Court of appeals orders Japan firm to compensate forced labor victim's children

A Seoul court of appeals, reversing a ruling by a district court, ordered Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. on Thursday to pay compensation of 100 million won ($74,750) to four children of a deceased South Korean victim of Japan's wartime forced labor. The appellate division of the Seoul Central District Court made the ruling in a lawsuit filed by the descendants of the victim, surnamed Jeong, who demanded 200 million won, claiming he was forcibly mobilized to work for the Japanese company�

Foreign AffairsAug. 22, 2024

Police probe pro-NK media founded by controversial pastor

Police have opened an investigation into a pro-North Korean online media outlet founded by Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young on suspicion of violating the National Security Act, officials said Thursday. Choi, who has made headlines for secretly filming himself handing over a luxury handbag gift to first lady Kim Keon Hee in 2022, reportedly participated in the creation of the media outlet in 2018. The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, 33 kilometers west of Seoul, has been investigating an

Social AffairsAug. 22, 2024

Binggrae CEO indicted for beating police officer while drunk

The CEO of Binggrae Co., South Korea's major dairy maker, was indicted for assaulting a police officer under the influence of alcohol, judicial officials said Thursday. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office indicted Kim Dong-hwan, the oldest son of Kim Ho-youn, the former chairman of the food company, on charges of obstruction of official duties last week. Kim, 41, is accused of beating a police officer who arrived at the scene after a resident filed a complaint against him for kick

Social AffairsAug. 22, 2024

Number of COVID-19 inpatients shows signs of abating

The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 showed signs of abating, health authorities said Thursday. Although the weekly number of COVID-19 inpatients grew last week, the growth rate of hospitalization plunged, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The number of COVID-19 patients in 220 hospitals last week came to 1,444, up 5.7 percent from a week earlier, the KDCA said. That compared with 1,366 patients in the second week of this month, up 55.2 percent from a week

Social AffairsAug. 22, 2024

[Graphic News] Number of registered dogs and cats up 7.6% in 2023: data

The number of registered dogs and cats in South Korea rose 7.6 percent on-year in 2023, data showed. The figure reached 3.28 million in 2023, up from 3.05 million the previous year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Dogs accounted for 3.24 million of the registrations, while cats made up approximately 40,000. In 2023, the number of newly registered dogs and cats came to 271,000, a decrease of 10.4 percent compared with the previous year. In Kore

Social AffairsAug. 22, 2024

Number of heat-related patients nears 3,000 to second-highest level

Nearly 3,000 people have experienced heat-related illnesses this summer as scorching heat continues to plague South Korea, authorities said Wednesday. A total of 98 people were taken to emergency rooms due to heat-related illnesses on Tuesday alone, bringing the total number of such patients to 2,994 since May 20, when the government began monitoring such cases for the year, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. It is the second-largest tally ever, with the country report

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Yoon says N. Korea will face 'end of regime' if it invades South

President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Wednesday that North Korea would face the end of its regime should it attempt to invade South Korea, while inspecting an annual joint exercise with the United States. Yoon made the remark during his visit to the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, south of Seoul, where he received briefings on the Ulchi Freedom Shield. The joint military exercise began Monday for an 11-day run. "The North Korean regime is the most irrational group on Earth that can stage prov

PoliticsAug. 21, 2024

Another heat wave impact: Smelly tap water

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 AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Civil defense drill to be held Thursday

The annual civil defense drill is take place across South Korea on Thursday, with an air-raid alarm sounding and traffic blocked on some roads. This year’s drill will last for 20 minutes starting at 2 p.m., the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced. The drill, designed to help people living here be prepared for possible attacks, will begin with a one-minute air-raid alarm. Pedestrians will be guided to swiftly move to nearby safe basements or shelters. People's movements will

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Watch your fingers: Ministry revises safety infographic after pinching gesture complaints

The Ministry of Labor and Employment had to revise images in its public materials following complaints that one of the illustrations featured what some saw as a hand gesture associated with misandry, local media reported Wednesday. The illustration was part of a safety infographic shared via Kakao Talk messenger on Aug. 5 to alert the public about recent serious industrial accidents. It detailed the safety hazards leading to the fatal fall on Aug. 2 of a worker who had been fixing roofing materi

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Doctors angered by plan to require additional license to open practices

As the medical standoff extends over seven months, the government has been discussing mandating an additional license in order to open private hospitals, sparking fury among young doctors here, many of whom have walked off the job to protest the government's medical school quota hike. In line with the government's health care reform plan, the Health Ministry is reviewing introducing a so-called “practice license” in the future, arguing that a doctor's license alone can

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Advisory body for Constitutional revision to be launched: Assembly speaker

National Assembly Speaker Rep. Woo Won-shik reiterated Wednesday the need for a bill to revise the Constitution, with the aim of changing the term limit for the president, stressing that an advisory body will be launched soon. Woo’s remarks, made at a press conference at the Assembly in western Seoul, are in line with the opposition’s goal to hold a national referendum in 2026. The ruling party has denounced the referendum as a move to shorten President Yoon Suk Yeol’s single,

PoliticsAug. 21, 2024

Rain to continue until Thursday after Typhoon Jongdari weakens

Though Typhoon Jongdari weakened to a tropical depression late Tuesday evening, the Korea Meteorological Administration said on Wednesday that rain will continue to fall, focusing on central regions of South Korea to Thursday. As of 9 p.m., Tuesday, Typhoon Jongdari weakened to a tropical depression 30 kilometers off the southeastern coast of Heuksando, South Jeolla Province, according to the KMA. The typhoon then passed by Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, at 3 a.m., before dissipating nearby

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Medical standoff puts Korea's COVID-19 response to test

South Korea's health system, which for years worked to shield the nation from the deadly threat of COVID-19, finds itself under renewed pressure from a virus resurgence amid the prolonged standoff between medical professionals and the government, putting its capacity to the test. The virus is likely to peak later this month at a time when the country's health care has for six months been stretched beyond its capacity, after intern and resident doctors resigned en masse in mid-February

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Yoon aide suggests 'direct hire' of foreign nannies to ease cost burden

An aide to President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday proposed a "private contract" or direct hire between South Korean individuals and foreign caregivers as a way to ease the cost burden for local households having difficulties balancing between work and family life, which she believes is one cause of the country's low birth rate. You Hye-mi, senior secretary to the president for population policy, said in a KBS 1 Radio interview Wednesday that the government is looking for ways to que

PoliticsAug. 21, 2024

Prosecutors drop luxury bag charges against first lady

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has decided to drop the anticorruption charges against first lady Kim Keon Hee, closing its investigation into allegations that she received a luxury Christian Dior handbag and other expensive gifts in exchange for favors. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, which is in charge of the first lady's case, has recently decided not to press charges and report its decision to Prosecutor General Lee One-seok, according to legal circle

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Woman gets suspended jail term for attacking 2 people she claimed were stalkers

A 49-year-old woman has been given a one-year jail term, suspended for two years, for attacking a man and a woman under the false belief they were stalking her, court officials said Wednesday. In a recent ruling from the Seoul Northern District Court, the suspect was found guilty of violence and special bodily injury on another in two attacks, against a 44-year-old woman and a 70-year-old man with mental disabilities She was also ordered to be on probation. On Sept. 16 last year the defendant at

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Man robs store after making false bomb report

A man in his 20s was arrested for making a fake bomb report and robbing a convenience store, South Korean police said Wednesday. The suspect called the police via 112 at around 7 a.m. Tuesday from Pyeongnae-dong, Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, and said he installed an explosive device inside the nearby PyeongnaeHopyeong station. He then went into a convenience store and threatened a store clerk with a weapon, stealing 90,000 won ($67) in cash. Police officers searched the station, but did not f

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

Coastal cities extend lifeguard availability, as beach visits continue

South Korea's east coastal cities recently extended the availability of lifeguards at official beaches, in light of people continuing to visit them even after they officially closed following the summer vacation period. The city governments of Gangneung and Donghae said they will continue to have lifeguards posted to some beaches for visitors, even after they have closed for this year's summer vacation season. Regional governments operate "haesuyokjang" -- referring to seasid

Social AffairsAug. 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] K-Wave a model for I-Wave: Indonesian diplomat

Joannes Ekaprasetya Tandjung, minister counselor for the creative economy and digital affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in South Korea, suggested Indonesian artists embrace Korean training and education as models to nurture the Southeast Asian country's creative industry. With an aim to promote Indonesian culture globally, Jakarta initiated the "Promoting Creative Economy for Sustainable Development" resolution at the 78th UN General Assembly in 2023. The initiative marks the firs

Foreign AffairsAug. 21, 2024