Articles by No Kyung-min
No Kyung-min
minmin@heraldcorp.com-
Nearly 2 in 3 mothers give birth via cesarean section
Nearly two-thirds of Korean women who gave birth last year did so via cesarean section, data shows. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, obtained and released Thursday by the ruling People Power Party Rep. Kim Mi-ae, the proportion of women undergoing surgical delivery stood at 64.2 percent last year. The data highlights a consistent rise in C-section deliveries over the past five years, from 51.1 percent in 2019 to 61.6 percent in 2022. The upward incline continued in
Social Affairs Oct. 5, 2024
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Korea reports 8.5% rise in suicide rate
South Korea, already plagued with the world's highest suicide rate, saw an on-year uptick in suicide cases last year, reversing a short-lived downward trend, data shows Friday. According to the state-run Statistics Korea, 13,978 people took their own lives last year, which translates to 27.3 deaths per 100,000 people. This marks an 8.5 percent increase from the 2022 figure of 25.2 deaths. This increase follows a one-year decline between 2021 and 2022, when the rate dropped from 26 to 25.2
Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2024
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[Herald Design Forum] Johnny Lee, visionary engineer-cum-designer, sees future in virtual worlds
To what extent does design shape experiences in virtual worlds? For Johnny Lee, in an era where extended realities, or XR, dissolve barriers of physical space and time, design -- whether technological or virtual space design -- is “crucial.” With a background in engineering and years of entrepreneurial experience, Lee balances the roles of engineer and designer at iStaging -- a Taipei-based company specializing in virtual reality solutions he founded in 2015. Lee, who is also the c
Arts & Design Oct. 1, 2024
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Lawmaker proposes ban on med school prep courses for young kids
In a move that highlights the seriousness of the country’s college admission competition, a South Korean lawmaker proposed Monday a ban on private academies tutoring elementary students for medical college admission. Announcing the submission to the National Assembly of the bill, Rep. Kang Kyung-sook said the law was failing to protect children from the unbridled growth of private tutoring academies, known as hagwon, that teach subjects like calculus as early as five years ahead of the pub
Social Affairs Sept. 30, 2024
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Wild boars killed as over 20 spotted around rural village
Around 20 wild boars unsettled a hillside village in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, prompting a hunt that resulted in the killing of three boars by Wednesday noon, authorities said. According to Chungcheongnam-do Fire Headquarters, the initial report was made to the 119 emergency operations center at 8:05 a.m., alerting them to the sighting of dozens of wild boars rushing down from the mountain in Unjeong-ri, Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province. The call prompted the immediate dispatch
Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2024
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College is expensive? In S. Korea, English preschools cost much more
In South Korea, where English education is highly valued, the cost of preschools providing English immersive education outstrips that of college tuition by a wide margin, according to a local civic group. The Seoul-based World Without Worry About Private Education said in its report released Wednesday that the average yearly fees for "English kindergartens" in Seoul amounted to 15.72 million won ($11,800) in 2023 -- 2.3 times higher than the average annual university tuition of 6.78 mi
Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2024
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Driver dies after being chased by YouTuber for alleged drunk driving
A driver suspected of driving under the influence by a YouTuber died in a car accident during a livestreamed car chase, police said Tuesday. According to Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, at 3:50 a.m. on Sunday in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, a male driver in his 30s crashed his sport utility vehicle into a parked truck during what appeared to be a high-speed chase initiated by a YouTuber known for exposing drunk drivers. The YouTuber, whose channel has over 70,000 subscribers, mostly posts videos of ca
Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2024
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Seoul begins preemptive strike on ginkgo trees before nuts become stink bombs
The refreshing autumn breeze offers a welcome respite from the sweltering summer, but it also heralds the season of smelly ginkgo fruits. To tackle the annual nuisance of rotting ginkgo nuts stinking out the streets, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched Monday a city-wide initiative in which specialized personnel will remove the nuts from trees before they have a chance to fall and rot. The operation, spanning all 25 districts of the city, targets female ginkgo trees, which account for a
Social Affairs Sept. 23, 2024
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Busan police scrap 281 blades amid full-on sword inspection
A monthlong inspection, prompted by a murder by a sword-wielding man two months ago in Seoul, has led to the scrapping of over 280 swords in Busan. According to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday, a review was completed of 85 percent, or 2,979, of the 3,482 swords registered for individual possession in Busan as of earlier this month. Of the inspected swords, permits for 549 items were revoked. Among these, 281 swords were retrieved and disposed of due to abandonment of ownership and
Social Affairs Sept. 20, 2024
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Koreans do things quickly. Is it efficiency or lack of patience?
In South Korea, speed is key. What needs to be done quickly? Virtually everything. As encapsulated in the running joke that “ppalli ppalli” -- where "ppalli" translates to "quickly" or "hurry up" in Korean -- is one of the first Korean phrases that visitors pick up here, Koreans tend to display minimal tolerance for delays. “Being quick is considered to be efficient, at least in my workplace,” Song Min-jae shared, a Seoul resident in his
Hashtag Korea Sept. 16, 2024
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New season, new members, new ideas: Global Biz Forum kicks off fall run
The 6th edition of The Korea Herald’s Global Business Forum kicked off its three-month run in Seoul on Wednesday, with a packed agenda aimed at sparking discussion on global business trends and opportunities in an era of rapid change. The forum will convene weekly on Wednesdays, except on public holidays, for a total of 13 sessions, to facilitate knowledge exchange among global business leaders, finance experts, academics, diplomats and top civil servants. The goal is to build valuable
People Sept. 12, 2024
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For Chuseok gifts, cash is king: survey
In preparation for the upcoming Chuseok holiday period, the autumnal break when South Koreans visit their parents, grandparents and hometowns bearing gifts, many are choosing the practical and direct option of giving money, according to a recent survey on Wednesday. A survey conducted by research firm PMI, which polled 3,000 Korean nationals aged 20 to 69 earlier this month, reveals that 53.9 percent of respondents prefer giving monetary gifts, either as cash or gift vouchers, to their family
Social Affairs Sept. 11, 2024
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Syphilis cases in S. Korea surge amid stricter reporting rules
Amid reports of a spike in syphilis infections in the US, Japan, and other countries, recent data shows that South Korea is also experiencing a similar rise in its own cases after reporting requirements were tightened. According to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, obtained and provided Tuesday by the Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Seo Mi-hwa, the country recorded 1,881 syphilis cases in the first eight months of this year. This figure represents a 4.5-fold increase
Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2024
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[Pressure points] Workplace communication: To emoji or not to emoji?
In today's digital landscape, emojis contribute a great deal to communication, but how well do they translate to the corporate world? For some, these symbols are efficient tools for communicating in the workplace, while for others, they seem unprofessional. Over 60 percent of workers in South Korea use emojis at work, according to a recent survey conducted by tutoring platform Preply. While about 90 percent of those emoji users exchanged them with peers at work, use with senior colleagues
Hashtag Korea Sept. 10, 2024
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Ex-police officer behind murder of Korean in Philippines vanishes after guilty verdict: report
The whereabouts of a dismissed Filipino police officer, reportedly the main culprit behind the 2016 killing of a South Korean businessperson in Angeles City, the Philippines, remain unknown as of Monday, nearly two months after a local court sentenced him to life without parole. According to local sources cited by Yonhap News Agency on Monday, the Philippine National Police has been unsuccessful so far in locating Rafael Dumlao, former head of the Philippine National Police’s Anti-illega
Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2024
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