[Graphic News] Number of multiple-home owners down 2% in 2021

The number of multiple-home owners in South Korea fell 2 percent on-year in 2021, data showed, apparently on tax burdens. The number of multiple-home owners reached 2.27 million in 2021, falling from 2.32 million tallied in the previous year, according to Statistics Korea. They took up 15.1 percent of the total homeowners, down 0.7 percentage point from a year earlier. The total number of homeowners came to 15 million in 2021, up 2.7 percent from a year earlier. Over the period, the country'

Nov. 30, 2022

All 663 objections for Suneung questions dismissed

The Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation confirmed Tuesday that all 663 objections to the 2023 Suneung questions and answers were dismissed. The KICE received a total of 663 objections from Nov. 17 to 21 and among them, 215 and 127 were complaints related to an English listening question and the 23rd question, respectively. The complaints alleged that question No. 23 was almost the same as a question in a mock test provided by a lecturer at a famous private school. "It was not about

Nov. 29, 2022

[Contribution] Navigating future health emergency preparedness

By Dr. Ludy Suryantoro The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed deep flaws in the world’s defenses against health emergencies, exposed and exacerbated profound inequities within and between countries, and eroded trust in governments and institutions. The world was, and remains, unprepared for large-scale health emergencies. But this lesson is not a new one. For decades the emergence of new epidemic-prone diseases, conflicts, and other humanitarian emergencies has caused global panic and alarm, f

Nov. 29, 2022

Yoon issues executive order against striking truckers as crisis bites

The government on Tuesday ordered some 2,500 cement cargo truck drivers at over 200 companies across the nation to stop their strike and return to work on the sixth day of the walkout, taking an unprecedented move as the supply crisis deepens. The order came into effect immediately after the Cabinet meeting presided by President Yoon Suk-yeol for cement truckers took place in the morning. Those who refuse to comply with the order will be subject to a suspension of their trucker license, as well

Nov. 29, 2022

Dispute continues over removal of 'sexual minority' from curriculum

Amid ongoing controversy over the curriculum revision plan's removal of the term "sexual minority," the Ministry of Education on Tuesday refuted the National Human Rights Commission's criticism that the plan is a retreat in human rights discourse for Korean society. "The revised curriculum plan is a retreat from human rights discourse in our society. Removing the term ‘sexual minority’ is a very serious problem in that it can lead to a deepening of discrimina

Nov. 29, 2022

‘Stand with us’: One month after Itaewon disaster, bereaved families seek solidarity

The families of victims who died in the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood a month ago asked for solidarity from the community as they search for accountability from the government. In a statement late Monday, the families thanked supporters and offered consolation to survivors, marking one month since the disaster that killed 158 people and left dozens with severe injuries. “Because the government did not take measures to allow the bereaved families to communicate

Nov. 29, 2022

Suspect in ‘suitcase murder’ extradited to New Zealand

The South Korean-born New Zealand citizen in her 40s believed to have killed two of her children was extradited to New Zealand after her arrest earlier this year. The Ministry of Justice said Tuesday it repatriated the 42-year-old New Zealand citizen of Korean descent to New Zealand at Incheon International Airport, Monday evening, as well as the evidence seized by police. The woman, only identified by her family name Lee, was arrested over the alleged murder of two children whose bodies were di

Nov. 29, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases swell to 71,000 amid worries over another virus wave

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases spiked to over 71,000 on Tuesday amid concerns that cases could sharply rise again ahead of the winter months. The country reported 71,476 new COVID-19 infections, including 84 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 27,031,319, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Tuesday's tally sharply increased from the 22,327 reported Monday when infection cases are generally low due to fewer tests over the weekend. Bu

Nov. 29, 2022

[Contribution] Microbes, humans, Global Health Security Agenda, and Seoul

By Dr. Oh Ju-hwan Earth Defense Command meetings to protect human life and happiness against the invasion of alien species are popular themes in movies. Reality is sometimes ahead of the movies. On November 30, 2022, even before we have a film featuring the best solution from the Earth Defense Command responding to the collective attack of microbes such as viruses and bacteria that cannot be seen with the naked eye, health ministers from 15 countries and intergovernmental organizations will gat

Nov. 28, 2022

Yoon to review executive order to force truckers back to work

  President Yoon Suk-yeol could issue an order to force truckers to return to the workplace, as he pledged Monday to take a hard-line stance on their strike, blasting them for causing serious supply chain disruptions nationwide. Yoon's office said in a statement that a Cabinet meeting will take place Tuesday to review the feasibility of the order, which has never been issued in Korea's history. Failure to comply with the order would be subject to a punishment of at most three years in jail

Nov. 28, 2022

Seoul to get first tram in 57 years with Wirye Line

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it would kick off the construction of the Wirye Line Tram at the end of this month as the project was approved by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The construction is an eco-friendly new transportation project that connects 12 stations, including two transfer stations: Bokjeong Station on Line 8 and the Suin-bundang Line, and Namwirye Station on Line 8. Trams were first introduced in Seoul in 1899 and operated for nearly 70 years u

Nov. 28, 2022

Han takes action against YouTube reporters for ‘housebreaking

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon turned over five reporters from Citizen Press the Tamsa TV on suspicions of housebreaking and retaliation, Seoul Suseo Police Station said Sunday. On Sunday at around 1:30 p.m., five reporters from the online media outlet allegedly broke through Han’s apartment building doors in Dogok-dong, southern Seoul. According to footage from the Tamsa TV’s official YouTube channel, the journalists tried to enter the minister’s residence by pressing keys on

Nov. 28, 2022

This winter will be colder than usual, weather agency says

Forecasting the heavy rain followed by strong cold wave to hit the country from Monday, the Korea Meteorological Administration predicted that this winter will be colder than usual, although it will not break records. "Strong low pressure will pass through Korea from Monday to Tuesday, bringing heavy downpour across the country. After the rain stops, cold continental high atmospheric pressure will expand from Wednesday, causing sub-zero temperature until Friday,” the weather agency sa

Nov. 28, 2022

Yongsan Ward chief, ex-ranking intelligence officer summoned again over Itaewon crush probe

Police brought in a Yongsan Ward chief and a former high-ranking intelligence officer for questioning on Monday for the second time as part of their ongoing investigation into the bungled response to the crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood. Yongsan Ward office chief Park Hee-young, who oversees the Itaewon district, and Park Sung-min, a superintendent general, appeared before a special investigation team at a building in western Seoul separately as suspects. The Yongsan Ward chief h

Nov. 28, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 30,000 amid resurgence worries

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 30,000 on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend, but the government remains on alert over the virus's possible resurgence during the winter. The country reported 22,327 new COVID-19 infections, including 53 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,959,843, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Daily infections jumped to 72,860 cases on Tuesday last week but have since been on the decline fr

Nov. 28, 2022

[Newsmaker] Poverty plaguing young generation in S. Korea

Earlier this month, a man in his 20s was arrested on charges of stealing 100,000 won ($74) worth of food over a span of four days from an unmanned store in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. When caught, he said he was hungry. The court is yet to decide on this 21st-century Jean Valjean's case, but poverty is a very real issue among South Korea’s young adults, a problem aggravated by the global COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing insecurity in the job market. Young and poor As of this August, 1 ou

Nov. 27, 2022

Koreans eat less carbs, more protein: report

Over the years, the average energy intake of Koreans has been on a decrease. While the consumption of carbohydrates has dropped, protein consumption has increased with changes in dietary habits. According to the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the average energy intake by Koreans per day was 2,129 kcal for men and 1,576 kcal for women in 2021. The numbers have been on a consecutive decline since 2015. Koreans ar

Nov. 27, 2022

Five people killed in helicopter crash in Yangyang

YANGYANG -- Five people were killed in a helicopter crash near a Buddhist temple in the eastern coastal county of Yangyang on Sunday, fire officials said. Identification of the victims was under way, as officials had initially presumed only the two people on board -- a 71-year-old pilot and a 54-year-old mechanic -- had been killed. The chopper, an S-58T on lease by the local governments of Yangyang, Sokcho and Goseong, crashed on a hill around 10:50 a.m. while surveying the area against forest

Nov. 27, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 50,000; worries remain high on resurgence

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 50,000 on Sunday, but health authorities remained on edge over a possible spike in transmissions in the winter season. The country reported 47,028 new COVID-19 infections, including 70 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 26,937,516, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. This marked the first time in six days that the daily cases have fallen below 50,000. The latest reading was down from the previou

Nov. 27, 2022

Striking cargo truckers, govt. to sit down for negotiations next week

Striking cargo truckers and the government will sit down next week to seek a negotiated solution to the nationwide walkout that continued to disrupt supply chains across the cement and steel industries on its third day Saturday. Truck drivers went on strike Thursday, the second strike this year in less than six months, demanding the government extend temporary rules guaranteeing minimum freight rates, citing high fuel prices. The rules are set to expire at the end of this year. According to the

Nov. 26, 2022