[Photo News] Starting university in post pandemic

Many universities in South Korea held commencement ceremonies on Friday, filling the air with the excitement of new beginnings. With the coronavirus' spread slowing down in recent months, some schools held in-person ceremonies for the first time in four years. Freshmen of Sungkyunkwan University took part in a Confucian ritual for their commencement ceremony. The ritual, called "goyurye," traces back to the Joseon era (1392-1910). Cadets marched in file during a commencement cerem

Feb. 24, 2023

[Photo News] Taegeukgi-covered trees ahead of spring

Trees were decorated with Taegeukgi, South Korea’s national flag, near Hyochang Park in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul on Friday. Yongsan-gu on Monday announced its plan to install the flags along the 600-meter walkway between Hyochang Park subway station and the park in celebration of the 104th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, a nationwide uprising in 1919 against Japan's colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. Hyochang Park is home to the tombs of primary patriotic figures incl

Feb. 24, 2023

[Newsmaker] How will ChatGPT affect English learning in Korea?

San Francisco-based OpenAI’s ChatGPT may not be having quite the impact in South Korea as it is the English-speaking world so far, but it certainly has a demographic here pondering its ramifications -- English teachers, learners and others in the English education business. YouTube is teeming with videos on how ChatGPT can write emails, correct sentences, figure out the different nuances of words, use idioms and explain grammar – all of which can help people improve their English wit

Feb. 24, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 10,000 for 4th day

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases continued the downward trend Friday, with daily infections falling by nearly 1,400 cases compared with a week earlier. The country reported 10,051 new infection cases, including 26 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,479,753 the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload stayed above 10,000 for the fourth straight day Friday. Friday's tally fell from 11,436 cases a week ago and 13,499 cases two weeks earlier. The p

Feb. 24, 2023

Foundation formed to connect Korean diaspora youth

The launch event for a foundation aimed at connecting Korean diaspora youth called K-Diaspora World Solidarity was held Thursday at a National Assembly building. Democratic Party of Korea Rep. So Byung-chul said in an address that he hoped the foundation would serve as “a platform for networking among young Koreans all over the world” and that it would “connect a scattered diaspora.” “I hope that the foundation will serve as a center for discovering Korean culture a

Feb. 23, 2023

[From Korea to Kyiv] 'War's nearing an end but peace talk with Putin will never happen'

The Russian war against Ukraine will reach a critical juncture in spring or early summer, and there is anticipation that the war will end within the year. But even if subsequent peace talks take place, Russian leader Vladimir Putin will be the last person that Ukraine would want to talk to, Ukraine’s top envoy to Seoul said in an interview with The Korea Herald. "I think the spring and early summer of 2023 will be decisive for the course of war. It is possible to win the war this year

Feb. 23, 2023

Three climbers die in US avalanche

Two Korean Americans and one Korean national died over the weekend after being swept up in an avalanche on a mountain in Washington state, US, officials said Thursday. The three climbers, who were part of a six-person group, were attempting to climb a 2,650-meter peak in Washington’s Cascade Mountains on Sunday when the avalanche was “triggered,” the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release shared via Twitter. According to sheriff’s office, the victims

Feb. 23, 2023

Textbooks to go digital in 2025

In line with the paradigm shift in education through technology, South Korea’s Ministry of Education said Thursday that digital textbooks for Korean schools will go into use in 2025. The ministry said it would begin with three subjects: English, Mathematics and Information. Other subjects will be decided in May. Digital conversion of paper-based books to electronic books will be carried out by developing tailor-made technologies for each subject, helping students and teachers learn and t

Feb. 23, 2023

Woman faking pregnancy caught for W27m traffic accident fraud

A woman in her 30s was apprehended by the police on suspicion of decieving drivers into believing she was hit as a pregnant woman pedestrian at least 103 times. Jeonju Wansan police are investigating traffic accident fraud cases where a woman was suspected to have received at least 27 million won ($20,700) from drivers and insurance companies by deliberately colliding with passing cars with her wrist or ankle, according to the police on Monday. The fraudulent accidents had been occuring since Oc

Feb. 23, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 14,000 for 3rd day

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases continued the downward trend Thursday, with the new caseload falling by more than 1,600 cases from a week ago. The country reported 10,845 new infection cases, including 28 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,469,702, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload remained below 14,000 for the past three days. Thursday's tally fell from 12,515 a week ago and 14,661 from two weeks ago. The pace of the virus spread h

Feb. 23, 2023

Seoul wary of reduced disclosure of radioactive elements in Fukushima wastewater

Japan's nuclear regulation authority tentatively confirmed plans Wednesday to narrow the scope of radioactive elements to be monitored in the radiation-contaminated water from quake-stricken Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the South Korean Prime Minister's Office said in a statement Wednesday. The types of nuclides under the monitoring has been reduced from 64 to 30, according to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's office. The Seoul government pledged to place the Ko

Feb. 22, 2023

Male graduates face legal action over sexual comments in group chat

Three male graduates of Kyung Hee University will face legal action over their sexually abusive comments about their female peers and professors in a group chat. It was reported Tuesday that about 20 female students and professors were the subject of sexually suggestive comments such as: "Surely you can't imagine yet because you haven't undressed her," and "You met a female peer? Did you enjoy the meal?" In Korea, eating a meal is used as a euphemism for sexual rela

Feb. 22, 2023

Soybean paste, tofu linked to lower gastric cancer risk

Eating soy products such as tofu and soybean paste can decrease the risk of gastric cancer, research showed Wednesday. A joint research team led by Kang Dae-hee and Shin Woo-kyoung, professors at Seoul National University’s Department of Preventive Medicine, showed that higher consumption of soy or bean-based products may be linked to a reduced risk of developing stomach cancer. The finding was based on research conducted over an average of nine years with 139,267 participants -- 46,953 ma

Feb. 22, 2023

Korea to lift COVID-19 testing requirements for China arrivals in March

South Korea will lift the coronavirus testing requirements for entrants from China beginning in March, the government said Wednesday. From March 1, mandatory PCR testing for coronavirus upon arrival at the airport for entrants from China will no longer be in place. The measure will also permit China entrants to arrive at airports other than Incheon. This means such measures effective through the end of February will not be extended, and flights between, for example, Jeju Island and places like C

Feb. 22, 2023

Presidential office to be partially remodeled to better receive foreign guests

The presidential office building is set to undergo a partial renovation to create a space to better receive visiting foreign leaders and guests, officials said Wednesday. The former defense ministry building in Yongsan has been transformed into the presidential office in line with a campaign pledge of President Yoon Suk Yeol to relocate the top office out of the former presidential complex of Cheong Wa Dae. Planning recently began to remodel the first-floor entrance and lobby in a way that will

Feb. 22, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases over 11,000 for second day

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 11,000 for the second straight day Wednesday amid a downward trend in recent months. The country reported 13,082 new infection cases, including 32 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,458,857, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The daily caseload slightly rose from 11,880 a day earlier but remains at low levels amid eased virus curbs. Daily infections have been on the decline despite worries that the removal of the

Feb. 22, 2023

3 Koreans busted for for smuggling W167b worth of meth

Three South Koreans were arrested for smuggling 167 billion won ($127 million) worth of methamphetamine into the country in December, the prosecutors' office said Tuesday. The Busan District Prosecutors Office said Tuesday it has arrested and indicted three suspects on charges of smuggling 50 kilograms of methamphetamine through a port in the southern city of Busan from Thailand. The suspects face allegations of hiding the contraband in seven plastic pallets to clear customs. A pallet is a

Feb. 21, 2023

Koreans lost nearly W1.7tr to phishing scams over past 5 years: data

Fraudulent phone calls and text messages, also known as phishing, in South Korea have caused nearly 1.7 trillion won ($1.3 billion) in damage over the past five years, data showed Tuesday. According to data received by Rep. Kang Min-kuk of the People Power Party from the Financial Supervisory Service, a total of 227,126 scams were reported from 2018 to 2022, and the expense of reported loss from these scams was some 1.66 trillion won, with the number of such crimes seeing an uptake since 2020. V

Feb. 21, 2023

Mother gets 15-year prison term for killing infant son

A 15-year prison sentence has been confirmed for a mother in her 20s who killed her two-month son by pressing the child with her body. The Daejeon High Court said the 25-year-old mother, who had been convicted of child murder, did not file a petition for appeal. She confessed that she pressed him for a significant time because he wouldn't stop crying. The defendant committed the crime while undergoing an appeals trial over another child abuse case involving her two other children, who were

Feb. 21, 2023

Court recognizes same-sex partner as dependent

A South Korean high court ruled on Tuesday that the spouse in a same-sex partnership is eligible for national health insurance coverage under his partner’s subscription. The landmark ruling overturns a lower court's decision in January 2022 that rejected the same-sex couple's petition to cancel the National Health Insurance Service's decision to demand back-payments from the non-earning partner. A spouse without a source of income is exempted from making a health insurance c

Feb. 21, 2023