Censorship of Nobel winner Han Kang's book stirs debate

Amid nationwide elation over South Korean novelist Han Kang being awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize for Literature, one of her works has stirred debate for being "deemed harmful to youths." The controversy ignited after Han's "The Vegetarian" was found to be among the 2,528 books removed from some 2,490 elementary, middle and high school libraries in Gyeonggi Province last year for being detrimental to students. Among them were not only Han Kang's book, but also "Bl

Oct. 21, 2024

Yoon urges police action to combat crimes using AI

President Yoon Suk Yeol urged police on Monday to step up their efforts to crack down on crimes affecting ordinary people, as well as new types of crimes emerging from advanced technologies like artificial intelligence. Yoon expressed concerns over new crimes enabled by AI, as well as illegal drugs and online gambling, during a commemorative speech marking the 79th Police Day. “To keep the public safe, the police must develop faster, become more proactive (and implement more scientific tec

Oct. 21, 2024

'Raise senior citizen age to 75': senior group head

The head of a senior citizens' association in South Korea proposed on Monday that the government raise the standard age classifying people as senior citizens from the current 65 to 75, arguing it is necessary to address the country's demographic imbalance. "Currently, the senior citizen population is about 10 million, but the figure is expected to double to 20 million in 2050," Lee Joong-keun, the new chief of the Korean Senior Citizens Association said during his inauguratio

Oct. 21, 2024

Seoul city to spend $326m on fighting 'loneliness'

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday released a comprehensive plan to support a growing number of Seoul residents struggling with loneliness and social isolation. The initiative, called “Loneliness-Free Seoul,” aims to intervene early to tackle loneliness at its root and prevent people from dying alone, known as “lonely deaths,” which have been rapidly increasing in the city. Over the next five years, the city plans to invest a total of 451.3 billion won ($326 mill

Oct. 21, 2024

Nationwide rain to bring chilly weather

South Korea is expected to see a drop in temperature this week, following nationwide rain showers in the middle of the week, according to the state weather agency on Monday. Temperatures in Seoul on Monday morning registered 11.3 degrees Celsius, along with 11.8 C in Incheon, 10.1 C in Daejeon, 12.9 C in Gwangju, 16.1 C in Ulsan and 12.7 C in Daegu, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. Daytime highs ranged between 18 and 24 C. Some parts of northern Gyeonggi Province and mountainous are

Oct. 21, 2024

[Graphic News] Korean police nab 474 suspects over deepfake sex crimes; 80% teens

Police have rounded up 474 people connected to deepfake sex crimes so far this year, the Korean National Police Agency said. Police received 921 reports related to deepfake sex crimes between January and Oct. 14, and they have arrested 474 suspects during this period, according to the NPA. Over half of the reports, or 476 cases, were filed after police launched an intensive crackdown on such crimes in late August after the issue made national headlines following a string of similar cases on Te

Oct. 21, 2024

Religious school activities violate freedom: Seoul Education Office

The Seoul education office concluded Sunday that mandatory religious activities at general high schools, such as class worship services and choir competitions, could infringe on students' religious freedom. This conclusion follows an investigation prompted by a student complaint at a private high school in Seoul, alleging that such compulsory extracurricular activities related to religion violated their rights under the city's Student Rights Ordinance. The complaint, submitted by a stu

Oct. 20, 2024

Seoul Cyber University, CSU San Bernardino form dual degree program

Seoul Cyber University has signed a dual degree agreement with California State University, San Bernardino, the US school's first such deal with an online educational institution. The primary focus of the agreement is the creation of a dual degree program between Seoul Cyber University and CSUSB. Under this program, students will spend two years studying at Seoul Cyber University's School of Business and two years at CSUSB, earning degrees from both institutions. Notably, this is the f

Oct. 20, 2024

Elderly woman and her son found dead in Namyangju apartment

A woman in her 90s and her son in his 60s were found dead in their apartment in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, according to police on Saturday. Namyangju Bukbu Police Station received a report at around 4 p.m. on Friday from the woman’s older son that both his mother and younger brother were dead. Upon arriving at the scene, police found the elderly woman and her son deceased in separate rooms. The older son, who had lived with his now-deceased mother and brother for 12 years, told police t

Oct. 20, 2024

Unionized workers at Seoul Natl. Univ. Hospital decide to strike starting Oct. 31

Unionized workers at Seoul National University (SNU) Hospital, one of the country's biggest hospitals, have decided to launch an indefinite walkout beginning on Oct. 31 in protest of the government's health care reform and poor working conditions, sources said Saturday. The union made the decision in a meeting held on Friday amid botched talks with the hospital on its call for maintaining the number of hospital beds, improving working conditions and raising pay for members. The u

Oct. 19, 2024

S. Korea to conduct biennial mental health checkup for youth

The South Korean government said Thursday that it has decided to administer a regular mental health checkup for those aged between 20 and 34, starting next year as part of the state-run national health examination program. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, state health examination committee members conducted a meeting and agreed to expand the mental health checkup program. As part of the national health checkup program run by the National Health Insurance Service, the current pr

Oct. 19, 2024

Part-time teachers increasingly taking on homeroom duties: data

In South Korean schools, homeroom teachers are responsible for overseeing various aspects of their students' lives including their academic progress and college applications, keeping regular contact with parents if necessary. According to Education Ministry data made public Monday by Rep. Jin Seon-mi of the Democratic Party of Korea, the proportion of part-time teachers serving as homeroom teachers has been on the rise. In the past, homeroom teacher roles were reserved for full-time teacher

Oct. 19, 2024

Bereaved families outraged after police chief acquitted in Itaewon tragedy

Bereaved families erupted in outrage following the acquittal of former Seoul Metropolitan Police Chief Kim Kwang-ho and two senior officials in a case concerning the Itaewon crowd crush. The court’s Thursday ruling sparked widespread anger among the families and their advocates, who accuse the judiciary of failing to hold top officials accountable for the disaster, which they attribute to inadequate planning and emergency response measures. The Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families group stro

Oct. 18, 2024

Weekend chill may bring first snowfall in Korea

With heavy rainfall expected nationwide through Saturday, temperatures across South Korea are set to drop sharply from Sunday, ushering in chilly autumn conditions. Some regions may even experience their first snowfall of the season. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea will see nationwide rain until Saturday as a low-pressure system from the west passes over the country. While the rain will cease in most parts of the country from Saturday morning, the rain will likely con

Oct. 18, 2024

Medical schools under fire for poor conditions ahead of 2025 student surge

The poor condition of regional medical schools came under fire during Thursday's parliamentary audit at the National Assembly, just five months ahead of the start of the 2025 school year which will see a sharp rise in medical students. While several medical schools will have as many as twice or more medical students next year, Rep. Bak Seung-a of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea pointed out during the session held Thursday afternoon that the quota hike may not be feasible witho

Oct. 18, 2024

Court clears charges for welfare worker acused of abusing disabled child

A 63-year-old welfare worker who applied a form of corporal punishment on a 11-year-old child with A brain disorder was cleared by the Supreme Court of criminal charges, after it ruled the actions were a form of discipline and not abuse. South Korea's top court upheld a lower court ruling that said the defendant was not to be punished for child abuse. The appellate court had said while the defendant's actions could be said to be excessive, it appeared to be in the interest of the child

Oct. 18, 2024

Koreans challenge Berlin district's decision to remove comfort women statue

A civic group of Koreans living in Germany said Thursday they had filed for a court injunction against a Berlin district's recent decision to remove the Statue of Peace, erected to honor victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery. Korea Verband said it submitted the papers to reverse the recent decision made by the officials of Berlin's Mitte district last month. The district had provided notification of an order to remove the statue by the end of this month, citing the road laws

Oct. 18, 2024

Police officers busted for embezzling seized property, sparking wider probe

Two police officers have been arrested on charges of tampering with seized property, triggering a nationwide investigation into the management of confiscated items, the Korean National Police Agency announced Friday. According to Yongsan Police Station, a police official was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of embezzlement, as the officer allegedly stole hundreds of millions of won worth of confiscated property, including cash, while investigating a case he was assigned. Another police official,

Oct. 18, 2024

Animal rights groups rescue 455 dogs from illegal puppy mill in Busan

Animal rights organizations have rescued 455 dogs from an illegal breeding facility in Busan, highlighting the ongoing issue of unlawful puppy mills in South Korea, a coalition of 15 organizations announced Friday. The dogs, including various high-value breeds, were found crammed into filthy cages across the 230-square-meter site in Daejeo-dong, Gangseo-gu, which had been operating illegally for 25 years, according to the coalition. The coordinated rescue was led by the Lucy's Friends, whic

Oct. 18, 2024

Test-takers to take legal action over Yonsei's college entrance exam leak

Test takers are preparing to file a collective suit to invalidate a leaked Yonsei University entrance exam and seek a court injunction to suspend the test result if the school refuses a retest, citing unfairness and defrauding of early-admission candidates. More than 100 test-takers and parents have expressed their intention to take legal action over the irregularities in the exam as of Thursday at around 3 p.m. and plan to hire a lawyer for the case, according to local media reports on Friday.

Oct. 18, 2024