City councilors caught at Malaysia airport carrying over 40 bottles of soju

Some members of the Yongin City Council were caught by Malaysian customs for carrying nearly 40 bottles of soju each on their recent trip to the country, local media reported Thursday. According to the reports, the incident took place last month when eight councilors all belonging to the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea left for a business trip to the city of Kota Kinabalu, accompanied by 14 employees of the council in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Some of the council members had 40 bottle

Sept. 7, 2023

Seoul to add 300 won surcharge for single-use cups at cafes in 2025

To reduce waste and increase rates of recycling, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will impose a 300 won surcharge for each single-use cup used at coffeehouses in the city, starting in 2025. Seoul intends to introduce the disposable cup deposit system by drawing insights from programs currently operating in the city of Sejong and on Jeju Island. Both require customers to pay a 300 won deposit when buying a drink in a single-use cup, which the customer can get back by returning the used cup throu

Sept. 7, 2023

Man detained for 'testing' electric shocker on woman at bus stop

A man in his 40s has been detained for using an electric shocker on a woman in her 50s. Yangsan Police Station in South Gyeongsang Province said Thursday they have requested an arrest warrant for the suspect on the charge of special violence. Special violence under local laws is punishable by imprisonment of between one to 10 years, and can be applied in cases such as assault using a potentially lethal weapon, and assault carried out by a group. The man also violated the act on the safety manage

Sept. 7, 2023

Pension system reform proposal sparks controversy

A recent proposal to reform South Korea's pension system has sparked widespread controversy, as the plan includes increasing subscriber contributions while delaying the age at which subscribers can receive pension benefits. While the pension age is already set to increase from the current 62 to 65 by 2033, the reform proposal that the National Pension Financial Calculation Committee is pushing the most is to raise the pension age to 68. Pension premiums will also be increased gradually by 2

Sept. 7, 2023

Summer 2023 was hotter, wetter than usual

This year's summer was unusually hot and humid, with the average summer temperature ranking the fourth-highest in South Korea's modern history, while the average quantity of rainfall ranked fifth, according to the national weather agency Thursday. The average temperature nationwide this summer was 24.7 degrees Celsius, 1 C higher than the average and the fourth-highest average temperature since 1973, when the weather observation network was expanded nationwide and started to compile re

Sept. 7, 2023

12 investigated for illegally smuggling in 106 foreign women

The Ansan Immigration Office said Thursday it has transferred to the prosecution 12 South Korean men for their suspected involvement in the illegal smuggling of 106 foreign women into the country to work as bar hostesses, disguising them as singers and models. The suspects include a 46-year-old broker and the 47-year-old owner of the business establishment that hired the women, along with the 52-year-old head of a local talent agency who sent out invitations to the women, according to the Justic

Sept. 7, 2023

Spray for livestock found in ham for school meal service

Discovery of a veterinary drug in ham that was served as part of a public high school meal has ignited a government probe on Wednesday. According to local news reports, the foreign substance -- later confirmed as Aluspray, a veterinary spray used to stop bleeding in livestock and not meant for human ingestion -- was discovered in ham at a high school in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. According to the school, the substance was found by the school’s nutritionist. The ham was produced by a well

Sept. 7, 2023

Depression surges among children in Korea

The incidence of depression in South Korean children has doubled in five years, and more than 800 elementary, middle and high school students here took their lives over the same period, data showed Thursday. According to data submitted to Rep. Kim Woni of the Democratic Party of Korea by the Education Ministry and the National Health Insurance Service, the number of children aged between 6 and 11 who were treated for depression surged 91.5 percent, from 1,849 in 2018 to 3,541 in 2022. Some 24,58

Sept. 7, 2023

Man in blond wig caught illegally filming women in bathhouse

A man in his 30s who had disguised himself as a woman was apprehended by the police while using his phone to film video in the women's changing room of a public bathhouse in Daejeon. Daejeon Daedeok Police Station has stated that officers are investigating the man on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence Crimes. The man is accused of entering the women's changing room of a public bathhouse in Daejeon's Daedeok district on Aug. 26. He was disguis

Sept. 7, 2023

PM to hold talks with Serbian counterpart

South Korea's Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is set to receive his Serbian counterpart Ana Brnabic on Friday, Han's office said Wednesday. Han and Brnabic will hold talks at the Government Complex Seoul, which will be followed by a formal luncheon. The three-term Serbian Prime Minister will be on an official visit to Korea from Thursday to Sunday. The talks will focus on the economic ties, people-to-people exchanges, cultural partnerships and regional security of each country, as well as

Sept. 6, 2023

4 injured after false crime alert on Seoul subway

Four passengers were injured as they rushed to get off the subway upon being told to evacuate from a train in Seoul due to a crime taking place inside, Wednesday morning. Seoul Jungbu Police Station received a report about a “suspicious person” aboard the Line No. 2 subway heading to Euljiro 4-ga Station from Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station at 8:23 a.m. Seoul Metro also stopped subway operations at Euljiro 4-ga Station and made the evacuation announcement for passengers.

Sept. 6, 2023

How content are expats in Korea? Survey shows 8 in 10 satisfied

Eight in 10 expatriates living in South Korea reported they are content with their lives despite ongoing challenges such as discrimination and cultural integration, according to a 2022 survey conducted by Statistics Korea. The biannual survey sampled a pool of 25,000 expats aged 15 and above residing in Korea for over three months, comprising 20,000 foreign nationals who had visas for stays longer than 91 days and 5,000 naturalized Koreans. Breaking down the respondents, 23.4 percent held an F-4

Sept. 6, 2023

‘Flower monk,’ social media’s latest sensation

A young Buddhist monk with a strong social media presence has created a sensation by selling out tickets to a temple tour program. According to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, a free nighttime tour of Hwaeomsa, which accepts 22 participants on a first-come, first-served basis, was fully booked in about four hours after booking opened. The program includes a tea time session with Venerable Beomjeong, who belongs to the temple located on Jirisan Mountain in South Jeolla Province. Venerable B

Sept. 6, 2023

Seoul to pay up to W30m each for post-COVID jab deaths

Lawmakers and government officials on Wednesday agreed to increase the amount of condolence money to families of those who died following COVID-19 vaccinations, regardless of whether the vaccination itself was confirmed to be the cause of death. From September, families will be eligible to get up to 30 million won ($22,500) in condolence money if a family member dies within 90 days of having received the COVID-19 vaccine, even if the cause of death can not be identified in an autopsy. Since July

Sept. 6, 2023

More women in Korea's workforce yet wage gap widening: data

Women are more economically active in South Korea's workforce than ever. The employment-to-population ratio for women aged 15 to 64 here hit an all-time high of 60 percent last year. However, the wage gap between women and men is widening, data showed Wednesday, as women still earn significantly less than men on average. It is the first time that this figure entered the 60 percent range since the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family started compiling data in 1997. The percentage of women

Sept. 6, 2023

S. Korea sees drastic decline in breastfeeding

The rate of mothers breastfeeding newborns in South Korea has declined quite rapidly, data showed Wednesday. According to a recent study conducted by a research team led by Hong Jeana, a pediatrician and professor at the Kangwon National University School of Medicine, the mixed breastfeeding rate of 6-month-old babies was 33.6 percent in 2019-2020, down from 65.9 percent in 2010–2012. It shows the proportion of infants reported as being breastfed regardless of simultaneously having formula

Sept. 6, 2023

Fearing stabbing rampages, South Koreans turn to self-defense

Choi Yeon-su, a 24-year-old office worker, rehearsed over and over again how to use her bag to protect herself in a self-defense class last weekend, as the instructor told the students to hold up their bags diagonally to better shield against a knife attack. "Always bear in mind that attacks can come toward your throat. Make sure to shield yourself diagonally," the instructor said as the students practiced putting up their bags. "Good job! You've now earned 10 seconds to run

Sept. 6, 2023

[Graphic News] Cases of malaria and dengue fever on the rise

The number of infectious diseases carried by mosquitoes, such as malaria and dengue fever, is increasing in Korea and abroad. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the cumulative number of confirmed cases this year increased to 574, as 25 new malaria patients were added in the 34th week of this year, Aug. 20-26. It exceeded twice the number of confirmed cases in the same period last year (258) and is already the highest number of confirmed cases since 2018 (576).

Sept. 6, 2023

Prosecution seeks arrest warrant for Discovery Asset Management head in fund fraud scandal

Prosecutors on Tuesday sought an arrest warrant for the head of an asset management firm on charges of illegally managing funds as they reinvestigate a massive fund scandal that rattled the nation a few years back. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office accused Jang Ha-won, head of Discovery Asset Management Co., of violating the Capital Market Act, fraudulent transactions, breach of trust and other charges. Prosecutors also sought arrest warrants for two former senior officials of the c

Sept. 5, 2023

Woman sentenced to life for killing husband loses suit to claim his death benefit

An infamous woman, who has been sentenced to life for killing her husband, on Tuesday lost a controversial lawsuit she filed against an insurance company to demand life insurance money for his death. The Seoul Central District Court dismissed the suit started by Lee Eun-hae in November 2020 to claim 800 million won ($601,500) in death benefit related to her deceased husband from Orange Life Insurance. Lee, 32, began the litigation about one and a half years after killing her then 39-year-old hus

Sept. 5, 2023