The past five days have seen a flurry of trash and debris littering the greater Seoul area again as North Korea resumed its campaign of floating hundreds of trash-carrying balloons over the border into South Korean territory. On Sunday, one of these balloons touched off a fire in a warehouse in the city of Paju, just 28 kilometers north of Seoul, local fire officials reported Monday. The fire reportedly broke out on the rooftop of a single-story pharmaceutical warehouse at around 1:59 p.m on Sun

Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2024

At South Paris Arena 1, in Paris, Monday, South Korean boccia athlete Jeong Ho-won carefully surveyed the playing field from his wheelchair, as the referee, ruler in hand, measured the distances between the lined-up balls. In boccia, where winners are determined by how close their balls land to a target ball, called the jack, every fraction of an inch matters. As the referee's call all but guaranteed his win, Jeong cast aside his eye blinder and rushed to embrace his visibly emotional coach

More Sports Sept. 3, 2024

Table tennis star and Paris Olympic double-bronze medalist Shin Yu-bin has become a favorite in the Korean food industry, landing major ad deals with top brands. The 20-year-old athlete brought home medals in mixed and women’s doubles, ending the country’s long medal drought in table tennis. Cameras caught her munching on snacks -- bananas, rice balls, and energy gels -- during breaks as the competition heated up. These endearing moments quickly went viral, adding to her charm alongs

Food Aug. 28, 2024

"I made the unacceptable mistake of cheating on my wife. I offer my deepest apologies to the viewers." Actor Ji Seung-hyun, who stars in the hit K-drama "Good Partner," recently appeared in a YouTube video that at first glance looks like the real deal -- from the clickbait title ("I am Sorry") to the solemn-faced celebrity against a plain gray backdrop, bowing deeply before the camera as he delivers his pained apologies to the public. The video checks all the boxes

Culture Aug. 27, 2024

In South Korea, where getting into a top college is often seen as the golden ticket to success, a simple bumper sticker bearing an elite school's logo has ignited a fiery debate. The debate centers around the nation's undisputed top school, Seoul National University, and its "proud parent" bumper stickers distributed to parents of its students. An online post criticizing the SNU stickers as elitist quickly went viral, amassing millions of views and sparking heated discussions

Hashtag Korea Aug. 27, 2024

Crispy, double-fried, and an inseparable companion to cold beer, fried chicken is South Korea's beloved go-to snack for everything from sports viewing to late-night hangouts. But the country's $5.7 billion fried chicken industry, the world's third largest behind the United States and China, is showing signs of market saturation with a growing franchise dominance. Recent data from the Korea Fair Trade Commission and Statistics Korea paint a picture of a sector in flux as major fran

Consumer Aug. 26, 2024

Skeletal remains of a man in his 70s were discovered Thursday in a defunct motel in Ora-dong, Jeju City, police said Friday. The deceased, believed to be a former welfare recipient, had reportedly been living in the facility before its closure in 2019. Welfare officials had placed him on a watch list after losing contact in August 2020. An official conducting a premises check located the remains in a room of the abandoned building and alerted local authorities around 9:36 am Thursday. Investigat

Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2024

A group of vacationers inadvertently triggered a national security investigation after a photo of their gathering with a banner jokingly referring to it as a "Communist Party" meeting circulated online. The image, which showed approximately 20 individuals including children under a banner reading "Inaugural Korean Communist Party Family Summer Camp," quickly spread across online forums, leading multiple concerned citizens to file espionage complaints with the authorities. On

Social Affairs Aug. 22, 2024

This summer’s relentless heat wave isn’t just driving up temperatures – it’s also affecting tap water. On Tuesday, several cities in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Incheon and Anyang, and Gwacheon of Gyeonggi Province, issued public alerts following resident complaints about an unusual grassy odor coming from faucets. The culprit, officials said, is a widespread algae outbreak in the water reservoirs, triggered by months of scorching heat. The unpleasant smell com

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2024

In a groundbreaking moment for Korean astronomy, the International Astronomical Union has named a lunar crater after 19th-century Joseon-era polymath Nam Byeong-cheol, marking the first time a Korean name has been assigned to a feature on the moon's surface. The Danuri Magnetic Field Payload Research Team from the Department of Space Exploration at Kyung Hee University said Monday that a crater on the far side of the moon, discovered through international collaborative research, has been na

Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2024

South Korea's Ministry of Labor and Employment has recognized a YouTube production staff member injured during a video shoot as an "employee" and thus eligible for industrial accident insurance coverage, in a decision that could potentially pave the way for extended labor protections for gig workers in the content industry. According to local reports Monday, the ministry's decision came on Aug. 8 with regard to the case filed by Lim Dong-seok, a man in his 20s who had worked

Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2024

South Korean sports apparel firm Fila Holdings reported a jump in second-quarter profits, driven by robust performance from its golf equipment subsidiary and strong brand momentum abroad. According to its recent earnings report Friday, its revenue rose 2.5 percent year-on-year to 1.18 trillion won ($887 million) in the April-June period. Its operating profit surged 52.4 percent to 140.15 billion won. Its US subsidiary, Acushnet, in particular, reported 937.77 billion won in sales, driving up the

Industry Aug. 16, 2024

Namyang Dairy Products, one of South Korea's largest dairy companies, is embarking on a major overhaul under new ownership to shed its scandal-ridden past. On Friday, the company’s newly appointed board of directors announced a series of reform measures aimed at rebuilding the company’s reputation and regaining consumer trust. "We're establishing guidelines for law-abiding business practices to prevent illegal activities," said Lee Sang-wook, Namyang's chief compliance dire

Industry Aug. 16, 2024

South Korean apparel manufacturer Hansae signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea American Football Association to promote American football, a sport still unfamiliar to many in Korea, the company announced Wednesday. Hansae and KAFA officials convened at the apparel-maker's Seoul headquarters on Tuesday to sign the deal and discuss joint initiatives. Under the partnership, the groups plan to provide uniforms for Korea's national teams and sponsor an amateur football league.

Industry Aug. 14, 2024

South Korea's flag carrier Korean Air and US defense company L3Harris Technologies co-hosted an Industry Day event Tuesday to discuss ways to bolster aerial surveillance and monitoring capabilities. The gathering brought together executives and officials from over 30 domestic and international defense firms, including Israel Aerospace Industries, ELTA Systems and LIG Nex1 at the Air Force Hotel in Seoul. The event comes as the Korean Air Force looks to ramp up its surveillance and reconnais

Industry Aug. 14, 2024