Jamsu Bridge closed due to rising river levels

Jamsu Bridge over the Han River and sections of the Olympic Expressway across southern Seoul were closed Tuesday due to rising river levels caused by heavy rain, city officials said. Torrential rain of up to 30 millimeters per hour, beginning early Tuesday morning, increased water discharge from the Paldang Dam on the eastern upstream side of the Han River, according to the officials. Due to rising water levels in the Han River, both vehicle and pedestrian traffic were prohibited on the submersi

July 23, 2024

Anti-corruption agency raises meal expense cap for public officials

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission announced on Monday that it has decided to raise the meal expense limit for public officials from 30,000 won ($22) to 50,000 won, citing the need to reflect the country's steep inflation since the limit was set. This proposal came eight years after the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, also known as the "Kim Young-ran law," was implemented. The antigraft act, named after the former Supreme Court justice who was then head of the co

July 22, 2024

Employment rates, wages drop once women become mothers: study

The employment rates and wages of South Korea's female workers significantly dropped after they become mothers, with about one in two mothers leaving their jobs after giving birth, a recent study showed Monday. According to a report released by the Korea Development Institute, women's employment rates decreased by 47.1 percent in the short term -- defined as within four years after childbirth -- and by 43.4 percent in the long term -- defined as five to 10 years after childbirth. Simil

July 22, 2024

Occasional rain showers to hit Greater Seoul until Wed.

While South Korea’s southern regions were hit with heat wave warnings, the Korea Meteorological Administration reported on Monday that the Greater Seoul region and Gangwon Province will see heavy rain showers on an occasional basis until Wednesday. On Monday, the Greater Seoul area, which consists of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, expected to see 20 to 60 millimeters of rain, with heavily hit regions seeing up to 80 mm. Specifically, the KMA added that the Greater Seoul area will al

July 22, 2024

Drunk drivers' online community stirs controversy

An online community dealing with information about administrative actions related to drunk driving has sparked debate, with many decrying the forum members for sharing know-how to obtain leniency after being caught in the crime. The webpage on Naver, South Korea's largest search engine, has well over 80,000 members as of Monday. People in the group are sharing personal experiences related to drunk driving, hit-and-run incidents and other violations of the Road Traffic Act. Categories of t

July 22, 2024

Police set to launch intensive drug crackdown at clubs

Starting from Aug. 1, police will launch an intensive crackdown on drugs for three months, with their main focus on targeting drug use in clubs to combat narcotics circulation via entertainment venues. The Korean National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation on Monday said the action comes amid concerns that drugs could be widely distributed and used in clubs at popular vacation spots across the nation. Under the scheme, officials plan to intensify their efforts in collecting de

July 22, 2024

Hospitals set to begin hiring trainee doctors as med professors warn of boycotting training programs

Hospitals were set to begin hiring about 7,700 trainee doctors on Monday, although medical professors have warned of boycotting their training programs in protest of the government's push for accepting the resignations of striking trainees. Monthslong standoffs with trainee doctors over the medical school admission quota hikes have shown no end in sight, as trainee doctors have been unresponsive to the government's appeasement steps, including a plan to abandon all punitive steps again

July 22, 2024

Kakao founder set to attend arrest warrant hearing over alleged stock manipulation

Kim Beom-su, the founder of Kakao Corp., was to attend a court hearing Monday on an arrest warrant requested for him over alleged stock price manipulation related to the firm's takeover of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment last year. The Seoul Southern District Court was scheduled to hold a hearing for Kim around 2 p.m., two weeks after prosecutors questioned the tech tycoon about his alleged involvement in the manipulation of SM shares. The court is expected to decide whether to issue an a

July 22, 2024

Presidential office holds emergency meeting to address damage from recent heavy rain

The presidential office held an emergency meeting Sunday to assess the damage caused by recent downpours and decided to establish an inter-agency headquarters to prevent further damage from additional heavy rain or typhoon forecast next week. The government also plans to promptly carry out emergency repairs to damaged facilities by providing special grants and operating emergency recovery teams, according to Jeong Hye-jeon, the presidential spokesperson, during a press briefing. Last week, Presi

July 21, 2024

'79% of child victims of family members' sex crimes were 13 or younger when it first happened'

An overwhelming majority of the child victims in sex crimes perpetrated by a family member were aged 13 or younger when they were first victimized, a parliamentary report showed Sunday. The National Assembly Research Service compiled a report based on its survey of the four juvenile protective facilities for the victims of sex crimes by family members, which were established in 2010. Of the 316 children and teens currently under protection, 115 -- or 36.4 percent -- were first subject to the c

July 21, 2024

Victim of 2004 Miryang gang rape case speaks in rare public address

The primary victim in an infamous 2004 gang rape case by high school boys discussed the case in a rare interview with a local media outlet that aired Saturday, explaining to the public the pains she had to endure due to the horrid incident and secondary damages that followed. The victim, referred to as Kim, not her real name, in a recent episode of "Unanswered Questions" on SBS said she had been living in fear of retribution from the 44 alleged perpetrators of the incident in Miryang

July 21, 2024

Prosecution probes first lady on Dior bag scandal, alleged stock manipulation

Prosecutors questioned First Lady Kim Keon Hee face-to-face for the first time from Saturday to early Sunday on allegations of her involvement in a stock manipulation case, as well as receiving a Christian Dior handbag and other luxury gifts in exchange for favors, the South Korean prosecution confirmed Sunday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office announced Sunday that Kim was questioned for around 12 hours, from 1:30 p.m. Saturday to 1:20 a.m. Sunday, at an undisclosed government build

July 21, 2024

Trump continues to flaunt bond with N. Korean leader on campaign trail

Former US President Donald Trump once again boasted of his friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his campaign rally in Michigan on Saturday, just two days after delivering similar remarks at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin. "You know, a lot of times the press would say, 'He gets along with Kim Jong-un. North Korea has a lot of nuclear weapons.' I got along with them great. You were never in danger with me as your president. It’s a good thing

July 21, 2024

Junior doctors job, test registration open Monday

Starting Monday, local training hospitals will begin posting job openings for junior doctors who will begin training in the second half of the year, and the registration for the state-run medical license test will open in the government's latest steps to fill the months-long medical void. The recruitment comes after 110 out of 151 medical institutions that hired junior doctors last week completed processing the resignations of 7,648 junior doctors who left their worksites in mid-February to

July 21, 2024

Koreans' chicken intake continues to rise, hits two per month: data

South Koreans ate an average of more than two chickens per month last year, doubling their per capita chicken consumption over the past two decades, according to data released Sunday. Statistics from the Korea Rural Economic Institute show that per capita chicken consumption reached 26 birds last year, with domestic production accounting for 20 birds per person and imports making up the remaining six. By the weight of chicken meat consumed, excluding bone weight, the per capita figure increase

July 21, 2024

[Weekender] Save the date for affordable, unique weddings in Seoul

When it comes to his big day, hotels, wedding halls and convention centers have never been an option for Bae Sung-jae. The 38-year-old always wanted a wedding that broke from the Korean norm, where hundreds of guests gather at an indoor venue to watch the newlyweds make their wedding vows, followed by a meal or a buffet, and then a photo session. The budget was also an issue. Wedding venues charge not only for food and drinks but also use of the venue, screen for videos and flowers. Instead, he

July 20, 2024

Rape suspect’s 18-year run from law ended by a nurse’s sharp eye

A man wanted on suspicion of rape has been apprehended after 18 years on the run after a nurse recognized him from a wanted poster. The police in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province said Friday that the suspect - 54-year-old Kim Yang-min - was apprehended after a nurse at a clinic in Seoul reported the man to the police, having recognized his face from a police poster of criminal suspects on the run. Kim is suspected of breaking into a home in Mokpo in 2006 and sexually assaulting the resident. The inv

July 20, 2024

Some budget airlines, online games in S. Korea affected by IT outage: sources

Some low-cost airlines and game companies in South Korea saw problems with booking or experienced interruptions in their servers Friday, industry sources said, in an apparent IT disruption that affected the global airline and financial sectors. The cyber outage affected the airport ticketing of Jeju Air Co., Eastar Jet Co. and Air Premia Inc., prompting employees to conduct check-ins by hand, according to sources. The three airlines use computer systems based on Microsoft's cloud service, t

July 19, 2024

S. Korea brings largest-ever 'Korea House' to Paris Olympics

South Korea will operate its largest-ever "Korea House" during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics to promote its culture and serve as a support base for its athletes, the culture ministry said Friday. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sports and Olympic Committee, the facility will run from July 25 to Aug. 11 at Maison de la Chimie (House of Chemistry), an international conference center in the heart of Paris. The Korea House has been a tradition since

July 19, 2024

Hospitals process resignations of nearly 7,700 trainee doctors

Local training hospitals have completed processing the resignations of nearly 7,700 trainee doctors who have left their posts over the past five months to protest the medical school quota hike, the health ministry said Thursday. According to data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 56.5 percent of the 14,531 trainee doctors expressed their intention to leave since they left their hospitals in late February. As 7,707 candidates have applied for the training program starting in Septemb

July 18, 2024