ACRC touts role in handling civil complaints, shielding people from unfair treatment

South Korea’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on Wednesday stressed its pivotal role in handling and resolving civil complaints and mitigating against the unfair treatment of citizens and foreign residents alike. Over the past five years, some 30,000 complaints have been lodged to the ACRC, while 23,887 cases have been addressed, including those filed by foreign residents. “Handling a complaint not only means dealing with the unjust situation of an individual citizen, b

Nov. 9, 2023

Top court orders Oxy to compensate indirect victim of toxic humidifier sterilizer

South Korea's top court on Thursday ordered Oxy Reckitt Benckiser and a Korean vendor to pay 5 million won ($3,820) in damages to a woman who developed a pulmonary disease after using Oxy's toxic humidifier sterilizer, but whose illness was seen as being less likely associated with the product. The Supreme Court of Korea upheld the decision at the appellate court that found Oxy -- a Korean arm of United Kingdom-based consumer goods maker Reckitt Benckiser -- liable for violating the Pr

Nov. 9, 2023

Cattle vaccination for lumpy skin disease nears completion

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Thursday it has vaccinated 99.5 percent of cattle in the country against lumpy skin disease. The authorities have inoculated more than 4.05 million out of the country's 4.08 million cows so far to protect them against LSD, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The government launched the intensive vaccination campaign last month after reporting its first-ever case of LSD on Oct. 20 under the plan to vaccinate all catt

Nov. 9, 2023

[Graphic News] Data shows 144 teachers died by suicide over last decade

　The number of elementary, middle and high school teachers who have taken their own lives over the past decade amounts to 144, a ruling party lawmaker said, citing data from the Ministry of Education. 　The suicides occurred between 2014 and August this year, Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the People Power Party said, noting the annual number spiked from six in 2014 to 20 in 2018 and 25 in 2021. 　The number dropped to 20 last year but as many as 14 teachers died by suicide in the first eight months of t

Nov. 9, 2023

Box-lifting robot kills worker at produce center

A worker in his 40s was crushed by an industrial robot that apparently failed to differentiate a human from crates of farm produce for it to move, police said Wednesday. The accident happened Tuesday at approximately 7:45 p.m. when the robotics company worker was inspecting the sensor operations of a robot at a distribution center for agricultural produce in Goseong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, according to Goseong Police Station. The robot, designed to handle boxes filled with paprika pepp

Nov. 8, 2023

Seoul announces steps to prepare for winter

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday announced a set of measures to prepare for the upcoming winter season. With the winter season coming up, the city government plans to implement its winter safety measures to protect people who are vulnerable in cold weather, such as the elderly and the homeless. The measures will be taken beginning from Nov. 15 to March 15 next year. The city government plans to operate situation rooms consisting of officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government,

Nov. 8, 2023

Yoon announces new nominee for Supreme Court chief justice

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday named Cho Hee-dae, a former Supreme Court justice, as the new chief of the highest court, the presidential office has announced. The nomination comes while the position has remained vacant. The opposition-controlled National Assembly declined Yoon's previous appointment for Supreme Court chief justice, Lee Gyun-ryong, early last month, marking the first such instance in 35 years. Cho, born in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1957, began his judici

Nov. 8, 2023

Around 30 bedbug infestations reported nationwide

Around 30 recent suspected bedbug cases had been reported across the country as of Monday, according to a governmental task force dedicated to combating bedbugs. Bedbug reports began to surge here in mid-September after a student was reportedly bitten by the insects in a dorm room at Keimyung University in Daegu. Recently, bedbugs have increasingly appeared in public facilities nationwide such as hotels, other accommodations, public saunas and bathhouses. With just nine other reports received pr

Nov. 8, 2023

First frost and ice observed in Seoul along with nationwide cold wave

Morning temperatures fell below freezing in several regions across the country on Wednesday, the weather agency said. In Seoul, the first frost was observed on Wednesday, 21 days later than last year and 11 days later than the average record from 1991 to 2020. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Jeonju, Gwangju, Seoul, Suwon, Cheongju, Daegu, and Incheon also saw the first frost as of 6 a.m. The first ice was also observed in Seoul, Suwon, and Andong. All were about 20 days lat

Nov. 8, 2023

[Korean History] In 2004, serial murderer with goal to kill 100 was stopped at 20

In the summer of 2004, South Korea was jolted by one of the most gruesome crime stories the country had ever witnessed. Driven by hatred for the rich and women, Yoo Young-chul committed 20 murders before he was apprehended, a fraction of his self-imposed mission to kill 100. The serial killer’s dramatic capture, along with shocking details of his crimes, which involved claims of cannibalism and dismemberment, left a lasting impact on the nation’s collective memory. The chilling sag

Nov. 8, 2023

SNU medical grad students experience more abuse than other majors: report

Graduate students at Seoul National University’s Colleges of Medicine and Nursing reported experiencing a higher incidence of abuse compared to graduate students in other departments, data showed Wednesday. According to a survey jointly conducted by the SNU’s Human Rights Center and the Institute for Social Development and Policy Research Center, 24.8 percent of respondents pursuing education in the medical field answered “yes” when asked if they had been subject to offen

Nov. 8, 2023

Nearly all cattle vaccinated against lumpy skin disease

South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it has vaccinated 98 percent of cattle in the country against lumpy skin disease. The authorities have inoculated more than 3.9 million out of the country's 4.08 million cows so far to protect them against LSD, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The government launched the intensive vaccination campaign last month after reporting its first-ever case of LSD on Oct. 20 under the plan to vaccinate all cattle

Nov. 8, 2023

Gov't to combat bedbug infestations with major 4-week campaign

The government on Tuesday unveiled a plan to conduct massive inspections and take preventive measures against bedbug infestations over the next four weeks amid escalating panic over the bloodsucking bugs. The move comes as bedbugs have increasingly appeared in lodging facilities, bathhouses and other vulnerable places nationwide, causing various health damage to the public. The recent surge is alarming as only nine cases of bedbug appearances had been reported to the health authorities in the

Nov. 7, 2023

S. Korea retracts bans on disposable cups at cafes, restaurants

The South Korean government on Tuesday announced the withdrawal of a ban on disposable paper cups for food service businesses such as cafes and restaurants, along with provisional approval for the use of plastic straws at cafes and plastic bags at convenience stores. The Environment Ministry's announcement came as the grace period for the policy was coming to an end. A ban on single-use products, including paper cups, plastic straws and stirring sticks, was part of disposable product regula

Nov. 7, 2023

American-Korean Foundation’s legacy hangs in the balance

On a gentle hill nestled between two wooded areas in Sosa-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, lies a long-neglected training compound for farmers. Occupying nearly 66,000 square meters of land, the compound’s dormitory building, silo for livestock feed storage, pigpen, chicken coup and conference hall, among other facilities, remain tucked out of sight of the surrounding community. The compound's history is unknown even to many of its most immediate neighbors, despite its presence here fo

Nov. 7, 2023

Defense minister rejects plans for J-Hope to host military event

Plans to have J-Hope of BTS host a military cooking competition have been canceled on orders of the defense minister. Speaking at the National Assembly on Tuesday, Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik confirmed that he canceled the plans to have J-Hope host the International Military Cooking Competition. "I think that it is only right that (a person) carries out the military duties just like any other soldier, regardless of being BTS," Shin said. According to Shin, plans to have J

Nov. 7, 2023

Seoul proposes safety measures to prevent poor construction

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday unveiled a set of safety measures designed to prevent substandard construction practices in both the public and private sectors. Aimed at stamping out poor construction practices, the city government's proposal came after an underground parking lot collapsed at an apartment complex construction site in northern Incheon’s Geomdan New Town in April, and after a pedestrian overpass in Yeongdeungpo-gu, western Seoul, collapsed in January. &ldqu

Nov. 7, 2023

S. Korea goes all-out to eradicate bedbugs as reports surge nationwide

South Korea has launched a pangovernmental initiative to comprehensively combat the proliferation of bedbugs, fueled by a recent surge in reports of bedbug infestations and concerns over the pest spreading nationwide. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has taken the lead in assembling a pangovernmental task force, initiated last Friday, comprising ten relevant ministries and local governments. The objective of this joint effort is to promptly and efficiently stop the spread of bedbugs by mo

Nov. 7, 2023

[Newsmaker] Fugitive captured after 3 days on the lam

After a dayslong search for a fugitive who escaped custody Saturday, police officers on late Monday captured Kim Gil-soo after he was seen at a public phone booth in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, just to the north of Seoul. The 36-year-old escapee was caught at around 9:26 p.m. He was reportedly calling his girlfriend at that moment, according to police. “I didn’t plan it,” the fugitive told local reporters when asked if he had premeditated his escape. He also denied that he ha

Nov. 7, 2023

Seoul offers 10,000 sets of portable SOS emergency bell ‘Zikimi’

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday that it will distribute a portable SOS emergency bell called “Zikimi” as part of a campaign to relieve citizen’s anxiety caused by a series of violent crimes. Each emergency bell set contains a safety alarm and will be given first to 10,000 victims of crimes such as sexual and domestic violence, as well as stalking. Once the bell is activated, it sends out a warning alert that can call for help around the area and an emergency

Nov. 7, 2023