President Moon Jae-in on Saturday paid tribute to fallen national heroes at a state cemetery in Seoul and pledged to chart a path to normalcy for pandemic-weary citizens. Moon visited Seoul National Cemetery, flanked by his top aides, such as Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and his new chief of staff, You Young-min, as the president envisions a strategy to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerate the economic recovery this year. "(I will try to make) citizens regain their normal life a

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 900 on Saturday, largely due to less testing over the New Year's Day holiday, as health authorities kept tight vigilance with the extension of the current social distancing rules. The country added 824 more COVID-19 cases, including 788 local infections, raising the total caseload to 62,593, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It reported 25 additional deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 942. The

  Two former US service members and their spouses have tested positive for the new coronavirus after coming into contact with another retired couple who were earlier confirmed to have contracted the virus, US Forces Korea said Friday. The four individuals tested positive Thursday following direct contact with the other couple who was confirmed to have been infected with the virus the previous day, according to the US military. "Contact tracing revealed the six individuals had contac

President Moon Jae-in flew on a Peace Eye military aircraft early Friday and inspected South Korea's combat readiness in a show of commitment to national defense on New Year's Day, the presidential office said. It is the first time that a South Korean president has flown on the airborne early warning and control aircraft regarded as a core part of the South Korean Air Force, according to Cheong Wa Dae. The E-737 Peace Eye took off with Moon aboard at around 6:30 a.m. from the military airfield

Star actor Hyun Bin and his on-screen partner in the hit drama "Crash Landing On You," Son Ye-jin, have been dating for eight months, their agencies confirmed Friday. "The two have become intimate as co-stars and have developed such intimacy into a romantic one as lovers after the series concluded," said VAST Entertainment, the management of Hyun Bin, in a statement. The two had repeatedly denied the dating rumors. Rumors had particularly intensified during their costarrin

  The United Nations Command said Friday it has delivered a total of 86 messages to North Korea through a direct telephone line at the truce village of Panmunjom last year. "UNC maintained its line-of-communication with #KPA counterparts throughout the year," the UNC said in a Facebook post, referring to the Korean People's Army of the North.  "We passed 86 messages and conducted twice-daily line checks for timely and effective information exchange," it added. No

Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae on Friday apologized over massive coronavirus infections among inmates at a detention center in Seoul. Choo has been under fire for belatedly responding to COVID-19 infections at Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul, in which over 900 cases have been confirmed over the past month. "As justice minister overseeing correctional facilities, I feel sorry for causing anxiety among people with regard to the spread of the coronavirus at Dongbu Detention Cente

  Ruling Democratic Party Chairman Lee Nak-yon said Friday he will ask President Moon Jae-in "at an appropriate time" to grant pardons to two former conservative presidents imprisoned for corruption charges. Lee, who served as prime minister under the Moon administration, made the remarks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency, also stressing that the party should play an active role in pushing for the matter in order to promote national unity. As this year will be effecti

South Korea will require foreigners to test negative for the novel coronavirus before arrival, starting at airports next week, as the nation steps up its fight against the pandemic amid a winter wave of the virus, officials said Friday. Foreign arrivals must have a negative polymerase chain reaction coronavirus test taken within 72 hours before their departure to South Korea, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The rule for foreigners arriving at South Korean airpor

  President Moon Jae-in said Friday he will work with the people to make sure they reclaim their "normal lives" in the new year after overcoming the coronavirus pandemic. "With the power of coexistence, we will certainly get normal lives back," Moon said in a Facebook message. "Not only in the virus fight but also in the economy, climate environment and peace on the Korean Peninsula, we will take the lead in the winds of change." Thanking the people for exer

  South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases rose above 1,000 again Friday as health authorities are expected to extend the current social distancing rules.  The country added 1,029 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,004 local infections, raising the total caseload to 61,769, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The tally marked a rise from 967 cases Thursday, 1,050 cases Wednesday, 1,045 cases Tuesday and 807 cases Monday. Over the past seven days, the nation'

South Korea's exports decreased 5.4 percent in 2020 from the previous year amid the new coronavirus pandemic, data showed Friday, but the decline was partially cushioned by the latest recovery in the outbound shipments of chips.  Outbound shipments came to $512.8 billion last year, and imports moved down 7.2 percent on-year to $467.2 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $45.6 billion in 2020, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. It marked the

  North Korean leader Kim Jong-un extended New Year's greetings in a short letter to the people Friday, apparently skipping his trademark address on the first day of the year ahead of a rare party congress expected to take place soon. "I sincerely wish all the families across the country greater happiness and beloved people, good health. In the new year, too, I will work hard to bring earlier the new era in which the ideals and desires of our people will come true," Kim said in t

South Korea racked up nearly 11 million users on fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks as of end-November, data showed Thursday.  The country had 10.9 million 5G users last month, accounting for 15.5 percent of the total 70.5 million mobile subscriptions, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT.  Subscriptions to the high-speed networks jumped by nearly 1 million from the previous month amid launches of new 5G phones, such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone 12 series, th

  South Koreans are settling in for a subdued New Year holiday, as gatherings are restricted and festivities have been cancelled in the face of a third wave of coronavirus flare-up.    Assemblies of five or more people are banned in the greater Seoul area and ski resorts and other tourist spots across the country have been shut down as part of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.      On Thursday, the country reported 967 confirmed cases, bringing the t

South Korea on Thursday signed a deal with US biotech company Moderna to buy new coronavirus vaccine doses for 20 million people, with the supply to begin in the second quarter of next year, health authorities said.    Following the deal, the total amount of COVID-19 vaccines South Korea has secured is enough to inoculate 56 million people, more than enough to cover the country's population of 52 million, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).  &nbs

BTS has become the inaugural winner of a special category at the Japan Record Awards hosted by Japanese broadcaster TBS, the band's agency said Thursday. The septet won the Special International Music Award at the 62nd Japan Record Awards that was broadcasted live late Wednesday, according to Big Hit Entertainment. BTS, which was the sole overseas artist that won a trophy at this year's ceremony, performed its hit songs "Dynamite" and "Life Goes On." It was the group's firs

K-pop band BTOB's rapper Jung Il-hoon has left the group, the band's management agency said Thursday, one week after allegations of marijuana use came to light. "(The agency) decided to respect Jung's wish to leave BTOB in order not to inflict more damage on the group," CUBE Entertainment said. "Jung feels a sense of grave responsibility and deeply regrets breaking the trust of fans and letting them down," it added. Last week, police said they referred the 26-year-old rapp

A retired American service member and his spouse tested positive for the new coronavirus, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday. The individuals, who reside in the city of Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul, developed symptoms consistent with the virus and were confirmed Wednesday to have been infected, according to USFK. They last visited Camp Humphreys in the city on Dec. 18 and are currently in isolation at a facility at the camp designated for COVID-19 patients, the command s

South Korean civilian workers and troops affiliated with the US Forces Korea (USFK) began getting COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday, the US military said, becoming the country's first citizens to get inoculated against the virus. The first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for USFK members arrived in South Korea last week, and the command began administering its initial doses to front-line health care workers, first responders and its command team. Korean nationals affiliated with USFK, in