South Korea's new COVID-19 cases jumped to a four-month high on Wednesday following the extended weekend amid the continued spread of a highly contagious omicron subvariant. The country added 180,803 new COVID-19 infections, including 567 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 21,682,816, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It is the highest figure since April 13, when the daily tally came to 195,387 amid the worst virus wave. Wednesday's f

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) was set Wednesday to endorse a revision to its charter aimed at raising the bar for party membership suspension for those facing criminal charges amid criticism it is aimed at shielding former presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. The party's national convention preparatory committee adopted the envisioned revision a day earlier to state that only those convicted in the first trial would have their party membership suspended. Under the current chart

Prosecutors will determine this week whether to suspend the prison term of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's wife, who was convicted of college admission fraud involving their daughter and financial misconduct, sources said Wednesday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office will hold a meeting Thursday to determine whether to grant a request by Cho's wife, Chung Kyung-sim, to suspend her four-year prison term for health reasons, according to the legal sources. Chung, a former pro

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Taliban on Monday marked a year since they seized the Afghan capital in a rapid takeover that triggered a hasty escape of the nation's Western-backed leaders, sent the economy into a tailspin and fundamentally transformed the country. Bearded Taliban fighters, some hoisting rifles or the white banners of their movement, staged victory parades on foot, bicycles and motorcycles in the streets of Kabul. One group marched past the former US Embassy, chanting "Long

President Yoon Suk-yeol will mark his first 100 days in office Wednesday. Under normal circumstances, he should have enjoyed favorable coverage from the media, lawmakers and citizens during the period -- a “honeymoon period” traditionally reserved for an incoming president at the start of a five-year term. Unfortunately, Yoon appears to have skipped the supposedly sweet honeymoon period to confront a hostile political battlefield filled with loud explosives from critics and hidden

Lee Jun-seok, the suspended former leader of the governing People Power Party, did not mince his words when it came to talking about the conservative party at his press conference Saturday. He condemned President Yoon Suk-yeol and Yoon’s key aides and vowed to fight them to the end. Lee was suspended for six months by the party’s ethics committee on July 8. A day after the party shifted to an emergency mode on Aug. 9, he applied for an injunction. He automatically lost the post of