Are Hongdae clubs and streets safe?

Recently, South Korea suffered its worst Halloween nightmare when a catastrophic crowd crush on Oct. 29 claimed 158 lives, mostly young people simply out to have fun and enjoy the festivities. In light of the tragedy, district offices around crowded areas and party districts in Seoul have rolled out some specific safety measures. Within the famous nightlife streets of Hongdae, located in Mapo-gu, red lines have been drawn on sloped streets to help warn pedestrians. And by the end of the month, t

Dec. 6, 2022

Sejong Institute pledges to expand global programs

South Korea’s Korean language foundation plans to expand its global program which is currently available at 244 institutions across 84 countries, as it looks to the next decade. “This year, we celebrated our 10th anniversary,” King Sejong Institute Foundation President Lee Hai-young at an event honoring the foundation’s scholarship recipients held in Seoul on Monday. The foundation has been assisting students worldwide seeking to learn Korean language and culture with i

Dec. 6, 2022

Couple face arrest for abandoning dead daughter in kimchi container for 3 years

A divorced couple accused of keeping the body of their dead infant daughter in a plastic container for three years to hide her death attended their arrest warrant hearing at a court Tuesday. A 34-year-old woman surnamed Seo and her former husband surnamed Choi, 29, were booked late last month on charges of abandoning and concealing the body of their 15-month-old daughter since her death at their home in Pyeongtaek, 80 kilometers south of Seoul, in January 2020. Seo is additionally charged with v

Dec. 6, 2022

S. Korea identifies remains of another Korean War soldier

South Korea's military has identified the remains of another soldier killed during the 1950-53 Korean War following an excavation two years earlier, the defense ministry said Tuesday. The ministry's excavation team and personnel of the Army's 3rd Artillery Brigade found the remains of Pfc. Kang Nong-won in the mountainous county of Inje, 165 kilometers east of Seoul, in June 2020. Although they did not discover personal items that could help identify the remains, they were able to

Dec. 6, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases top 77,000 amid concerns of seasonal surge

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases sharply rose Tuesday to reach the highest total in 83 days amid lingering concerns that the country may face a winter surge of virus infections. The country reported 77,604 new COVID-19 infections, including 84 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 27,408,854, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The tally is sharply up from Monday's 23,160, when daily infection cases tend to slow due to fewer tests over the weekend. It is

Dec. 6, 2022

South Korean women still earn 30% less than men: OECD

South Korea saw the largest wage gap between female and male workers last year among the 39 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, leaving the country with the largest gender wage gap for 26 straight years. According to the OECD on Sunday, Korea's gender wage gap in 2021 was 31.1 percent. In other words, women receive only 68.9 percent of what men receive in salary. Korea is the only country that has recorded a higher figure than a 30 percent gender wage gap

Dec. 5, 2022

[Exclusive] US envoy in Seoul to press Korea on cross-over child abduction

Special adviser on children’s issue to the US State Department, Michelle Bernier-Toth, is currently in South Korea to discuss the issue of cross-over child abduction, officials in Seoul told The Korea Herald. A meeting between Bernier-Toth, who arrived over the weekend, and officials from S. Korea’s Ministry of Justice is to be held Tuesday, a ministry official said, with unresolved cases involving children of Korean-American couples taken to Korea by the Korean parent without the

Dec. 5, 2022

Top pandemic adviser rules out easing indoor mask mandate

Amid growing calls to revise the indoor mask mandate, South Korea's top adviser to the Yoon Suk-yeol administration for the handling of the pandemic played down easing the mandate, citing lingering safety concerns. Jung Ki-suck, a medical pundit who chairs the Special Response Center of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said Monday at a briefing in Seoul that the premature decision to ease indoor mask rules could exacerbate the chance of infection for those at higher r

Dec. 5, 2022

COVID-19 shows health security vital for country to function: WHO expert

One lesson from COVID-19 is that health security is just as critical as other types of security, according to a World Health Organization expert. “The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us all many painful lessons,” WHO’s global health security preparedness director Dr. Stella Chungong said in a written response to questions from The Korea Herald. “COVID has shown maintaining individual, community and national health security is vital for a country to function.” She said

Dec. 5, 2022

US citizen nabbed in Romania for vandalizing subway cars in Korea

  A US citizen has been nabbed by the police in Romania for vandalizing multiple subway cars in at least six South Korean cities, the police said Monday. The Incheon Nonhyun Police Station has issued a request to the Romanian authorities for an extradition of the unnamed 26-year-old American detained in Romania to Korea. Police have been trying to track down the other suspect, a 27-year-old Italian. The two allegedly graffitied the exterior of stationary subway cars inside subway yards acro

Dec. 5, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases at around 23,000 as talk over mask mandate removal resumes

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose at a moderate pace Monday from a week earlier, as the virus spread held steady, with attention being drawn to the possible removal of the indoor mask mandate. The country reported 23,160 new COVID-19 infections, including 80 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 27,331.250, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's count is up from the previous week's 22,313 and little changed from 23,076 the week before, mar

Dec. 5, 2022

[Graphic News] Korean ancient book, women’s poetry listed on regional list of UNESCO Memory of the World

A South Korean ancient history book, traditional women’s poetry and records of a massive oil spill have been added to the regional list of the UNESCO Memory of the World program. The Cultural Heritage Administration said “Samguk-yusa” (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) and two other candidates from the country were granted the status during a general meeting of the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific. “Naebang-gasa” (Songs of the Inner Cha

Dec. 5, 2022

Korea prepares to order oil, steel truckers back to work

President Yoon Suk-yeol has instructed officials to prepare the extension of the “work start order” for the oil and steel industries, calling the prolonged truckers' protests "political, illegal and violent." President Yoon presided over a meeting with related ministers on Sunday afternoon, urging the ministers to prepare for immediate issuance of a work start order in the industries concerned about additional damage, such as oil refining and steel, according to a writ

Dec. 4, 2022

Will ex-president Moon be targeted over border killing ‘cover-up'?

Following former national security adviser Suh Hoon’s arrest on Saturday for allegedly covering up North Korea's killing of a South Korean official in the West Sea, clashes between ruling and opposition parties are intensifying, with eyes on whether the investigation will target former President Moon Jae-in. The prosecution issued an arrest warrant Saturday at around 4:55 a.m. against former national security adviser and spy agency chief Suh after more than 10 hours of questioning, ci

Dec. 4, 2022

Vietnamese president invites KH CEO to commemorate 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations

Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomed The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young to his presidential palace in Hanoi on Thursday for a special meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of Korea-Vietnam diplomatic relations. The meeting was attended by Park Hang-seo, head coach of Vietnam's national soccer team, Ambassador to Vietnam Oh Young-ju and leaders of the Korea-Vietnam Friendship Association. The meeting came a few days before the Vietnamese president's three-day state visit

Dec. 4, 2022

Indoor masking at center of debate amid city's call for mandate release

A local government’s independent push for lifting indoor mask mandates as early as January next year has reignited a debate about mandatory masking, while authorities and experts remain divided on the issue. According to the national quarantine authorities on Dec. 4, the municipal government of Daejeon notified the government headquarters for COVID-19 response with the following message: “If the government does not lift the indoor mask mandates by Dec. 15, the Daejeon government will

Dec. 4, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases under 50,000 on weekend

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 50,000 on Sunday amid lingering concerns over a surge in winter. The country reported 46,564 new COVID-19 infections, including 69 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 27,308,090, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Sunday's number decreased slightly from the previous week's 47,010, possibly reflecting a pause in the spread. South Korea added 60 deaths from COVID-19, putting the death toll at 30,729, the KDCA

Dec. 4, 2022

Winter wonderland in Hallasan

Snowfall turned Hallasan on Jeju Island, the country’s tallest mountain, into a winter wonderland on Friday. Mountain climbers can take in the breathtaking sight of snow-capped mountains, glimmering frost on trees, as well as beautiful views of the island and landscape. Hallasan saw the first snow of the season on Wednesday, when a nationwide cold wave advisory was issued. With a cold spell gripping the nation, a mixture of snow and rain is expected this weekend as well. (Photos: Yonhap)

Dec. 3, 2022

[Weekender] A year without hagwon, away from concrete jungle

Childhood is no longer filled with dreams. Instead it is beset by competition, pressure and anxiety, as more children are exposed to an overheated education environment from an early age. But some students and their families are taking a step away from the heat, traveling south for a sabbatical at a countryside school. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, in charge of the primary and secondary education of the capital city, has been encouraging students to try out a school life in the cou

Dec. 3, 2022

Youth camp for teen learners of Korean language returns after pandemic hiatus

A Korean government-organized youth camp for teenagers across the world who are learning Korean language as second language completed its four-day run on Thursday. Organized by the Education Ministry here, the 2022 International Korean Education Youth Camp had 100 international students joining from 32 different countries its first in-person event since 2019. On Thursday, marking the finale of the event-packed schedule, an awarding ceremony took place at Hana Global Campus in Cheongna, Incheon

Dec. 2, 2022