Dating violence soars, but dedicated police workforce grows only slightly

The number of police assigned to work on dating violence and stalking cases remains largely unchanged despite soaring cases, data showed Wednesday. According to data Rep. Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party received from the Seoul Metropolitan Police, the number of dating violence cases reported in 2021 was 10,266, up 223 percent from 2018. From January to August this year, 9,865 cases were reported, and the number is expected to exceed last year's figure by the end of the year. Reports o

Oct. 12, 2022

Nation gripped by season's coldest morning weather

The coldest weather of the season swept across the nation on Wednesday with temperatures dropping below freezing in some areas in Gangwon Province, east of Seoul, the state weather agency said. The lowest daily temperatures fell to around 5 C in most of the country, while residents in inland mountain areas experienced a morning low of around zero and a mix of frost and ice, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. The morning low dipped to minus 1.3 C in the Daegwallyeong district, in

Oct. 12, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases jump to over 30,000 after extended weekend

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases jumped to over 30,000 on Wednesday on increased tests following the extended weekend, though daily infections have been on a downward trend. The country reported 30,535 new COVID-19 infections, including 70 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,025,749, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload fell below 10,000 for the first time in 14 weeks at 8,981 on Monday but rebounded to 15,476 on Tuesday. South Korea h

Oct. 12, 2022

Education minister nominee denies inappropriate use of political funds

Lee Ju-ho, the nominee for deputy prime minister and education minister, has denied allegations that he used political funds for personal purposes while he was a lawmaker. The Ministry of Education issued an official statement Monday, claiming Lee never used his political funds for personal interest during his term at the National Assembly from 2004 to 2008. An SBS report Monday alleged that Lee had used political funds inappropriately at department stores near his home in southern Seoul on wee

Oct. 11, 2022

Ministry brings back academic evaluation testing

The Ministry of Education announced its plan for improving the basic academic skills of students, under the notion that the state must ensure a certain level of scholastic achievement for all students. The state-led academic evaluation on all students was dropped in 2017, deemed to be a practice that lines up students and schools by their academic scores. However, with an increasing number of students failing to achieve the minimum level of academic attainment, the ministry has brought back th

Oct. 11, 2022

Visa waivers to Japan resume, with expectations for economic recovery

The Japanese government resumed visa waiver programs for 68 countries and regions Tuesday, lifting COVID-19-induced restrictions for South Koreans visiting Japan. With the visa waiver program reinstated, visitors from 68 countries and regions are able to stay in Japan for up to 90 days without a visa. The upper limit of people entering the country per day -- set at 50,000 -- has also been abolished, and individual visitors coming for sightseeing are now allowed. Antivirus measures remain in plac

Oct. 11, 2022

[Newsmaker] 30% of international schools in Korea teach 'Sea of Japan'

  Over 30 percent of international schools in South Korea have been using textbooks that refer to the East Sea, a body of water between South Korea and Japan, only as the Sea of Japan, a lawmaker said Tuesday. As of August 2020, 12 of 38 international schools were using textbooks that solely use the Japanese name. The number of those textbooks with the Sea of Japan reference marked 24, according to the office of Rep. Ahn Min-seok of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The office refer

Oct. 11, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebound to over 15,000

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebounded to over 15,000 on Tuesday following the extended weekend, though daily infections have been on a downward trend. The country reported 15,476 new COVID-19 infections, including 95 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,995,246, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. On Monday, the daily caseload fell below 10,000 for the first time in 14 weeks at 8,981 amid waning virus infections and fewer tests over the extended wee

Oct. 11, 2022

[Subway Stories] Heritage and trends mix fashionably in Seongsu

  The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories -- a Korea Herald series exploring subway stations and their surrounding areas across the city. – Ed.   Strolling through the vicinity of Seongsu Station, one can get an idea of what is considered hip in Korea these days: It has to be artsy, independent and youthful, with stories, preferably of heritage and history, to tell. Seongsu-dong’s status as a mecca of hipness in Seoul can be seen through millions of Instagram posts in

Oct. 11, 2022

‘South Korea rode out BA.5 wave without social distancing,’ says health ministry

The South Korean government says the resurgence of COVID-19 this summer has subsided without leading to a spike in hospital admissions or deaths, despite social distancing rules being phased out. In recent briefings the Ministry of Health and Welfare called the summer resurgence, triggered by omicron’s BA.5 subvariant, “the first large wave of COVID-19 the country has gone through without social distancing.” “South Korea was able to minimize critical and fatal cases in th

Oct. 10, 2022

Soaring drug use catches Korea unprepared

Korea, once touted by the government as "drug-free," is seeing a fast rise in drug offences. Experts say the government’s belated crackdown is not enough, and prevention and rehabilitation efforts are needed alongside it. A country with 20 or fewer offenders out of every 100,000 people is generally considerd a drug-free nation, although there is no international index to measure it. Based on that figure, Korea hasn't been drug-free since 2015, and the number of offenders

Oct. 10, 2022

Government says Gender Ministry abolition would lead to strengthened functions

The government and the ruling party are trying to persuade the opposition party on the abolishment and reorganization of the Gender Ministry, arguing that the ministry’s functions will be strengthened following the measures. The ruling People Power Party’s government organization reform bill has caused major ripples over the past few days with the Gender Ministry reorganization. The reform involves abolishing the ministry and dividing its functions between the Ministry of Health and

Oct. 10, 2022

S. Korea starts bivalent COVID-19 boosters, amid 'twindemic' woes

South Korea begins inoculation using bivalent COVID-19 vaccines from Tuesday, the country's health authorities said on Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Moderna's bivalent COVID-19 vaccine will be used for the first time as a booster in the country. The bivalent COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer will be used after completion of the regulatory process. The bivalent COVID-19 vaccine will be first available for people at high risk and in other vulnerable gr

Oct. 10, 2022

Seoul sees surge in young adult suicides

The number of people in their 20s who died by suicide in Seoul last year increased by 9.3 percent compared to the previous year, exceeding the proportion of those in their 30s and 40s, the data showed Monday. According to data Rep. Chung Woo-taik of the People Power Party received from Seoul Metropolitan City and Seoul Police Agency, a total of 2,034 people took their own lives in Seoul last year. Among them, 655 people, or 32.2 percent, were in their 60s or older, followed by those in their 20s

Oct. 10, 2022

Abortion pill in review for over a year

The government has yet to complete the review for approving abortion pills for sale in South Korea, despite the process having begun last year, sparking the criticism at the related authorities’ lukewarm attitude. The conflict over introducing the abortion pill began since the Constitutional Court’s decision in April 2019, which ruled a ban on abortion unconstitutional. The National Assembly should have revised the related law by the end of 2020, but the discussion has not seen any p

Oct. 10, 2022

Yoon's approval rating edges up to 32%: Realmeter survey

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating edged up to 32 percent last week, a survey showed Monday, rebounding from a drop blamed on his use of foul language caught on a hot mic during a trip to New York. The Realmeter poll of 2,012 people from Tuesday to Friday showed that Yoon's approval rating rose 0.8 percentage point from a week earlier while his disapproval rating fell 0.2 percentage point to 65.8 percent. The rating had dropped after he was caught on a hot mic making remarks tha

Oct. 10, 2022

New COVID-19 cases under 10,000 on waning infections, fewer tests

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 10,000 for the first time in 14 weeks Monday amid waning virus infections and fewer tests over the extended weekend. The country reported 8,981 new COVID-19 infections, including 47 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,979,770, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Sunday's count marks the first time daily coronavirus cases fell under 10,000 since the 6,242 tally on July 4. South Korea has seen a gradual dow

Oct. 10, 2022

Seoul Light show's fall edition ends, to return in winter

The first round of the Seoul Light show, a media facade show organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, ended Sunday, premiering the main show that is slated to kick off in December this year. Seoul Light show is an annual event that features media facade shows at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, utilizing projection mapping and the curved aluminum-panel surface of Zaha Hadid’s architectural work. Since its first edition in 2019, the media show has attracted over 1 million visitors and has become

Oct. 9, 2022

Opposition leader accuses Yoon of 'wrong priorities' over Gender Ministry shut down

The main opposition Democratic Party appears to be gearing up to resist the government's move to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, with its chairman voicing concerns for the plans. According to the Democratic Party of Korea on Sunday, party Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung expressed his concern over the reorganization plan, which officially confirmed the abolition of Gender Ministry, at a closed door meeting of the party's supreme council Friday. "The reform plan is h

Oct. 9, 2022

New COVID-19 cases below 20,000 for 2nd day amid waning virus wave

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 20,000 for the second consecutive day Sunday, as the virus wave has subsided in recent weeks. The country reported 17,654 new COVID-19 infections, including 61 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 24,970,789, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Sunday's count marks a fall from the previous day's 19,431 and from 23,578 a week earlier. The country has seen a gradual downtrend in new infections after peak

Oct. 9, 2022