Police on Wednesday revealed the identity of a teacher accused of stabbing a 7-year-old student to death at an elementary school in Daejeon on Feb. 10. The Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency disclosed the suspect’s name, age and photos on its website Wednesday, identifying the teacher as 48-year-old Myeong Jae-wan. According to the police agency, the decision was made after a deliberation committee session held a day earlier, which considered the seriousness of Myeong’s crime, the severity of th

High levels of fine dust are expected to continue until Thursday: KMA The Ministry of Environment enforced emergency emission reduction measures in the Greater Seoul region for the first time this year on Tuesday, as the capital area faced heavy concentrations of ultrafine dust for five consecutive days. The measures implemented from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday required waste incinerators and other high-emission public facilities to adjust their hours and operational rates, while also mandating

As protests over South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s release escalated over the weekend, the Constitutional Court of Korea’s website turned into a de facto online protest forum, with users expressing their opinions on his impeachment. Since Sunday, the Constitutional Court’s website has seen a surge in the number of people trying to access its online forum. As of 2 p.m. Monday, up to 5,925 people were attempting to access the Constitutional Court’s online forum at once, according to a pop-up

Measures introduced to track online transactions of illegal drugs, enhance global cooperation in preventing drug-related crimes Starting in April, a joint governmental task force involving related state organizations will be operated to conduct special joint crackdowns on areas prone to drug-related crimes for the first time in five years, said the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Thursday. Since establishing the special investigation unit targeting drug crimes in April 2023, South Kor

Schools near Constitutional Court consider temporary closures, shortening class hours With suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment ruling expected by mid-March, the Korean National Police Agency announced Wednesday that it will heighten security to the highest level outside the Constitutional Court when Yoon’s verdict is delivered to prevent any potential safety incidents. According to the KNPA, a number of special units consisting of 10 to 20 investigators each will be stationed outside

More national parks will be open for outdoor weddings and wedding photos, the Ministry of Environment and the Korea National Park Service said Tuesday. Dubbed “forest weddings” by the ministry, the KNPS and the Environment Ministry have hosted 133 weddings since launching the service in 2021. Though the service was only available for multicultural couples and couples aged between 19 and 34, the ministry stated that it would now be available to all couples starting this year. According to the min

Tougher measures needed to stop digital sex crimes: expert As South Korean police collaborate with Telegram to investigate deepfake pornography chatrooms, concerns are growing over users migrating to other encrypted messaging services, raising doubts about the long-term effectiveness of the probe. Back in August 2024, concerns surrounding the dissemination of deepfake pornographic content on Telegram grew in South Korea, after a chatroom with around 1,200 participants sharing sexually explicit i

Close to 50 centimeters of snow fell overnight in mountainous regions of Gangwon Province South Korea was hit by heavy rain and snow from Sunday night to Monday, causing travel disruptions and safety concerns, with more snow and rain forecast nationwide starting Tuesday morning. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy snow was observed overnight in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province and the Chungcheong provinces. Monday’s heavy snowfall resulted in several accidents i

Two children run through the rain with umbrellas near Seodaemun Independence Park in Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul, Sunday. Starting Sunday afternoon, rainfall was observed nationwide as rain clouds that formed near Jeju Island and the coastal areas of South Jeolla Province began to move upward. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the rain clouds were formed as easterly winds carrying cold air from the north and southerly winds carrying warm air from the south collided with each

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday accepted the resignation of Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, who is believed to have played a key role in the martial law debacle late Tuesday. Lee’s resignation comes a day after the Democratic Party of Korea submitted an impeachment motion against the former minister, accusing Lee of plotting the martial law plan and advocating for it. The motion was due to be voted on Tuesday. “I deeply acknowledge my responsibility for failing to work

After the National Assembly failed to pass the motion to impeach South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo vowed Sunday morning to “humbly seek cooperation” with the ruling People Power Party to “ensure all state functions operate smoothly and stably.” However, the opposing Democratic Party of Korea denounced such plans, claiming that such measures are “unconstitutional.” According to the Constitution, the prime minister is

The Korean National Police Agency’s National Office of Investigation initiated a search and seizure operation at the home and office of former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Sunday, as part of an investigation into the declaration of martial law by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday. Kim was also put under emergency arrest, and his phone was confiscated by the prosecution on Sunday, as he is suspected of abusing his authority and using violence to exercise power after the

Since South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration Tuesday, ruling People Power Party chair Han Dong-hoon has publicly denounced Yoon and his decree, unlike the majority of his party. “Those responsible for unsettling the public and causing harm through unconstitutional martial law, including the president, must be held strictly accountable,” Han stated during Thursday’s party meeting. Though Han stated that he would work to block the impeachment motion

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon described President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law late Tuesday as “an act that fundamentally violated the essence of democracy,” calling for an investigation. "What is most urgent now is a thorough investigation,” said Oh, during a press briefing on Wednesday, hours after the presidential measure was stopped by the parliament. “We must hold accountable all those who participated in this ‘act of democratic destruction.&r

-Yoon to face deepening political isolation amid growing threats of impeachment -All senior aides, Cabinet members offer to resign -Opposition submits bills to impeach Yoon, defense minister -Offering to resign, defense minister apologizes, says will take sole responsibility -Ruling party, PM convene at presidential office, PPP split on severing ties with Yoon -Supreme Court chief justice says illegality of martial law declaration will be reviewed -Armed troops forcibly enter Assembly for 1st ti