[Community Discovery] Songpa-gu rides Korean food wave with cooking classes for foreigners

At a cooking studio in Garak Mall in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, laughter mixed with various languages could be heard as the smell of Korean food lingered in the air. The studio buzzed with dozens of amateur foreign national cooks, all eager to learn the art of Korean cuisine. The event, hosted by the Songpa-gu Office, is part of its annual Korean culture experience series. Organizers noted a surge in interest this year, crediting the global success of Netflix Korea's "Culinary Class Wa

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Minors purchased nearly 3,000 homes in South Korea over last five years

Nearly 3,000 homes have been purchased by minors in the past five years in South Korea, government data showed Thursday. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of home purchases by people under the age of 19 came to 2,964, which amounted to 519.8 billion won ($379.41 million), according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport data submitted to Rep. Ahn Do-geol of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Considering the purchasers' young ages, it appears many of these homes we

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Landlord’s son given suspended sentence for spycam in tenant’s apartment

An appeals court upheld a two-year and six-month prison term, suspended for four years, for a 48-year-old man convicted of illegally breaking into a woman’s apartment numerous times and installing a spy camera for sexual purposes. On Wednesday, the Gwangju District Court dismissed the prosecution’s appeal against the lower court’s ruling last September, which handed down a suspended sentence for the defendant guilty of home invasion and installing hidden cameras. The appellate

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Man dies after being turned down by 10 hospitals; govt. to investigate

The government said Thursday that a man in his 50s recently died due to delays in providing him with emergency medical care, in yet another case of an urgent care patient being turned down by multiple hospitals due to staff shortages from ongoing medical strikes. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, emergency services in South Gyeongsang Province received a report at around 3:28 a.m. on Sept. 6 that a man living in Yeoncho-myeon in Geoje city was suffering from abdominal pain and v

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Up to North Korea to prove claims of South Korean military sending drones into Pyongyang: JCS

GYERYONG, South Chungcheong Province -- On North Korea claiming without evidence that South Korean uncrewed aerial vehicles flew over Pyongyang, the South Korean army chief of staff said North Korean attempts to gamble with the stability of the Korean Peninsula “will not be tolerated.” Gen. Park An-su said North Korea was “using the drone claims” to order artillery corps to be prepared to open fire along the border and blow up inter-Korean roads. “The North Korean r

DefenseOct. 17, 2024

NK's gradual unveiling of constitutionalizing ‘2 hostile Koreas’ exposes dilemma: experts

After a week of silence following its parliamentary session, North Korea on Thursday effectively claimed to have revised its constitution to declare South Korea a "hostile state" while reporting on the severance of inter-Korean routes. The Rodong Sinmun, the most widely circulated newspaper in North Korea, reported Thursday on its front page that the General Staff of the Korean People's Army on Tuesday implemented measures to sever roads and railways connecting the two Koreas alon

North KoreaOct. 17, 2024

As election ends, Han urges first lady to scale back public role

Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon on Thursday stepped up his call for first lady Kim Keon Hee to refrain from public activities and explain multiple allegations against her, which include claims of her illegal involvement in the April 10 parliamentary elections. Han’s remarks come a day after the conservative bloc won two of the five seats in the regional by-elections in its respective strongholds -- Busan's Geumjeong District and Incheon's Ganghwa County – as President Yoo

PoliticsOct. 17, 2024

Ex-Seoul police chief acquitted of negligence in Itaewon crowd crush

A Seoul district court on Thursday ruled that Kim Kwang-ho, the former chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, was not guilty of negligence before and during the deadly Halloween crowd crush on Oct. 29, 2022, in Itaewon, central Seoul. According to the Seoul Western District Court, the prosecution had not provided enough evidence that Kim had directly violated his duty of care as the police chief of the Seoul police agency, either on the day of the crowd crush or in the days leading up to

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Seoul's new education chief likely to inherit progressive policies

Jung Geun-sik, the newly elected liberal superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, officially took office on Thursday. With his inauguration, the city’s progressive approach to education, which has been in place for the past decade under his predecessor, Cho Hee-yeon, is expected to continue. Jung secured 50.17 percent of the vote in Wednesday's by-election, defeating his conservative rival, Cho Jun-hyuk, by a margin of 4.15 percentage points. His win surpassed the

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Men in 50s, 60s account for 54% of 'lonely deaths': report

South Korea saw a continuing rise in "godoksa," or lonely deaths, in 2022 and 2023, respectively, with men in their 60s and 50s accounting for over half of them, according to a government report on Thursday. The Health Ministry defines "lonely death" as those living alone, disconnected from their family, relatives, friends and neighbors, who died alone from suicide, illness or other causes. There were 3,559 and 3,661 lonely death cases in 2022 and 2023, respectively, the mini

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

First lady cleared of stock manipulation allegations

The South Korean prosecution on Thursday announced it would not indict first lady Kim Keon Hee for her alleged involvement in a 63.6 billion won ($46.6 million) investment fraud case, effectively clearing her remaining legal risks. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said in a press release it would not pursue charges against the first lady as there was a lack of evidence that Kim had been aware of what was found to be a pump-and-dump scheme when trading stocks of the targeted compani

PoliticsOct. 17, 2024

2-meter-long snake captured outside of Gyeonggi Provincial Office

A snake nearly 2 meters long was captured outside the Gyeonggi Provincial Government’s northern office in Uijeongbu on Wednesday. At around 11:55 a.m., the fire department received a call reporting a large snake on the road in front of the provincial office. Firefighters arrived at the scene, captured the snake and released it into a nearby forest. The authorities believe the snake came down from a nearby mountain. According to the Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Headquarters, 6,675

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Most 'avoidable' deaths in Army were suicides: report

An overwhelming majority of what are deemed "avoidable deaths" in the South Korean Army last year were soldier suicides, Ministry of National Defense data showed Thursday. A total of 44 avoidable deaths -- designated Type 1 deaths -- occurred in 2023, according to the data submitted to Rep. Hwang Hee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Suicides accounted for 41 of them, or 93.2 percent, which was the highest percentage of suicides among Type 1 deaths since the 70.7 percen

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Drunk driver rams truck into car accident scene, kills 2

Two women at the scene of a minor car accident were killed after being run over by a truck driven by a drunk driver in South Jeolla Province, officials said Thursday, shortly before another similar tragedy by a truck driver occurred in the same region. According to the Jeonnam Fire service, the victims had exited their vehicles on a road in the Yeongam-gun region of the province on Wednesday after their cars collided with each other. The two were discussing matters related to the accident when a

Social AffairsOct. 17, 2024

Yoon's office vows to press ahead with reforms after ruling party's by-election wins

The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Thursday to push for major reform agenda items after the ruling People Power Party won crucial by-elections on its home turf. The PPP secured victories in its traditional stronghold constituencies -- Busan's Geumjeong District and Incheon's Ganghwa County -- in Wednesday's by-elections as the party seeks to recover from waning approval ratings for both Yoon and the party following its crushing defeat in the April 10 parliamentary electio

PoliticsOct. 17, 2024

N. Korean hackers steal $3b in cryptocurrency since 2017 to fund nuclear program: report

North Korean hackers have stolen an estimated US$3 billion worth of cryptocurrency since 2017, using the funds to support the regime's nuclear and missile programs, a Microsoft report showed Thursday. Of that amount, between $600 million and $1 billion was stolen just last year, based on Microsoft's Digital Defense Report for 2024. The report highlights that these stolen funds have financed over half of Pyongyang's nuclear development efforts. Since last year, Microsoft has identi

North KoreaOct. 17, 2024

Ruling party chief again calls for first lady's withdrawal from public activities

Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon on Thursday called again for first lady Kim Keon Hee to withdraw from public activities following the party's wins in crucial by-elections the previous day. Han of the People Power Party also reiterated his call for a presidential office reshuffle to remove those considered close to Kim and exercising undue influence on state affairs. "First lady Kim Keon Hee should refrain from public activities in keeping with her promise during the presidential elec

PoliticsOct. 17, 2024

Finance minister calls for thorough preparations for uncertainties over US politics

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on Thursday called for thorough preparations for uncertainties stemming from the upcoming presidential election in the United States. Choi made the remarks during a ministerial meeting on external economics, also pointing to escalating tensions in the Middle East as major external challenges, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. "The US presidential election is just about 20 days away, and there is a possibility of a wider conflict in the Middle E

PoliticsOct. 17, 2024

Trump says America 'can't be taken advantage of any longer,' hints at possible SMA renegotiation

Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that America "cannot be taken advantage of any longer in trade and in the military," reinforcing speculation that he could demand renegotiation of a recent defense cost-sharing deal with Seoul if he returns to office. The Republican presidential candidate made the remarks during a televised town hall event hosted by Fox News, falsely claiming that South Korea does not pay for the stationing of the 28,500-strong US Forces Korea. "South K

Foreign AffairsOct. 17, 2024

NK constitution 'clearly' defines S. Korea as 'hostile' state: KCNA

North Korea said Thursday its constitution clearly defines South Korea as a "hostile state," highly suggesting that Pyongyang has amended its constitution in line with leader Kim Jong-un's order to codify the South as an enemy, not a partner for reconciliation and unification. The Korean Central News Agency made the report while reporting on the North's blowing up earlier this week of roads and railways connected to South Korea that were once considered key symbols of inter-K

North KoreaOct. 17, 2024