Prosecutors investigating the case of the repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in November 2019 raided the Presidential Archives on Friday. The prosecution is investigating allegations that the Moon Jae-in government ordered the early termination of an investigation into two North Korean fishermen and forcibly returned them to North Korea despite their intention to defect. At the time, the government said the two had murdered 16 people and attempted to enter the South to avoid prosecuti

The Ministry of Security and Public Administration’s newly launched police bureau is facing further controversy, as allegations mount that its first chief, Kim Sun-ho, began his career by informing on his former labor activist colleagues. Kim attended a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee on Thursday and denied allegations of having been a spy, claiming the reason he had quit working for a labor activist group in his 20s was becaus

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, slammed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his “audacious initiative,” saying the road map he has offered is the “height of foolishness.” The “audacious initiative” refers to plans for engaging North Korea and providing aid in return for steps toward denuclearization, as revealed by Yoon in his Liberation Day speech on Monday. Through a statement released via the North’s official Korean

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it was considering converting Jamsu Bridge on the Han river into a pedestrian-only route. As part of the plan, the government plans to run a pilot program, restricting traffic on the bridge from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. every Sunday from Aug. 28 to Oct. 30. Also from noon to 9 p.m. on the day of traffic control, events such as street performances and outdoor movie screenings will be held on the bridge. Events and traffic control will not tak

Prosecutors on Wednesday searched the Korea Coast Guard in the expanding probe into allegations surrounding the 2020 killing of a South Korean civil servant by North Korean soldiers. 　 Officials from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors‘ Office searched the Coast Guard building in Incheon, and secured related documents from the Coast Guard’s security department, which first investigated the case. Electronic documents and messenger data from other departments has been also secured.

Police are reviewing strengthening support measures for stalking cases, including increasing the supply of smartwatches and directing greater manpower. According to the National Police Agency on Tuesday, 14,271 cases of stalking incidents were reported to the police from January through June this year. The figure is about 4.1 times higher than the 3,494 reports received during the same period last year. Illegal filming reports also increased to 3,240, a spike of over 50 percent from 2,140 case

South Korean prosecutors searched the houses of Park Jie-won, Suh Hoon and Suh Wook in an investigation into allegations surrounding the death of a South Korean civil servant. 　Park served as the head of the National Intelligence Service, Suh Wook was the defense minister, and Suh Hoon was the head of the presidential National Security Council at the time of the civil servant’s death in 2020. The civil servant, 47-year old Lee Dae-jun, was killed by North Korean soldiers on Sept. 22, 202

North Korea used Liberation Day, the day that marks liberation from Japan’s occupation, to highlight the importance of loyalty to the ruling Kim family. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s state-run newspaper, wrote in an editorial published Monday, “All of the people and the soldiers of the People‘s Army should be true revolutionaries who accept the ideas and leadership of Kim Jong-un as their actions in any adversity.” Describing the independence fighters who resi

The section of the Olympic-daero between Gayang Bridge and Dongjak Bridge has been closed off from Thursday 3 p.m. due to heavy rain. The outflow of the Paldang Dam increased due to torrential rains in Seoul and the upper regions of the Han River, and the water level of the Han River rose, said the official from the Seoul city government and requested nearby vehicles to make a detour. The same section was also closed off once on Tuesday night.

Rep. Kim Sung-won of ruling People Power Party is facing criticism over his remarks wishing for rain at a flood recovery volunteer work site. “I hope it rains for nicer photos,” Kim was caught saying by a television camera, at a recovery site in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Kim was taking part in volunteer work along with the party’s lawmakers including interim committee chair Rep. Joo Ho-young and floor leader Rep. Kweon Seong-dong. Kim made the comment while waiting to help with th

　Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on Wednesday blamed South Korea for the COVID-19 outbreak in the North, and threatened the “extermination” of South Korean authorities. 　According to the North’s Korean Central News Agency, Kim Yo-jong blamed “unusual objects” of South Korean origin -- anti-North Korea leaflets sent from the South -- for COVID-19 outbreaks in North Korea at a disease control meeting presided over by her brother. 　&ldqu

The authority has elevated landslide warnings for North Jeolla Province and North Gyeongsang Province as of 11 a.m. Thursday as rain cloud move south. In Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Sejong, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, North Chungcheong and South Chungcheong Province, a lower alert level will be maintained. According to the Korea Forest Service, torrential rains of up to 200 mm are expected in Chungcheong Province, North Jeolla Province, and North Gyeongsang Province between Wednesday an

The search for those missing following Monday’s record-breaking downpour in Seoul and its surrounding areas continues, with eight people still unaccounted for as of 6 a.m. Thursday. Eleven have been confirmed dead, and hundreds remain displaced. Three of the eight missing were lost in Seoul’s Seocho-gu district, including a woman who is reported to have been swept into a manhole. She was swept away with her brother, who was found dead around 3 p.m. Wednesday. They w

A video of a person swimming on flooded roads spread online, drawing fire from internet users as heaviest downpour in 80 years struck throughout Seoul metropolitan region.　 A video titled “Sillim-dong Phelps” -- the title alludes to the US swimming great Michael Phelps -- was posted on online Monday. The six-second-long video showed a person wearing a red swimsuit, purple swimming cap and flippers on a flooded road in Sillim-dong, Seoul. Netizens pointed out that there was a risk o

More than 1,000 vehicles sustained water damage due to the heavy rains that hit Seoul and surrounding regions late Monday and early Tuesday. According to the insurance industry’s figures, more than 1,000 cases of vehicle flooding have been reported as of Tuesday morning. Some larger insurers, including Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and DB Insurance received hundreds of reports, with damages amounting to several billion won, or millions of dollars. 　 Small insurance companies are

A civic group on Thursday denounced the Japanese government over a pension payment of less than $1 to victims of forced labor during Japan’s occupation of the Korean Peninsula. According to the Japanese Forced Mobilization Civic Group, a number of victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial era received 931 won ($0.74), from the Japanese government as pension. The victims and civic group deplored the payment, saying it is “a malicious ridicule and an insult.” The gro

An independent counsel probe led by prosecutor Ahn Mi-young has requested an extension of the investigation period for the death of the late Sgt. Lee Ye-ram, a victim of sexual violence in the Air Force. 　 　The team said it asked the president‘s office to extend the investigation period on Thursday. 　 　The independent counsel probes are limited to 70 days, but the investigation can be extended by up to 30 days with the approval of the president. 　 　The team launched an investigation on Jun

The number of critical COVID-19 cases rose above the 300 mark for the first time in over two months, while daily cases stayed above 100,000 for the third consecutive day, fueling concerns of another surge following the summer vacation season. 　In the 24 hours ending midnight Wednesday, the country recorded 107,894 new COVID-19 infections, pushing the cumulative figure over 20 million, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. 　The number of seriously ill patients increased by 26 f

Kookmin University is facing backlash from alumni, current students and the main opposition party over its decision regarding first lady Kim Keon-hee’s papers. Kookmin University, where Kim attended her Ph.D. program, announced after eight months of investigation on Monday that among Kim’s four controversial papers, doctoral dissertation and two articles published in academic journals had no sign of plagiarism, saying “they do not correspond to plagiarism or cheating to the ex

A new police bureau under the Interior Ministry was finally launched on Tuesday amid fierce opposition from police officers, represented by the National Police Commission. The NPC expressed regret and warned of legal action against the ministry for not going through the deliberation and resolution process. Senior Superintendent-General Kim Sun-ho, the head of the National Security Investigation Bureau under the National Office of Investigation at the National Police Agency, became the chief of