Illegal sales of fentanyl surge in South Korea

Illegal sales of fentanyl, a potent and highly addictive opioid, have increased significantly in South Korea, raising concerns among authorities and the public alike. Data obtained by Rep. Kim Yoon of the Democratic Party reveals that there were 202 online cases of illegal fentanyl sales detected by June 27 this year. This figure is 3.2 times higher than the 62 cases reported throughout the entire previous year. Fentanyl, while used medically as a powerful painkiller, is highly addictive even in

July 14, 2024

Seoul to remove outdated subway wheelchair lifts

Wheelchair lifts, also known as platform lifts will be removed in subway stations across Seoul after some 30 years since their implementation over continuously raised safety issues. Seoul Metro, an operator of the city's subway service from Line Nos. 1 to 8, said Sunday it will demolish lifts, once thought as a mobility support for the physically impaired, issuing a tender notice for the removal of 23 wheelchair lifts in 17 subway stations, including Seoul Station, Sinseoldong Station, Yong

July 14, 2024

Extortion of YouTuber Tzuyang highlights 'cyber wrecker' issues in S. Korea

Following YouTuber Tzuyang's recent revelation about her being assaulted and financially exploited by her former boyfriend for four years, a group of YouTubers were suspected to have blackmailed her for money in exchange for keeping quiet about her past. The revelation shocked and angered viewers over what many are calling the moral bankruptcy of the so-called "cyber wreckers," who make a profit by posting rumors or negative news about celebrities often in a maliciously edited f

July 13, 2024

Ex-Ssangbangwool chairman sentenced to imprisonment over N. Korea remittance scandal

A former chairman of the underwear manufacturer Ssangbangwool Group was sentenced to prison on Friday on charges including illegally remitting US$8 million to North Korea in 2019 on behalf of the Gyeonggi provincial government while opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was governor. The scandal centers on allegations that Ssangbangwool illegally transferred US dollars to North Korea in 2019 as expenses for the Gyeonggi government's inter-Korean smart farms project as well as then Gyeonggi Gov. L

July 12, 2024

Minimun wage for 2025 exceeds 10,000 won threshold for first time

The minimum wage for 2025 has been set at 10,030 won ($7.30) per hour, surpassing the 10,000 won mark for the first time since the system was introduced in 1988 and eliciting mixed reactions from business owners and employees. This decision, reached during the Minimum Wage Commission’s 11th plenary meeting Friday, represents a 1.7 percent increase from the current 9,860 won per hour. The new rate translates to a monthly wage of approximately 2.1 million won, based on a standard 40-hour wor

July 12, 2024

Busan floats ban on Japan’s colonial-era symbols

Japan’s Rising Sun flag, seen by many as an offensive symbol of Japan’s colonial rule in the 20th century, could soon face a permanent ban in Busan public spaces, alongside other symbols alluding to Japanese militarism. A council member from Korea’s second-largest city floated an ordinance that empowers the Busan mayor to remove from public view emblems associated with Japanese wartime aggression -- a period that includes Tokyo’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Penins

July 12, 2024

Medical circle attacks non-protesting, returning medics by creating blacklist

The medical circle once again appears to be at odds as some are drawing up a "blacklist" of doctors who have refrained from joining the strike and returned to their workplaces amid the ongoing dispute with the government over the medical school expansion plan. A Telegram online chat room created on July 7 aptly named "grateful doctors and medical students, thank you" began disclosing personal details of non-protesting medical students and doctors on Thursday and has since rap

July 12, 2024

YouTuber vows zero tolerance for threat against his daughter

Popular South Korean YouTuber Chimchakman released a statement concerning a recent online threat made against his 11-year-old daughter, saying he will not tolerate any foul play against his family. Officials from the Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul said Thursday that they have launched an investigation into a threat against the daughter of the YouTuber, whose real name is Lee Byeong-geon. The unidentified individual, who posted the threat on an online community at around 9:34 p.m. on Tuesda

July 12, 2024

1 in 5 S. Koreans aged 65 or above: ministry

The number of South Koreans aged 65 or above has surpassed the 10 million mark for the first time, making up nearly 20 percent of the total population, government data showed Friday. According to data provided by the Interior Ministry, the population of senior citizens reached 10,000,062 as of Wednesday, which accounted for 19.51 percent of the officially registered population of nearly 51.27 million. The figure shows a sharp increase from the corresponding figure from January 2013, when the reg

July 12, 2024

Citizens save woman pinned under a bus

An elderly woman pinned underneath a bus was saved Thursday by a group of citizens nearby who lifted the bus to get her out. According to Seodaemun Police Station in Seoul, the woman in her 70s had been getting off a bus at a stop near Hongje Station around 6:25 p.m., when she slipped and fell. The driver did not see her fall, and when the bus moved forward her arm was pinned down by one of the wheels. The people at the bus stop came to her rescue by collectively lifting the bus to free her. T

July 12, 2024

Animal rights groups to mark 'first dog meat-free 'boknal'’

The three “bok” days of summer, when Koreans traditionally consume dishes to replenish stamina, have in recent years become days when animal rights groups hold protests to condemn the eating of dog meat. But this year, more than 20 such groups are planning to gather for a different reason: to mark the “first dog meat-free 'boknal'” in S. Korea, following the passing of a National Assembly bill banning the breeding, butchering, distribution and sale of dog meat

July 11, 2024

Soccer player Hwang Ui-jo indicted on 'molka' charges

Prosecutors said Thursday that South Korean footballer Hwang Ui-jo will stand trial on charges of filming his sexual encounters with two women without their consent. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office's Criminal Division 1, which handles gender-related crimes, said it charged the 31-year-old Hwang, who has played 62 international matches for the South Korean national soccer team, for his alleged breach of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes. The pr

July 11, 2024

Trilateral youth summit opens in Busan

Dozens of students gathered in Busan to participate in the first US-ROK-Japan Trilateral Global Leadership Youth Summit that kicked off Thursday, as the program aims to nurture potential leaders from three countries. Under the agenda of trilateral security, economic and technological cooperation, Indo-Pacific strategy and expanded civilian exchanges, 50 youths -- 15 each from the US, Korea and Japan, and five from Indo-Pacific island countries -- gathered at APEC House in Busan for a three-day s

July 11, 2024

Mayor to reconsider plans for giant flagpole

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will reconsider its plan to erect a 100-meter-tall flagpole with a giant Taegeukgi, or South Korea's national flag, in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Mayor Oh Se-hoon said during a press briefing held at the city hall on Thursday. The mayor said he would take public opinions before pushing ahead with the plan to create the National Monument Space featuring the large flagpole, initially announced on June 25 on the 74th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean

July 11, 2024

YouTube star Tzuyang tells of abuse by ex-boyfriend

Tzuyang, a South Korean YouTuber with over 10 million subscribers, has revealed she suffered years of abuse from her late ex-boyfriend, including sexual assault and blackmail. The YouTuber, widely known for "mukbang" -- shows in which streamers talk to their audience while eating -- claimed in a live-streamed video that her former boyfriend had abused her physically and sexually, repeatedly threatened her and extorted money from her. "I tried to break up with him after witnessing

July 11, 2024

Med student on trip to Iksan missing in heavy rain

A 22-year-old male medical student went missing during a heavy downpour in the southwestern city of Iksan, North Jeolla Province Wednesday, Jeonbuk Provincial Police said Thursday. A search operation was underway but bore no fruit as of press time. Authorities said emergency number 112 received a report at around 11 a.m. on Wednesday that the missing student had gone outside their guesthouse in Iksan, early in the morning and had not been heard from since. There were reportedly 24 medical studen

July 11, 2024

Driver behind deadly car crash in downtown Seoul undergoes 2nd round of police questioning

The driver responsible for a deadly car crash that killed nine pedestrians in central Seoul last week underwent a second round of police questioning Wednesday, officials said. The 68-year-old man, identified only by his surname Cha, was questioned for approximately four hours while receiving treatment at a hospital, according to the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station. Cha reportedly reiterated his claim that the brakes of his car did not function properly at the time of the accident, consistent with

July 10, 2024

Rain batters Korea's southern regions, 'heaviest in 200 years'

Record heavy rains hit South Korea's southern regions Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, leaving at least four dead and one missing, with weather authorities saying it was the most intense downpour in 200 years. Heavy rains battered parts of North Jeolla Province starting early Wednesday. Gunsan received 131.7 millimeters of rain within one hour to 2:24 a.m., the heaviest hourly downpour recorded nationwide. The hourly precipitation accounted for over 10 percent of the city's avera

July 10, 2024

Ministry eases rules for protesting med students

Five months into medical students' boycott of classes in protest over the government's decision to increase the quota for students at the schools, the Ministry of Education announced guidelines Wednesday to grant universities the flexibility needed to prevent these students from failing out due to their prolonged absence. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho said at the Government Complex Seoul that schools can individually apply different timing, criteria and stan

July 10, 2024

Seoul sees 64% jump in teens seeking ADHD medication from 2021-2023: data

The number of teenagers seeking medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is growing markedly in Seoul and other major cities, government data shows. There were a total of 17,230 teens seeking ADHD treatment in the capital last year, up 64.3 percent from two years ago when the figure stood at 10,489. Rep. Kim Dae-sik of the ruling People Power Party, which obtained the data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the National Health Insurance Service, said this inc

July 10, 2024