Two Chinese nationals were caught taking photographs near a US military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday, just two days after being questioned and released for the same activity, officials said. On Monday, the pair had been stopped for photographing military facilities and aircraft near Osan Air Base. At the time, police had said there was no evidence of “anti-state activity” and released them without charges. The same decision was made when the duo were caught taking photogra

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a 16-year prison sentence for a doctor who illegally prescribed drugs and sexually assaulted multiple women while they were under anesthesia. The court confirmed a lower court’s ruling that sentenced the doctor, surnamed Yeom, to 16 years in prison and a 5 million won ($3,500) fine for violating the Narcotics Control Act and committing rape by intoxication. Yeom’s illegal prescription of narcotics came to light during an investigation into an August 2023 car a

Two Chinese nationals were caught filming near a US military facility in Pyeongtaek on Monday, a month after two other Chinese citizens were found photographing aircraft near an air base in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The security investigation division of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said it booked the two without detention on suspicion of violating the Military Facility Protection Act. The suspects took unauthorized photographs near Osan Air Base, also known as K-55, around 9 a.m.

Visitors enjoy spring among blooming rape blossoms in a garden at resort Shinwha World on Jeju Island on Saturday. Across the country, spring flower festivals are in full swing, offering a brief but vibrant taste of the season. With spring growing shorter each year, people are flocking to parks and mountains to soak it in before the sudden heat sets in.

TAEBAEK, Gangwon Province -- Kim Kyung-rae, a 60-year-old taxi driver in Taebaek, rarely picks up young passengers. Most of his customers are elderly. But it wasn’t always like this. In the 1970s and 1980s, young, eager job seekers flocked to Taebaek, then a bustling coal-mining town. People would joke that even dog carried 10,000-won ($7) bills, so prosperous was the town. For many, Taebaek was a second hometown. “Now, the city has lost its life,” Kim said. “We used to have 120,000 people back

A salt farm owner in Sinan-gun, South Jeolla Province, who was convicted of assaulting a worker and withholding 60 million won (approximately $42,200) in wages, is currently serving as a member of the county council, according to local reports Thursday. The individual in question was involved in a notorious forced labor case that drew national outrage in 2014, known locally as the “Sinan salt farm slavery” case. At the time, police rescued two men with disabilities who had been confined, beaten

A 31-year-old man previously convicted of orchestrating graffiti at Gyeongbokgung, the iconic Joseon-era (1392-1910) royal palace in Seoul, has been sentenced to an additional year in prison for laundering criminal proceeds, according to local media outlets. Previously, the man, identified by the surname Kang, was sentenced to seven years in prison in December for inciting two high school students he met via Telegram to deface the historic sites with graffiti promoting an illegal video-sharing w

Children living without parents in welfare residential facilities in Korea met their very own mascot, a whale named HaNeul, for the first time during a special event held Saturday, at the Seodaemun Natural History Museum in Seoul, organizer Open Arms said Monday. The local nonprofit organization said the mascot was designed by Jin Kim, the renowned Disney animator behind iconic characters such as Olaf from the 2013 film "Frozen" and Moana from 2016's "Moana." Kim collaborated with Open Arms, for

As the weather warms, Seoul's high-rise buildings are getting a spring cleaning, which means it is a peak season for one of the most dangerous jobs in the country: high-altitude window cleaners. Suspended by ropes, these workers dangle from the tops of tall buildings to clean their windows and facades, creating a perilous sight for onlookers. However, such high-altitude window cleaning has become a familiar scene in the city where high-rise buildings and apartment complexes dominate the skyline.

Tension likely to ease with Yoon’s fate determined, but political groups to remain on edge as early presidential election In a dramatic and polarizing moment in Korea's democracy, President Yoon Suk-yeol was officially dismissed from office Friday, just eight years after former President Park Geun-hye was ousted in 2017. Political observers expect street-level confrontations over the impeachment to ease as attentions turn to the early presidential election due in just two months. But they warned

Police in North Gyeongsang Province booked a 56-year-old man Sunday without detention on suspicion of starting a wildfire that killed 26 people. The man allegedly ignited the fire at around 11:24 a.m. on March 22 while tending to his grandparents’ graves on a mountain in Uiseong-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. Authorities secured the scene Saturday, and plan to conduct a joint investigation this week alongside the National Institute of Forest Science, the National Forensic Service and local fire

More than one-third of Korean wage workers over the age of 55 earn a monthly income lower than that of a full-time employee on minimum wage, a report showed Sunday. The report, released by the state-funded Korea Labor Institute, analyzed the employment conditions of low-income senior workers, including their job status and paths to employment. The minimum wage in 2025 is set at 10,030 won ($6.83) per hour, which for a full-time worker, translates to a monthly income of 2,096,270 won. In 2023, ab

Four people died early Thursday in a car crash on an expressway in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, authorities said Thursday. All of the victims are believed to be foreign nationals, with at least one identified as being from Kazakhstan. The accident occurred around 12:50 a.m. Thursday when a Mercedes-Benz slammed into the guardrail on a straight section of Seohaean Expressway and fell several meters down an embankment before catching fire. Four bodies were recovered from inside the vehicle. Accord

Eight out of 10 individuals who applied for personal bankruptcy in Seoul last year were over the age of 50, with nearly 70 percent living alone. Six in 10 applicants were men, data showed Wednesday. The findings come from a report titled "2024 Status of Bankruptcy Discharge Support," released by the Seoul Welfare Foundation’s Financial Welfare Counseling Center. It analyzed 1,314 personal bankruptcy applications, representing 15 percent of the total 8,728 bankruptcy applications filed with the S

South Korea is expected to see long-awaited rainfall on Thursday amid ongoing efforts to contain wildfires ravaging the country’s southeastern regions. However, the expected precipitation in the fire-stricken areas is forecast to be too little to effectively suppress the blazes. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Wednesday, rain will begin on the southern coasts of South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces Wednesday night and spread nationwide through Thursday. However, Ui