abuse in the military take center stage. Most of this abuse takes

Many sections of major highways in South Korea remained congested with heavy traffic Saturday morning as millions of people headed to their hometowns to celebrate the Chuseok holiday with their families. According to the Korea Expressway Corp (KEC), cars moved at a slow pace in some sections of the major highway linking Seoul to the country's second-largest southern port city of Busan as of 8:10 a.m. Traffic congestion was also spotted on the western highway along the country's western coast