Man who opened plane door says he wanted to get off quickly: police

A passenger who opened a door of an Asiana Airlines plane just before landing at an airport earlier this week has told police that he opened the door as he felt suffocated and wanted to get off the aircraft quickly, police officials said Saturday. On Friday, police detained the 30-something man on suspicions of pulling the door lever after the plane's door suddenly opened about 213 meters above ground right before it landed at Daegu International Airport in Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast o

May 27, 2023

Crackdown on 'unlawful' protests materializes

South Korea's crackdown on protests it sees as unlawful is materializing amid escalating tensions between the conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration and local labor unions voicing disapproval of Yoon's union-busting drive. On Thursday, the police detained three demonstrators at around 8:50 p.m. in front of the Supreme Court of Korea in Seocho-gu, Seoul, for staging a protest without providing proper notification. It was Seoul's first crackdown on protesters since the COVID-19 outbreak. About

May 26, 2023

Man arrested for allegedly murdering girlfriend who insulted his parents

A man in his 20s was apprehended by police on Thursday on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend. Police, currently investigating the homicide case, stated that the individual is suspected of killing his girlfriend at a condo in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The suspect, who attempted to flee, is reported to have called the fire service two hours after the murder is thought to have taken place. It's reported that he told the fire station, "I had a fight with a friend but (the friend) just s

May 26, 2023

'Pick-pocketed banker in Mexico' scams woman out of W50m in online romance scam

A man posing as a banker living in Mexico scammed a woman in Gyeonggi Province out of 50 million won ($37,700) in an online romance scam, local media reported Friday. The woman, in her 40s, befriended the man on social media and had opened up to him, the report said, quoting the Korean Embassy in Mexico. After gaining her trust, the man told her he was pick-pocketed in Mexico and was about to be kicked out of his hotel because he had no money. He asked for 50 million won to pay for hotel expense

May 26, 2023

Gangwon sees increasing cases of drug abuse by teenagers and foreigners

Drug crimes are rising in Gangwon Province, with those allegedly committed by teenagers and foreign nationals each showing marked increases. According to data released by Chuncheon District Prosecutors' Office, cases of drug crimes involving teenagers in the province amounted to 103 last year, up from 27 in 2018, in the province with a population of over 1.5 million. As for the number of foreign nationals, the figure came to 85 in 2022, up from nine in 2018. Thai nationals accounted for the

May 26, 2023

Thousands of tourists stranded in Guam after Typhoon Mawar

After Typhoon Mawar battered Guam on Wednesday night into early Thursday morning, about 3,200 Korean tourists have been left stranded on the island suffering a series of power outages and water shortages. Local authorities began restoring facilities after the typhoon left Friday, but airport facilities are expected to take several days to resume operations, which will prolong the damage to stranded tourists. Most of the tourists are reported to be staying at their hotels. Guam authorities said o

May 26, 2023

4 in 10 young Koreans consume celebrity products

Four out of 10 South Koreans aged 10-29 have spent money on goods related to celebrities such as music albums or character dolls featuring K-pop stars, a survey showed Friday. According to the survey of 1,142 adolescents, teens and young adults conducted by Hyungji Elite, a school uniform brand, from May 8-19, 40 percent of the respondents said they have purchased celebrity-related products before, followed by 25 percent who said they have bought goods related to movies including animated films.

May 26, 2023

BKL holds roundtable with Vietnam envoy

BKL, one of the five largest law firms by revenue in South Korea, held a roundtable with Vietnam’s Ambassador to South Korea Nguyen Vu Tung in Seoul on Friday, as the two countries seek to expand business ties. “For the last years our ties have grown strong and they will so in the years to come,” the envoy said, referring to a summit last year in Seoul between President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Vietnamese counterpart. There the two leaders upgraded their 30-year-old relations to t

May 26, 2023

Korea faces calls for universal free menstrual products amid low birthrate

South Korea is facing calls for universal provision of free period products, like menstrual pads or tampons, for young Korean women, as the nation is already experiencing the world's lowest fertility rate. Rep. Jang Hye-young of the progressive minority Justice Party told reporters on Friday at the National Assembly that she was working to propose a revision of the Youth Welfare Support Act to allow all women aged 9 to 24 to have free access to period products. Jang is looking for more lawm

May 26, 2023

9 injured as plane's door opens before landing

At least nine people suffered minor injuries and were sent to a hospital in Daegu after an airplane door was ripped open during a domestic flight carrying 194 passengers, according to the local fire department on Friday. The nine people had hyperventilated, according to fire authorities in Daegu. The incident happened as the plane door opened immediately before landing at Daegu Airport at 12:45 p.m. The airplane, operated by Asiana Airlines, departed from Jeju Island at 11:49 a.m. Friday. It was

May 26, 2023

Hikers must take caution as moon bears arise from slumber

The Ministry of Environment issued guidelines for the safety of hikers, as moon bears inhabiting the mountainous area of Jirisan are about to end their hibernation, Friday. Asiatic black bears, also known as moon bears due to the moon-like pattern on their chest, are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s endangered animal list as "vulnerable." As of this year, 86 Asiatic black bears are known to be living at Jirisan, which includes seven cubs born this ye

May 26, 2023

Foreign residents of Seoul happier than Koreans: poll

Foreign residents of Seoul were happier than than their Korean neighbors, a poll conducted by Seoul City showed Thursday. The “happiness index” of foreign residents in Seoul (7.07) was higher than that of the city’s Korean residents (6.72), according to the survey of some 20,000 families, 5,000 citizens and 2,500 foreign residents of Seoul conducted from September through October last year. Over half of the foreign respondents (56.3 percent) said they wish to continue to live i

May 26, 2023

Yoon lauds success of space rocket Nuri's launch as 'splendid feat'

President Yoon Suk Yeol lauded the successful launch of space rocket Nuri on Thursday, saying it is a "splendid feat" marking South Korea's entry into the Group of Seven space powers. Yoon made the remark in a statement issued shortly after the government confirmed the launch's success. "The success of Nuri's third launch is a splendid feat declaring that South Korea has entered into the G-7 space powers," he said, noting that only the United States, France,

May 25, 2023

Household loans up for 1st time in 8 months on increased policy financing

Household loans increased for the first time in eight months in April due to an increase in home mortgage loans issued by policy financing, data showed Thursday. Household loans climbed 200 billion won ($150.6 million) in April from a month earlier largely due to a 4.7 trillion-won increase in mortgage loans provided by state-run housing firms, according to the Financial Supervisory Service. But the household loans from banks and non-banking financial companies continued to show a downward tre

May 25, 2023

Chronology of major events leading to S. Korea's 3rd Nuri space rocket launch

The following is a chronology of major events leading to the development of South Korea's homegrown space rocket Nuri, or Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II), which was launched from Naro Space Center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung on Thursday. June 4, 1993 -- South Korea launches the homegrown one-stage solid propelled science observation rocket, called the Korea Space Rocket-I, after three years of development. July 9, 1997 -- South Korea launches the home

May 25, 2023

Fighting dog obesity with barley

Barley could help weight control in dogs, the Rural Development Administration reported Thursday. According to the government agency, pet foods containing sprouted barley were found to be conducive to controlling obesity in dogs.​ In the study where the researchers fed obese dogs on a diet containing 2.75 percent sprouted barley for four months, the dogs lost an average 6.45 percent of their body weight. In particular, the level of blood leptin, an indication of obesity, and the density of fat

May 25, 2023

Students convicted of car theft, driving without license

Three middle school students have been given jail terms for stealing and driving a vehicle without a license, as well as for assaulting police officers. On Wednesday, the Jeju District Court handed down jail terms ranging between 8 and 18 months. Under South Korean law, minors can be given short and long sentences, with the short term incarceration dependent on behavior during the period of detention. The teens were indicted on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act. They were accused of taki

May 25, 2023

Yoon's move to restrict protests 'unconstitutional,' critics say

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to restrict protests by groups with a record of allegedly illegal demonstrations as well as ban nighttime and rush-hour rallies, contradicts the Constitution as well as Yoon’s repeated emphasis on freedom and individual rights, critics said Thursday. Political commentator Chin Jung-kwon called this plan "a ridiculous and unconstitutional idea" in an era where "violent protests" have ceased to exist, saying it is a thinly veil

May 25, 2023

School-trip luggage causes massive flight delays at Gimpo, Jeju Airports

Massive flight delays at Gimpo Airport on Wednesday which caused more than 100 domestic airplanes to be grounded were largely due to the airport’s tightened passenger luggage check, after several prohibited items were found inside the luggage of student groups, officials said Thursday. A total of 142 domestic outbound flights, including 109 en route for the southern island of Jeju, suffered delays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day. The delays affected nearly 29,000 passengers, according to Ko

May 25, 2023

[Herald 70th] Al Gore calls on Korea to have bigger climate ambitions

Former US Vice President and environmentalist Al Gore called for bigger climate ambitions on the part of South Korea and the US at the “Alliance Plus” forum hosted by Herald Corp. on Wednesday in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the two countries’ alliance and the founding of The Korea Herald. Korea and the US are already working on clean energy technologies that are driving what Gore referred to as the emergent "sustainability revolution" -- the paradigm shif

May 25, 2023