EV-phobia spreads, as police investigate cause of electric car explosion

Incheon police on Tuesday said it is investigating what caused the mysterious explosion of an electric car last week, but some apartment residents in the greater Seoul area are already moving to ban electric vehicles from their underground parking lots. An apartment complex in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province recently hung a banner saying EVs are banned from parking underground, in a measure decided via a resident meeting that took place after a parked Mercedes-Benz sedan spontaneously caught fire Th

Aug. 6, 2024

University drug ring shatters Korea's 'drug-free' myth

Prosecutors recently arrested dozens of university students for the mass use and trafficking of illegal drugs within a social club comprising hundreds of members from 13 universities in the Seoul metropolitan area, raising a red flag in what was once known as a "drug-free country." The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office arrested four university students, including the club's president, and charged two others with violating drug laws on Monday. Eight college students

Aug. 6, 2024

No. of patients with heat-related illnesses at night surge by 900% in past decade: agency

The number of patients admitted to emergency rooms with heat-related illnesses overnight increased by some 900 percent over the past decade, data by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency showed Tuesday, amid growing concerns of an increase in tropical nights in recent years. Since the establishment of the agency’s heat illness surveillance system in 2011, the number of patients admitted to emergency rooms between 12 a.m. -- the start of a new day -- and 10 a.m. jumped 923 percent

Aug. 6, 2024

100 Filipina caregivers arrive in Seoul for 6-month pilot program

Brimming with anticipation, 100 Filipina childcare workers landed at Incheon International Airport early Tuesday morning, ready to participate in the new pilot program to support the care needs of participating Seoul families. Dressed in matching blue jackets emblazoned with the Philippine national flag, the workers emerged from the arrivals gate with their luggage. Some paused to make the heart gesture with their fingers toward the assembled reporters, a move reflecting their excitement and cur

Aug. 6, 2024

Seoul Metro to screen free public films for commuters

Screens in the Seoul Metro, primarily used for providing information, will play short films starting at the end of this month. According to Seoul Metro on Tuesday, this year's Seoul Metro International Subway Film Festival, an annual event that transforms the everyday commute into a free public film festival, will showcase 50 short films 210 seconds or less in length to commuters from Aug. 29 through Sept. 25. During this period, the films will be displayed on screens inside subway cars a

Aug. 6, 2024

Police refer man behind murder of neighbor with Japanese longsword to prosecution

Police have referred a man to the prosecution Tuesday on charges of slashing a random neighbor to death with a Japanese longsword last week. The 37-year-old assailant, surnamed Baek, brandished a 75-centimeter Japanese blade at the entrance of his apartment complex in Seoul's northern Eunpyeong district on July 29 and killed the neighbor, who was smoking outdoors at the time. The victim, a 43-year-old father of two sons aged 4 and 9, did not know the assailant personally. During the police

Aug. 6, 2024

Accident with claimed vehicle malfunction leaves 1 dead, 1 injured

One person was killed with another one injured when a car crashed into pedestrians at an apartment complex in central Seoul on Monday, police said. The driver of the vehicle, a man in his late 50s, has claimed vehicle malfunction, but the police suspect "poor driving" may have caused the deadly accident. The accident took place at an apartment complex in Ichon-dong, Yongsan, at around 11 a.m., when the vehicle crashed into a woman in her 50s and then another woman in her 80s, according

Aug. 5, 2024

Education Ministry to inspect study abroad agencies for false ads

Amid South Korea's growing demand for private education, the Ministry of Education said Monday it will conduct a special inspection on agencies that arrange or help students study abroad. The Ministry of Education will focus on false and exaggerated advertisements of such centers to put the brakes on sales methods that prompt advanced learning and promote private education from August to September, with the cooperation of the 17 provincial offices of education nationwide. The ministry will

Aug. 5, 2024

Extreme heat triggers outages, heatstroke deaths

As extreme heat persists nationwide, widespread damage including power and water outages, as well as heatstroke-related deaths, have been reported as of Monday. On Sunday evening, 255 out of 1,089 households in the Miju Apartments in Dongdaemun-gu, eastern Seoul, experienced a power outage caused by the persisting scorching heat. A Korea Electric Power Corporation official explained to The Korea Herald that the blackout resulted from a fault in the apartment complex's transformer, which ove

Aug. 5, 2024

100 Filipina caregivers to arrive in Seoul one month ahead of assignment

  A group of 100 Filipina caregivers is scheduled to arrive in South Korea early Tuesday morning to undergo a month-long specialized training program before being assigned to families in Seoul next month, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Employment and Labor have been advancing a project to introduce foreign caregivers in response to the declining number of local domestic workers amid an aging population and the rising

Aug. 5, 2024

Son Heung-min's agency vows legal action on lavish nightclub spending rumor

Tottenham Hotspur superstar Son Heung-min's agency on Sunday released a statement denying a recent rumor that he spent a large sum of money at a Seoul nightclub, partying with Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae and other players of the German club. "We've found that the employees of the club had distributed such falsehood to promote their establishment. ... We assure you that Son did not visit the club or spend all that money," said Son & Football Limited Co. It vowed to

Aug. 5, 2024

Heat wave causes surge in heat-related illnesses to 1,546 cases, deaths of 257,000 livestock

The nationwide heat wave has led to a surge in the number of patients with heat-related illnesses to 1,546, while causing the deaths of over 257,000 livestock, the interior ministry said Monday. The previous day, temperatures in Yeoju, 64 kilometers southeast of Seoul, reached 40 C, marking the first time since 2018, which was recorded as the hottest year on record. The interior ministry said that the total number of patients with heat-related illnesses from May 20 to last Saturday reached 1,546

Aug. 5, 2024

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s COVID-19 hospitalizations surge in July

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in South Korea saw a significant rise last month, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Hospitalizations increased from 63 in the fourth week of June to 91 in the first week of July, 145 in the second week and 225 in the third week. This surge comes despite the country lowering its COVID-19 crisis level from “alert” to the lowest “interest” level on May 1, following a sharp decline in confirmed cases earlie

Aug. 5, 2024

Korea sizzles as temperatures soar to 40 C for first time since 2019

South Korea sweltered through its first 40 degrees Celsius temperature in six years on Sunday, amid a relentless heatwave that has gripped the country since the end of July, following the monsoon season. Current weather conditions on the Korean Peninsula are strikingly similar to those of the record-breaking summer of 2018, sparking concerns that this year could become one of the hottest on record. The severe heatwave has already resulted in approximately 540 cases of heat-related illnesses from

Aug. 4, 2024

6 in 10 S. Koreans won't date across political lines: survey

Almost six out of 10 Koreans are unwilling to date someone with opposing political views, a survey shows, pointing to a deepening rift between liberals and conservatives in the country. Data from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, which surveyed 3,950 Koreans aged 19 to 75 last year, revealed that 58.2 percent of respondents did not wish to enter a romantic relationship with partners who do not share their political views. In civic and social activities, over 70 percent of resp

Aug. 4, 2024

Male parental leave takers reach one-third of total, record high

Men accounted for almost one-third of all workers taking parental leave in the first half of this year in South Korea, marking the first time they have exceeded 30 percent. According to data released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Sunday, fathers accounted for 32.3 percent of the 69,631 total parental leave takers from January to June this year. The total number of workers taking parental leave increased by 3.2 percent compared to the same period last year, rising to 67,465. While th

Aug. 4, 2024

Women expect 100m won, men 60m won from their potential spouse: survey

A survey indicated that South Korean women expect their potential spouse to have amassed at least 100 million won ($73,400) worth of assets before getting married, while the men want their bride-to-be to have around 60 million. Local matchmaking firm Gayeon asked 250 single women and 250 single men between the ages of 25 and 39 how much wealth they want their future spouses to have, to which the average reply for women was 103 million won and for men was 63.8 million won. "Contrary to the

Aug. 4, 2024

2.7% of med students return to class amid ongoing boycott

Despite the government's offer of an olive branch to end the monthslong medical standoff, only 2.7 percent of medical students were in attendance, as others carried on protesting the drastic hike in medical school admissions, government data showed Sunday. With no signs of the government and medical community backing down from the gridlock that has persisted since February, attendance figures remain alarmingly low. Out of 19,345 students enrolled at 40 medical schools nationwide, only 495 w

Aug. 4, 2024

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