Smoking accounted for more than 80 percent of in-flight illegal acts reported by South Korea's 10 carriers in the past five years, government data showed Tuesday. In the five years through July this year, 1,509, or 80.8 percent, out of 1,868 illegal acts were related to smoking onboard, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Under South Korean law, a fine of up to 10 million won ($7,500) will be imposed once in-flight smoking, including e-cigarettes, is f

Nearly half of all fatal hit-and-run accidents in the past five years were caused by drunk or unlicensed drivers, National Police Agency data showed Tuesday. Out of 420 hit-and-run deaths from 2019-2023, 50.2 percent, or 211 people, were hit by drivers who were driving without a license or under the influence of alcohol, according to data submitted to Rep. Jo Eun-hui of the ruling People Power Party. During the same period, 30.5 percent of the 49,562 people injured from hit-and-run cases involve

A 35-ton fishing vessel capsized off the coast near Gunsan, a southwestern port city in North Jeolla Province, resulting in the deaths of three people onboard, the Korea Coast Guard said Monday. The Coast Guard successfully rescued all eight people from the capsized vessel. However, three of them -- the Korean captain, the Korean chief engineer and an Indonesian sailor -- were transferred to hospitals but later pronounced dead. The remaining five survivors, which include three Vietnamese and two

The approval rating for President Yoon Suk Yeol has dropped to its lowest level since he took office in May 2022, a poll showed Monday. The survey, conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by a local news outlet, showed Yoon's positive rating at 27 percent, down by 2.9 percentage points from the previous week. The previous record low was 29.3 percent in the first week of August 2022. It marked the third consecutive week that Yoon's approval rating has fallen below 30 percent. The survey attribute

North Korea will hold a key parliamentary meeting next month to mainly amend the country's constitution, state media reported Monday, after its leader Kim Jong-un called for the constitutional revision to define South Korea as its primary foe. The 11th Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly will be convened in Pyongyang on Oct. 7, according to the Korean Central News Agency. In an SPA meeting in January, the North's leader called for revising the constitution to define Sout

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday visited police and fire stations to encourage police officers and firefighters who are working for public safety during the Chuseok fall harvest holiday, his office said. Yoon visited Gwanak Police Station and Gangseo Fire Station in Seoul, where he was briefed on the situation on officers on duty during the holiday and expressed his thanks for their hard work, according to presidential spokesperson Jeong Hye-jeon. Yoon said since he took office, he has stressed

The conversation was one of the most jarring moments since her wedding in 2020, recalled Seong, a 35-year-old office worker, who said her exchange last week with her husband, five years older, left her perplexed at first, then indignant as she slowly digested what her husband had alluded to. “He said we should call his parents and ask for their understanding because we would not be staying at their home on Chuseok day, Tuesday, even though we’d be there from Saturday to Monday,&rdquo

North Korea on Sunday launched balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea for the second straight day, the South's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the latest launches, noting the balloons could travel toward the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, and the broader capital area. The launch came after the North flew around 50 trash-carrying balloons toward the South from Saturday night to early Sunday, with about 10 trash bundles landing

North Korea sent more balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea on Saturday, the South's military said, just three days after it floated similar balloons southward. In a message sent to reporters at 10:26 p.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the North's balloons could travel to Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul, warning the public of falling objects and asking people to report balloons to the military or police. On Wednesday, North Korea sent around 20 balloons likely carrying

The Embassy of Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions with the immersive exhibition, “Digital Dilemmas – Civilians a+ Heart,” at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. The Geneva Conventions, a set of international humanitarian laws that were concluded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1949, established international legal standards for humanitarian treatment during war. The set of intern

More South Korean students are experiencing sleep deprivation, fatigue and suicidal thoughts as they spend more time on the internet, a new study showed, fanning concerns about youth mental health. The findings come despite the government’s five-year health promotion plan for students, which started in 2019 and appears to have fallen short of its objectives aimed at promoting mental health among students. A recent report released by the National Assembly Research Service shows that the per

President Yoon Suk Yeol said Sunday that addressing the issue of family members separated by the 1950-53 Korean War is "the most pressing task." Yoon made the remark in a speech read on his behalf by Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho at a ceremony marking the second Separated Families Day. "The issue of separated families is the most pressing task we must resolve," Yoon said, noting that around 3,000 of the 130,000 applicants for government-arranged reunions die every year wit

A heat wave watch was issued for all parts of Seoul on Sunday, the first time it was issued this late in the year, according to the weather authorities. A heat wave watch is issued when the highest sensible temperature is expected to reach 33 C or higher for two or more consecutive days or when major damage is anticipated from the heat. Other parts of the country, meanwhile, including Gongju and Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province, and Yongin and Anseong in Gyeonggi Province, were issued he

Nearly 2,000 separated family members in South Korea died in the first eight months of this year without having an opportunity to reunite with their loved ones in North Korea after being separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, government data showed Sunday. A total of 1,961 applicants for government-arranged reunions for separated families died in the January-August period, raising the total number of such people to 96,352, according to the data from the unification ministry. As of end-August, arou

Homebound traffic on expressways is expected to be heaviest Sunday, the second day of the extended Chuseok holiday, according to the expressway operator. As of 9 a.m., travel time from Seoul to the southeastern city of Busan is estimated at 7 hours and 30 minutes, 7 hours to the southeastern city of Ulsan, 6 hours and 40 minutes to the southwestern city of Mokpo, and 6 hours and 30 minutes to the southeastern city of Daegu, according to the Korea Expressway Corp. Travel times to Seoul are estima

Hospital and pharmacy fees from Saturday to Wednesday will cost patients 30 to 50 percent more, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday. The extra cost is mostly due to the existing system of adding 30 to 50 percent more for medical services received during Saturdays, night times and holidays. But the ministry will also allow additional surcharges for the smaller hospitals, clinics, oriental and dental hospitals and pharmacies that stay open during the Chuseok holidays. Specifically,

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to deepen ties with Russia as he held talks with visiting security chief Sergei Shoigu, state media reported Saturday. Western powers have accused cash-strapped North Korea of selling ammunition to Russia in defiance of sanctions over the more than 30-month war in Ukraine. North Korea has recently bolstered military ties with Russia, with President Vladimir Putin making a rare visit to Pyongyang in June, where he signed a mutual defence agreement with Kim.

Traffic was backing up heavily on many expressways across the country Saturday and is expected to ease at around 8 p.m., on the first day of the Chuseok holiday. Chuseok, which falls on Tuesday this year, is the Korean autumn harvest celebration during which people head to their hometowns to get together with family members and relatives and visit their ancestors' graves. The Chuseok break runs for five days from Saturday to Wednesday. According to the Korea Expressway Corp., major highways

The beleaguered national governing body of badminton has pushed back against the embezzlement allegations recently raised by the sports ministry, threatening to take legal action in response. The Badminton Korea Association released a statement late Friday, three days after the ministry of culture, sports and tourism announced interim results of its probe into the badminton body's administration. The ministry launched the investigation last month after An Se-young, the women's single

The number of emergency patient transports to hospitals that took more than an hour increased by 22 percent this year compared with the previous year, a National Fire Agency report showed Saturday, amid the protracted doctor walkout. According to the report submitted to Rep. Chai Hyun-il of the main opposition Democratic Party, the number of such cases from March to August came to 13,940 this year, up 22 percent from 11,426 cases tallied during the same period last year. In Seoul, 1,166 cases