Girls starting school early could boost fertility rate: state-backed agency report

A state-run research organization in South Korea has sparked debate after its analysis suggesting that sending girls to school a year earlier could help boost fertility rates last week. The Korea Institute of Public Finance, a government-funded center dedicated to evaluating the country's tax system and public spending, proposed sending girls to school early, assessing that it could make men and women more attracted to each other when they reach marriageable age because men develop more slo

June 3, 2024

Church members charged with child abuse in death of 17-year-old

The South Korean police on Monday said it has recommended two members of a church choir to be indicted for their alleged part in last month's death of a 17-year-old girl. The two suspects, the 52-year-old leader of the choir in an Incheon church and a 41-year-old member, are being accused of child abuse resulting in death, stipulated in the Article 4 of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, Etc. of Child Abuse Crimes. The crime is punishable by at least five years in prison, u

June 3, 2024

Ministry urges doctors to end walkout, mulls processing resignations

Amid the ongoing dispute between doctors and the South Korean government despite the increased medical school quota for 2025 being finalized, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Monday voiced concerns regarding a planned strike vote by community doctors and warned that such actions could exacerbate the ongoing standoff with trainee doctors over the government's medical reform. "If the medical community proceeds with a vote on a collective strike and files lawsuits against university presi

June 3, 2024

Government to support AI model developers to counter phishing scams

The South Korean government vowed on Monday to share phishing scam call data with private companies developing artificial intelligence-based software and services to counter voice phishing scams, which have consistently been on the rise over the last few years. Voice phishing scams, or fraudulent phone calls, are estimated to have caused up to 196.5 billion won ($143 million) in damages in 2023, according to Financial Supervisory Service data from March 2024 -- a 35.4 percent increase from numbe

June 3, 2024

Man stabs 2 foreign residents 'for no reason'

A 37-year-old man has been indicted for attempted murder of two foreign residents in Incheon, local prosecutors said Monday. The suspect is believed to have stabbed the victims in their 40s in the town of Hambak Maeul in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, at around 4:40 a.m. on May 19, according to the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office. He also had attempted to stab two other foreigners who he met earlier, but they managed to escape. The stabbing victims received medical treatment and reportedly did no

June 3, 2024

Police refute trot singer's human rights violation claim

Seoul's police chief said at a press conference Monday that there was no human rights violation during the police investigation of Kim Ho-joong, a trot singer who was arrested for an alleged DUI hit-and-run last month, saying that he had been treated the same as the other suspects and people involved in the case. The embattled trot singer has said that his human rights were violated during the police investigation because officers had forced him to exit the police station through its main e

June 3, 2024

1 in 3 people born in '60s think they will die 'lonely death': survey

Some one in three South Koreans born in the 1960s think that they will die alone without receiving support from their children, a survey showed Monday, suggesting the senior population's growing concern over the change in family dynamics and support for aging parents. The foundation Care for All surveyed 980 South Koreans aged between 55 and 64 -- all born in the 1960s -- from May 8 to 15 on the perception and reality of care. According to the results, some 30.2 percent of the respondents,

June 3, 2024

Man paralyzed during police interrogation

Two South Korean police officers have been suspended after a civilian they had been interrogating suffered a major spinal injury, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, local police officials said Monday. The victim, in his 50s, had been undergoing questioning at Asan Police Station in South Chungcheong Province at 1:30 a.m. on May 11, when he suddenly stood up from his seat and leaned his upper body forward. One of the police officers grabbed him from behind and pulled him back, and the vic

June 3, 2024

Seoul mayor swims in Han River, praises 'unbelievably clean' water

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon swam across the Han River on Sunday as a participant in a triathlon festival planned by the city government, praising the water quality and encouraging people to enjoy the city's beloved river through water activities. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the mayor, clad in a full-body wetsuit and swim cap emblazoned with the slogan, “Seoul My Soul,” joined around 2,000 other swimmers in the 1-kilometer swim on the second day of the 1st Sium Siu

June 3, 2024

[Graphic news] S. Korea's children get taller

The average height of South Korea's elementary school students (ages 7-11) has increased by 4.3 centimeters for boys and 2.8 centimeters for girls compared to ten years ago. According to a survey by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, the peak growth period for children was identified as 14-15 years old for boys and 13-14 years old for girls, showing that the growth rate for both boys and girls has advanced by about two years compared to ten years ago. Using a 3D scanner, the

June 3, 2024

Man in 60s dies in Saemangeum triathlon event

A man in his 60s who was participating in a triathlon event held in Saemangeum -- reclaimed land in North Jeolla Province -- drowned to death during the swimming portion of the event, police said Sunday. The 62-year-old man surnamed Kim was spotted floating in the sea by a lifeguard at 7:45 a.m. during the Challenge Gunsan Saemangeum International Triathlon competition. He was pulled out of the water by an emergency rescue boat and taken immediately to a hospital where he received CPR before bei

June 2, 2024

Jirisan bear sighting raises concerns: experts reassure public on low attack risk

A recent sighting of an Asiatic black bear on the Jirisan trail has raised safety concerns. However, the government has moved to reassure the public, noting that the possibility of bear attacks on humans is low due to their gentle and cautious nature. Currently, a total of 89 Asiatic black bears, including four cubs, reside around Jirisan, according to the Korea National Park Service under the Environment Ministry. These bears move between Jirisan and the nearby Deogyusan areas, rarely enc

June 2, 2024

Line has more new users than KakaoTalk for the 3rd straight week

New users for mobile messenger application Line in South Korea have surpassed that of KakaoTalk for the third straight week this month, another implication that KakaoTalk's once-overwhelming dominance in the market is diminishing. According to the report by the mobile data analysis firm IGA Works, the Line application was newly installed 61,640 times across the country between May 20 and May 26, edging out 56,771 new installations of KakaoTalk to lead all messenger service for messenger, ph

June 1, 2024

Conman poses as Son Heung-min's friend, swindles W100m from girlfriend

The South Korean police said Thursday that they were searching for a man in his 30s who is believed to have swindled around 100 million won ($73,000) from his former girlfriend while pretending to be a close friend of soccer superstar Son Heung-min. The suspect, a former professional soccer player, is believed to have extorted the money from the victim in 2021. He borrowed money from her on 19 occasions between May and December of that year, saying that he needed money for an "entertainment

June 1, 2024

[Photo News] Series of butane explosions destroys cars in Busan parking lot

A chain of butane gas-induced explosions wrecked 10 vehicles parked in a discount supermarket parking lot in Busan due to the resulting fire, fire authorities said Friday. As per the Busan Metropolitan City Fire Disaster Headquarters, a fire broke out at 11:37 a.m. Friday after a series of explosions from butane gas canisters that were piled up in a nearby vacant in Myeongji-dong, Gangseo-gu, Busan. As the canisters flew into the nearby parking lot, 10 parked vehicles caught fire, and the supe

May 31, 2024

Govt. to hire 1,000 med professors for national universities by 2027

The South Korean government on Friday said it plans to add 1,000 more professors to medical schools in national universities by 2027 to ensure that students receive the necessary education and training, a day after the Education Ministry finalized the medical school admissions quota for the 2025 school year. Lee Han-kyung, the Interior Ministry's chief disaster management official, said during a government response meeting that the government also plans to expand the number of equipment and faci

May 31, 2024

Army-affiliated messaging platform accused of deleting posts about soldier's death

With the South Korean Army in the hot seat over a recent trainee soldier's death during a pack drill, a number of online users here have recently been accusing a website affiliated with the military of deleting or hiding posts that are openly critical toward the military concerning the controversial death. As of Friday morning, multiple posts criticizing the Army for the supposed censoring have been uploaded in the Free Talk section of The Camp, a communication platform with the cooperation

May 31, 2024

ILO requests details on Trade Union Act

A committee under the International Labour Organization recently requested the South Korean government to provide details on a planned amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations under the United Nations agency aiming to advance social and economic justice by setting international labor standards, said Tuesday that it had filed a "direct request" with the Korean government in March for f

May 31, 2024

Is parenting education necessary? 97% say yes

A survey by the Korean chapter of the UK charity Save the Children has found that almost all Koreans say parenting education is necessary, but less than 4 in 10 have had any such education. According to the children’s rights nongovernmental organization Firday, 97.5 percent of the poll’s 1,000 respondents supported the idea of education on responsible parenthood in general. On which areas the education should focus on, 77.8 percent identified positive child-rearing approaches, includ

May 31, 2024

Politician charged with wrongful arrest of 'illegal immigrants'

The South Korean police on Thursday said it has recently recommended an indictment against a local politician on charges of unlawfully detaining people he accused of immigration violations despite having no evidence. The politician, who lost his bid to become a lawmaker in April's parliamentary election, is also facing potential charges for using violence against his victims during the unlawful arrests that he conducted in February and March of this year. Nine of his accomplices are also be

May 31, 2024