Late last month, a homeless foreigner who called himself “Thomas” died of biliary tract cancer in a public hospital in northern Seoul. He was brought to the hospital after experiencing severe pain and constantly shaking his hands. Thomas had claimed that he was an Israeli in his 60s who came to Seoul to run an English education-related business, according to city officials. He had added that he ended up on the streets after the business failed.Upon his death, the Seoul Metropolitan Government fa

A group of doctors Friday recommended foreign residents in South Korea to get vaccinated against five infectious diseases in an effort to better prevent the possible spread of contagious illnesses. The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases encouraged foreigners to receive five vaccines -- Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A, MMR, chicken pox and DTaP, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. This is the first time Korean doctors have released a list of recommended vaccines f

South Korea's foreign ministry on Thursday voiced regret over a report on the Japanese prime minister's upcoming statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, saying that the contents are "not at all" helpful for improving Seoul-Tokyo relations. Earlier on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was delivered a report by a group of experts from Japan on their opinion on what should be included in the premier's statement to be released next week. The report cited acknowl

South Korea's health authorities on Thursday issued a nationwide warning against the spread of encephalitis for the second time this year, advising the public to pay attention to personal hygiene and to get vaccinated if necessary. The virus of Japanese encephalitis, which can cause an acute inflammation of the brain in humans, was found in mosquito samples collected from the southern port city of Busan, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The center cautioned that

The construction of skyscrapers and a new subway line highly attributed to the lake leak that recently took place in the southern capital, Seoul officials said Thursday.  According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, large-scale constructions of Lotte World Tower, Subway Line No. 9 and eight other skyscrapers in Songpa-gu contributed to the decrease in the water level of the Seokchon Lake by over 0.5 meters over just a few years.The city government launched a probe after the lake level dropped

Seoul City confirmed Wednesday its plan to construct a floating aerodrome on the Hangang River despite concerns about the safety of neighboring regions and planes.Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would push for constructing a floating aerodrome next year as part of its efforts to boost tourism and diversify the use of the river. The most likely location will be the southeastern section of the river, either between Seongsu Bridge and Yeongdong Bridge or between Cheongdam Bridge and Jamsil Br

The number of sunstroke patients surged last week, with seven deaths reported so far, as a heat wave continues to grip the peninsula, officials said Tuesday. According to the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 610 people suffered from heatstroke this year, with half of them being diagnosed between July 26 and Aug. 1. It showed a 7.3 percentage point jump compared to the week before. Only one related death was reported a year before. A pedestrian keeps out of the sun with a p

Patent lawsuits will be allowed in English in Korea as part of the top court’s efforts to better support the legal accessibility of foreigners, sources said Monday. According to the Supreme Court, the authorities agreed to establish an “international justice department” under the Patent Court as early as February next year. Under the new system, testimonies and pleas can be made in English, while documents and written evidence in English will be considered valid. The verdicts will also be availa

The scorching heat sweeping across the nation has killed three people over the weekend while temperatures are expected to soar until next week, officials said Sunday. Vacationers enjoy beach time at Jumunjin Beach in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Saturday. YonhapThree women in their 80s were found dead of heatstroke Saturday while working in the farm fields in the central and southern parts of the country. The daytime temperatures of the concerned regions recorded over 33 degrees Celsius. The reg

A small yet powerful typhoon is expected to hit the Korean Peninsula over the weekend amid heavy seasonal rains, the weather agency said Friday. Typhoon Halola is anticipated to reach Jejudo Island on Sunday with a speed of 12 kilometers per hour and move to the east coast, including the southeastern port city of Busan, according to the Korea Meteorological Agency. As of Friday afternoon, the typhoon was moving northwest from 440 kilometers southeast of Okinawa, Japan. “The typhoon is moving mor

In the first hearing held Wednesday for a high-profile graft scandal involving a late business tycoon, former Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo was not present, but his legal representatives there strongly denied his charges of allegedly receiving bribes.Questioned as to whether Lee also denies the fact that he had met the late businessman, however, Lee’s attorneys refused to answer, saying that they would reply in the next hearing. The hearing took place at Seoul Central District Court, over three mon

The number of foreign visitors plummeted by over 40 percent last month due largely to the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak, data showed Tuesday. According to the state-run Korea Tourism Organization, about 760,000 foreign tourists visited the country in June, down by 41 percent on-year. By nationality, the number Chinese dropped by 45 percent to some 310,000 and Japanese by 41.5 percent to about 100,000. China and Japan make up the largest share of visitors.  About 30,000 Philippine and

A local bank in southern Seoul was robbed by a man who threatened customers and workers there with “a gun-like object,” police said Monday. A man, who is assumed to be in his 30s, robbed about 24 million won ($21,000) from a branch of the Korean Federation of Community Credit Cooperatives in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, at around noon, the authorities said.　The suspect, covering his face with a helmet, took a male customer hostage and threatened a teller to hand him money. He then put the money in

A spy agency official who was recently found dead had denied allegations that the state-run intelligence agency surveilled civilians through a hacking program, in a death note posthumously released by the police Sunday. The National Intelligence Service agent surnamed Lim, 45, was found dead Saturday in his car on a mountain road in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. He died of asphyxiation, according to officials in their autopsy report, concluding that he had killed himself. A three-page handwritten w

Over 60 people were indicted in the government’s all-out probe into corruption of arms procurement projects since last year, investigators said Wednesday. The government’s special joint investigation team said 63 officials, including 38 former and incumbent military officers, would face trials over allegations of fabricating documents or taking kickbacks while they were handling defense projects. The scale of the corruption was nearly 1 trillion won ($870 million), they said. The announcement ca

The number of foreign residents on Jejudo Island has been surging by over 20 percent annually in recent years, data showed Tuesday.According to the Jeju Provincial Government, more than 19,000 foreigners lived on the island as of January, jumping by 28 percent on-year. The figure accounts for 3.3 percent of the total regional population. The foreign population has been on the rise since 2009 with an average growth rate of 21.9 percent. By nationality, Chinese made up the largest share with 47.6

A Seoul lower court Tuesday fined a woman for harassing her female subordinate in a rare ruling here acknowledging same-sex sexual harassment. The Seoul Central District Court ruled that a woman, whose information was withheld, should pay 5 million won ($4,400) to her former junior female staffer as she breached the human dignity of the victim by making sexual jokes. The defendant was accused of sexually harassing the employee by asking “What did you do last night with a guy?” after seeing an at

One year since the sit-in Sewol demonstration began in central Seoul, controversy persists over the bereaved families’ stay-in protest, while no progress has been made on the special investigation into the ferry sinking that claimed the lives of more than 300 in April last year. Pedestrians pass by the renewed Sewol protest site in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Sunday. YonhapFamily members of the victims have been staging a tent protest in Gwanghwamun Square since the father of teenage vi

Medical doctors Friday expressed their frustrations to family members of the Middle East respiratory syndrome victims who have been filing a string of lawsuits, saying that they did their best to contain the virus.At a parliamentary committee meeting on MERS, directors of the virus-hit hospitals testified that they also felt disappointed over the growing public criticism questioning their MERS containment efforts.“To be honest, I feel devastated,” said Park Chang-il, the director of Konyang Univ

Seoul City vowed Thursday to put its utmost efforts into revitalizing the tourism industry that was hit by the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would inject over 23 billion won ($20 million) to boost the tourism industry until this fall, with a particular goal of attracting Chinese visitors, who account for the majority of Korea’s tourists.Under the slogan of “Now is the time, Visit Seoul,” the city will arrange various tourist events here unti