Dialogue launches without junior doctors, main opposition

A consultative body, comprising the government, medical sector, and ruling party, was launched on Monday to seek a resolution to the standoff that began in February and deliver tangible results by year-end. It was held with opposition from the main opposition party and striking junior doctors and students against the expansion plan boycotting the meeting. The move comes after ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon proposed the formation of a four-way consultative body in early September t

Nov. 11, 2024

Teens' prank spoils Busan's biggest fireworks festival

An unexpected lighting failure that occurred during the 19th Busan Fireworks Festival on Saturday was caused by three teenagers, according to the event’s organizers on Sunday. The teens' unauthorized entrance into the control room for the festival led to the light failure, according to the organizing committee of the annual festival in the second-largest Korean city. The teens touched a cable connected to light controls on the bridge Gwangandaegyo while being escorted out by security,

Nov. 11, 2024

[Graphic News] Rising wedding costs raise cash gift expectations

Amid “weddingflation” in South Korea, wedding expenses have surged, leaving guests uncertain about how much to give as cash gifts. Koreans commonly base cash gifts on the cost of the wedding meal and their closeness to the couple. In Seoul, most wedding meals now cost between 70,000 and 80,000 won ($51-$59), raising concerns for guests planning to give only 50,000 won. A Shinhan Bank survey found that people in their 20s to 40s primarily determined cash gift amounts based on their

Nov. 11, 2024

Only one-third of young diabetic Koreans receiving treatment: data

Suspected diabetes cases are surging among young Koreans, but only one-third are receiving treatment. Nearly 1 in 5 Koreans aged 19-39 are showing signs of prediabetic conditions, with the ratio rising to 1 in 3 among men in their 30s. These are some of the key findings of a study conducted by the Korean Diabetes Association, which analyzed blood test data of Koreans who underwent state-offered medical checkups from 2019 to 2022. According to its analysis, 307,965 Koreans aged 19 to 39 had high

Nov. 10, 2024

Fire at Posco plant in Pohang extinguished, but raises safety concerns

A fire erupted early Sunday morning at a Posco factory in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, and was brought under control within hours. Yet, a series of incidents, including multiple fires at Posco’s steel plant, has heightened anxiety among local residents this year. According to fire authorities, a fire erupted with multiple explosions at the Posco plant’s third Finex factory at around 4:20 a.m. Sunday. After initiating an emergency response at around 4:50 a.m., deploying 43 fire

Nov. 10, 2024

Will ousting KMA chief on eve of new talks shift medical standoff?

Hopes for a decisive breakthrough in the monthslong medical stalemate are rising as the consultation body intended to join the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, rival parties and the medical circle for talks is set to launch Monday morning, a day after a major leadership change in the Korean Medical Association. The body's launch comes after ruling People Power Party Chair Han Dong-hoon proposed in September the formation of a four-way consultative body in an attempt to resolve the ongoing medi

Nov. 10, 2024

Student backlash erupts as Dongduk Women's University weighs coed future

Dongduk Women's University, one of South Korea’s seven remaining women’s colleges, is weighing a possible shift to coeducation, a move igniting opposition among students who warn it could erode the institution’s mission of championing women’s empowerment and diminish women’s representation in society. According to the student council Naran of Dongduk Women's University on Sunday, the university will soon initiate discussions on becoming a coeducational ins

Nov. 10, 2024

Deer incidents put Seoul's southern suburbs on alert

Residents south of Seoul are watching their step as another deer incident has put local authorities on high alert, just days after attacks left two people injured. A deer was spotted late Saturday on a roadway in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, prompting an immediate response from fire officials. The emergency call came in around 11:55 p.m. from a resident fearing possible vehicle collisions with the animal, local authorities said. Two emergency vehicles carrying eight personnel responded to the scen

Nov. 10, 2024

Police uncover over 4,700 minors in crackdown on online gambling

Police said Sunday they have identified over 4,700 minors involved in online gambling activities over the past year. The National Police Agency said 4,715 individuals under the age of 19 were discovered during a special crackdown on illegal online gambling conducted from September 2023 to October this year. No arrests of minors have been made. The figure accounts for 47.2 percent of all age groups involved in the crackdown. Initially, police focused on targeting illegal gambling operators and ha

Nov. 10, 2024

Fire erupts at POSCO Pohang plant; 1 worker injured

A fire broke at a Posco factory in the southeastern city of Pohang early Sunday, leaving one worker injured, fire authorities said. The fire started with multiple explosions at the steel company's third Finex furnace of the plant, located about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at around 4:20 a.m. The blaze was initially contained by around 6:30 a.m. and completely extinguished at around 9:20 a.m. Witnesses reported hearing explosions that felt like an earthquake, and some said they felt the gr

Nov. 10, 2024

Drug use rises, but 13 addiction clinics treated no one last year: report

The number of estimated drug users in South Korea has surged to over 400,000 this year, but several of the state-designated hospitals for drug addiction treatment have not treated a single patient this year. According to local DongA Ilbo newspaper, a Ministry of Health and Welfare report estimated that 400,530 people in South Korea are thought to have used illegal drugs this year. This figure is derived from the ministry's formula of multiplying by 30 the actual number of those investigated

Nov. 9, 2024

Police bust illegal casino in Gangnam office space

Police have cracked down on an illegal gambling house disguised as a regular business office in Gangnam, southern Seoul, which reportedly wagered hundreds of billions of won in bets. Seoul Metropolitan Police’s International Crime Investigation Unit said Thursday that it has apprehended the 54-year-old ringleader, who allegedly ran gambling establishments across the Nonhyeon, Sinsa and Yeoksam neighborhoods from June 2023 to August 2024. The man has been charged with violating the Tourism

Nov. 9, 2024

Sunken fishing boat's location confirmed; fishing net hinders search

South Korean officials have confirmed the location of the sunken fishing boat off the coast of Jeju Island, but a tangled fishing net is making the search for the vessel difficult, Jeju Coast Guard said Friday. Officials from the Coast Guard held a briefing at 2 p.m. on the search and rescue operations for the crew of the 129-ton Geumseong which sank early Friday morning, leaving two of the 27 crew dead and 12 unaccounted for. Sixteen of the crew were Korean and 11 were of foreign nationality. U

Nov. 8, 2024

Top court upholds 8-year sentence for mother who killed newborns, stored bodies in freezer

South Korea’s Supreme Court has upheld an eight-year prison term for a woman who killed her two newborn babies and hid their bodies in her refrigerator. The top court confirmed a lower court’s verdict that sentenced the mother, in her 30s, on charges of murder and concealing of a corpse on Oct. 8, according to media reports Friday. She was convicted of strangling a daughter and a son to death shortly after their birth in November 2018 and November 2019, respectively. Prosecutors said

Nov. 8, 2024

Murder charge sought over death of mentally disabled student who was pushed into sea

South Korean prosecutors on Thursday requested an appellate court to hand a 25-year prison term to a 20-year-old over the death of a mentally disabled 18-year-old, who died after the accused pushed him into the sea for losing a game. Prosecutors want the defendant convicted of murder, after a lower court found him guilty only of a lesser offence. He pushed the victim into the sea in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, on Feb.1. The defendant lured the victim to the port by suggesting to go fishing,

Nov. 8, 2024

Police nab 20 suspects connected to ‘international sender’ phishing texts

Seoul police have uncovered six companies accused of mass-sending phishing messages beginning with “international sender” under the direction of criminal organizations, authorities said Thursday. After investigating the six firms from May to October this year, police sent 20 individuals -- among them a key operator named Kim, his employees and system developers – to the prosecution on charges of violating the Telecommunications Business Act and the Information and Communicati

Nov. 8, 2024

Woman jailed for hiding her baby's body for 4 years

A woman accused of causing her newborn's death and then hiding the baby's body was sentenced to a four-year prison term by a local court, officials said Thursday. Daejeon District Court on Oct. 26 found the defendant guilty of violating Article 4 of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, death resulting from child abuse. The defendant in her 30s was held responsible for the death of her child, who died a week after being born in September 2019. The de

Nov. 8, 2024

2 dead, 12 missing after fishing boat sinks near Jeju Island

A fishing boat carrying 27 people sank off the coast of Jeju Island on Friday, leaving two dead and 12 missing as authorities set up an emergency task force for rescue operations. As of Friday morning, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is commanding rescue operations at the emergency headquarters in Jeju City. Dozens of vessels and multiple aircraft from the Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force and the civilian sector are conducting search and rescue operations in the waters off Biyangdo Island. Pr

Nov. 8, 2024

Tourist doing yoga in front of Gyeongbokgung stirs debate

Photos of a woman practicing yoga in green leggings in front of Gyeongbokgung in Seoul have stirred up debate online. The incident occurred when a woman, 37, from Hanoi, Vietnam shared photos on TikTok showing herself doing a yoga handstand pose in front of the stone wall surrounding Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), during a visit to Seoul, Sunday. The photos went viral on social media, drawing criticism for being "rude," "disgraceful" a

Nov. 8, 2024

13 dentists caught smuggling uncertified dental equipment via AliExpress

South Korea’s customs agency said Wednesday it has caught 13 dentists smuggling uncertified dental equipment into the country by purchasing it on Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress. The dentists are accused of importing 11,349 pieces of equipment, worth approximately 140 million won ($100,000), that were allegedly used on patients, according to the Korea Customs Service at Seoul Regional Customs. The seized items included tools such as dental handpieces and burs for cavity treatment an

Nov. 7, 2024