College is expensive? In S. Korea, English preschools cost much more

In South Korea, where English education is highly valued, the cost of preschools providing English immersive education outstrips that of college tuition by a wide margin, according to a local civic group. The Seoul-based World Without Worry About Private Education said in its report released Wednesday that the average yearly fees for "English kindergartens" in Seoul amounted to 15.72 million won ($11,800) in 2023 -- 2.3 times higher than the average annual university tuition of 6.78 mi

Sept. 25, 2024

NK trash balloons disrupted airport operations for 413 minutes this year

North Korea's trash-carrying balloons have disrupted runway operations at South Korea's two biggest airports for an accumulated 413 minutes this year, government data showed Wednesday. Operations at Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport were disrupted 20 times this year as of Monday, according to the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration data submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. This first occurred at Incheon on June

Sept. 25, 2024

Education officials gather in Seoul to discuss digital classroom transformation

To cope with the rapidly changing landscape of education since the pandemic and the increasingly prevalent use of digital tools in schools, educational officials from 17 countries gathered Tuesday in Seoul to discuss challenges and strategies in digital transformation and present a new paradigm for future classrooms. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and the World Bank, the Digital Education Global Forum 2024 takes place at Coex for three days. It brings together some 100 education experts

Sept. 24, 2024

Seoul seeks to improve foreign nanny program after two abscond

In the wake of two caregivers from the Philippines abruptly disappearing just two weeks into Seoul's foreign caregiver pilot program, officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor convened a meeting in Seoul Tuesday to address operational challenges faced by the caregivers. Among the issues the meeting participants highlighted were lengthy commutes between assignments and a heavy workload associated with caring for multiple children. The meeting i

Sept. 24, 2024

Malnutrition cases nearly triple in last 5 years

The number of patients suffering from malnutrition in South Korea has increased by nearly three times in the last five years, particularly among low-income households, data showed Tuesday. According to an official report from the National Health Insurance Service delivered to Rep. Jun Jin-sook of the Democratic Party of Korea, a total of 63,274 patients received treatment for malnutrition from 2019 to the first half of this year. The number of patients suffering from malnutrition increased signi

Sept. 24, 2024

Couple welcoming quintuplets to receive over W170m in childbirth grants

In a country grappling with the world’s lowest fertility rate of 0.72, the arrival of quintuplets to a couple last week has become national news, generating a flurry of articles. On Tuesday, the focus shifted to the sum of all government grants that the babies will be receiving -- totalling at least 170 million won ($128,000). Whether this is enough is now being hotly debated online. Kim Joon-young and Sagong Hye-ran from Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, welcomed three boys and two girls

Sept. 24, 2024

Despite 92 calls to ER, young heart attack patient dies

A woman in her 30s in cardiac arrest died last week due to delays in finding an emergency room to treat her during the Chuseok holidays, a government report revealed Monday. It was found that emergency medical technicians in Busan called hospitals in the area 92 times to find a ER that could treat her, but failed to locate while the patient was suffering multiple heart attacks, according to the data submitted to Rep. Youn Kun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The woman su

Sept. 24, 2024

Meteorologist who predicted summer heatwave warns extreme winter cold

The meteorologist who correctly forecast summer heat waves exceeding 40 degrees Celsius this year, has now warned of extreme cold snaps sweeping the country in the upcoming winter. Kim Hae-dong, a professor of environmental engineering at Keimyung University, said in a radio interview with CBS on Monday that “this winter will be very cold, similar to the winter of 2021 and 2022 when the temperature fell below minus 18 degrees Celsius.” Kim added that as Korea enters winter, La Nina

Sept. 24, 2024

Only 1.4% of med students get low-income scholarships

Only 1.43 percent of all medical school freshmen over the past decade received scholarships for students from low-income households, government data showed Tuesday. Medical schools here received a total of 31,883 new students between 2013 and 2024, but only 469 received the country's national scholarship program aimed at supporting students from low-income backgrounds, according to data submitted by the Education Ministry, the Korea Student Aid Foundation and each medical school to Rep. Cho

Sept. 24, 2024

Call center for digital crimes hit with 20% budget cut

Next year's budget for a state-run call center for victims of digital crimes has been cut by nearly 20 percent, while the country sees a rise in such crimes, government data showed Tuesday. The Korea Communications Commission's 2025 budget for protection of internet users -- which is used to operate the Online Damage 365 Center for victims of digital crimes -- has been revealed to be 921 million won ($690,000), according to KCC data submitted to Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the main oppositi

Sept. 24, 2024

Woman accused of deepfake sex crime against ex-boyfriend

A woman in her 20s is under investigation over allegations of releasing digitally produced pornographic images of her former boyfriend, in the first reported deepfake case involving a male victim in Korea. According to local media reports on Tuesday, Busan Metropolitan Police is investigating the suspect for allegedly releasing fake pornographic videos and images of the male victim, also in his 20s. She is also accused of other crimes such as sharing the victim's nude photos on social med

Sept. 24, 2024

Driver dies after being chased by YouTuber for alleged drunk driving

A driver suspected of driving under the influence by a YouTuber died in a car accident during a livestreamed car chase, police said Tuesday. According to Gwangju Gwangsan Police Station, at 3:50 a.m. on Sunday in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, a male driver in his 30s crashed his sport utility vehicle into a parked truck during what appeared to be a high-speed chase initiated by a YouTuber known for exposing drunk drivers. The YouTuber, whose channel has over 70,000 subscribers, mostly posts videos of ca

Sept. 24, 2024

Pet patrol group seeks new pup signups as it goes nationwide

The civic group behind a civilian patrol unit of dog owners said Tuesday said it was recruiting new members as it plans to expand its operations nationwide. The non-government Clear City (City Without Abandoned Dogs) said it had started receiving applications to join the Dog Patrol Program, which previously had operated only in Seoul, Busan, Incheon and other cities in Gyeonggi Province with the cooperation of the respective regional governments. First launched in 2022 in Seoul, the program invi

Sept. 24, 2024

Prosecution panel to deliberate on pastor's charges in first lady's luxury bag scandal

The prosecution's independent investigation review committee held a meeting to deliberate on whether a Korean American pastor should be indicted for gifting a luxury bag and other expensive items to first lady Kim Keon Hee. The panel, comprising outside experts, convened behind closed doors to review whether pastor Choi Jae-young should be indicted on charges of violating the anti-graft law, defamation, and others related to the scandal. The Korean American pastor gifted a Dior handbag wort

Sept. 24, 2024

[Graphic News] Google and Bing capture over 40% of Korean search engine market share

Google and Microsoft’s Bing are steadily gaining traction in the South Korean web search market, with their combined market share surpassing 40 percent, according to data from Internet Trend. As of Aug. 9, Naver retained the top position with a 54.73 percent share, followed by Google at 37.2 percent and Bing at 3.6 percent. Bing recently overtook local portal Daum, which was at 3.33 percent, continuing its downward trend. Google and Bing together now command 40.8 percent of the market, m

Sept. 24, 2024

Vote set for bill to toughen deepfake sex crime penalties

The National Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee approved a bill to strengthen punishment against deepfake sex crimes and victim support Monday, with the aim of passing it during a plenary session on Thursday. During Monday’s committee meeting, representatives of both the ruling and opposition party approved amendments to the Juvenile Protection Act and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Victims Protection Act. According to the amendments made to the Juvenile Protection A

Sept. 23, 2024

Man arrested 16 years after murdering girlfriend, hiding body in cement

A 58-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend 16 years ago, after her remains were discovered during construction work. Geoje Police and the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency said Monday they had arrested the man on suspicion of killing his live-in girlfriend in 2008. The man is accused of fatally striking the victim, who was in her 30s at the time, with a blunt object during an argument on Oct. 10 that year, at their residence in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. The sus

Sept. 23, 2024

S. Korea, Zimbabwe to strengthen education ties

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho sat down Monday with his Zimbabwean counterpart Amon Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development, to enhance academic cooperation between the two nations. During the meeting, the ministers reviewed the state of education in both countries and explored avenues for deeper collaboration. Key areas discussed included expanding international student exchanges, promoting Official Development Assistance in

Sept. 23, 2024

Seoul begins preemptive strike on ginkgo trees before nuts become stink bombs

The refreshing autumn breeze offers a welcome respite from the sweltering summer, but it also heralds the season of smelly ginkgo fruits. To tackle the annual nuisance of rotting ginkgo nuts stinking out the streets, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched Monday a city-wide initiative in which specialized personnel will remove the nuts from trees before they have a chance to fall and rot. The operation, spanning all 25 districts of the city, targets female ginkgo trees, which account for a

Sept. 23, 2024

[Online Predators] Online reviews of sex tourism in Southeast Asia proliferate

South Koreans leaving online reviews about visiting prostitution establishments in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Laos have proliferated, despite legal prohibition both here for Koreans and there abroad, according to observers and legal experts here Monday. The posts often use terms like "byeonma" -- referring to a clandestine brothel disguised as a massage parlor -- and "cheolchang" -- for an establishment where five to seven minors are confined in smal

Sept. 23, 2024