Tattoo artist calls for all body inking to be legal at audit

The debate on legalizing tattooing by non-medical practitioners further heightened on Thursday, after a veteran tattoo artist called to scrap the decades-old regulation that officially restricts the practice to only being conducted by licensed medical personnel. "I looked around the room, and about half of the people here have tattoos. But I don't think there's a single person who got it legally," Kim Do-yoon, who heads the country's first labor union of tattooists, told

Social AffairsOct. 24, 2024

New envoy expects upgrade in Uzbek-Korean ties

Uzbekistan’s newly appointed Ambassador to South Korea Alisher Abdusalomov expressed hopes for expanded economic, academic and tourism cooperation during a courtesy visit to Herald Media Group on Wednesday. “It’s very interesting to hear the concerns of Korean companies and CEOs when doing business overseas at (The Herald's) Global Business Forum,” Abdusalomov said, sharing his memories of attending Herald Media Group’s biannual forum held last year. Herald Med

Foreign AffairsOct. 24, 2024

Campaign for proper K-food names

The Seoul city government announced a campaign to promote standardized foreign-language names for Korean foods on Thursday, aiming to boost culinary tourism by providing accurate translations for international visitors. The initiative, in collaboration with the Seoul Tourism Organization and the Korea Food Service Industry Association, runs until Nov. 1 and focuses on correcting mistranslations of famous Korean dishes. Foreign tourists often encounter baffling translations on menus, including no

Social AffairsOct. 24, 2024

Draft-dodger falls from building trying to run from investigators

A young man on the run for allegedly dodging his mandatory military service survived a fall from a building while trying to evade prosecutors, officials said Thursday. The suspect, in his late 20s and wanted for violating the Military Service Act, was visited at his home in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province by officials from the Namyangju Branch of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office at around 12:40 p.m. on Monday. One investigator knocked on the door while the other was standing by outsi

Social AffairsOct. 24, 2024

Asiana starts direct flights to Egypt

Asiana Airlines has started direct charter flights from Incheon to Cairo, according to the Egyptian Embassy in South Korea at an event Wednesday. Hosted by Egyptian Ambassador to Korea Khaled Abdel Rahman, the event showcased tourism and culture with presentations from travel agencies from Korea. In his address, Rahman applauded the cooperation of Asiana Airlines and major South Korean tour operators such as Hana Tour, Mode Tour, Verygood Tour and Yellow Balloon Tour. "The message we want t

Foreign AffairsOct. 24, 2024

What would N. Korean troops mean for the war with Ukraine?

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — US and South Korean officials said Wednesday that there’s evidence North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia in a potential escalation of the nearly 3-year-old war with Ukraine. If the soldiers’ goal is fighting with Russia in Ukraine, it would be the first time a third country puts boots on the ground in the war. Other countries on both sides of the divide have sent military aid, including weapons and training: Iran has supplied Russia with drones, and W

North KoreaOct. 24, 2024

DP to push bill targeting first lady for vote at next month's plenary session

The main opposition Democratic Party plans to push for the passage of a bill calling for a special counsel probe into allegations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee at a parliamentary plenary session next month, an official said Thursday. The DP has previously voted for two similar bills, only to see them scrapped in revotes conducted following President Yoon Suk Yeol's vetoes. A DP official told Yonhap News Agency that a new bill is likely to be reviewed in the legislation and judiciary par

PoliticsOct. 24, 2024

N. Korea installing unidentified structures on disconnected inter-Korean road: source

North Korea is building unidentified structures on an eastern inter-Korean road that it blew up last week, a source said Thursday, amid heightened cross-border tensions over the North's border activities. Last Tuesday, North Korea blew up sections of the eastern Donghae Line and the western Gyeongui Line, just north of the border, days after vowing to cut off all roads and railways linked to the South and build front-line defense structures. Since the explosions, South Korea's border s

North KoreaOct. 24, 2024

NATO says has 'confirmed evidence' N.Korea troops in Russia

NATO countries have confirmed evidence that North Korea has sent troops to Russia, an alliance spokeswoman said Wednesday, warning it would be a major escalation if they head to Ukraine. "Allies have confirmed evidence of a DPRK troop deployment to Russia. If these troops are destined to fight in Ukraine, it would mark a significant escalation in North Korea's support for Russia's illegal war and yet another sign of Russia's significant losses on the front lines," Farah

North KoreaOct. 23, 2024

Court approves process to find new owner for beleaguered e-commerce platforms

A Seoul court has approved the process to find a new owner for e-commerce platforms TMON and WeMakePrice placed under court-led rehabilitation since early September after failing to make payments to vendors using their platforms, an official said Wednesday. The Seoul Bankruptcy Court has selected the EY Hanyoung accounting firm as the lead manager for the process to sell the e-commerce platforms to help resolve the massive payment delays, the court's appointed custodian, Jo In-cheol, told Y

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2024

KBS nominates main anchor Park Jang-beom as new president

The board of directors at South Korea's largest public broadcaster KBS on Wednesday recommended its main news anchor as new president and CEO, officials said. During an extra board meeting in the day, Park Jang-beom was chosen to replace current CEO Park Min to be the 27th president of the broadcaster out of three candidates, including the incumbent chief. The decision needs approval from President Yoon Suk Yeol. If confirmed, the new president's term will begin on Dec. 10 to run throu

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2024

North Korean troops in Russia, US defense secretary says

ROME -- US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday there is evidence that North Korean troops are in Russia, and it remained to be seen what they would be doing there. "There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia," Austin told reporters in Rome, using North Korea's formal name - the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "What exactly they are doing? Left to be seen. These are things that we need to sort out," Austin added. Ukrainian President Vo

DefenseOct. 23, 2024

S. Korea secures additional 34 passenger manifests from Ukishima ship sinking

Japan provided South Korea on Wednesday with another batch of passenger manifests from the 1945 sinking of a Japanese vessel that is known to have killed thousands of Koreans aboard. The Ukishima Maru sank in waters off the Aomori Prefecture in August 1945 following an explosion in the hull. The ship was transporting Koreans, many of whom were forcibly mobilized for wartime labor, back to their homeland, as Korea was liberated from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. South Korea's foreign m

Foreign AffairsOct. 23, 2024

NIS says some 3,000 North Korean soldiers deployed for Russia

The South Korean spy agency believes up to 10,000 members of North Korean forces could be deployed in Russia’s war on Ukraine by December, according to vice chairs of the National Assembly intelligence committee on Wednesday. “To date around 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, with an additional 1,500 to be dispatched sometime soon. By December, the number of soldiers dispatched is expected to total 10,000,” Rep. Park Sun-won told reporters after he was briefe

PoliticsOct. 23, 2024

Doctor under fire for labeling patient's fat tissue as 'lard' in medical report

A South Korean doctor is facing backlash for allegedly describing a patient’s fat tissue as “pig lard.” The incident was revealed Tuesday on JTBC’s current affairs show “Scandal Supervisor." A patient who had been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism visited a local hospital after experiencing heart palpitations and shortness of breath. For further assessment, the doctor ordered a CT scan and she paid around 800,000 won ($579). When reviewing the scan results, the pa

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2024

[Herald Interview] Korea building law database system for foreign nationals: minister

The South Korean government is stepping up its efforts to make the country more foreigner-friendly by building an accessible database system of the country's laws and legislation, the minister of government legislation told the Korea Herald earlier this month. As South Korea pushes to embrace foreign workers and immigrants to address population decline, the Ministry of Government Legislation -- a body focused on making the nation's legal system clear, consistent, and accessible both do

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2024

N. Korea's support puts Putin in its debt: experts

North Korea's dispatch of personnel to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- even if their military involvement is limited or indirect -- could put Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang's debt, experts said. The development may also set the stage for reciprocal support from Moscow for Kim Jong-un's aggressive ambitions, especially if North Korean casualties occur in the Ukraine war. Whether North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia remains a hotly debated issue, w

Foreign AffairsOct. 23, 2024

Han intensifies call for Kim Keon Hee special probe

Han Dong-hoon, chief of the ruling People Power Party, reiterated his call for an independent inspector general's probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee in a party meeting Wednesday, saying such a probe is a crucial step for the ruling bloc to restore public trust. Han's proposal, however, immediately prompted opposition from within the ruling conservative party. "We have promised the people that we will start working to recommend candidates for a special inspector general," Han

PoliticsOct. 23, 2024

DDP begins rooftop tours

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, central Seoul, will begin hosting rooftop tours, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Design Foundation on Wednesday. According to the city government and the foundation, the rooftop tours will open to the public from Friday to Nov. 17 as a test run, before officially launching it as a regular tour program in the spring of 2025. “The rooftop tour is a new attempt (by the Seoul Metropolitan

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2024

Seoul unveils plan to move 68km of railways underground

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced its plan on Wednesday to convert 68 kilometers -- or 94 percent -- of the city’s above-ground railway network into an underground network. The space for ground railways as well as station buildings will be turned into parks, and commercial and cultural facilities. Currently, Seoul has 71.6 kilometers of above-ground railway across six lines, running through 15 out of 25 districts. The conversion includes 34.7 kilometers of the Gyeongbu Line and 3

Social AffairsOct. 23, 2024