Evicted guest burns down inn; 3 killed

Police said Sunday they will request an arrest warrant for a 48-year-old man accused of starting a fire at an inn after he had recently been kicked out, an incident that has left three guests dead. The suspect is believed to have set fire to the three-story building in Sangdang-gu of Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, at 1:46 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Sangdang Police Station. A long-term guest at the establishment, he was evicted a day earlier by the innkeeper when he failed to pay h

Sept. 22, 2024

1 in 5 households to have breadwinner over 80 in 30 years

While South Korea is on track to become a "super-aged society" by 2025, with over 20 percent of the population aged 65 years or older, one in five households in South Korea will have a breadwinner aged 80 or older, recent data showed. Future household projections for the period of 2022 to 2052 by Statistics Korea revealed Sunday that the number of households with a primary caregiver aged 80 or older is expected to increase from 1.194 million in 2022 to 4.876 million in 2052, markin

Sept. 22, 2024

Doctors defend colleague accused of blacklisting non-strikers

Several doctors in the ongoing medical strike against government reform defended a trainee doctor who is currently under criminal investigation for making and distributing a blacklist of physicians not participating in the prolonged walkout. Lim Hyun-taek, president of the Korea Medical Association, said called Jeong "a victim" of the government. "Both the doctor who has been arrested and put behind bars, and everyone who was harmed after being on the list, are victims of the go

Sept. 22, 2024

Torrential rainfall forces 1,500 to evacuate, causes widespread damage to homes, roads

Over three days of relentless downpours, 1,500 people across the nation were forced to evacuate as heavy rains wreaked havoc on homes, roads and infrastructure. Heavy rain from Thursday afternoon to Saturday began from Jeju Island and along the southern coast, before spreading across the nation. Along the southern and western coasts, heavy rain fell at a rate of about 100 millimeters per hour, while southern regions and the North and South Chungcheong provinces experienced 50-80 millimeters pe

Sept. 22, 2024

40% of Korea's workers who reported bullying faced retaliation: survey

Some 40 percent of South Korean workers who reported workplace bullying said they faced retaliation from their superiors afterward, a survey by a local civic group showed Wednesday. Workplace Gabjil 119, an organization that assists victims of workplace abuse, surveyed 1,000 workers across the country in the second quarter of this year about bullying at the workplace. Of the 305 respondents who said they had been bullied, only 12.1 percent said they had reported the case to the company or labo

Sept. 21, 2024

Over 82,000 Korean young people unemployed, not searching for job long-term

Nearly a quarter million South Korean young people have been unemployed for at least three years, recent government data showed Thursday, with over 80,000 saying they were neither looking for work nor receiving education related to their career during the period. According to Statistics Korea, 238,112 people aged 15-29 were found not to be working at least three years after graduating from their most recent educational institution, as of May this year. Of those, 82,545 said they weren't d

Sept. 21, 2024

600 evacuated as heavy rain floods roads, homes in southern regions

Heavy overnight rains across South Korea triggered landslides and flooding, forcing the evacuation of more than 600 people in southern regions and submerging roads and buildings Saturday. No casualties have been reported so far, according to authorities. Heavy rain warnings were in effect across the southern Gyeongsang region and parts of Gangwon, Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces as of Saturday morning, with more rainfall expected through Sunday, according to the Korea Meteorological Adminis

Sept. 21, 2024

Presidential security official accused of extorting funds in 2022 office relocation

A presidential security official who was recently arrested on charges of illegally taking personal profits when handling the 2022 presidential office relocation project, was found to have extorted a large sum of money from a construction broker to funnel the relocation budget, reports said Friday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, which last week arrested the official, identified by his surname Jeong, found that the suspect threatened and extorted a total of 176 million won ($132,15

Sept. 20, 2024

Heavy rain, strong winds to lash Korea this weekend

Heavy rain, with strong winds of up to 25 meters per second, is expected over the weekend when Typhoon Pulasan passes near South Korea’s southern region on Saturday evening, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Friday. The state weather agency warned that heavy rain will be concentrated in the Greater Seoul area of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, the eastern coast of Gangwon Province, and Jeju Island, with some areas expected to receive up to 300 mm of rainfall by

Sept. 20, 2024

Police bust Vietnam-based phishing ring in W10b scam

Police have busted a Vietnam-based scam ring suspected of stealing more than 10 billion won ($7.5 million) through phishing schemes involving fake mobile wedding invitations and delivery notifications, officials said Friday. Last week, Korean and Vietnamese authorities apprehended seven individuals, six of whom -- including the leader -- have been extradited to Korea. The criminal ring is accused of stealing around 10 billion won, the largest amount recorded in such phishing scams, from 230 vict

Sept. 20, 2024

Popular AfreecaTV streamer arrested on drug charges

A popular AfreecaTV streamer, identified only by the surname Park, has been arrested and handed over to prosecutors on drug abuse charges, according to police Friday. The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul said Park's case was transferred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday morning on charges of using illegal drugs. The court issued an arrest warrant, citing the possibility Park might flee. Park, 35, is accused of consuming drugs, including ketamine, on several oc

Sept. 20, 2024

US military personnel booked for beating taxi driver over fare dispute

A US soldier has been booked for assaulting a taxi driver in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, local media reported Thursday. The US soldier -- a man in his 20s -- is being investigated for causing injuries to the driver while they were arguing about the taxi fare on Sept. 1, Dongducheon Police Station told local media Thursday. The soldier was charged 77,000 won ($58) for traveling from Seoul's Hongdae neighborhood to the city at around 8 a.m. He attacked the driver in his 70s on a sidewalk,

Sept. 20, 2024

Formation of four-way consultative body to discuss quota hike faces tough road

Eyes are on whether the much-anticipated four-way consultative body comprising the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, opposition parties and the medical circle will convene as the health care standoff continues following the Chuseok holiday. Amid the medical stalemate, Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during Friday's government response meeting that the door to talks is open. He stressed that the government is "ready to engage in discussions with an open mind" if the medic

Sept. 20, 2024

3 suspects apprehended for selling celebrity deepfake porn: police

Three suspects are accused of selling sexually explicit deepfake images and videos of over 20 South Korean celebrities, including minors, through Telegram, according to Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency on Friday. Police officials announced two suspects were arrested and one was apprehended without arrest Thursday in violation of the Juvenile Protection Act and the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. The police said the three suspects were in their 20s and were

Sept. 20, 2024

Car crashes into restaurant; 1 dead, 5 injured

One person died and five others were injured after a car sped into a restaurant in eastern Seoul. The vehicle, driven by a 70-something driver, sped into the restaurant on the first floor of a building in Mia-dong, Gangbuk-gu, at 10:32 a.m. Friday. The car reportedly ran over a metal fence near a bus station and hit a tree on a sidewalk before crashing into the restaurant and coming to a stop. A pedestrian was found in cardiac arrest at the scene and moved to a hospital but was later pronounced

Sept. 20, 2024

Busan police scrap 281 blades amid full-on sword inspection

A monthlong inspection, prompted by a murder by a sword-wielding man two months ago in Seoul, has led to the scrapping of over 280 swords in Busan. According to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, a review was completed of 85 percent, or 2,979, of the 3,482 swords registered for individual possession in Busan as of earlier this month. Of the inspected swords, permits for 549 items were revoked. Among these, 281 swords were retrieved and disposed of due to abandonment of ownership and

Sept. 20, 2024

Nearly half of Koreans working abroad opt to return home: report

Nearly half of South Koreans who secured employment abroad through government programs have chosen to return home, with low job security and insufficient wages cited as the top two factors for their dissatisfaction. Of the 6,715 Koreans who secured overseas jobs with government assistance between 2018 and 2023, 46.6 percent -- totaling 3,129 individuals -- have since returned to South Korea, according to data released Friday by Representative Kang Deuk-gu of the Democratic Party of Korea, based

Sept. 20, 2024

Woman collecting cardboard killed in traffic accident

An elderly recycling collector was killed in a car accident in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday. According to the police, the victim – a woman in her 60s – was hit by a vehicle while she was pulling a cart of cardboard along the road at about 4:55 a.m. Paramedics took the victim to the hospital, but she did not survive. The driver – a man in his 70s – has been booked for manslaughter. The driver tested negative for alcohol, and the police plan to investigate the incid

Sept. 20, 2024

3.9 magnitude earthquake hits northwestern N. Korea: KMA

A 3.9 magnitude earthquake struck North Korea's northwestern province bordering China on Thursday, which is believed to be a natural one, the South Korean weather agency said. The quake struck an area 7 kilometers northeast-east of Ryongrim in Jagang Province, at 7:41 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The epicenter was at a latitude of 40.54 degrees north and a longitude of 126.75 degrees east, the KMA said. The quake is believed to have occurred naturally, it adde

Sept. 19, 2024

Number of ER patients drops 32% during Chuseok holiday

The number of patients who visited hospital emergency rooms dropped 32 percent during the Chuseok holiday, the health ministry said Thursday, assessing that there were no major disruptions in emergency care. A prolonged walkout by trainee doctors had fueled concerns about potential disruptions at hospital emergency rooms during the holiday, prompting the government to ask patients with mild illnesses to visit community hospitals. The average number of patients who visited emergency rooms stood a

Sept. 19, 2024