Users can now decline KakaoTalk group chat invites from non-friends

KakaoTalk, South Korea’s ubiquitous mobile messenger app, has finally let users decline unwanted group chat invites from people outside of their friend list, a much-anticipated move for those who have experienced stress or discomfort over exiting group chats. However, if the inviter is on a user's KakaoTalk friends list, the user will be automatically added into the group chat. The new feature, which was added as part of a KakaoTalk system update last week to version 10.1.5, requires

April 4, 2023

'Busan's take on sustainable future will be different'

The southeastern port city of Busan plans to seek detailed and meaningful solutions for global warming if it were to host the World Expo 2030. The city has already picked "Sustainable Living with Nature" as one of its World Expo subtopics, and has decided to build eco-friendly transport infrastructure connecting the potential World Expo site to the city’s central area. “No World Expo throughout history had dealt with climate change issues," said Cho You-jang, director

April 4, 2023

Seoul to spend W10tr to become world's 5th-largest medical device exporter

The Ministry of Health and Welfare unveiled a five-year plan aimed at becoming the world's fifth-largest exporter of medical devices on Tuesday. According to the “Five-Year Plan for Fostering and Supporting the Medical Device Industry,” the government will increase exports of medical devices to $16 billion by 2027, which is twice the current level. Under the new plan, the government will invest 10 trillion won ($7.6 billion) for state-funded research and development projects thr

April 4, 2023

Why school bullying hits a raw nerve

In South Korea today, school bullies are public enemy No. 1. On TV screens nationwide, viewers are enthralled by the meticulously plotted revenge of a high school bullying victim. In real-life politics, President Yoon Suk Yeol’s initial pick for the head of the National Office of Investigation, former senior prosecutor Chung Sun-sin, has been under scrutiny for weeks following revelations his son verbally abused a classmate years ago. It has been some time already since the TV and sports i

April 4, 2023

Former K-pop boy band member charged with sexual assault of fellow member

A former member of a six-person K-pop boy band was indicted on charges of forcibly molesting and sexually assaulting a fellow group member over the course of four years, a local media outlet reported Monday. The former group member was referred to trial in January. He is accused of sexually assaulting the victim at least three times from 2017 to 2021 in their dorms and practice room. The charges against the suspect include "imitative rape," which under Korean law is defined as insert

April 4, 2023

Pyeongtaek teen arrested after elementary student stabbed

A high school student was arrested by police in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday for brandishing a box cutter at an elementary student. The Pyeongtaek Police said Tuesday that the offender, whose name and age have not been disclosed, is facing attempted murder charges for allegedly stabbing the victim’s neck with a box cutter. The arrest came a day after a report was filed to the police that a man ran away after jabbing a young student who was eating cup noodles at an apartment co

April 4, 2023

Firefighters combating wildfires in central regions for 3rd day

HONGSEONG/DAEJEON -- Thousands of firefighters and forestry personnel were combating wildfires Tuesday in South Chungcheong Province and the nearby city of Daejeon that have continued for the third day. The wildfires in the county of Hongseong, 114 kilometers south of Seoul, and the nearby cities of Dangjin and Daejeon broke out on Sunday when a dry weather warning was issued in the region, and remain unextinguished as of Tuesday morning. Some 1,800 firefighting personnel, along with 19 fire cho

April 4, 2023

[Korean Dilemma] Foreign domestic workers: Yay or nay?

A revised bill to exempt foreign domestic workers from the minimum wage law has been submitted, prompting some to quietly support the move and others to criticize it as discriminatory. South Korea’s current minimum wage is 9,620 won ($7.31) per hour, which translates into about 2.1 million won a month. Many Korean full-time domestic workers, of which the pool is not big, get paid close to 3 million won monthly. In places like Singapore, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, live-in hel

April 4, 2023

Police looking into possible mastermind behind abduction murder of woman

Police investigating last week's kidnapping and murder of a woman are expanding their probe considering the possibility of a mastermind behind the crime, officials said Tuesday. Three suspects were formally arrested Monday for allegedly abducting a 48-year-old woman in Seoul's posh Gangnam district and killing her. According to the Suseo Police Station in southern Seoul, investigators have found tens of millions of won were transferred from a cryptocurrency company official to one of t

April 4, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases on rise amid increased spring excursions

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases are on the rise as outdoor gatherings increased amid spring weather, data showed Tuesday. The country reported 13,375 new COVID-19 infections, including 16 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,857,275, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The Tuesday tally was up from 4,349 the previous day and 12,124 a week ago. The figure hit the highest Tuesday figure in seven weeks since Feb. 14. The KDCA added eight more COVID-19 death

April 4, 2023

S. Korea to start issuing mobile national ID cards next year

South Korea will begin issuing mobile national identification cards in the second half of next year that have the same legal status as the current plastic identification cards, the interior minister said Tuesday. The ministry has recently put up a pre-legislation notice about the planned revision of the Resident Registration Act to introduce the mobile resident registration cards amid the increasing social trend to go walletless, ministry officials said. Should the legislation go as planned, peo

April 4, 2023

World Expo; showcasing progress in a truly global setting

For over a century and a half, World Expos have provided opportunities for members of the global community to come together and showcase their greatest innovations, promoting progress and fostering international cooperation. It was at these expositions where the live TV broadcast, the telephone, mechanical computer and other paradigm-shifting inventions were first introduced to the world. Sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international event dates back to 1851 whe

April 3, 2023

Koreans unite in support of Busan's World Expo 2030 bid

Kim Young-man, in his 80s, remembers when he visited Yeosu Expo in 2012 with his son, and hopes to be in good health for another trip to Busan to see the World Expo 2030. It could be one last international event to attend in his lifetime, he said. “I do believe Busan will win the bid for the World Expo,” he said as he was visiting a festival at Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul. "Southern port cities of Korea, including both Yeosu and Busan, are nice tourist attractions with su

April 3, 2023

Police to crackdown on crimes against foreigners until July

The Korean National Police Agency on Monday announced a crackdown on crimes targeting foreign nationals, such as fraud, gambling, robbery and other violent crime. The crackdown will run until July 2. “While the number of illegal immigrants reached the highest last year, the main target of crimes against foreigners has been illegal immigrants. Since crimes against illegal immigrants are expected to increase, the police have decided to protect them through this intensive crackdown,&rdquo

April 3, 2023

Soongsil Univ. GTEP project team at Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2023

Soongsil University said Monday that its GTEP project team participated in Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2023. The Glocal Trade Experts incubating Program is organized by the Ministry of Industry and operated by the Korea International Trade Association. Every year, they pick undergraduate students interested in trade and immerse them in trade practice and export marketing activities. Students from Soongsil university have been selected for the GTEP for the past 16 years and they have participated

April 3, 2023

Gangnam murder could be cryptocurrency revenge: reports

The main suspect in a Gangnam murder case had previously been involved in a criminal case with the victim involving cryptocurrency, according to legal professionals and reports released Monday. The suspect, a 35-year-old only identified by his surname Lee, had reportedly been investigated by police for trying to seize a third party’s cryptocurrency assets in February 2021. Lee was sent to the prosecution on charges of extortion, while the third party was dismissed for a minor misdemeanor o

April 3, 2023

Treasure's Yoon Jae-hyuk sustains minor burns during Bangkok concert

Yoon Jae-hyuk, a member of the K-pop boy band Treasure, suffered burns to his hand while performing on stage in Bangkok, according to local news reports on Monday. The incident occurred during the act’s concert, held on April 2 at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center in the Thai capital city, with over 10,000 fans in attendance. According to footage and pictures circulating on YouTube and social media, in the middle of the band’s performance, stage equipment near Yoon suddenly

April 3, 2023

A walk through 130 years of Korean history with World Expo

South Korea promoting its southern port city of Busan as the host city for the 2030 World Expo marks the culmination of 130 years of the country's participation in the world's largest international exposition. Korea, then the Joseon Kingdom, first participated in the World's Fair in 1893 in Chicago, in honor of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' voyage to the American continent. Despite Japanese aggression, Joseon secured a small exhibition space of just 83.5 squa

April 3, 2023

Woman nabbed for hinting at terrorism against Yoon

DAEGU -- A woman in her 20s has been apprehended on suspicion of posting a social media message suggesting a terrorist attack against President Yoon Suk Yeol, police said Monday. The woman, whose identity was withheld, is accused of disclosing a plan to visit Seomun Market with a "bomb" in the message posted in time for Yoon's visit to the traditional market in Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, last Saturday. She also captured and attached an article on Yoon's visit

April 3, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 4,500 on fewer tests

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the 4,000 level Monday due to fewer tests conducted on the weekend. The country reported 4,349 new COVID-19 infections, including 18 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,843,900, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The Monday tally was down from 9,724 the previous day but slightly up from 4,204 a week ago. The Monday figure has been hovering around the 4,000s for the past seven weeks. The country added seven more C

April 3, 2023