Oil factory turned into immersive art space on Ganghwa Island

Just an hour's drive from Seoul, in the scenic Gilsang-myeon area of Ganghwa Island, lies Art Factory Charmgiroom, an immersive media art museum and exhibition space. Once one of the largest sesame oil factories in South Korea, this expansive 23,000-square-meter complex has been upcycled into a cultural space. The centerpiece of Art Factory Charmgiroom is its immersive media art exhibition hall which stands at an impressive 8 meters tall and stretches 120 meters in length. The exhibitio

Aug. 3, 2024

Police begin review of sword, knife weapon possession nationwide

The National Police Agency said Thursday it has begun a monthlong inspection on sword and knife weapon possession across the country and related regulations, in response to a man attacking another resident of an apartment complex in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul with a sword, killing him. The South Korean police immediately began a detailed review of the 82,641 swords registered as under individual possession in the country, set to continue until Aug. 31. It includes checking criminal records, reports of

Aug. 3, 2024

Fried chicken flies home: K-drone delivery takes off this month

With full-scale drone delivery services starting this month, residents on remote islands or inland locations can now receive food, daily necessities and first aid supplies with greater ease and convenience. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the K-drone delivery service commenced on the first day of August, covering 32 island districts, 17 regional park areas and one port across 14 municipalities. Although the service initially launched on Jeju Island in July, this

Aug. 3, 2024

Schools with multicultural students increasing in Korea

The number of schools with more than 30 percent of students from international backgrounds has sharply surged in the past five years, a recent study showed Friday. Research conducted by the Korean Educational Development Institute revealed Friday that multicultural students accounted for more than 30 percent of the student population at 350 elementary, middle and high schools in the country. This is equivalent to 2.96 percent of all such schools in Korea. The number of schools has increased by 4

Aug. 2, 2024

Korea may compensate W150b annually to dog farm owners

South Korea is poised to announce compensation plans for dog meat sellers in September, in a follow-up to its passage of a bill in January banning the eating and selling of dog meat. The country seeks to end the centuries-old yet controversial practice amid growing support for animal welfare. "We will announce the basic plan in September after consulting with financial authorities," the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement Friday. "Nothing specific h

Aug. 2, 2024

University leaks 320,000 identifications, warns of subsequent scams

Identification data of 322,425 students and graduates of Jeonbuk National University was stolen Sunday, as the university suffered hacking attacks on its integrated information system managing students’ academic affairs, according to reports Thursday. The university in North Jeolla Province posted an apology message on its website Thursday, confirming that it suffered data leakage a total of three times from the attacks, which took place at 3 a.m., 10 p.m. and 11:20 p.m. JBNU detected the

Aug. 2, 2024

Seoul's unlimited transit pass extended to Guri

Seoul is expanding its Climate Card program to Guri, Gyeonggi Province, just east of the capital, in the latest move to make the eco-friendly monthly transit pass more accessible across the Greater Seoul area. Officials from the two cities signed off on the decision in a virtual meeting attended by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Guri Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun on Friday, according to the Seoul city government. Starting Aug. 10, Guri residents can use the pass at 24 subway stops on lines connecting to the

Aug. 2, 2024

Woman stabbed to death in central Seoul, suspect caught

A woman in her 60s was stabbed to death in an underpass near Sungnyemun in Jung-gu, Seoul, Friday morning, police said. Police have detained a male suspect, who is accused of assaulting the victim at 5:10 a.m. and fleeing the scene, according to reports. He was nabbed at around 8:50 a.m. by police who searched for the attacker by surveying security footage in the area. The suspect was hiding in a residential neighborhood in Dongja-dong, Yongsan, about 1 kilometer from the scene, the reports said

Aug. 2, 2024

Obstructive parking near Gimhae Airport sparks public criticism

A car has been illegally parked on the shoulder of one-lane road to Gimhae International Airport in Busan for days, posing threat to traffic heading to the airport’s arrival floor as of Thursday. The hydrogen fueled passenger car was first spotted on Tuesday morning. Its owner reportedly parked there as the airport parking lot was packed with the cars of those gone abroad for vacation and the owner could not find a parking space up until it was time to take their flight. Some other passeng

Aug. 1, 2024

Only 104 junior doctors returning in September

The Health Ministry on Thursday said it would have hospitals roll out additional recruitment notices later this month for striking trainees protesting the drastic hike in medical school quotas as South Korea's health care is once again left in a void. Only 104 junior doctors -- 13 interns and 91 residents -- had applied as 126 local training hospitals sought to recruit 7,645 candidates -- 2,525 interns and 5,120 residents -- from July 22 until Wednesday afternoon, according to the Health Mi

Aug. 1, 2024

Decarbonizing transition could worsen regional inequality: study

South Korea's planned shutdown of coal-fired power plants to achieve carbon neutrality could exacerbate regional disparities, according to a new study by a national research institute on Thursday. In a report on the paradox of carbon neutrality, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlement, a think tank in the country, claimed that South Korea's coal phaseout will increase the Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, from the current level and widen economic disparities b

Aug. 1, 2024

'Poor driving' caused car crash near Seoul City Hall that killed 9: police

Police concluded Thursday that the fatal car crash that killed nine people on July 1 near Seoul City Hall was caused by the driver’s poor handling of the vehicle rather than sudden unintended acceleration as claimed by the driver. The findings were announced as the police ended a monthlong investigation into the accident, where a sedan hit pedestrians on a walkway while traveling at a speed of up to 107 kilometers per hour. “Though the suspect is consistently maintaining a stance tha

Aug. 1, 2024

Unpaid wages hit record high, affect over 150,000 workers

The government has estimated that unpaid wages surged about 27 percent in the first half year-on-year, hurting over 150,000 workers in South Korea and disrupting their livelihoods. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday, back wages in the first half of this year reached 1.04 trillion won ($762 million), with a total of 150,503 affected workers. Compared to the same period last year, the amount of unpaid wages increased by 26.8 percent, and the number of affected workers gr

Aug. 1, 2024

Prosecutors search Tmon, WeMakePrice headquarters

Prosecutors searched the headquarters of Tmon and WeMakePrice in Seoul on Thursday as part of an investigation into the e-commerce platforms’ delayed payments to their vendors amid a persisting liquidity crisis surrounding both companies. According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, an investigation team searched the headquarters of Tmon and WeMakePrice on Thursday, along with seven other related offices. The investigators also searched the homes of three executive me

Aug. 1, 2024

Man jailed for assaulting taxi driver over politics

A South Korean court said Thursday it has handed down a six-month prison term to a man for assaulting a taxi driver who refused to answer politics questions, including which presidential candidate he voted for. The defendant was found guilty of violating Article 5-10 of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, on the use of violence against or threatening a driver operating a motor vehicle used for transportation business. The investigation showed that the defendant had been ja

Aug. 1, 2024

Arsonist gives '5-minute warning' before setting home on fire

A South Korean man who set his house on fire on Wednesday had called the firefighters before the crime, asking them to come as quickly as possible. Local police officials in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province said Thursday that they are investigating a 55-year-old man on charge of committing arson on his own home, at around 3:34 p.m. Before starting the fire, he called the Nonsan Fire Station and asked them to come to his house within five minutes, telling them what he was about to do. The autho

Aug. 1, 2024

Sword permit loopholes exposed in recent fatal slashing

A recent fatal attack by a sword-wielding man in Seoul has brought the country's control of lethal weapons into question. On Monday night at an apartment complex in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, the suspect, a 37-year-old resident there, wielded a 120-centimeter Japanese sword against a victim in his 40s, eventually resulting in his death. Police have said they barely knew each other. The suspect, who was arrested at his home about an hour after the killing, told police he had believed the victim

July 31, 2024

Sex crimes using deepfakes 'rampant' on school grounds

Deepfake sex crimes using artificial intelligence are increasing on school grounds in South Korea, raising concerns over insufficient education and measures to prevent further damage. A student at an international school in Jeju English education city has been handed over to prosecutors for allegedly making sexually exploitative videos of his female student peers, according to the Seogwipo Police Department on Tuesday. The police also sent three of his classmates who watched the videos with him

July 31, 2024

Malaria alert amid heat wave in Greater Seoul, Gangwon

Due to South Korea’s hot and humid temperatures, cases of malaria have been on the rise, with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reporting 367 cases as of Tuesday. Though the number of malaria cases so far this year is half of last year's total figures, the agency on Wednesday noted there has been an unusual surge in malaria cases in Seoul and that it is possible this year's total figures could pass last year's. In previous years, malaria cases were normally rep

July 31, 2024

7 in 10 S. Korean seniors want to keep working: data

Nearly 70 percent of South Koreans aged 55 to 79 are willing to work past retirement, data showed, reflecting the ongoing financial insecurities among the country's senior population. The figure, coming from a May survey by the government’s statistics body, represents an increase of 0.9 percentage point from the previous month. Additionally, 20.7 percent of seniors actively sought employment in the past year, also up 0.9 percentage point from April. The data was released Tuesday. Resp

July 31, 2024