Lawyer whose absence lost school bullying death case ordered to compensate victim's family

Kwon Gyeong-ae, a lawyer whose repeated failures to show up to court lost a case involving a teenage girl's death caused by school bullying, was ordered by another court to pay 50 million won ($36,000) in compensation to the bereaved family of the victim. The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday ruled against Kwon in the civil damages suit filed by the girl’s mother, Lee Gi-cheol, and her family, in which they requested a total of 200 million won in financial and psychological dama

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

Church member indicted for murder in death of 17-year-old

A member of a local church has been arrested and indicted for the abuse and murder of a 17-year-old girl, the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office said Wednesday. The 55-year-old suspect initially faced child abuse resulting in death, but the prosecution altered the charge to child abuse and murder after an additional investigation it conducted since taking the case from police on May 24. Child abuse and murder can be punished by at least seven years in prison, and up to a death sentence

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

S. Korea, Kazakhstan agree to bolster mineral supply chain

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Kazakh counterpart President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev agreed Wednesday to strengthen bilateral cooperation in critical minerals exploration and development. The presidential office said this would bolster the bilateral strategic partnership between the two nations, with his state visit to Kazakhstan marking the first by a South Korean leader in five years. During the summit of Yoon and Tokayev in Astana, the capital city of Kazakh

PoliticsJune 12, 2024

S. Korea cracks down on misleading growth hormone ads

South Korea announced a crackdown Wednesday on false or exaggerated advertisements for growth hormone treatments, as the private market for height-enhancement products grows here. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it has launched the crackdown in collaboration with 17 local governments. The initiative will continue through June 21. Hospitals, pharmacies, and pharmaceutical companies found to be overstating or falsely advertising information will be subject to administrative guidance and

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

Women protest ministry's ban on simultaneous use of childbirth pain meds

A backlash is coming from South Korea's pregnant women over the Health Ministry's decision not to allow the simultaneous use of epidurals and a continuous local anesthetic colloquially referred to as a "pain buster" here during childbirth starting next month, lambasting the government for restricting womens' right to choose. The ministry has recently announced that pregnant women will no longer be able to use epidurals and pain busters, also known as severe pain reliever

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

Professors at 40 med schools decide to shut down services on June 18

The Medical Professors Association of Korea said late Wednesday that it has decided to join the one-day shutdown of services on June 18 planned by the largest doctors' group here. Kim Chang-soo, a preventative medicine and public health professor at Yonsei University who heads the group of professors at 40 medical schools, said medical professors will take a day off next week to demand the scrapping of the medical school quota hike. They have continuously demanded that the government scrap

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

[Community Discovery] Mapo's Hyodo Babsang program becomes model for senior welfare

"Godoksa," or lonely death, has recently become a nationwide concern in South Korea, challenging the deeply rooted Confucian belief in filial piety. According to the health ministry's 2023 report, approximately 1.525 million people in Korea are at risk of dying alone. The number of lonely deaths has increased by 8.8 percent over the past five years, reaching 3,378 in 2022. Mapo-gu, a university neighborhood in northwestern Seoul, has been particularly attentive to this rising soci

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

S. Korea, Cuba agree to open embassies soon

South Korea and Cuba held their first high-level talks in Seoul since the establishment of diplomatic ties in February, with a focus on expanding cooperation across various fields, including the economy, regional and global matters, and the opening of embassies, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul. South Korea’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Chung Byung-won met with Carlos Miguel Pereira, Director-General of the General Division of Bilateral Affairs at the Cuban Foreign Mini

Foreign AffairsJune 12, 2024

How to find earthquake shelters near you

An early morning 4.8 magnitude earthquake jolted South Korea on Wednesday, leading to minimal damage and no casualties, but causing a shock in a country where most residents are not accustomed to such tremors. In light of the recent quake, how to find the nearest earthquake shelter instantly became a topic of interest. Information about earthquake shelters near one's residence can be accessed via various websites and applications. To access information about the earthquake shelters, one can

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

119 reports by text, video calls, app increase 36% last year

Reports to emergency number 119 through channels other than direct phone calls increased by 36 percent last year, data showed on Wednesday. According to the National Fire Agency, a total of 896,049 reports were made to the hotline outside of conventional voice calls last year, up from 235,360 the previous year. Since 2011, people have been able to request emergency assistance via text messages, video calls, photos sent via text message or reports via the 119 mobile app, in addition to calling 11

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

First lady returns to diplomatic spotlight amid mounting domestic pressure

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- First lady Kim Keon Hee has embraced the diplomatic spotlight during President Yoon Suk Yeol's Central Asian trip, amid political pressure to investigate allegations she violated Korea's antigraft law. As Yoon and Kim are halfway through a trip involving state visits to three countries -- Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan -- Kim has expanded her public role as the first lady in a series of engagements highlighting cultural exchanges. According to Yoon's

PoliticsJune 12, 2024

4.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Buan, strongest of year

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Buan-gun, North Jeolla Province, Wednesday morning, marking the strongest earthquake in South Korea's southwestern region's history and the most powerful quake of the year, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The earthquake that occurred at 8:26 a.m. was the 16th strongest earthquake since 1973, when the country started compiling relevant records. The quake’s depth was measured at 8 kilometers and it was followed by 17 afte

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

S. Korea, Kazakhstan set for summit to discuss cooperation on minerals, infrastructure

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev were set to hold summit talks Wednesday to discuss strengthening cooperation in the supply chain of critical minerals, infrastructure development and other areas. Yoon began his three-day state visit to Kazakhstan on Tuesday, the second leg of his Central Asia trip following his stop in Turkmenistan. At the talks, the two leaders plan to discuss ways of further advancing economic ties, particularly in resources and infrastructure

Foreign AffairsJune 12, 2024

Yoon orders swift damage assessment, safety check after 4.8 magnitude quake

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the government Wednesday to carry out a swift damage assessment and safety check in response to a 4.8 magnitude earthquake that struck near the southwestern county of Buan early in the day, his office said. Yoon gave the instruction upon being briefed on the quake, the strongest on the Korean Peninsula and in its surrounding waters this year, while on a state visit to Kazakhstan, according to presidential spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung. He also called for continual

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

PM orders thorough govt. response to 4.8 magnitude earthquake

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo instructed the government Wednesday to take thorough and effective measures in the aftermath of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake that struck near the southwestern county of Buan early in the day, his office said. The quake struck 4 kilometers south of the North Jeolla county at 8:26 a.m., the strongest on the Korean Peninsula and in its surrounding waters this year, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Han ordered the interior minister to thoroughly manage

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

Medical professors set to decide whether to join planned strike by community doctors

Professors at 40 medical schools were set to hold a meeting Wednesday to decide whether or not to join a planned strike by community doctors, an official at a group of the professors has said. Community doctors voted to take a day off next Tuesday in support of a protracted walkout by trainee doctors, who have left their worksites since late February to protest against the government's medical reform. The official at the Medical Professors Association of Korea told Yonhap News Agency on Tue

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

[Graphic News] 1 in 10 Seoul households have dogs: report

A recent report by the Seoul Digital Foundation, an organization affiliated with the Seoul city government, revealed that the number of registered pet dogs in Seoul has reached 612,000, accounting for 17.5 percent of the country’s total. This data, based on the March 2024 database of registered pets, indicated that approximately 1 in 10 households in the South Korean capital now own at least one dog, with a ratio of 14.9 dogs per 100 households. The report also provided a detailed breakd

Social AffairsJune 12, 2024

NK leader sends message to Putin marking Russia's national day

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of its national day, the North's state media reported Tuesday, amid growing speculation that Putin would visit Pyongyang soon. Kim sent "a message of greeting" to Putin, which was "courteously conveyed" by the North's Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong-chol to an official of the Russian foreign ministry, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The KCNA d

Foreign AffairsJune 11, 2024

S. Korea welcomes UN Security Council's adoption of resolution for ceasefire in Gaza

South Korea's foreign ministry on Tuesday welcomed the UN Security Council's adoption of a United States-led ceasefire plan for the war in Gaza. On Monday, the council approved the first resolution endorsing a ceasefire proposal presented by US President Joe Biden, which calls for ending the months-long war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. "South Korea expects all parties concerned to immediately accept the proposal and fully implement it upon the UNSC's adoption of the reso

Foreign AffairsJune 11, 2024

Gym draws fire for banning 'ajumma'

In South Korea, the debate has intensified over indoor spaces attempting to bar certain groups from entry, notably sparked by a gym's recent decision to ban older women, creating a "No ajumma zone." According to a post on Blind, an online discussion platform for verified employees, on Monday, a gym in Incheon hung up a sign on its premises saying: "Ajumma not allowed to enter," with the additional explanation, "Only cultivated and elegant women allowed," below.

Social AffairsJune 11, 2024