'Hoesik' can help blow off steam, or spark unfortunate events

A friendly gathering of co-workers is by no means a custom exclusive to South Korea, but the “hoesik” culture here is more than just a leisurely gathering. Usually conducted after work hours, hoesik generally consists of dinner, booze -- usually a lot of it -- and occasionally a trip to karaoke joints. Colleagues sharing good food and drinks on the company’s dime while getting to know each other a little better, talking more causally about work and enhancing teamwork is not

June 30, 2022

S. Korea to offset economic deregulation: PM

South Korea‘s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the government would step up deterrence against North Korea amid its ongoing missile tests and nuclear threats during a meeting with reporters in Sejong, Tuesday. According to Han, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration will prepare stronger measures to counter potential military threats from North Korea than the previous administration did. Unlike the previous government’s approach toward North Korea, which the public could perceive as n

June 29, 2022

‘Pro-Yoon’ prosecutors return to head anti-corruption investigations

Prosecutors who worked closely with President Yoon Suk-yeol while he was the prosecutor general are returning to fill top jobs at anti-corruption departments of the prosecution service.　　 Many of the reshuffled prosecutors were those who were demoted during the Moon Jae-in administration for their role in special counsel investigations against the former president’s close aides. The Ministry of Justice announced on Tuesday a large-scale shake-up of the prosecution service with some 683

June 29, 2022

[Newsmaker] South Korea’s COVID-19 numbers may be as good as they can be

The thousands of cases South Korea is still counting every day may be as low as the numbers are going to get, according to some top public health officials. In the last 24 hours ending Tuesday midnight, South Korea logged 10,463 new cases, exceeding the 10,000 mark for the first time in nearly three weeks.  Lim Sook-young, a senior Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency official, told a news briefing Tuesday that the downward slope of the country’s COVID-19 curve may have hit

June 29, 2022

Case of missing family raises issue of gap in child monitoring

A family gone missing on an island off the southern coast has sparked discussion on the blind spot of students missing class for extracurricular activities with the consent of their parents.　 On Wednesday, police pulled up a submerged car with three bodies inside it in Wando, South Jeolla Province. Though police had not yet confirmed as of press time whether it was the family in question found in the car, the bodies of two adults, a man and a woman, as well as a child were found inside the veh

June 29, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases back up over 10,000 after 20 days

South Korea's new coronavirus cases exceeded 10,000 for the first time in 20 days Wednesday, though in recent months the pandemic has shown a downward trend. The country added 10,258 new COVID-19 infection cases, including 205 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,349,756, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The pandemic has loosened its stranglehold on the country since mid-March when infections peaked at more than 621,000. Daily virus caseloads re

June 29, 2022

IEEE investigating Seoul Nat'l University AI paper accused of plagiarism: spokesperson

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest technical professional organization, said Wednesday it has launched an investigation into a South Korean research paper accused of plagiarizing multiple papers published in the past. The move came just days after a research team led by Yoon Sung-roh, a professor at the department of electrical and computer engineering at Seoul National University, admitted to engaging in plagiarism when producing the paper rec

June 29, 2022

Car of missing three-person family found on South Jeolla island

The South Korean police on Tuesday found the car of the three-person family who mysteriously went missing almost a month ago on a remote island. Ten-year-old Cho Yu-na and her parents, both in their 30s, went missing on the southwestern island of Wando County, South Jeolla Province, on May 31 after they entered the island in a silver-colored Audi sedan on May 23. An Audi sedan with a matching license plate was discovered off the coast of Sinji Myeon in the region at 05:12 p.m., according to

June 28, 2022

Ex-President Lee Myung-bak granted stay of sentence

Former President Lee Myung-bak, 81, was granted a stay of sentence due to his health concerns, Suwon prosecutors said Tuesday. The Suwon prosecution service’s deliberation committee said in a press release that Lee was deemed to be “physically unfit” to be in jail, and that he would be granted a three-month break from his time. The deliberation committee decided that the ex-president could face “significant damage” to his health by continuing to serve in jail.

June 28, 2022

How should we dispose of pharmaceutical waste?

Only a handful of people living in Seoul have discarded unused or expired medicines at designated drug take-back sites, despite a majority of people saying that they are aware of the environmental issues surrounding pharmaceutical waste. According to a report published by the Seoul Institute, 20.1 percent of respondents answered that they “never use the designated sites,” while 29.7 percent responded that they “seldom use the sites.” To be specific, the figure varied de

June 28, 2022

Seoul to provide online language classes to foreigners

The Seoul city government on Tuesday announced that it would offer online Korean classes during a six-month trial period, starting Friday this week. According to the city government, the online language classes will be available on the official website of King Sejong Institute Foundation, a public institution operated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The classes will be available, free of charge, to all foreign residents staying in Seoul as well as those staying in other regions

June 28, 2022

Greenhouse gas emission rebounds in Korea

Korea‘s greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 were tentatively tracked to be at about 679 million tons, marking a 3.5 percent increase from the year before. The Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center under the Ministry of Environment released the tentative numbers of greenhouse gas emissions from last year. Korea saw 679 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, marking a 3.5 percent rebound from the year before. The energy sector took up 86.9 percent of the total greenhouse

June 28, 2022

Climate Clock sends warning in Jeonju

With the opening of the new Jeonju Energy Center, Climate Clock has settled in the city of Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, sending warnings on the Earth’s carbon budget. Climate Clock was installed at the Jeonju Energy Center, which opened on June 21. The digital clock, 8.5 meters wide and 1.8 meters long, displays how much time is left before global warming reaches irreversible levels due to our carbon emission. “Through the installation of the clock and opening spaces for the p

June 28, 2022

[What should I call you?] No one wants to be called ‘ajumma’

Honorific titles are tricky in many cultures but can be particularly baffling in South Korea, where things like social status, age, work experience, and even social prejudice can be factored in. This is part two of a series on the many ways to address another person in Korean. – Ed.  In 2019, Korea Yakult -- the former name of food and beverage company Hy -- announced it was officially changing the title of its female salespersons from “Yakult ajumma” to “Fresh Ma

June 28, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases tick up amid pandemic slowdown

South Korea reported an uptick in new coronavirus cases Tuesday, with the COVID-19 pandemic loosening its grip. The country added 9,896 new COVID-19 infections, including 119 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,339,319, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. While the pandemic curve is generally trending downward, Tuesday's tally is up 593 cases from a week ago and 125 from two weeks ago, a possible indication that the pace of decline is slowing. South

June 28, 2022

Moon-era laws restricting prosecution powers taken to Constitutional Court

The Ministry of Justice is seeking a constitutionality review of a series of prosecution reform laws passed during the final two weeks of the previous Moon Jae-in administration. In a press release, the ministry said it has asked the Constitutional Court to determine whether it was within the jurisdiction of the National Assembly to restrict the functions delegated to the prosecution by the Constitution. Also to be assessed is whether in the process of the bills’ passage, the legislative

June 27, 2022

Former ambassador to UK says Busan is best pick for 2030 World Expo

Park Eun-ha (Enna Park), Busan’s ambassador for international relations and former ambassador to the UK, is certain that Busan is capable of hosting the World Expo 2030. Park, who is helping Busan‘s bid, emphasizes that an all-out effort involving not only Busan but the whole country should be made so that the city can be selected as the venue for the upcoming Expo, during an interview with The Korea Herald on Friday. Having served the country as a diplomat for some 40 years, Par

June 27, 2022

Lee Dae-jun’s killing: Which Moon records does family want released?

The family of Lee Dae-jun, a 47-year-old fisheries official who was fatally shot by North Korea in 2020, has asked for the Democratic Party of Korea’s support in the disclosure of records from the Moon Jae-in administration. Among the information the family is seeking are what was briefed to Cheong Wa Dae by the intelligence and armed services in the time between the capture and killing of Lee on Sept. 22, 2020, as well as the orders given by Cheong Wa Dae. The family has also asked for

June 27, 2022

Less than half of multicultural children move on to higher education: survey

A survey conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed less than half of children from multicultural families in Korea enroll in higher education institutions, far below the national average. The ministry conducts a survey of multicultural households in Korea every three years, through face-to-face interviews with multicultural families. In the survey, conducted over 2021, 15,578 multicultural families were interviewed. Of those surveyed, 82.4 percent were families wit

June 27, 2022

[Best Brand] Branksome Hall Asia, a cradle for future leaders

Named International School of the Year 2021 by ISC Research, Branksome Hall Asia is Jeju’s only all International Baccalaureate (IB) school offering full IB education to students of 3-19 years old. With the mission of inspiring students to love learning and shape a better world, the school fosters future leaders with remarkable problem-solving skills. The school consistently produces IB scorers who make the top 1 percent globally, with 100 percent of graduates having passed both the IB D

June 27, 2022