World Scout Jamboree kicks off in Saemangeum

World Scout Jamboree, the world's largest youth camping festival hosted by South Korea this year, on Tuesday brought together young adventurers from 159 countries to the reclaimed Saemangeum in North Jeolla Province. The World Scout Jamboree runs until Aug. 12 on the reclaimed area, which is three times the area of Yeouido, at 8.84 square kilometers. The event is attended by more than 30,000 teens aged 14 to 17, 3,496 adult leaders and 9,709 staffers. This is the first global scouting event

Aug. 1, 2023

Typhoon Khanun changes path, may approach S. Korea

Typhoon Khanun’s predicted path has changed, such that it could land in South Korea, according to the Korea Meteorological Association on Tuesday. As of 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the typhoon was heading in a west-northwest direction 260 kilometers southeast of Okinawa, Japan. Typhoon Khanun is expected to continue its west-northwest trajectory to Okinawa before stalling for around five to six days in the East China Sea near Shanghai on Thursday. The typhoon’s intensity is expected to stagna

Aug. 1, 2023

12 'mob-style' tattooists nabbed

Twelve unlicensed tattooists are facing charges for inking “mob-style” tattoos on over 2,000 individuals, many of them actual gangsters. According to investigators at Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office, the tattooists conducted their illegal activities over a span of nine years, from October 2014 to February this year, primarily targeting individuals seeking Japanese-style "irezumi" tattoos that extensively cover the full trunk of the body. Mob-style tattoos are a p

Aug. 1, 2023

Jazz, outdoor movies and canoeing at Han River

With summer in full swing, Seoul City has planned a month of fun-filled activities by the Han River, from outdoor movie screenings to silent disco parties. The 17-day festival, with 24 summer programs at eight Han River parks, will run from Friday until Aug. 20. The event kicks off with a music festival Friday in Yeouido, western Seoul, with jazz vocalists Woongsan and Maria Kim set to perform. Visitors can also go for a nighttime dip at the outdoor swimming pools at Nanji and Yanghwa Han River

Aug. 1, 2023

Another cat with bird flu confirmed in Seoul

Six days after two cats were confirmed to have been infected with avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, at an animal shelter in Seoul, an additional cat was confirmed to have contracted the virus at an animal shelter in another district of the city, the Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday. A cat at an animal shelter in Gwanak-gu died after showing respiratory symptoms and receiving treatment. An in-depth test found it was infected with a highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain, according

Aug. 1, 2023

Lone Star appeals against ICSID ruling over KEB sale: ministry

US private equity firm Lone Star has appealed against an arbitration decision made by an international tribunal that sentenced the South Korean government to pay Lone Star $216.02 million in damages over the sale of a commercial bank decades ago, the Justice Ministry said on Monday. The government was notified of the appeal from the World Bank's International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes on Saturday, Korea Standard Time. Seoul said it would "thoroughly review" Lone

July 31, 2023

[Housing talk] Tenants' power to terminate jeonse leases, a blind spot for landlords

Under the current legal framework in Korea, if a lessee exercises their right to extend the current two-year jeonse housing lease contract under the Housing Lease Protection Act (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”), which grants them an additional two years of residency, and later wishes to terminate the lease solely because they have found a more affordable jeonse rental house, should the lessor be obliged to return the deposit to the lessee? The answer to this question, despite p

July 31, 2023

Seoul Metro to test tagless fare payment system

Four subway stations in Seoul will test out a tagless fare payment system operating with a mobile app in October and November, said Seoul Metro on Monday. The tagless fare payment system will allow each passenger to pass through an entry turnstile without having to tap the card reader with their transportation card. Seoul Metro will install the tagless fare payment system on 10 gates in four different subway stations -- Yongdap Station on Line 2, Oksu Station on Line 3, and Dongjak Station and S

July 31, 2023

Fewer women aged over 40 use contraception: study

More than half of Korean underage girls and women between the ages 19 to 39 that engaged in sexual intercourse in the past year used some form of contraception, while fewer women in higher age groups did so, a study showed Monday. According to the report “Status of Female Contraceptive Practices” released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 54.6 percent of underage girls and 52.2 percent of women aged 19 to 39 replied that they “always use contraception during

July 31, 2023

Heat-related illnesses can lead to brain, organ damage

With the number of people suffering from heatstroke growing in South Korea, medical experts and health authorities warned of the consequences of the condition on Monday, saying that it could damage the brain and multiple organs if left untreated. Heat-related illnesses refer to several acute illnesses caused by the body's exposure to an excessively hot environment. They are caused by the body's inability to cool itself down. They can lead to a number of symptoms, including headaches, high fever,

July 31, 2023

Court acknowledges KakaoTalk profile could be used to convey threats

Images and messages displayed on a KakaoTalk user's profile can be perceived as a threat, a Seoul court said recently, acknowledging the popular messenger app’s potential use in illegal activities such as making threats or stalking. In a case filed with the Seoul Central District Court, three parents accused the chief of a hagwon, or private education academy, of online threats by posting intimidating photos on his KakaoTalk profile that only they could see. Users of the mobile messen

July 31, 2023

Civic groups say foreign nanny plan is ‘exploitation’

The Korean government said Monday that it will have about 100 foreign domestic helpers working in housework and child care at home in Seoul on a trial basis from as early as this year. The plan was immediately met with opposition from civic groups here, who called it “exploitation.” The Labor Ministry said at a public hearing that it would launch a pilot project to test out the foreign domestic helper system in Korean society, in order to respond to the demand for domestic care labor

July 31, 2023

Seoul Metro to drop use of original Chinese pronunciation in station names

Seoul Metro said Monday it will stop pronouncing some subway train station names in original Chinese during its station arrival announcements starting August. At present, Seoul Metro offers prerecorded voice announcements in four languages -- Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese -- inside trains to give the upcoming station name, possible line transfers and the door exiting side. All station names are pronounced as proper Korean nouns in the foreign language announcements. To the confusion of m

July 31, 2023

Interior ministry activates emergency headquarters over heavy rain alerts

The interior and safety ministry began operating its disaster management headquarters as heavy rain alerts were issued for Seoul and other regions Sunday, officials said. At 6 p.m., the ministry started the first-stage operation of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The heavy rain alert level was raised to "caution" from the previous "attention." The government runs the headquarters in three stages -- with the third stage being the highest -- to pre

July 30, 2023

11 dead from heat-related illnesses, four drown over weekend

Eleven people died of heat-related illnesses and four people drowned to death over the weekend in South Korea, authorities said Sunday. The death toll from heat-related illnesses included mostly people in their 70s and older found dead inside greenhouses or on farms in regions where temperatures shot up to daily highs of between 33 and 36 degrees Celsius. Seven people died due to the heat on Saturday alone, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said Sunday. Four more deaths were reported Sunday. T

July 30, 2023

Teachers demand protections against unfair child abuse claims

Over 30,000 teachers and supporters rallied in downtown Seoul on Saturday, calling for the revision of South Korea's child abuse law, which they argue allows parents to unjustly accuse teachers of misconduct without a thorough investigation. The protesters say the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes permits parents to accuse teachers of child abuse and report them to law enforcement without thoroughly investigating the situation or providing opportunities fo

July 30, 2023

COVID-19 cases surge for 4 weeks in row amid eased restrictions

As the government gears up to lift the last of its COVID-19 restrictions, the nation is grappling with a surge of cases, recording the highest number of daily infections since half a year ago. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on Sunday, the nation saw a 35.8 percent on-week increase in confirmed cases in the third week of July, the fourth such jump in as many weeks. In particular, the number of patients over 60 rose significantly, showing a 44 percent increase. On July 19,

July 30, 2023

Korean doctors rake in sky-high pay amid shortages

Korea has the second-lowest number of physicians among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, leading to some of the highest doctors' wages among surveyed member nations. Doctors in Korea earn the most among 28 member countries that provided related data. Following Korea, the highest earners are in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and the UK. The US was among the countries for which data was not provided. Measured by PPP, which takes into account local living

July 30, 2023

More suspected cases of cats with avian influenza reported in Seoul

Four days after two cats were confirmed to have been infected with avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, at an animal shelter in Seoul, three more suspected bird flu cases in cats were reported in the city on Saturday. The three suspected cases of H5N1 virus infections were found at a cat shelter in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, adding that it will take two or three days to find out if the infections were highly pathogenic, resulting in sev

July 30, 2023

3.5 magnitude quake strikes North Jeolla Province: weather agency

A 3.5 magnitude earthquake struck northern Jangsu, 216 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday, South Korea's weather agency reported, with no casualties or damage being immediately reported. The quake occurred in the region in North Jeolla Province at 7:07 p.m. according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The KMA initially reported the earthquake was a magnitude of 4.1 but shortly revised it down. The depth was estimated at 6 kilometers. It was the third-strongest quake to occur on

July 29, 2023