Proportion of self-employed hits all-time low in 2022 amid pandemic

The proportion of self-employed people in South Korea touched a record low in 2022 in the wake of the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday. Asia's fourth-largest economy had 5.63 million self-employed people as of end-December, accounting for 20.1 percent of the 28.09 million employed in the country, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The proportion was the lowest since data tracking began in 1963. It was also 17.1 percentage points lower than the all-time high of

Jan. 16, 2023

One in cardiac arrest, 3 others seriously injured in 40-car pile-up

POCHEON -- One person suffered cardiac arrest and three others were seriously injured after more than 40 cars were involved in a pile-up on an expressway in the northern city of Pocheon Sunday, officials said. The multi-vehicle crash occurred at around 9:15 p.m. on the Guri-Pocheon Expressway in Pocheon, 46 kilometers northeast of Seoul, and the four were taken to nearby hospitals, according to the officials. Around 21 others sustained minor injuries and have received treatment, they added. Th

Jan. 15, 2023

At least 3 injured, over 100 traffic accidents reported on heavy snowfall in Gangwon province

At least three people were injured in traffic accidents over the weekend as heavy snowfall pounded the eastern mountainous province of Gangwon to cause an estimated 100 traffic accidents and leave vehicles stranded, officials said Sunday. Many parts of Gangwon Province had heavy snow from Saturday to Sunday, including 59.5 centimeters of snow in the Misiryeong mountain ridge and 53.5 cm in the Hyangrobong hill. A car overturned on a snow-covered road in the coastal county of Yangyang Sunday,

Jan. 15, 2023

South Jeolla to expand provision of AI companion robots for its elderly population

South Jeolla Province announced Sunday that it would expand the distribution of the AI companion robot Hyodol for seniors living alone in the region. South Jeolla Province Public Agency for Social Service plans to deliver Hyodol to 1,360 of those aged 65 and older -- a high risk group for solitary death and suicide -- up from 260 last year. Hyodol, launched by the start-up of the same name in 2018, is an AI robot designed to help manage the emotions, life and safety of the seniors. A total of

Jan. 15, 2023

[Newsmaker] [Hello Hangeul] 'Hangeul education is basic right for multicultural students'

Publicly offered Korean language education for children from immigrant and foreign families is necessary because they are entitled to learn the language as part of their human rights, said Seoul City's education chief, stressing the need to expand quality high-level classes currently limited to adults. “Students of multicultural backgrounds should be given a chance to learn the Korean language as a basic human right that they are entitled to,” said Cho Hee-yeon, superintendent

Jan. 15, 2023

Woman arrested for living with dead mother's body for 2 years

An arrest warrant was issued for a 47-year-old woman in Incheon on Friday for failing to register her mother's death for over two years, keeping her body in the house where they had lived together to collect her social security benefits. Police are seeking charges of concealing and possessing a corpse, a crime in South Korea that can be punished by imprisonment of up to seven years. The warrant was issued by the Incheon District Court on Friday. This comes as the welfare authorities grew su

Jan. 15, 2023

Snow with cold weather returns this week

Several areas across South Korea -- but especially eastern Gangwon Province -- were hit by a snowstorm Sunday, with slightly colder temperatures than average expected in the coming week, a weather agency said. A heavy snow advisory was in effect in most of Gangwon Province as of 3 p.m. Sunday, with at most 50 centimeters of snowfall in the region to be expected until Monday. The snowstorm led to closures of 10 mountain roads and trails of several national parks within the region, as of Sunday 8

Jan. 15, 2023

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases fall to lowest Sunday tally in nearly three months

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases dipped to the lowest Sunday tally in almost three months, as the government has stepped up efforts to contain the inflow from China. A total of 32,570 additional coronavirus infections, including 104 cases from overseas, have been confirmed nationwide, bringing the total caseload to 29,806,891, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The tally marked the lowest for any Sunday since Oct. 30, when the country reported 34,491 new cases. It

Jan. 15, 2023

[Weekender] Burden of being firstborn daughter

Actress Kim Go-eun’s character in tvN’s “Little Women” is described as the typical Korean firstborn daughter. She is a strong realist who is willing to make sacrifices to support her family. She saves up money, not for her own sake but for her siblings. The burden of being the firstborn child in a family is a topic not only confined within South Korea. It is a subject studied by psychologists worldwide. Yet, in a society where deep-rooted patriarchal practices of the past

Jan. 14, 2023

COVID-19 cases fall to lowest Saturday tally in 3 months

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest for a Saturday in three months, showing signs of a slowdown in the pandemic. The country reported 36,699 new COVID-19 infections, including 99 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,774,321, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally marked the lowest for any Saturday since Oct. 22, when the country reported 26,892 new cases. The country added 45 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 32,912. The n

Jan. 14, 2023

Itaewon police probe ends, holding 23 officials responsible

A special police investigation into the deadly Itaewon crowd crush in October concluded Friday, with 23 officials referred to the prosecution, but with the Seoul mayor, safety minister and national police chief not among them. Investigators referred officials, including the Mayor of Yongsan-gu Park Hee-Yeong, and the then-chief of the Yongsan Police Station, Lee Im-jae, to the prosecution on charges of professional negligence resulting in death. Four other officials from the Yongsan Ward and the

Jan. 13, 2023

Multiple journalists and media figures ensnared in Seongnam land scandal

In the Seongnam land development scandal, which has inflicted South Korea’s main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, involvment now appears to include the media with a CEO, managing editor and senior reporters across multiple news outlets. The latest to lose their job over suspected ties to Kim Man-bae, the key suspect in the high-profile land development scandal, was a reporter at Hankook Ilbo. According to the newspaper’s announcement on Friday, the senior reporter borrowed 100 millio

Jan. 13, 2023

VIXX’s Ravi booked for draft dodging with local broker

Ravi of boy band VIXX was booked by the joint investigation team of the prosecution and the Military Manpower Administration on charges of illegally evading military service through the use of a broker, media outlets reported Thursday. The joint investigation team suspects that the rapper had contacted a military broker to help him show false symptoms of epilepsy during a military examination. During the reexamination, he was deemed unfit to serve as a soldier in the army, which allowed him to s

Jan. 13, 2023

Police wrap up monthslong probe into Itaewon crush; 23 officials referred to prosecution

Police wrapped up a monthslong investigation Friday into the deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood last year, with 23 government officials referred to the prosecution on fatal professional negligence and other charges. The special police investigation team concluded the crowd crush was a "man-made" disaster caused by authorities' failure to come up with disaster prevention measures and respond promptly to an emergency situation. The crowd crush killed 159 people,

Jan. 13, 2023

78 people nabbed in massive house rental scam

Police said Friday they have arrested 78 people in a massive housing rental scam that caused a combined unpaid sum of 8 billion won ($6.5 million) in deposits belonging to dozens of tenants. An investigation came as the tenants were unable to reclaim their housing deposits after their landlord -- referred to as a "villa king" by local press for owning hundreds of properties -- died before paying his tenants back. Among the suspects are a real estate consultant surnamed Shin who alleged

Jan. 13, 2023

S. Korea's COVID-19 cases fall to lowest Friday tally in 11 weeks

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Friday tally in 11 weeks, with health authorities staying on high alert over rising imported cases from China and other regions. The country reported 39,726 new COVID-19 infections, including 137 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 29,737,769, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally marked the lowest for any Friday since Oct. 28, when the country reported 35,913 new cases. The country added 51 COVID-

Jan. 13, 2023

Drug safety ministry raided over suspicions related to process of approving coronavirus medicine

Prosecutors raided the drug safety ministry Thursday over possible illegal activities in clinical trials during the approval process for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, officials said.    The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office sent investigators to nine locations, including the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, to seize data related to its probe.    The raid was carried out in connection to a government project to provide support for the development of homegrown

Jan. 12, 2023

Ex-Ssangbangwool chief said to return home this week after arrest in Thailand

    An underwear tycoon nabbed in Thailand earlier this week in connection with the prosecutors' ongoing investigation into opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's corruption allegations is willing to voluntarily return home later this week at the earliest, judicial and other officials said Thursday.    Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, was apprehended by Thai police at a golf club near Bangkok on Tuesday evening, roughly eight months afte

Jan. 12, 2023

Sacked from radio, controversial journalist makes top earnings on YouTube

Left-leaning journalist Kim Ou-joon, who has been a magnet of controversy for his brash words, is making top earnings as a YouTuber off its super chat donation system, the platform's website showed Thursday. According to Playboard, which shows various statistics related to YouTube, Kim's newly launched channel gyeomsonisnothing logged 31.8 million won ($25,533) in earnings. It topped the daily chart every day from Monday to Thursday. On Monday, when the first video was uploaded, it gar

Jan. 12, 2023

State guilty of spying on bereaved Sewol families: court

An appellate court on Thursday found the South Korean state partially guilty of secondary victimization of Sewol ferry victims' bereaved families. The Seoul High Court ordered the government and now-defunct Sewol ferry operator Chonghaejin Marine to pay over a combined 88 billion won ($70.6 million) to people who lost their loved ones in the 2014 ferry sinking. The size of the compensation went up by 15.7 billion won compared with the previous ruling. This includes 1.06 billion won in the s

Jan. 12, 2023