KT&G foundation to hold social innovation contest

The KT&G Scholarship Foundation said Monday it is hosting a social innovation idea contest for college students to showcase creative business ideas that can tackle social challenges. Students can participate in groups of two to four, and may submit business proposals that create products or services to combat a wide range of social issues including climate change and education. Proposals are being received through the foundation’s website until Nov. 6. The first round of evaluations wi

Oct. 17, 2022

Court suspends chief of independence fighters' association over alleged election irregularities

A Seoul court has granted an injunction suspending Chang Ho-kwon, the chair of a state-funded association of national independence fighters and their descendants, over alleged irregularities in the group's latest chairman election. Chang, the eldest son of the late independence activist Chang Jun-ha, won the by-election in late May to lead the Heritage of Korean Independence (HKI), defeating Kim Jin, the eldest grandson of another national independence hero, Kim Gu. Members of HKI later acc

Oct. 17, 2022

Captive dolphin released into sea after 17 years

The last Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin kept in a South Korean aquarium has been released into the wild after 17 years following monthslong rehabilitation training, the oceans ministry said Monday. Bibong was set free on Sunday from a pen in the sea off South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, where he had stayed for about 70 days for training to adapt to the new environment upon the government's release plan, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Experts said Bibong

Oct. 17, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall to nearly 10,000 amid virus slowdown

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 20,000 on Monday as its spread continues to slow down amid high levels of vaccinations and eased restrictions. The country reported 11,040 new COVID-19 infections, including 81 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,131,505, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country has seen a gradual downtrend in new infections since peaking at over 180,000 cases on Aug. 17. Monday's tally fell from 21,469 on Sunday b

Oct. 17, 2022

Almost 50% of single Koreans in 30s, 40s live with parents: study

Nearly half of unmarried South Koreans in their 30s and 40s were living with their parents, according to a study released last week. According to a report released by the state-run think tank Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 49.7 percent of those in their 30s and 48.8 percent of those in their 40s who are not married were living with their parents. In both age groups, women showed a higher rate of living with their parents. Some 54.5 percent of women in their 30s and 50.6 percent

Oct. 16, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 30,000 for 4th day amid downtrend

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the fourth consecutive day Sunday as infections have been on a decline in recent weeks. The country reported 21,469 new COVID-19 infections, including 87 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,120,465, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The country reported 32 deaths from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 28,840. The number of critically ill patients came to 247, up two from a day earlier, the KDC

Oct. 16, 2022

[Weekender] Strong dollar, weak won: What does it mean for ordinary people?

Over the past year, the Korean currency has lost nearly 20 percent of its value against the dollar. A dollar is equal to about 1,429 won, according to the currency’s closing rate on Wednesday. But a year ago, you needed 19 percent less of the Korean currency, or 1,196.5 won, to buy a dollar. The won’s depreciation, driven largely by the dollar’s gains worldwide, has sent the exchange rate into a territory trodden only during major financial crises. A won-dollar rate above 1,400

Oct. 15, 2022

New cases below 30,000 for 3rd day amid waning virus wave

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the third consecutive day Saturday, as the virus wave has subsided in recent weeks. The country reported 22,844 new COVID-19 infections, including 53 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,098,996, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Saturday's count marked a fall from the previous day's 23,583. The country has seen a gradual downtrend in new infections after peaking at over 180,000 cases on Aug.

Oct. 15, 2022

Supreme Court confirms one-year prison term for rapper No:el

The Supreme Court sentenced Chang Yong-joon, also known as rapper No:el, to one year in prison for refusing to comply with a breathalyzer test, Friday. Chang, whose father is Rep. Chang Je-won of the ruling People Power Party, was drunk driving and hit another vehicle at an intersection in Seocho-gu, Seoul, around 10:30 p.m., Sept. 18, 2021. He was unlicensed at the time, and when approached by a police officer he refused to comply to a breathalyzer test and assaulted the officer. The lower cour

Oct. 14, 2022

Prosecutors' office to set up narcotics teams at major branches

Prosecutors will create special investigation teams to tackle the growing number of drug crimes in South Korea, the Supreme Prosecutors Office said Friday. According to the Supreme Prosecutors Office, four special anti-drug investigation teams will be created at the Seoul Central Prosecutors Office and the district prosecutors’ offices in Incheon, Busan and Gwangju. The special teams will focus on cases involving large-scale drug smuggling, illegal circulation of medical-purpose drugs a

Oct. 14, 2022

Serial rapist Kim Geun-sik's personal information to be posted online

The personal information of 54-year-old Kim Geun-sik, a serial rapist who sexually assaulted 11 minors, will be officially posted on government website on the day of his release, said the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Friday. The ministry said that it will disclose eight pieces of personal information on Kim: his name, age, photo, address, height and weight, criminal record, court ruling and whether he has an electronic tracking device. The Gender Ministry began the process of regist

Oct. 14, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 30,000 for 2nd day amid waning virus wave

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 30,000 for the second consecutive day Friday, as the virus wave has subsided in recent weeks. The country reported 23,583 new COVID-19 infections, including 60 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,076,239, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Friday's count marked a fall from the previous day's 26,957. The comparable figure for a week earlier came to 22,289. The country has seen a gradual downtrend i

Oct. 14, 2022

Unmarried couples say they face disadvantages

Couples outside legal boundaries are still facing various disadvantages, data showed Thursday. According to a report from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 28.3 percent of partners who are in a nontraditional form of family, such as common-law partners, said they have faced disadvantages in government policy. The survey asked 159 men and 177 women between the ages of 19 and 49 in 291 households with unmarried couples whether they have experienced any kind of discrimination or in

Oct. 13, 2022

Hanshin University offers advanced education in esports

Hanshin University is to open a graduate school for interdisciplinary convergence of esports, in response to the growing online gaming market. In November, the university will recruit students to enroll in the Esports Convergence master course, which covers a wide range of subjects from video game, sports, to new media and IT. This will be the first graduate school for esports-related studies, the university said. The curriculum will include esports ethics and laws, esports global marketing, es

Oct. 13, 2022

Restriction on foreign workers to be eased to resolve workforce shortage

Visa regulations for foreign workers in the agricultural and fisheries sectors will be eased as part of efforts to address labor shortages in rural areas. According to the advance notice of legislation the Ministry of Justice announced Thursday, visa issuance regulations will be eased for workers in those sectors. Foreigners who have stayed in South Korea for longer than five years on E-9 non-professional employment visas or E-10 maritime crew visas cannot apply for visa issuance certificates, b

Oct. 13, 2022

Can hospitals return to pre-COVID-19 days? Seoul hospital boss is doubtful

While the rest of South Korea is moving on from the pandemic, returning to normal may still be far off for hospitals as they continue to treat COVID-19 patients and heed the strictest precautions. Dr. Song Young-goo, the general director of Severance Hospital in Gangnam, southern Seoul, said during a press conference Wednesday that he didn’t think hospitals would be able to “go back to the pre-pandemic status quo any time soon.” According to government statistics, more than

Oct. 13, 2022

Hangeul Party to expand with NFT art, global network

To expand the Hangeul Party as a global event that promotes the beauty of Korean script, The Korea Herald, Hangul Planet, Art Token and Witty sealed an agreement on Oct. 7. Hangeul Party is an event that aims to convey the beauty of Hangeul to the world. It originally kicked off as a simple event hosted by the Korean Consulate General in May 2015. From Sept. 27-30 this year, the fifth Hangeul Party was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 370 students majoring in Korean language at six

Oct. 13, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 30,000 amid downtrend

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 30,000 on Thursday amid a gradual downward trend in new infections after peaking at over 180,000 in mid-August. The country reported 26,957 new COVID-19 infections, including 71 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 25,052,677, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The daily caseload fell below 10,000 for the first time in 14 weeks at 8,981 on Monday due to fewer tests over the extended weekend that ended on Monday.

Oct. 13, 2022

Seoul to look into former mayor’s ties to US cryptocurrency expert's attempts to help N. Korea evade sanctions

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the Seoul city government will look into whether late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was involved in a US cryptocurrency expert’s attempts to help North Korea evade US sanctions via cryptocurrency, during a parliamentary inspection of the city government at Seoul City Hall, Seoul, Wednesday. Oh provided the answer to Rep. Cho Eun-hee of the ruling People Power Party, who asked if the former mayor was related to the case involving cryptocurrency expert Virgil

Oct. 12, 2022

Ministry adds 89 to child support hall of shame list

Eighty-nine child support obligors have been added to the shame list released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Since October 2021, the ministry has been imposing punitive measures against noncustodial parents failing to pay court-ordered expenses for their children based on the Act on Enforcing and Supporting Child Support Payment, revealing their names, imposing a travel ban or revoking their driver’s licenses. On Wednesday, the ministry announced it has added 11 names, re

Oct. 12, 2022