Typhoon Khanun was weaker than initially predicted, as it lost speed while moving north along the peninsula, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Friday. The weather agency added that Khanun had left the country at around 6 a.m. Friday and entered North Korea, where it was heading toward the capital Pyongyang. Typhoon advisories were lifted across the country, and the alert level was lowered from "serious" to "alert." There were 379 reports of damage from Typhoon Khan

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2023

South Korea was bracing for one of the most destructive typhoons in years as Typhoon Khanun, accompanied by copious rainfall and destructive winds, pummeled the country on Thursday. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Khanun, which means “jackfruit” in Thai, could be the first to traverse the entire Korean Peninsula from south to north, threatening to bring extensive destruction in its wake. The projected route also could mirror that of Typhoon Rusa in 2002, which was the co

Social Affairs Aug. 10, 2023

As murder threats are sparking grave fears in South Korea following the recent deadly stabbing rampage in Bundang, the Justice Ministry said Wednesday that it would create new legal provisions to seek punishment for writers of online murder threats or those possessing weapons in public places. Upon the recommendation of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office to amend laws related to public intimidation, the ministry said it would set up new criminal punishment provisions after reviewing legislati

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2023

As teachers struggle with maintaining authority over unruly students and dealing with assertive parents, a survey released Wednesday shows that a majority of South Koreans support granting educators immunity from child abuse charges concerning actions taken for educational reasons. A joint poll conducted by Yonhap News Agency and Yonhap News TV showed that 74.3 percent of respondents answered “yes” when asked if they agreed with granting immunity from child abuse during life skills e

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2023

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said Monday that the use of force by police and the general public when confronting a suspect harming or threatening to harm people’s lives and bodies should be considered self-defense. Han’s remarks come after Thursday night’s deadly knife attack in a department store in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, and the stabbing incident near Sillim Station, in Seoul’s Gwanak-gu, in July, which left a total of two dead and 16 people injured. Han said

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2023

Self-defense products are on the rise as people are turning to such items to arm themselves in the case of a random stabbing incident. The number of transactions involving personal defense equipment saw a 123 percent increase on e-commerce platform Interpark compared to the same period last year, according to the company. Sales of self-defense items increased by 202 percent July 9-21, over the same period last year. In the event of a knife threat or attack, local experts here on Sunday said it&r

Social Affairs Aug. 6, 2023

Police said Sunday that they had opened investigations into 46 people on suspicion of making online murder threats, as fear grows among South Koreans following the back-to-back knife attacks. One suspect in Seoul, who threatened to kill people in Sillim-dong, in Gwanak district, southern Seoul, has been referred for prosecution, and another based in Busan has been handed over to the military police. Following the deadly knife attack Thursday night in a shopping mall in Bundang, an expensive neig

Social Affairs Aug. 6, 2023

진행자: 박준희, Beth Eunhee Hong 1. More suspected cases of cats with avian influenza reported in Seoul 기사 요약: 서울에서 '고양이 AI' 감염 의심 사례가 잇따라 발생하고 있다. [1] 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. *be infected with a virus: 바이러스에 걸리다 *Animal shelter: 동물 보호소 *Shelter: (비바람·위험·공격으로부터의) 피신[대피]; 피하다 *suspected: 미심쩌

Podcast Aug. 3, 2023

Parents in Seoul will have to make reservations through an app to meet or speak over the phone with teachers under a voluntary pilot program to be rolled out in November, Seoul Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said Wednesday. The reservation system is aimed at putting more safeguards in place for teachers at schools, after educators complained of being harassed by parents who have appeared unannounced at schools or called them after workhours, Cho said. The education office aims to launch t

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2023

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

Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2023

The bereaved family of a 23-year-old junior elementary school teacher who took her own life last week released part of her diary indicating that she had struggled with too much work and an unruly student on Tuesday, amid the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. “After going to work on Monday, I was bombarded with an immense workload and chaos caused by a student. I just wanted to let go of everything (at that point),” a diary entry presumed to have been

Social Affairs July 25, 2023

Amid growing concerns over recent cases of teacher abuse by students and parents, the government announced Monday that it would revise a student rights ordinance to safeguard teachers’ rights and enhance their authority in classrooms. The ordinance -- adopted in 2011 for schools in Gyeonggi Province and in 2012 in Seoul by progressive education superintendents -- is a set of legally binding guidelines that bans corporal punishment by teachers; discrimination against LGBT and pregnant stude

Politics July 24, 2023

Koh, a 23-year-old elementary teacher with two years of experience working at an elementary school in Busan, had a sixth-grade male student in her class last year who inflicted harm on himself in front of his peers, vomited every morning in class, skipped classes and assaulted teachers. But she wasn’t able to protect either herself or other students because the school refused to remove the student from the class, she said. She got a new class starting this year, but things have not gotten

Social Affairs July 23, 2023

The suicide of an elementary school teacher in her own classroom has reignited debate over teachers’ rights, and whether schools have enough protective measures in place, amid rising reports of assaults against teachers. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Wednesday confirmed that an early-career teacher at an elementary school in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, was found dead in her classroom Tuesday morning before school started. According to reports, the teacher was a 23-year-old w

Social Affairs July 20, 2023

An elementary school teacher in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, took her own life in a classroom Tuesday morning, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said late Wednesday. The teacher, whose identity has been withheld, reportedly killed themselves before school started in the morning, according to reports. Local media has reported that the teacher was a 23-year-old woman who passed the teacher certification test earlier this year. It added that students had not yet been informed of the teacher&

Social Affairs July 19, 2023