Most regions across the country plan to raise public utility charges in the new year, including public transportation fares, water and sewage rates, and prices of standard garbage bags. According to the public utility charge plan of South Korea's 17 provinces and metropolitan cities, most regions have already decided to or are considering raising fares for public transportation such as taxis, subways and buses. Seoul announced last week it would raise the basic fare for taxis from 3,800 won

All five victims who died in a fire in a soundproof tunnel on a highway in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday, were identified Saturday. “The identity of the five victims has been confirmed through DNA tests by the National Forensic Service,” the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Saturday. The forensic service confirmed that, of the five victims, three were women and two were men. Three were in their 60s, while the others were in their 20s and 30s, respectively. Two wom

The first sunrise of 2023 is expected to be seen at 7:26 a.m. from Dokdo, the easternmost part of Korea, with a forecast of clear skies, according to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute on Thursday. The last sunset of 2022 will begin at 5:05 p.m, it said. Clear skies are expected for the last day of 2022 and the first day of 2023, making for spectacular sunset and sunrise views, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. Until Jan. 3 of the new year, the country will generally h

The Busan Metropolitan City Government on Wednesday installed a "Climate Clock" at the south gate of Busan Citizens Park in Busanjin-gu, as part of the port city's efforts to raise awareness on environmental protection. Climate Clock is the name of a New York-based climate action group and also the name of the group's project involving scientists, artists and climate activists from around the world that aims to spread awareness on the seriousness of the global climate crisis.

A Chinese national was sentenced by the Daegu District Court on Tuesday to six months in prison and two years of probation for illegally using a Korean citizen's resident registration number to get health insurance coverage for medical services. From 2012 to May 2022, the female Chinese national received medical treatment using a Korean citizen's resident registration number. According to the police investigation, the Chinese national received about 9.5 million won ($7,500) worth of be

Facing a series of prosecutorial investigations, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung said Monday he would comply with the prosecution's summon over an investigation into alleged bribery, but not on Wednesday as prosecutors originally requested. "I don't understand the prosecution's behavior, but will confidently deal with (the case)," he told reporters at the National Assembly. "As you know, the case has already been cleared," he

Indoor masking will be phased out gradually, Korean public health authorities said Friday, with the mask mandate to be downgraded to a recommendation as long as certain conditions are met. The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters did not specify when the phase-out would be implemented or any timeline for the measures. In the first stage of the phase-out, indoor masks will be encouraged to be worn voluntarily. The mask mandate will remain intact on public transportation and at

Heavy snow has fallen in the southwest of the peninsula since Thursday night, causing a large number of flights to be canceled and schools to be closed on Friday. A number of traffic accidents were also reported overnight. The heavy snow advisories, issued Thursday night around the southwest of the peninsula, continue to be in effect in Jeolla Province, Sejong, Chungcheong Province, Jeju Island, Ulleung Island and Dokdo as of 12:00 p.m., Friday. According to the Jeollabukdo Office of Education o

The grandson of the founder of Kiswire Limited, a midsized steel enterprise, was arrested on charges of use and possession of marijuana on Wednesday, amid continued revelations concerning the drug use of chaebol and wealthy families. Prosecutors are accelerating their probe, suspecting more drug offenses and related crimes. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office received an arrest warrant for a man surnamed Hong on charges of violating the drug law, Wednesday. Hong is the grandson o

Amid heavy snow in the Seoul metropolitan area from early Wednesday morning, the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast more heavy snow from Thursday to Saturday, urging caution against safety accidents. The KMA said in a briefing Wednesday that heavy snow will continue from Thursday to Saturday morning, mainly in Chungcheong, Jeolla Province and Jeju Island. The snow will last a long time due to the temperature differences between the sea water and lower atmosphere, the official explained

The South Korean government is looking into alleged operations of China's undeclared "overseas police service center" here, following revelations by an international human rights group that Beijing has been operating more than 100 entities to suppress dissidents around the world. According to Yonhap News Agency, the military, police counterespionage organizations and related government ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have all been mobilized to check whether

An interministry consultative body to deal with microplastic problems will be launched Wednesday, the Ministry of Environment said Tuesday. Eight ministries, including the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, will participate in the consultative body. The intentional use of microplastics – plastic debris less than 5 millimeters in diameter – to improve products' quality, such as using microplastics in l

As authorities attempt to block disabled protesters from disrupting subway operations, activists on wheelchairs said they have decided to stage a demonstration without informing the authorities of the location. Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, the country’s largest disability rights group, unveiled the location of its Monday protest on social media, just 8 minutes before it began. The protest began around 8 a.m. Monday at City Hall Station on Line No. 1, which delayed subway o

The opportunity to receive higher education still depends largely on the income level of parents in South Korea, a country with one of the highest college entrance rates in the world, a study showed Sunday. The study published by the Korea Institute of Vocational Education and Training suggests that the lower the income of parents, the lower the proportion of their children attending four-year universities. Only 41 percent of children from the lowest income quarter went to four-year colleges, wh

South Korea is likely to lift its indoor mandate in two stages, starting with schools and public offices in mid-January, according to multiple health authorities on Sunday. Under the plan, however, the mandatory indoor mask rule will continue to be applied at highly dense spaces such as public transportation and medical institutions including sanatoriums until the government fully lifts the mandate. The two-stage plan is set to be announced at a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Counter

An official from the United Arab Emirates government who participated in an international conference in South Korea was handed over to the prosecution on charges of sexually harassing a Korean female staff member. According to police and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Wednesday, a local secretary accompanying the UAE's health minister is alleged to have sexually harassed a Korean female worker at the Global Health Security Agenda meeting event in Seoul on Nov. 30. The GH

The nation was hit with cold wave Wednesday, with the mercury plunging as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius in inner regions during the morning hours. The Korea Meteorological Administration, South Korea's weather agency, said the cold wave will continue until early next week, while issuing cold wave advisories across the nation. In Seoul, the temperature fell to minus 11 C on Wednesday morning. With the wind chill, the temperature recorded minus 19.7 C at 7 a.m. At a briefing Wednesday morni

An air quality advisory was issued across the country on Tuesday as Korea was hit with yellow dust blowing from inner China, along with heavy snow advisories, raising concerns over public health safety. The Ministry of Environment raised the yellow dust advisory level in Seoul, Gwangju, Gangwon and North Jeolla Province from "attention" to "caution" as of 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Incheon and Gyeonggi Province was issued a "caution" level advisory from 7 a.m. the same day.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said Monday that snow and rain will fall in various regions this week as temperatures drop from Tuesday, urging caution against safety accidents caused by icy roads and cold weather. The temperature, which will be similar to average year until Tuesday afternoon, will drop sharply at night as cold air comes down from the northwest. Compared to the previous day, Wednesday morning temperatures will be about five to 11 degrees Celsius lower throughout the coun

The Korean government is considering a policy drive to ease the burden of foreign workers and improve the work environment here through extending visas and adding flexibility to the existing quota system, Labor Minister Lee Jung-sik said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Stressing that the ministry’s focus is on the welfare of both foreign and local workers, Lee cited extending the E-9 visa -- widely used by foreign workers -- as an example of one of the policy changes under considera