The Latest Breaking News from Seoul

Major fire in Seoul’s Gangnam neighbourhood destroys 60 homes

SEOUL: A blaze destroyed at least 60 homes in one of Seoul’s last remaining shantytowns on Friday, forcing the evacuation of about 500 people just before Lunar New Year, South Korea’s biggest holiday.

Bangkok Post · Jan 20, 2023

Hundreds flee after fire spreads through Seoul neighborhood

About 500 South Koreans were forced to flee their homes after a fire spread through a low-income neighborhood in southern Seoul and destroyed at least 60 homes

The Independent UK · Jan 20, 2023

Hundreds evacuated as blaze erupts in slum next to Seoul's posh Gangnam district

Fire swept through part of a shanty town in the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Friday, destroying 60 homes, many constructed from cardboard and wood, and forcing the evacuation of around 500 people.

Reuters · Jan 20, 2023

South Korea president, in UAE, backs return to nuclear power

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol says his nation’s efforts to be carbon neutral by 2050 would rely in part on returning to nuclear power, even though his predecessor had tried to move away from atomic power

The Independent UK · Jan 16, 2023

S. Korea considers Japan relations in new proposal on compensation

SEOUL -- In an open forum on one of the most contentious issues between Japan and South Korea, a high-ranking South Korean government official laid out the details on Thursday for a plan to resolve the conflict over compensation for wartime requisitioned workers from the Korean Peninsula.

The Japan News/Yomiuri · Jan 13, 2023

Deadly Seoul crush blamed on ‘negligence’

SEOUL: South Korean police on Friday blamed negligence and planning failures for the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul that killed more than 150 people.

Bangkok Post · Jan 13, 2023

S Korea police seek to charge officials over 159 killed in crush

Inquiry finds officials in Seoul had failed to employ adequate crowd control for an expected Halloween crowd of 100,000.

Al Jazeera · Jan 13, 2023

South Korean police seek manslaughter charges over deadly crowd surge

Among those recommended for indictment include the mayor of Seoul's Yongsan district, and the district's former police chief — two of the six who have been arrested.

WEKU · Jan 13, 2023

South Korean police blame fatal Halloween crush on lack of preparation, poor response

South Korea's police on Friday said a lack of preparations and an inadequate response were the main causes of the deadly Halloween crush in Seoul last year, wrapping up a monthslong investigation into the tragedy that killed 159 people.

Reuters · Jan 13, 2023

South Korea mulls compensating forced labourers via a public fund

Some victims of forced labour under the Japanese during World War II denounced the plan as ‘humiliating’.

Al Jazeera · Jan 12, 2023