Thai travel to S. Korea plummets

Despite overall growth in the number of foreigners visiting South Korea this year, the number from Thailand fell significantly, largely in relation to the country's electronic travel authorization system, K-ETA. South Korea saw some 119,000 Thai visitors from January to April 2024, down 21.1 percent from the same period last year, data from the Korea Tourism Organization showed Monday, as the country struggled to balance attracting tourists with keeping a check on its biggest source of ille

June 17, 2024

Police says man's death after being tasered was accidental

A police officer who used a stun gun on an armed suspect will not be held responsible for the man's subsequent death after autopsy results pointed to sudden heart failure, according to the Gwangju Police on Monday. According to officials at the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station, the National Forensic Service who conducted the autopsy found that the suspect had suffered sudden cardiac death. SCD refers to natural death from an unidentified cause within a short period of symptom onset, often wi

June 17, 2024

College students fined after burning 'Rising Sun' flag in anti-Japan protest

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld an earlier ruling that found three college students guilty of holding an illegal protest near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, during which they set fire to a controversial flag regarded as a symbol of Japanese imperialism. The defendants were found guilty of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act, which bans protests that had not been reported to the police in advance. The court did not accept their claim that their action was not a protest, and fined th

June 17, 2024

Incheon high-rise residents face summer without elevators

Imagine living on the 15th floor with the elevator out of order -- not just for a few days, but for the entire summer. Residents of an apartment complex in Jung-gu, Incheon are facing this nightmarish scenario. As of Monday, all 24 elevators in the 608-unit Life Beach Mansion are out of service after failing a safety inspection on June 5. According to local reports, many of the 34-year-old complex’s over 1,400 residents are seniors. The elevator problem stemmed from the complex’s man

June 17, 2024

Seoul's population falls, gets more diverse

Seoul’s total population over the first quarter of 2024 dropped to 9.38 million, a 6.4 percent decline from the total population 20 years ago, 10.2 million, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday. Out of the 25 districts in the city, Nowon-gu in northern Seoul has seen a 20 percent fall in its population over the last 20 years. While the district saw its population reach 630,555 in 2004, these numbers saw a large decline in the first quarter of 2023 to 501,727. Besides No

June 17, 2024

Doctors begin indefinite strike

Reaching a new height in the monthslong confrontation between the government and doctors, a group of protesting medical professors at South Korea's most prestigious medical institution, Seoul National University Hospital, began an indefinite strike Monday, calling for the complete abandonment of the government's medical school expansion plan. They were the first among doctors in South Korea to go on a walkout without a time limit. The Korea Medical Association, representing some 140,00

June 17, 2024

Students' sexual harassment of teachers rises by 77% in 4 years: report

More students than ever before are being accused of sexual misconduct against teachers, government data shows. There were 331 cases of sexual harassment or some kind of sexual misconduct against teachers reported to the Ministry of Education in 2022, local media reported. The figure is a 77 percent surge from the 187 in 2018. It is not clear how many cases were referred to the police. The rise is far steeper than the increase in the total number of cases concerning infringement of teachers'

June 17, 2024

Pastor in luxury bag scandal booked for defamation, illegal electioneering

A Korean American pastor at the center of a luxury bag scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee has been under a police investigation on charges of defaming a ruling party lawmaker and engaging in illegal electioneering ahead of April's general elections, officials said Monday. The pastor, named Choi Jae-young, has been booked for investigation for allegedly defaming Rep. Lee Chul-gyu of the ruling People Power Party by mentioning Lee and the first lady together during a lecture in March,

June 17, 2024

Memorial altar for Itaewon tragedy victims moved to new site

A memorial altar set up for victims of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush was moved to a new site Sunday from its original location outside Seoul City Hall. The altar, which commemorates the 159 people killed in a crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood during Halloween weekend in 2022, was relocated to Burim Building near Seoul Plaza after operating on the plaza for 16 months. The relocation agreement was reached between families of the victims and the Seoul metropolitan government following

June 16, 2024

Doctors to go on indefinite walkout as government rejects final demands

The government on Sunday rejected the doctors' final proposal to abandon plans to increase medical school enrollment quotas, stating that it does not consider it appropriate for doctors to make such a demand. The Korean Medical Association -- the largest coalition of doctors' groups with approximately 140,000 members, mostly private practitioners -- sent a "final ultimatum" to the government Sunday saying its members will shut down their services and rally starting Tuesday if

June 16, 2024

No. of mosquitoes unusually high in June

Amid a relentless heat wave sweeping across South Korea, Seoul has seen a significant surge in mosquito populations over the past two weeks, turning a seasonal nuisance into a widespread concern. According to the Seoul Mosquito Forecast System, the average mosquito activity index in the capital city has increased to its highest level of 100, in its four-tier system, for two consecutive weeks from June 2. The highest level, "unpleasant," means outdoor mosquito larval habitats are formed

June 16, 2024

[Weekender] IV drips: A quick energy shot for overworked Koreans

“Feeling burnt out? You’ve come to the right place,” the doctor said during my consultation at a clinic in Yeouido, Seoul's financial district, before prescribing what he called a “garlic injection.” As an average South Korean national, I am used to eating tons of garlic, but I wasn’t quite ready to have it injected into my veins. It turned out that the “garlic injection” wasn't actually a shot of garlic extract or anything similar. It&

June 15, 2024

Unlicensed driver rams day care center van into wall

A 70-something-year-old man caused an accident while driving the van of a local day care center and is being investigated for operating the vehicle without a valid driver's license, local media outlets reported Thursday. No injuries occurred outside of the driver, as the car had no passengers at the time. Officials of the Seoul Seongdong Police Station are investigating the man for violating Article 43 of the Road Traffic Act, which prohibits driving a motor vehicle without a valid licens

June 15, 2024

Indefinite strike 'last resort' to salvage medical crisis: SNU med profs

Apologizing to patients for the inconvenience caused by an indefinite strike to begin Monday, the emergency committee of medical professors at Seoul National University said late Friday that its decision was a "last resort" to address the country's unsustainable medical crisis. Reading an apology statement to patients, Kang Hee-gyung, a medical professor specializing in pediatric kidney transplantation who heads the committee, said SNU professors could "no longer endure"

June 14, 2024

Court upholds life sentence for Sillim Station stabber

A South Korean appellate court on Friday upheld the life imprisonment of 34-year-old Cho Seon, who was convicted for a fatal stabbing rampage near Seoul’s densely populated Sillim Station that occurred in July 2023. The Seoul High Court once again dismissed the prosecution's demand for the death penalty for Cho. “The incident which occurred in broad daylight near Sillim Station caused great shock to the public,” the Seoul High Court said in its ruling. “The lack of c

June 14, 2024

S. Korea set to chair ILO for first time in 21 years, amid labor union criticism

South Korea is poised to chair the executive body of the International Labor Organization for the first time in 21 years, a move that has drawn criticism from the country's labor unions, which question its qualifications for the role. Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik, serving as the head delegate for the Korean government at the 112th Session of the International Labor Conference, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that South Korea has been recommended as the sole candidate fo

June 14, 2024

How will med professors' walkout on June 18 impact hospitals?

Professors at 40 medical schools, along with private practitioners, have decided to join a one-day shutdown of services on Tuesday, organized by the largest doctors' group here, with the scope of the impact on South Korea's health care system as yet unknown. While some doctors will not participate in the strike and instead fill medical vacancies, widespread disruptions are still expected. Apart from the June 18 full shutdown of services, a handful of emergency committees of professors

June 14, 2024

Minimum wage rules to continue excluding gig workers next year

The Korean tripartite Minimum Wage Commission with representatives from businesses, labor and the general public has decided not to expand application of the minimum wage to include gig workers for the coming year, despite calls from labor unions to do so. The 27-member Minimum Wage Commission, comprising nine representatives from each of the three sectors, convened its fourth full session on Thursday in Sejong to discuss the 2025 hourly minimum wage. After hours of discussion, the committee dec

June 14, 2024

Man faces animal cruelty charges for killing his dog for meat

South Korean police on Friday said a man in his 60s is being investigated for potential violation of the Animal Protection Act, as they believe he killed one of his dogs for meat. The man, a resident of Jeju Island, is accused of butchering a dog that he owned at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday at his orchard, according to the Jeju Dongbu Police Station. A local animal rights group alerted police, but the dog had already been killed when officers arrived on the scene. Officers at the scene found an

June 14, 2024

Heads of doctors groups clash over medical standoff

The respective leaders of a group representing trainee doctors and the largest group of physicians in the country have entered a war of words regarding the ongoing standoff between the government and the medical community, hinting at a potential rift in the medical circle. Park Dan, the leader of the Korean Intern Resident Association, has criticized Korean Medical Association leader Lim Hyun-taek over his handling of the situation. Lim had said that communications with members of the medical co

June 14, 2024