A man who opened an airplane door while the aircraft was still in flight was ordered to pay 727 million won ($547,000) in damages to the airline operator on Thursday. The man in his 30s was convicted in November for the premature opening of the emergency door while the Asiana Airlines plane was preparing to land at about 700-800 feet (213-243 meters) in the air. Thursday’s ruling was to determine compensation, following the criminal trial, and was handed down by Judge Chae Seong-ho of Daeg

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2024

Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon era (1392-1910) in central Seoul, will again open for nighttime visitors from Sept. 9. While the palace allows visits until 6:30 p.m. for ordinary tickets, those with nighttime tickets can tour selected parts of the palace between 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., according to the Korea Heritage Service’s announcement Monday. The nighttime tour zone includes Heungryemun, Geunjeongjeon and Sajeongjeon, where major royal events took place during the Joseon er

Travel Sept. 3, 2024

Busan city government will open sales for the 19th Busan Fireworks Festival at 2 p.m. on Monday. Tickets for the event, set for Nov. 9, will be available through Yest24 Ticket's website and the mobile banking application of BNK Busan Bank. The festival, which takes place annually around Busan’s landmark Gwangan Bridge, draws about a million people to Gwangalli Beach every year to see the 1-hour firework show. The premium seats will be installed on the shore in front of Homers Hotel

Travel Sept. 2, 2024

The annual civil defense drill is take place across South Korea on Thursday, with an air-raid alarm sounding and traffic blocked on some roads. This year’s drill will last for 20 minutes starting at 2 p.m., the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced. The drill, designed to help people living here be prepared for possible attacks, will begin with a one-minute air-raid alarm. Pedestrians will be guided to swiftly move to nearby safe basements or shelters. People's movements will

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2024

The winners of the 2024 Student Column Contest and officials of The Korea Herald pose for a photograph at the award ceremony held at Herald Media Group is Seoul on Monday. The contest was co-hosted by The Korea Herald and Seoul National University’s English-language journal The SNU Quill. From left: The Korea Herald chief copy editor Paul Kerry, The Korea Herald managing editor Lee Joo-hee, first place winner Kim Ha-jin of Seoul National University, second place winner Chae Song-hwa and th

People Aug. 19, 2024

A South Korean athlete takes a photo with a North Korean athlete on the podium at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, after they received bronze medals in the women's 54-kilogram boxing event at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. South Korea‘s Im Ae-ji (25) and North Korea’s Pang Chol-mi (29) were defeated by Turkey’s Hatice Akbas and China’s Chang Yuan, respectively, on Sunday, resulting in Im and Pang winning bronze medals, as the Olympics awards bronzes to boxing athletes

More Sports Aug. 9, 2024

Identification data of 322,425 students and graduates of Jeonbuk National University was stolen Sunday, as the university suffered hacking attacks on its integrated information system managing students’ academic affairs, according to reports Thursday. The university in North Jeolla Province posted an apology message on its website Thursday, confirming that it suffered data leakage a total of three times from the attacks, which took place at 3 a.m., 10 p.m. and 11:20 p.m. JBNU detected the

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2024

A woman in her 60s was stabbed to death in an underpass near Sungnyemun in Jung-gu, Seoul, Friday morning, police said. Police have detained a male suspect, who is accused of assaulting the victim at 5:10 a.m. and fleeing the scene, according to reports. He was nabbed at around 8:50 a.m. by police who searched for the attacker by surveying security footage in the area. The suspect was hiding in a residential neighborhood in Dongja-dong, Yongsan, about 1 kilometer from the scene, the reports said

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2024

A car has been illegally parked on the shoulder of one-lane road to Gimhae International Airport in Busan for days, posing threat to traffic heading to the airport’s arrival floor as of Thursday. The hydrogen fueled passenger car was first spotted on Tuesday morning. Its owner reportedly parked there as the airport parking lot was packed with the cars of those gone abroad for vacation and the owner could not find a parking space up until it was time to take their flight. Some other passeng

Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2024

Israel Madaye, an archer representing Chad who competed against a South Korean athlete at the Paris Olympics, posted his gratitude to Korean fans via social media on Wednesday. “Thanks you corea” his post said, with a photo showing him removing his arrows from the target at the Games. That post and other older ones on Instagram had several likes and comments in Korean expressing encouragement for his endeavors. Madaye did not get past the round of 64 in his Olympic debut, as he was e

More Sports Aug. 1, 2024

South Korean table tennis player Lim Jong-hoon (2nd from left) briefly shakes hands with North Korean player Ri Jong-sik during the awarding ceremony for the mixed doubles table tennis event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday. In the games, where a female and a male player form a team, Lim (27) and Shin Yu-bin (20) captured bronze medals, and the North Korean team, which consisted of Ri (24) and Kim Kum-yong (23), won silver medals. There had been some concerns over the South and North Koreans i

More Sports July 31, 2024

Jangma, the rainy season, finishes in South Korea around Saturday and scorching hot days will last for, the Korea Meteorological Administration announced its analysis Tuesday. South Korea came under the influence of a strong subtropical high and the rainy front moved to North Korea, and it can be interpreted as the end of jangma, the forecast agency said. This year’s jangma lasted over a month -- 31.5 days in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi and Gangwon Province, 31.4 days in southern provinces

Social Affairs July 30, 2024

Seoul City’s signature summer festival “Seoul Summer Beach” has returned to Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul, with a larger swimming zone than last year and new facilities to help beat the heat. The second edition of the festival began its 17-day operation Friday afternoon with an opening ceremony, according to its operator the Seoul Tourism Organization. Seoul Summer Beach consists of a water zone, Gwanghwa Waterpark, and a zone in front of the Statue of King Sejong the Grea

Travel July 26, 2024

A 5-year-old child hospitalized due to alleged abuse by a taekwondo instructor in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, died Tuesday. The child had been in intensive care in Seoul since July 12, after he suffered cardiac arrest at the taekwondo studio. The boy was reportedly squeezed into a rolled matt upside down for around 20 minutes by a 30-something male instructor of the studio before he was rescued. The instructor is alleged to have ignored the victim's calls for help, and to have tried to delet

Social Affairs July 24, 2024

A man wanted on suspicion of rape has been apprehended after 18 years on the run after a nurse recognized him from a wanted poster. The police in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province said Friday that the suspect - 54-year-old Kim Yang-min - was apprehended after a nurse at a clinic in Seoul reported the man to the police, having recognized his face from a police poster of criminal suspects on the run. Kim is suspected of breaking into a home in Mokpo in 2006 and sexually assaulting the resident. The inv

Social Affairs July 20, 2024