KORONADAL CITY – A speeding police patrol car that crossed while the traffic light was red hit a motorcycle in downtown Koronadal, killing an eight-year-old girl and wounding her grandmother. The collision occurred at around 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday at a traffic light intersection along General Santos Drive and Sinsuat Street in Barangay Zone 4,

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan Third Division has dismissed the bid of former Sen. Bong Revilla and his co-accused to dismiss the malversation case involving an alleged ghost flood control project in Bulacan worth more than P92 million. Third Division Clerk of Court Atty. Dennis Pulma shared the information on Wednesday. He said Revilla filed

MANILA, Philippines — More than a month after the historic election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua announced the composition of his Cabinet, designating officials to lead the ministries and offices of the regional government. READ: Macacua names new BARMM Cabinet members BARMM is the only region in

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan Third Division has once again summoned officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) following its inspection of the male dormitory at the Quezon City jail. Third Division Clerk of Court Atty. Dennis Pulma said the court issued the subpoena on Wednesday to Jail Superintendent Maria Lourdes Pacion,

MANILA, Philippines — More than 23,000 police personnel were deployed to secure venues and designated routes for the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and related meetings, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said. According to PNP chief of directorial staff Lt. Gen. Neri Vincent Ignacio, the number of security forces was increased to

LUCENA CITY – A three-year-old boy was killed, and his mother was hurt in a vehicular accident in Rosario, Batangas, on Tuesday morning. The driver of an owner-type custom-built jeep lost control of his vehicle at 9:55 a.m. and slammed into the rear end of a parked tricycle, which was sent hurling at the mother

CALAPAN CITY — Police are investigating the death of a 78-year-old man whose body was found inside his hut in Sitio Mamara, Barangay Cabacao, in the Occidental Mindoro town of  Abra de Ilog on Tuesday morning. The elderly victim was discovered by his nephew at 9:30 a.m. after he failed to show up at their

MANILA, Philippines — Lead prosecutor and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro on Wednesday characterized as a “diversionary tactic” the defense’s manifestation claiming that a member of the prosecution had violated the impeachment court’s sub judice rule in Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial. On Tuesday, lead defense counsel Sheila Sison filed a manifestation flagging private prosecutors, particularly

LUCENA CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) urged the youth to take an active role in protecting their health, conserving natural resources, and supporting their communities as the country braces for a very strong El Niño that is expected to bring prolonged dry conditions through the first half of 2027. During

JINAN, North Jeolla Province — Just a 30-kilometer drive east from Jeonju Station, the rolling green mountains of North Jeolla Province give way to a sight that feels entirely alien yet deeply sacred as two colossal weathered rocks bearing a striking resemblance to a pair of giant horse ears rise abruptly out of the forests of Maisan ("horse ear mountain") Provincial Park. Stepping into this high-plateau region, which forms an integral part of the Jinan-Muju National Geopark, visitors are immersed in the unique landscape that earned Mount Mai three stars in the prestigious Michelin Green Guide, the highest possible rating. First time visitors will immediately be struck by the texture of the mountains. Rather than the granite found in most places on the peninsula, the giant cliffs here are made of conglomerate sedimentary rock, pockmarked with thousands of hollow cavities known as tafoni. Geologists believe these unique depressions were created during the Fourth Ice Age, when water trapped in fissures in the rock repeatedly froze and thawed, expanding and shattering the stone from with

A fire broke out early Wednesday at a shantytown in Seoul's southern ward of Gangnam, but firefighters fully extinguished the blaze, officials said, with no injuries reported. The fire began at a home in Guryong Village at 4:28 a.m. before fire authorities put it out at 6:27 a.m. after mobilizing 105 personnel and 32 vehicles. Authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire. The latest fire at the village came about two weeks following the Oct. 27 fire that forced 39 people to flee and left one person with a minor injury. Many of the makeshift homes illegally built in the town are prone to fires as they are built with highly flammable materials.

Korea added 139,000 jobs in October from a year earlier, government data showed Wednesday, with job growth exceeding the 100,000 mark for the fourth consecutive month. The number of employed people came to 29.17 million in October, compared with 29.04 million a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Job growth turned positive in June after declining by 40,000 in May, the first drop in 17 months. The country's jobless rate came to 2 percent last month, down 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier. The number of unemployed people totaled 602,000 in October, down 56,000 from the same month in 2025. The employment rate for people aged 15 to 64 came to 70.4 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from a year earlier. The figure for those aged 15 to 29, on the other hand, fell 1.7 percentage points to 42.9 percent.

Justice Minister nominee Lee Yong-cheol on Wednesday reiterated that a special counsel probe into allegedly fabricated indictments against President Lee Jae Myung should focus on uncovering the truth, declining to offer a clear stance on whether he would seek to drop the indictments. His remarks come after the National Assembly passed the special counsel bill last week, which the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has criticized as being aimed at ultimately canceling all indictments against the president. "As I said earlier, now is the time to focus on uncovering the truth, while there is no change to my stance that the rest should follow the law and principles," the nominee told reporters outside his office. He earlier emphasized the role of the special counsel probe Monday following his nomination Friday. When asked about whether he would order an investigation based on the special counsel probe results, the nominee declined to comment, noting that the special counsel has yet to even launch. "I will watch the special counsel's fact-finding activities without any presumptions or pr

Korea came in 10th place among 70 countries in a global digital and artificial intelligence (AI) competitiveness ranking, the science ministry said Wednesday. The country moved up eight spots from the previous year, according to the report published by the International Institute for Management Development, a Swiss-based business school, according to the ministry. Taking the top spot this year was the United States, rising from its fourth spot a year ago. Canada, however, lost its top-spot position to be ranked at fifth place this year. Among countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore was ranked second place, China came in at seventh place, and Japan ranked 19th place. By category, Korea ranked third in the technology infrastructure and efficiency metrics. The country ranked first place in the research and development expenditure per gross domestic product category and ranked eighth in the AI adaptation index, the ministry said. The science ministry added that Korea's rise in overall rankings was a result of the government's policy efforts and the country's strong resilience, and vowe

Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul will glow blue Wednesday evening, as Seoul invites residents and visitors to honor United Nations veterans whose sacrifices helped defend Korea's freedom and peace during the 1950-53 Korean War. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold a public memorial at the Garden of Gratitude on Wednesday, marking UN Veterans International Memorial Day with candlelight, a special lighting ceremony and opportunities for citizens to share messages of appreciation. The evening program will begin after sunset with a candle-lighting event, allowing visitors to receive free LED candles and gather around the installation known as Lights of Gratitude 23. At 8 p.m., 23 lights representing countries that sent troops to the Korean War will glow blue, the color associated with the United Nations. The lights will turn on and off in sequence 23 times, symbolizing gratitude to the countries and veterans who contributed to defending Korea. Visitors will also be invited to write messages of remembrance and appreciation at stations near the installation and the entrance to Freed

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety issued a safety alert Wednesday to medical professionals and patients over a potential risk of a rare eye condition associated with GLP-1 obesity drugs, including popular obesity treatments Wegovy and Mounjaro. The move follows safety measures by overseas regulators concerning nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a condition caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve that can lead to sudden, potentially permanent vision loss. In June last year, the European Medicines Agency classified it as a very rare side effect of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy, estimating it may affect up to 1 in 10,000 users. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked drugmakers Monday to add a possible increased risk of NAION to the warnings and precautions on GLP-1 drug labels. The letter advises medical professionals to stop treatment and have patients examined immediately if NAION is suspected in those taking GLP-1 drugs, which aid weight loss by mimicking a hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar. Patients with related symptom

The National Assembly will hold a confirmation hearing for Kim Jong-chul, nominee for commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), next week, officials said Wednesday. The parliamentary public administration and security committee adopted a plan to hold the hearing next Wednesday during a plenary meeting earlier in the day. The KNPA commissioner general nominee can be appointed by the president even without parliamentary consent following the confirmation hearing. If appointed, Kim would fill a post that has remained vacant for nearly two years since former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law in late 2024.

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday vowed to accommodate farmers' opinions in deciding whether to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The president made the remarks in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on the 31st Day of Farmers, reiterating his pledge to take farmers' interests into account when deciding to join the Indo-Pacific trade bloc. "On important issues, including farmland reform ... and the CPTPP, the government will work toward faithfully reflecting voices from the (agricultural) field so as to be helpful to farmers," Lee wrote in the post. The president has previously said that Korea's entry into the CPTPP would be "unavoidable," but has pledged to focus on finding complementary measures to implement when seeking CPTPP membership. While CPTPP membership is expected to help boost Korea's overall exports, the agricultural and fisheries sectors are likely to take a hit from market opening due to imports of cheaper products. Lee has ordered the government not to apply for CPTPP membership this year, expressing the need for sufficie

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik on Wednesday reaffirmed his commitment to pushing for a constitutional revision, rejecting opposition claims that the revision would be aimed at allowing President Lee Jae Myung to seek a second term. Cho's remarks came as opposition lawmakers have questioned whether he had left open the possibility of Lee seeking another term after he told a press conference in July that an incumbent president's eligibility to seek another term would be up to the people to decide. "As stipulated in Article 128 of the Constitution, the extension of a sitting president's term is not a subject of discussions for a constitutional revision," Cho said during a discussion hosted by the Kwanhun Club, a senior journalists' association. "This should no longer be used for political conflict." Cho said the National Assembly should take the lead in pursuing constitutional reform, adding that he plans to launch an advisory committee under his office soon to set the direction and key priorities for the revision. "As no nationwide elections are scheduled for next year, it would b

Unionized workers of Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) said Wednesday they will launch an indefinite general strike at 9 a.m. on Dec. 10, demanding improvements to the promotion system and the employment of more safety-related personnel. The Korean Railway Workers' Union announced the plan in a news conference at Seoul Station, warning the walkout will proceed unless its demands are met. In a statement, the union criticized the current promotion system for "unfairly" excluding field workers and said staff shortages in railway operations are directly compromising safety. The union plans to hold a large-scale rally at Seoul Station on Saturday, followed by a two-week safe-operation campaign and a series of regional nighttime rallies beginning Nov. 23. The walkout could disrupt KTX and conventional train services nationwide, as well as subway services in the capital area. Its impact could be greater than that of previous strikes following the integration of high-speed rail operator SR Co. into KORAIL in September.

Korea jumped eight places to rank 10th out of 70 nations in the 2026 World Digital and AI Competitiveness Ranking (WDAIR), published Wednesday by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) — the prestigious Swiss business school known for its benchmark global competitiveness evaluations. Among nations with populations exceeding 20 million, Korea secured fourth place, trailing only the United States, Canada and China. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that Korea achieved comprehensive improvements across all five evaluated categories: Governance, Technological Infrastructure, Efficiency, Human Resources Development and Societal Attitudes & Values. Notably, Korea jumped 10 places to rank third globally in Efficiency and climbed four spots to third in Technological Infrastructure. Korea demonstrated unmatched leadership in government execution and technological foundation, claiming the top spot worldwide in both the Government Core Systems Index and total research and development (R&D) expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product. The nation also mainta

SEONGNAM — A bus plowed into more than 30 vehicles waiting at a traffic stop in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, during morning rush hour Wednesday, officials said, leaving 57 people injured. The city bus, driven by a man in his 60s, struck four other buses, a cargo truck and 27 passenger cars before coming to a stop after hitting a traffic barrier in Seongnam's Bundang Ward at 7:34 a.m. The bus reportedly hit the vehicles over a distance of about 100 to 150 meters The incident left nine people seriously hurt and 48 others with minor injuries. None of the injuries were reported to be life threatening. The bus driver reportedly told police that the brakes did not work, with investigators looking into the exact cause of the crash. Police said the driver was not under the influence of alcohol, but plan to check whether he had taken drugs.

Under the traditional framework of cultural preservation, an artifact typically had to weather decades — if not centuries — of history before earning state protection. But as modern history moves at a relentless pace, Korea is taking a proactive stance to ensure that the physical relics of its turbulent 20th-century journey toward democracy, industrialization and global recognition are not lost to time. The Korea Heritage Service designated six key modern historical artifacts as preliminary cultural heritage on Wednesday. Introduced as part of a national framework to safeguard items under 50 years old that possess high preservation value, the designation system aims to protect recent heritage from destruction or neglect long before it reaches formal registered status. The newly recognized items capture pivotal moments across politics, sports, fine arts and popular culture from the late 1970s through the 2000s. Among the most notable selections are original manuscripts documenting the nation's fight for democracy against the autocratic regime of President Park Chung-hee, whose 18-yea

Travelers heading to Jeju Island for a last look at this year’s autumn scenery can round out their trip with the island’s local specialties. Here are three food items that represent Jeju. Black pork Pork is Jeju’s signature meat, central to the island's food culture and long served at family occasions such as weddings and funerals. Today, the island’s black pigs are known to yield meat with more intramuscular fat and red meat than common breeds, giving it a rich, savory flavor. Locally, it is often sold in thick cuts by “geun,” a traditional Korean unit equal to 600 grams. The meat is typically grilled over coal briquettes or charcoal and dipped in anchovy sauce, called “meljeot” in the local dialect. Other popular pork dishes include “dombae gogi,” boiled sliced pork served on a wooden cutting board, and “gogi guksu,” noodles in pork-bone broth. Omegi-tteok "Omegi-tteok," a millet and mugwort rice cake, is a traditional Jeju treat made from sticky foxtail millet. Paddies are rare on the volcanic island, so rice was scarce and residents brewed alcohol from millet in

Although autumn foliage has largely passed its peak across Korea this year, those who missed the season still have one last chance on Jeju, the country’s southernmost region, where the colors have yet to reach their height. According to a 2026 autumn foliage forecast released by the Korea Tourism Organization and the Korea National Arboretum, ginkgo trees and oak species at Halla Arboretum on Jeju are expected to peak — defined as when 50 percent or more of their leaves have changed color — on Nov. 16 and maples on Nov. 19. Around the same time, silver grass blankets Jeju’s "oreum," or small volcanic cones, and its coastlines. Here are some of the best places on Jeju Island to catch the year’s last autumn scenery. Halla Arboretum Opened in 1993 in Jeju City, this public arboretum displays about 100,000 plants representing 1,321 species, including native Jeju and subtropical plants. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment designated it in 2000 as a conservation center for endangered wild plants outside their natural habitats. Its forest bathing area offers a refreshing a

Celebrated as the "Mother of American Modernism," Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) is known for her pioneering works featuring motifs of flowers, animal bones and desert landscapes. She was a leading figure in a new artistic wave in the first half of the 20th century that turned to American cities and landscapes when Paris was largely considered the center of the art world. "Georgia O'Keeffe and American Modernism," an upcoming exhibition by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), brings together O'Keeffe's own paintings, as well as works by other key figures in American modernism. The exhibition, set to begin Thursday at the Gwacheon branch of the MMCA, features nearly 120 artworks, including 16 paintings by O'Keeffe, according to the museum. It also highlights the works of other artists, including Alfred Stieglitz, O'Keeffe's husband and an accomplished photographer; Arthur Dove; Marsden Hartley; and Charles Demuth. The exhibition comprises three sections, beginning with the Alfred Stieglitz Collection, which O'Keeffe donated to the Art Institute of Chicago after his deat

Seoul is looking to turn its nights into a bigger draw for international visitors, introducing six themed discount packages designed to encourage tourists to stay out longer and spend more across the city. The Seoul Tourism Organization announced Wednesday that it is expanding nighttime attractions available through its Discover Seoul Pass and launching six Night Coupon Packs covering dining, shopping, wellness, sightseeing and cultural experiences. The initiative follows growing demand for after-dark activities among foreign visitors. According to the organization's analysis of pass usage, nighttime visits between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. accounted for 14 percent of partner-facility visits in 2024 and 15.2 percent in both 2025 and 2026, as of Nov. 1. The pass recorded 98,880 nighttime visits over the past three years, with observation decks and Han River cruises drawing particular interest, alongside spas, saunas and water-based leisure facilities. The six packages are designed to make those experiences easier to discover. They include the Seoul Night Taste Pack for Korean food and dining, Nig

Busan is testing a new sea taxi service that could offer residents and tourists a faster, more scenic way to travel between the southeastern port city's popular coastal destinations while avoiding road traffic. Busan Metropolitan City conducted two trial runs of its planned Busan Sea Taxi service on Wednesday, inviting 16 local journalists to experience a 45-minute route connecting the Suyeong River, Gwangalli and Haeundae beaches. Boats departed from APEC Naru Park at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., following a route divided into three 15-minute sections before returning to the river. The service is intended to serve both as an alternative mode of transportation and a tourism attraction, offering passengers views of Busan's coastline while connecting districts that frequently experience traffic congestion. Under the plan, at least six environmentally friendly vessels, each with a capacity of fewer than 50 passengers, will operate along the route, supported by three boarding facilities on the Suyeong River, at Gwangalli and in Haeundae. The city plans to invest 1.4 billion won ($960,000) in boardi

HD Construction Equipment has joined hands with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to honor Ethiopian soldiers who fought and died during the 1950-53 Korean War, unveiling a memorial wall bearing their names at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The company said it held a ceremony to dedicate the memorial wall at the cathedral on Wednesday, coinciding with the International Memorial Day for U.N. Korean War Veterans. The event was attended by HD Construction Equipment CEO Moon Jae-young, Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul, Korean Ambassador to Ethiopia Koo Hong-seok, Ethiopian defense officials and Korean War veterans and their families. HD Construction Equipment and the veterans ministry signed a memorandum of understanding in May to establish memorial facilities in countries that sent troops to support Korea under U.N. Command. Ethiopia was selected as the first site, with HD Construction Equipment covering the full cost of construction. The wall features individual plaques inscribed with the names of the 122 fallen soldiers, as well as messages of gratitude and reme

Cheating on exams is hardly new in Korea. What has changed is the technology used to get away with it, from altered answer sheets and text messages to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered glasses. As the methods grow more sophisticated, detecting them has become increasingly difficult. Even the civil service examinations of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty were vulnerable to cheaters. In a 1699 scandal, 15 of 33 successful candidates were found to have passed through irregular means, including the swapping of names attached to exam papers. Centuries later, mobile phones made cheating a coordinated operation. During the 2004 college entrance exam, students in Gwangju divided up roles among high-scoring test takers, intermediaries and recipients, passing answers through text messages. According to Ministry of Education figures released in 2005, the scores of 472 students were invalidated for cheating on college entrance exams from the 2002 through 2005 academic years. Of those, 412 had used text messages. The scandal prompted tighter restrictions on electronic devices and tougher penalties. Mor