Calls recorded through ‘spy app’ cannot be used as evidence of adultery: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court recently ruled that files from a “spy app” for illegally recording voice files cannot be used as evidence of adultery as it violates a communications-related law. In 2022, a woman sought compensation from her ex-husband’s mistress based on calls recorded between her ex-husband and his mistress as evidence. The woman collected the evidence using a spy app she had secretly installed on her husband’s phone. Two lower courts admitted the evidence, ruling t

May 19, 2024

[News Focus] Mystery deepens after hundreds of cat deaths in S. Korea

A wave of unexplained cat deaths has sparked a dispute between pet owners and authorities in South Korea, with owners unconvinced that the pet food thought to be at the center of the controversy was not to blame. According to local animal activist groups Life and Myoeon, a total of 513 cases of cats displaying similar symptoms -- acute neuromuscular diseases, high fever, elevated liver enzymes and kidney failure -- have been documented as of May 12. Of the affected animals, 181 have died. The ac

May 19, 2024

US military commander in S. Korea during Gwangju uprising dies

Gen. John Adams Wickham Jr., the US military commander in South Korea during the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, has passed away at age 95. Legacy.com, a US website providing obituaries and memorials, noted on Friday that Wickham had died on May 11 in Oro Valley, Arizona. Wickham was the commander of the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command from 1979 to 1983, a particularly tumultuous period in South Korea. During Wickham's time here, a military coup led by future President Chun D

May 19, 2024

[Photo News] Seoul seeks 'best sleeper'

Seoulites continue their search for winners of quality rest. Following last weekend's zoning out contest, a best sleeper competition was held on Saturday afternoon at Yeouido Hangang Park. Starting at 2 p.m., participants napped for an hour and a half, during which their heart rates were measured every half hour. The winner was determined by the greatest difference between their baseline heart rate, measured before the nap, and their lowest heart rate during the nap. This contest was part o

May 18, 2024

Teens banned from entering, working at 'hold 'em' pubs, cafes

The South Korean government announced that a recent revision of the Youth Protection Act related to poker-themed businesses, which stipulates that teenagers shall be banned from entering or working at such establishments, will take effect Friday, "Hold 'em pubs" and "hold 'em cafes" refer to establishments that allow users to engage in games categorized by the law as casino-type games, including the poker variant Texas hold 'em, which gave such enterprises thei

May 17, 2024

Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors

A woman in her 20s has fallen to her death from an acquaintance's home, Incheon police said Friday, after displaying what officials have described to be abnormal behavior. The Incheon Namdong Police Station received a report at around 7 p.m. Thursday about a young woman hanging from a balcony of the 12th-floor unit of a residential building in Namdong-gu, Incheon. Officers dispatched to the scene were installing an air mattress below her when she fell. An investigation found that the unit f

May 17, 2024

What's next for the government's push in quota hike?

The Seoul High Court's critical ruling Thursday dismissing doctors groups' request for an injunction to halt the nationwide medical school expansion, has cleared the path for the first increase in medical student admissions in 27 years. With the hurdle removed, the government vowed Friday to expedite the remaining procedures for the 2025 school year college admissions, such as reflecting the changes in each university's college admissions and gaining approval for the plans by the

May 17, 2024

Police raid trot star's house over suspected hit-and-run cover-up

Police raided popular trot singer Kim Ho-joong's house in Seoul on Thursday night over allegations regarding a hit-and-run accident, officials said. According to Seoul Gangnam Police Station, investigators searched Kim's house and the home and office of Lee Kwang-deuk, the head of Kim's agency, Think Entertainment, to figure out the whereabouts of Kim and his manager following the incident. Kim is suspected of hitting a taxi on the opposite side of the road and fleeing the scene w

May 17, 2024

Human rights commission urges Korea to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights

South Korea’s human rights commission on Friday called for Koreans and the government to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBTQ rights. Song Doo-hwan, chair of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, issued a statement Friday to mark the 2024 International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia. Celebrated annually on May 17, the day marks the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declass

May 17, 2024

E-sports reporter sustains eye injury due to fire effects at gaming event

Sports and e-sports reporter Gwak Min-seon is reportedly suffering from impaired vision after being exposed to on-stage pyrotechnics at a gaming event on Sunday, officials from Gwak's agency said Friday. According to an official announcement from Gwak’s agency, Starit Entertainment, Gwak sustained physical damage to her face due to sparks set off during the celebration of the champion team of the 2024 Battleground Mobile Pro Series at an e-sports stadium in Daejeon on Sunday. She wa

May 17, 2024

Job additions rebound to over 200,000 in April amid rising exports

South Korea added more than 200,000 jobs in April on the back of the marked increase in manufacturing jobs on export growth, data showed Friday. But the number of people who remained unemployed and sought a job surged by the most in more than three years amid demographic changes, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The number of employed people came to 28.69 million last month, up 261,000 from a year earlier. The country added more than 300,000 new jobs in both January and Februa

May 17, 2024

[Graphic News] How much do Korean adults read?

A survey by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism revealed that around 6 out of 10 Korean adults did not read a single book in the past year. According to the survey, only 43 percent of Korean adults read at least one book in 2023. This was a 4.5 percent decrease from the results of the previous survey in 2021, and the lowest it has ever been since periodic surveys on reading began back in 1994. The decrease in book reading was especially pronounced among people aged 60 a

May 17, 2024

Court refuses injunction on medical school expansion

A South Korean appellate court on Thursday rejected an injunction sought by the medical community to halt the implementation of a planned student quota increase at medical schools nationwide. With the obstacles now cleared, the Seoul High Court's ruling allows the government to proceed with its contentious plan to add 2,000 more admission seats at medical schools nationwide, despite facing vehement opposition from doctors and students. This marks the first medical school quota hike in 27 years s

May 16, 2024

Seoul to launch real-time flood warning system for drivers this July

The Ministry of Environment is set to unveil a new flood warning system tailored for drivers this July after last summer's deadly incident of underground tunnel flooding. "For the first time this year, navigation guidance will be available to help drivers drive safely in low-lying and other hazardous areas when entering flood warning areas or near the discharge points of the 37 dams managed by the Ministry of the Environment," Environment Minister Han Wha-jin said during a press b

May 16, 2024

Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up

The debate has intensified over indoor spaces barring older people, notably sparked by local reports of residents in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, debating on online forums whether to designate a newly opened public swimming pool as a "no-seniors zone." One commenter posted: “People over 65 use the pool in a very dirty way, such as urinating in the water, and complain a lot, which ruins the atmosphere. Their use should be restricted.” The pool in question, reportedly

May 16, 2024

Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators

When opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck in a failed assassination attempt in January, the South Korean public remained in the dark about the assailant’s identity, including his name and occupation, until the New York Times disclosed the information. In April, when a Korean NASA engineer was charged in the US with a series of rapes, his name, age and photos were disseminated in US media. But in local media, the Korean suspect was cloaked in anonymity, with his photos

May 16, 2024

Why is heavy snow falling in mid-May in Korea?

In an unexpected turn of weather events, with snow reaching unforeseen depths and blanketing regions, the national weather agency issued a heavy snow warning for the mountainous areas of northern Gangwon Province as of Wednesday evening. This marked the first time in approximately 30 years -- since 1994 -- that the agency has issued such a warning in mid-May, underscoring the unprecedented nature of this weather event. “While heavy snow warnings have been issued in May in the past, the KMA

May 16, 2024

KMA and University of Utah Asia Campus agree to fortify educational cooperation

The Korea Military Academy’s Academic Board and the University of Utah Asia Campus agreed to forge educational cooperation to foster global talents and competent officers. The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday at the Korea Military Academy in northern Seoul to cooperate in strengthening English education. The agreement includes plans to develop a course that students from both colleges can attend and to come together to hold English-speaking contests, a KMA offi

May 16, 2024

'Seatless car' expanded to Seoul Metro's Line 7

Subway cars without seats have been added to Line No. 7 from Thursday. Seoul Metro announced that it removed the seats of a car on one of its Line No.7 trains on a trial basis in an attempt to alleviate congestion inside its trains during peak hours. The move comes four months after such a car was first added to Seoul Metro’s Line No. 4 in January. On Line No.7, the seatless subway car is deployed around 8 a.m. on weekdays, when the lane sees the highest density on the train running throug

May 16, 2024

First lady to attend luncheon with Cambodian PM in return to public duties

First lady Kim Keon Hee will attend an official luncheon with the visiting Cambodian prime minister Thursday, the presidential office said, marking her return to public duties after she withdrew in December amid corruption allegations. The first lady will join President Yoon Suk Yeol, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and his wife during the luncheon, which will be held at the presidential office following a summit between the leaders. The last time Kim appeared in public was in December when s

May 16, 2024