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

Police officer linked to drug-taking ring may have supplied drugs: reports

The police officer who fell to death in August during an alleged drug-taking gathering may have at times supplied drugs to the group, local media reported Tuesday. The officer in his 30s was found dead in an apartment complex at around 5 a.m. on Aug. 27. An autopsy showed that he had fallen to his death. According to local media reports, the officer -- affiliated with the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency -- purchased drugs directly from his mobile phone. It was found that he had searched for ket

Sept. 5, 2023

S. Korean teachers at high risk of mental health issues, survey finds

Nearly 4 in 10 teachers in South Korea are at high risk of depression, a recent survey by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) showed. The survey also showed that 1 in 6 experience suicidal thoughts, highlighting serious concerns about mental health among educators in the wake of recent suicides in the teaching community. Conducted jointly with Green Hospital in Seoul, the online survey ran Aug. 16-23 and involved 3,505 teaching staff across different grade levels. The survey in

Sept. 5, 2023

Is providing menstrual pads to female students unfair?

Controversy has erupted over an anonymous local university's welfare program that provides menstrual pads to female students with student association fees. On Monday, a user of the online forum wrote a post complaining, "At the university my friend attends, they provide menstrual pads to all female students once a month using student association fees." The user stated, "It's not limited to those in financial need; it's provided to all female students unconditionally

Sept. 5, 2023

'Unsecured CCTV Cameras' post fans privacy concerns

An account named "Unsecured CCTV Cameras" on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is raising concerns about the security of Internet Protocol cameras -- cameras that send image data via an IP network -- which have been sharing footage from security cameras. The "Unsecured CCTV Camera" account, active since 2021, posts screenshots from security camera footage worldwide, revealing the location of the camera based on its IP address. The spaces captured by the came

Sept. 5, 2023

Hidden underground space in Seoul unveiled after 40 years

An underground space located 13 meters below Seoul Plaza will be open to the public for the first time in 40 years, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday. The 335-meter-long underground space is located right above the tracks of the Line No. 2 subway and right below CitiStar Mall, the first underground mall built in 1967. It also lies in between City Hall Station on Lines No. 1 and 2, and Euljiro 1-ga Station on Line No. 2. For what purpose the underground space was built is still unkno

Sept. 5, 2023

At least 1 in 4 nurses exposed to workplace violence from doctors: survey

One in four nurses suffered physical or verbal violence from doctors in the last six months, a study showed Tuesday. The research team, led by Park Eun-jun, a nursing professor at Korea National Open University, recently published a paper on the theme of nurses’ experience of violence at work in the journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education. In the study, 71.1 percent of the 1,000 nurses who voluntarily participated in the study at 40 hospitals nationwide from Nov. 14 to Dec.

Sept. 5, 2023

Education minister withdraws discipline warning over strike

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said Tuesday that teachers who participated in a rally on Monday wouldn’t be punished, officially withdrawing his warning that such collective action “constitutes an illegal strike.” During his meeting with the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations and the Korean Federation of Teachers Unions, the minister announced that there wouldn’t be any disciplinary action taken against teachers and that he would listen to their voices rega

Sept. 5, 2023

S. Korea hit by unusual September tropical night

Seoul and Incheon were hit by an unusual "September tropical night" from late Monday to early Tuesday. It was the first such tropical night in September in 88 years, according to the weather agency, citing data. Tropical nights refer to hot evenings with the lowest temperature at over 25 degrees Celsius from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, temperatures remained above 25 degrees not only in Seoul and Incheon

Sept. 5, 2023

1 in 4 children in S. Korea unhappy: survey

One in every four children in South Korea said in a survey that they are unhappy, citing pressure to do well at school and family problems as the most prominent reasons. According to the poll conducted by the health ministry and the National Center for the Rights of the Child in 2022, 72.7 percent of those surveyed said they are either "somewhat happy" or "very happy," while 27.3 percent said they are "not very happy" or "not at all happy." The proportion

Sept. 5, 2023

Incumbent judge summarily indicted for sex trafficking

Prosecutors have summarily indicted an incumbent judge on charges of buying sex in broad daylight while on an official trip to Seoul, sources said Tuesday. The 42-year-old judge, identified by his surname Lee and serving at the district court in Ulsan, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is accused of paying 150,000 won ($113) to a woman he met through a dating app in exchange for sex at a hotel in Seoul's southern Gangnam district on June 22. In a disciplinary action, the Supreme Court had

Sept. 5, 2023