[Newsmaker] ‘Fake geniuses’ highlight S. Korean elite’s obsession with top schools

How many high school students have their papers published in academic journals? The question has prompted headlines in the South Korean media in recent days, following a political scandal. At the center of the controversy is the daughter of Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon who published five academic papers and four e-books within the space of two months as a high school student. Reminiscent of a case years ago involving the daughter of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and the family&

May 12, 2022

2 men riding e-scooter together without helmets die after being run over by SUV

Two men riding an e-scooter together without helmets were hit by an SUV in southern Seoul and died Thursday, police said. The SUV, driven by a man in his 40s, allegedly rammed into the two men on a road in a business area of the southern Gangnam district at 2:20 a.m., according to an initial police investigation. The victims, in their 20s, were rushed to a hospital but died soon after. The SUV driver was not under the influence of alcohol, police said. The Gangnam Police Station booked the SUV d

May 12, 2022

Seoul's daily subway ridership hits pandemic-era high on eased restrictions

The daily number of riders on the Seoul subway system breached the 7 million mark for the first time in 1 1/2 years, data showed Thursday, partly on the back of rollbacks of COVID-19 restrictions. According to the data from Seoul subway operator Seoul Metro, 7,210,000 people rode subway trains in the capital city on April 29, marking the most single-day riders since Oct. 30, 2020. An average of 7,320,000 riders used the Seoul subway system in a 24-hour period in 2019, the data showed. The averag

May 12, 2022

Ex-Culture Minister Hwang under probe over illicit political fund allegations

Police have launched an investigation into allegations that former Culture Minister Hwang Hee took political funds from a state utility agency in return for facilitating business favors, officials said Thursday. Hwang, a two-term lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party, allegedly received a total of 10 million won ($7,818) in political funds from an executive of Korea Water Resources Corp. (K-water) between 2019 and 2020 after a legislative bill proposed by him was approved a year earli

May 12, 2022

[H.Eco Forum] ‘We can and must do better’ to protect marine life, says Sylvia Earle

Sylvia Earle, the world’s best known marine biologist and oceanographer with more than 7,500 hours logged underwater, said the next decade is critical in rebuilding marine life and determining the future of marine ecosystems for the next 10,000 years. Earle, who is also president and chairman of Mission Blue, explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society and Time Magazine’s first-ever Hero of the Planet, urged people to recognize the true cost and value of ocean wildlife

May 11, 2022

[Newsmaker] Musk says he would reverse Twitter's ban of Donald Trump

LONDON -- Elon Musk said Twitter would reverse its ban of former President Donald Trump if his purchase of the social media company goes through, signaling just how permissive the platform could become toward free speech under his ownership. Speaking virtually at an auto conference, the Tesla CEO said Tuesday that Twitter's ban of Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol was a "morally bad decision'' and "foolish in the extreme.'' "I think that was a mistake

May 11, 2022

At Yoon admin’s 1st COVID-19 meeting, second thoughts about lifting isolation order

At Yoon admin’s 1st COVID-19 meeting, second thoughts about lifting isolation order At the first COVID-19 meeting after Yoon Suk-yeol administration was inaugurated, senior health officials said the preceding administration’s promise of scrapping isolation orders were being reconsidered. The meeting was led by Yoon’s first Vice Health Minister Lee Ki-il, appointed to the post Tuesday, as Health Minister nominee Chung Ho-young still awaits confirmation. “As we speak,

May 11, 2022

Seoul Institute of the Arts names Indonesian politician an honorary professor.

Seoul Institute of the Arts has named Megawati Soekarnoputri, the head of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, as its honorary chair professor, hoping to encourage cultural interchange between Korea and Indonesia. The art institute held a ceremony at its campus in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday, appointing Megawati as an honorary professor. The institute‘s President Lee Nam-sik attended the ceremony, too. Megawati is an Indonesian politician who served as president of Indo

May 11, 2022

[H.Eco Forum] ‘Changes in ocean are already irreversible’

The changes we are seeing in the ocean right now are already irreversible, said climate scientist Axel Timmermann. Timmermann is the director of the IBS Center for Climate Physics at Pusan National University, working to address changes in the climate and ecosystem. Prior to the upcoming H.eco Forum on May 26, where he is to give a lecture under the title of “Using basic science to avert climate changes,” Timmermann warned that the oceans have already reached “thresholds for

May 11, 2022

Mother seeks helping hand to wake up sleepy child

From waking up a dozing student to tidying up graves, online advertisements with unusual but real job descriptions offer a peek into the Korean society. The Korea Herald looks at some of these unusual ads. The following is the first installment. -- Ed. Last week, a self-proclaimed mother posted an ad on a hyperlocal online marketplace, looking to hire a helper for her high school son. Job description? Wake the boy up whenever he dozes off. “My son (high school freshman) studies for tw

May 11, 2022

Yoon makes first commute to work in motorcade

President Yoon Suk-yeol made his first commute to work by motorcade Wednesday, an unusual spectacle that followed his relocation of the presidential office. Yoon left his private home in southern Seoul at 8:21 a.m. and arrived at his office in the central district of Yongsan at 8:34 a.m. The president will commute everyday for now while the foreign minister's official residence is being converted into the new presidential residence. Yoon has moved both the presidential office and the presidentia

May 11, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 40,000 for 2nd day

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 40,000 for the second straight day Wednesday amid the government's effort to move the country back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 43,925 new COVID-19 infections, including 37 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,658,794, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally decreased from 49,933 on Tuesday and was down from 49,055 a week ago. The public health agency reported 29 COVID-19 deaths,

May 11, 2022

[Photo News] Inauguration day

President Yoon Suk-yeol was sworn in as the 20th state leader of South Korea on Tuesday morning, vowing to rebuild the nation based on values of liberal democracy and a market economy. More than 40,000 people, including political leaders, foreign envoys and residents, were invited to the inauguration ceremony held at the National Assembly from 11:00 a.m.  A state prosecutor for 27 years and a political novice, Yoon came out victorious in the March presidential election that was the closes

May 10, 2022

S. Korea's central bank chief elected to BIS board

The chief of the Bank of Korea (BOK) has been elected to the highest decision-making body of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Seoul's central bank said Tuesday. BOK Gov. Rhee Chang-yong was elected to the 18-member board of the Switzerland-based BIS on Monday (local time) and began his three-year term, the BOK said in a press release. Rhee is the second South Korean central banker to take a seat on the board. His predecessor, Lee Ju-yeol, assumed the position from early 2019 until t

May 10, 2022

S. Korean shipbuilders suffer manpower shortage amid brisk orders

South Korean shipyards are suffering from a labor shortage due mainly to massive layoffs years earlier, stoking concerns over output disruptions amid bumper orders, industry sources Tuesday. The local shipbuilding industry had a combined workforce of some 93,000 as of the end of last year, down a whopping 54 percent from seven years earlier, according to the Korea Offshore & Shipbuilding Association. The tumble results largely from large-scale layoffs that local shipbuilders carried out to c

May 10, 2022

Police probe bomb threat against Yoon's inauguration ceremony

Police launched an investigation into an online posting talking about a bomb attack at the inauguration ceremony of President Yoon Suk-yeol, officials said Tuesday. An unidentified person wrote the posting on a popular community website, Bobaedream, Monday night, seeking an accomplice to detonate a grenade at the ceremony, the National Police Agency said. The suspect also mentioned Yun Bong-gil, a national independence fighter who killed high-ranking Japanese officials by setting off a bomb du

May 10, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases rise amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases bounced back to above 40,000 on Tuesday amid the government's eased virus curbs to move the country back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country added 49,933 new COVID-19 infections, including 23 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,614,895, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally is up from 40,064 on Sunday and 20,601 on Monday. The jump came as family and religious gatherings increased last week as Child

May 10, 2022

Partisan snarl grips confirmation hearing for Yoon’s justice minister pick

The confirmation hearing for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s arguably most contested Cabinet pick, Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon, was gripped by partisan tensions. During the hearing held on the eve of Yoon’s inauguration, Han argued that the Democratic Party of Korea-led prosecutorial reforms -- which entail expanding police powers while curtailing those of the prosecution -- would end up hurting the public while aiding criminals. Han was also pressed to give his position&nbs

May 9, 2022

S. Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases up week-on-week for two straight days

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 cases increased week-on-week for the second consecutive day, government data showed Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country added 20,601 new COVID-19 infections during the 24 hours of Sunday. The total caseload rose to 17,564,999. The daily tally reported on Monday was up 517 from 20,084 a week ago, showing a week-on-week increase for the second straight day. On the previous day, the country’s daily COVID-19 i

May 9, 2022

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases down amid lifting of outdoor mask mandate

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell Monday, a week after the government lifted the outdoor mask mandate in the latest attempt to return to pre-pandemic normalcy amid a downward trend in COVID-19 cases. The country added 20,601 new COVID-19 infections, including 19 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,564,999, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The tally is down from 40,064 on Sunday and 39,600 on Saturday. The daily count tends to fal

May 9, 2022