Seoul refuses to give permission for pride parade

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday it has turned down a request to hold a pride parade in July to advocate for the social acceptance and rights of sexual minorities at Seoul Plaza in central Seoul. The organizing committee of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival on Wednesday was denied permission to use Seoul Plaza to hold the event on July 1. The Seoul Plaza event was to be a part of a 17-day festival for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and more community, which kicks of

May 4, 2023

Suspects caught in W220m extortion case

The police caught 12 suspects, five men in their 20s, and two males and five females in their teens, for allegedly extorting 220 million won ($165,000) from men they lured into sexual contact with minors. Ansan Sangrok Police Station apprehended the suspects on April 23 for extorting money from 11 men they baited into drinking and having sexual contact with female minors. The victims of the extortion claim that they did not know they were minors, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said on T

May 3, 2023

Brace for very rainy Children’s Day

Heavy rain, accompanied by strong gusts of wind, is being forecast across the nation for Friday, which is likely to dampen parents’ plans to take kids out to festivals and outdoor events for Children’s Day. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Wednesday, there is a high probability that some regions will see heavy downpour alerts issued. The weather agency did not provide the exact amounts of precipitation expected. Rain is expected to start from the southern islan

May 3, 2023

Discussion forum to promote cruelty-free testing held in National Assembly

A joint public-private discussion forum to promote animal welfare in chemical testing took place at the National Assembly on Tuesday. The forum was hosted by Reps. Nam In-soon, Han Jeoung-Ae and Jeon Yong-gi, organized by Humane Society International/Korea and Rep. Lee Soo-jin, with public officials and experts from chemical industries in attendance. At the forum, Nam stressed the need for constant investment in the development of animal replacement testing and the training of such experts. Acco

May 3, 2023

3 out of 10 kids had mental problems during COVID-19: survey

Three out of 10 elementary and middle school students suffered from anxiety, depression, and stress during COVID-19, but more than half of them did not ask for help, according to survey results released on Wednesday. The Korean Educational Development Institute conducted a survey on a total of 26,332 people consisting of 9,607 elementary students, 13,856 middle school students and 2,869 elementary and middle school faculty members. The survey was on psychological changes in students during the C

May 3, 2023

Seoul City to spend W400b on boosting children's playtime

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday plans to spend 414.6 billion won ($309.8 million) in the next four years until 2026 to improve children's well-being in South Korea's capital city. The budget will be used to increase children's playtime; spread the culture of respecting children's rights; help children shape their future careers; fight the digital divide among children; ensure children's safety from car accidents and domestic violence; and tackle chi

May 3, 2023

Donations flood in for injured street cat

In three days, hundreds of residents raised 10.7 million won ($8,000) to pay for the hospital bills for a beloved Gwangju street cat that was injured in a hit-and-run. The fundraising campaign was launched on April 26 through Instagram for Jullyang-i, the unofficial mascot for Seoyoung University in Gwangju, after it was left critically injured after being hit by a bus a day before. About 700 people participated in the campaign that ran from April 26 to 28, according to a post on Monday on the c

May 3, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rise to over 20,000 amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases rose to over 20,000 on Wednesday as the daily caseload continued to log on-week growth on eased virus restrictions. The country reported 20,197 cases, including 26 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,212,598, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Wednesday's tally was a marked growth from the previous day's 15,741 infections and also higher than 16,380 cases a week earlier. The country added eight COVID-19 deaths We

May 3, 2023

Another S. Korean wartime sexual slavery victim dies; survivors now at 9

Another South Korean woman who was forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II has died, the gender equality minister said Tuesday, bringing down the number of the country's registered surviving victims to nine. Without disclosing the identity of the deceased victim upon the request of the bereaved family, Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook said it is "heartbreaking" to witness another victim pass away. Kim vowed to take care of the remaining survivors and continue

May 2, 2023

Buddha's Birthday, Christmas to be given alternative holidays

The government on Tuesday finalized the designation of substitute holiday days for Buddha's Birthday and Christmas when the two public holidays fall on weekends, officials said. A revision to the Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices was approved at a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to the Ministry of Personnel Management. This year's Buddha's Birthday, which falls on Saturday, will instead provide a one-day alternative holiday on

May 2, 2023

Union official dies 1 day after self-immolation protest

A labor union official who set himself on fire outside a court in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung earlier this week died during treatment at a hospital in Seoul on Tuesday, police said. The official, a ranking member of the Gangwon Province chapter of a nationwide construction workers' union, attempted self-immolation Monday hours before attending a pretrial detention hearing in Gangneung, 163 km east of Seoul, on charges of business obstruction. The 50-year-old official, identified o

May 2, 2023

KCC chief indicted over alleged score rigging in cable channel relicensing

Prosecutors indicted Han Sang-hyuk, chairman of the state Korea Communications Commission, on Tuesday on charges of involvement in the alleged score manipulation against a right-wing cable channel in the process of renewing its broadcasting license in 2020. Han, who was named KCC chief during the previous Moon Jae-in administration, is charged with prodding senior KCC officials to give low scores to TV Chosun during its license renewal evaluation process. The KCC head also allegedly arranged the

May 2, 2023

Police under fire for freeing men who terrorized Vietnamese woman, husband

Police are facing criticism for allowing two men to return to the house of a Vietnamese woman whom they had chased home and threatened before assaulting her husband. On March 28, the woman was chased by a drunk man on her way to her house from a convenience store in a village located in Jindo-gun, South Jeolla Province, Korean broadcaster MBC reported Monday. CCTV footage shows the woman running down an alley with a man running after her. The man followed her into her yard even after she entered

May 2, 2023

Geoje council member in hot water over xenophobic hate speech

A city council member in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, is facing intensifying criticism after making the discriminatory remark that one out of 10 Vietnamese in Korea is a drug user. Yang Tae-seok, a member of the Geoje City Council from the People Power Party, made such remarks during a city council meeting held to discuss a new ordinance to support foreign workers’ labor environment on April 20. Expressing his negative stance on the ordinance, Yang said, "One out of 10 Vietnamese

May 2, 2023

Bear or badger? Debates continue over photo of unidentified wild animal

An unidentified wild animal was spotted on Mount Palgong, Daegu, causing a widespread online debate about its identity, despite the local environmental authority's announcement that it was a badger. A photo taken by a hiker on a trail at 6 a.m. on April 24 in Daegu shows a wild animal with dark fur, four legs, small ears and a long snout. The hiker reported the animal as a bear cub, because the black fur covering its whole body made it look like a bear, the Palgongsan Natural Park Managemen

May 2, 2023

Disruption feared as doctors announce strike over nursing bill

A group of doctors and other medical workers said Tuesday that they will stage a nationwide strike in protest of the passage of a so-called nursing bill, which they say would give nurses legal rights to establish their own medical institutions. A statement released Tuesday morning said the association of 13 medical groups led by doctors and nursing assistants will go on a one-day nationwide strike on May 17. The protest, which is planned for a weekday, is feared to disrupt the country's med

May 2, 2023

1 in 5 young students want to go to med school: survey

One in 5 elementary and middle school students have expressed a desire to attend medical school, a survey showed Tuesday. According to a poll of 1,344 students conducted by MegaStudy Education, an online-based education platform, 21.6 percent of respondents chose medical science as their preferred major in university. The second most popular choice was natural science with 18.7 percent, followed by engineering, and humanities and social science, with 15.5 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively

May 2, 2023

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

South Korea's new coronavirus cases rose to over 15,000 on Tuesday as the country is considering further easing antivirus curbs to regain normalcy. The country reported 15,741 cases, including 27 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,192,401, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Tuesday's tally was a marked growth from the previous day's 5,774 infections and also higher than 14,811 cases a week earlier. The country added 10 COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, rai

May 2, 2023

Union official attempts self-immolation ahead of detention hearing

A labor union official attempted self-immolation outside a court in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung on Monday, just hours before he was scheduled to attend a pretrial detention hearing on charges of business obstruction. The 50-year-old man doused himself in flammable liquid and set himself on fire at around 9:35 a.m. in front of a district court in Gangneung, 163 kilometers east of Seoul, fire officials said. He sustained serious burns and was taken to a nearby hospital, but remained unco

May 1, 2023

Tens of thousands hold Labor Day rallies nationwide

Tens of thousands of workers took to the streets nationwide on Monday in South Korea to mark Labor Day with protests against labor reforms being pushed by the Yoon Suk Yeol government. Workers belonging to the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korea Trade Unions -- the country’s two major umbrella labor organizations -- participated in large-scale rallies across the country, including in the metropolitan cities of Seoul, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju and the southern island

May 1, 2023