NK students take top spots in hacking contest by US firm

North Korean university students swept top places at a hacking contest run by US-based software company HackerEarth in May, US broadcaster Radio Free Asia said on Thursday. Students of the Kim Chaek University of Technology won first, third and fourth places with perfect scores in a coding marathon for developers called May Circuits 2023 in which some 1,700 people participated. A student of the Kim Il Sung University won second place. Another Kim Chaek student finished 10th. The HackerEarth webs

July 7, 2023

Subscription sharing on rise amid streaming boom

Ahn Hye-ji, 29, used to spend 13,500 won ($10.32) per month on Netflix, but has recently cancelled her subscription. Instead, she has found a way to pay for the streaming service on an hourly basis, which costs only a fraction of the monthly subscription fee. “There are many reality shows and drama series that are streamed exclusively on certain platforms. It is a waste of money to subscribe to so many different platforms," Ahn said. She found people sharing their streaming accoun

July 6, 2023

Most kimchi from China contains aspartame

Of the 1,737 batches of kimchi imports from China to South Korea made last month, 88 percent, or 1,525, contained aspartame, a common artificial sweetener that is likely to be declared by the World Health Organization as a possible carcinogen. The declaration would put aspartame on the third-highest of the WHO's four categories for cancer causes, behind carcinogenic and probably carcinogenic and means there is limited evidence it causes cancer. Aloe vera, mobile phones and carpentry are also in

July 5, 2023

[News Focus] Korea adds plans to relax visa rules

Contained in the government's economic plans for 2023 announced Tuesday was a stimulus option that had been neglected for years: immigration. Reaffirming plans announced by the Justice Ministry last week, the government said it would revise immigration policies in the fourth quarter to increase the rapidly-aging country's economically active population. The policy changes include extending the duration of work visas, as well as expanding the range of industries eligible for work visa

July 4, 2023

[Herald Review] Psy blows away sultry summer with ‘Summer Swag’

Thousands of people dressed in blue flocked to the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul on Friday to get wet and wild with the iconic K-pop singer Psy. Psy kicked off the first day of his nationwide tour, “Summer Swag,” this year with a video clip of himself and actor Heo Sung-tae dancing to “Kokain 2021,” the wildly popular track that took over social media with its addictive melody. The song got everyone in the stadium on their feet, jumping to the song. Psy soon appeared on

July 3, 2023

[KH Explains] Korea’s economic recovery slower than hoped

Though Korea’s sluggish economy was initially expected to improve in the latter half of the year, the recovery is slowing, as the country struggles with a prolonged export slump. The Finance Ministry is likely to lower slightly the economic growth rate forecast for 2023 from the previous 1.6 percent when it announces economic policy measures for the second half of the year on Tuesday. The Korean economy was initially expected to rebound in mid-2023 when China’s economy reopened and t

July 2, 2023

Busan nursery infant abuse victim dies, gives hope to 4 organ donor recipients

Jeong Ah-young, an infant who had been comatose as a result of abuse, died Wednesday at the age of 3. Her organs were donated to four other infants. She died from a sudden cardiac arrest after having been on a respirator for over three years. Jeong had been in a coma after sustaining a head trauma in October 2019 at a newborn nursery in Dongrae-gu, eastern Busan. Jeong was a victim of serial infant abuse by a nurse in her 30s, who is alleged to have abused 14 babies for 15 days since Oct. 5, 201

June 30, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'We just want to be ourselves'

So Sung-uk, 32, met his spouse Kim Yong-min, 33, 10 years ago when they were fulfilling their alternative military service as social service agents. They fell in love like any other couple, decided to live together, and promised to spend the rest of their lives together. But the two men faced a series of challenges as a married couple. Not only did they face a lack of acceptance from their families during the first few years, but they also encountered frequent hurdles in their daily lives becaus

June 29, 2023

[KH explains] Fear of being short fuels early puberty treatment boom

South Korea’s precocious puberty treatment market has seen rapid growth in recent years, as much as parents’ growing interest in children’s height has led to shortages of the therapies. Precocious puberty treatment is prescribed to children whose puberty begins before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys. Children with early puberty may grow quickly at first compared to their peers, but they often stop growing earlier than usual, causing them to be shorter than average later

June 28, 2023

No more ‘chimaek’ picnics by Han River?

  For some, a picnic in Seoul is synonymous with “chicken and beer by the Han River.” The combination of fried chicken and beer is so popular in Korea that it even has its own term -- "chimaek," a combination of "chicken" and "maekju (beer)." And relaxing on picnic mats or in pop-up tents along the river while enjoying chimaek has long been a cherished summer ritual for many. Hungry Seoulites can order chicken to be delivered to their location at an

June 27, 2023

[Herald Review] BTS' Suga proves solo power with 'D-Day' in Seoul

Suga made a bold jump from BTS rapper to solo musician Agust D this year, dropping his first official album, "D-Day," in April and instantly kicking off a global tour. The two-month odyssey was set to end on Sunday in Seoul, with the world tour -- officially titled "Suga | Agust D Tour ‘D-Day’" making its apparent final two-day run in the rapper's home country, before Suga made the surprise announcement of encore concerts the same day. Opening the act to the

June 26, 2023

Korea Craft and Design Foundation to promote hansik with 'food culture box'

Boxes created to promote traditional Korean cuisine, named the Korean food culture box, will be sent to Korean Culture Centers in three new cities -- Ottawa, Canada; Abuja, Nigeria; and Jakarta, Indonesia -- bringing the total to 12 cities in 10 countries that are part of the hansik promotion project, according to the Korea Craft and Design Foundation, the project organizer. Launched by the Culture Ministry and the KCDF in 2020, the food culture boxes have been designed to showcase Korean food

June 25, 2023

Fifty Fifty becomes longest-charting K-pop girl group on British Official Singles Chart

Fifty Fifty's hit song "Cupid" has set a new record for the longest entry on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100 by a K-pop girl group. According to the latest data released Friday (the United Kingdom time), the song ranked 16th, down from 12th the previous week, staying on the chart for the 13th consecutive week. The previous record for the longest-charting song from a K-pop girl group was held by "Kiss and Make Up," a collaborative single between BLACKPINK and D

June 24, 2023

Foreign students to get more rights to work

The Justice Ministry announced Friday plans to allow foreign students to work as interns within their field of study during their vacation. The Justice Ministry said the move, to take effect from July 3, is designed to help foreign students pursue careers in Korea. Additionally, foreign students' maximum weekly working hours during term time will increase to 25 hours, from 20 hours. Currently, students are only allowed to get part-time jobs for up to 20-35 hours, depending on which type o

June 23, 2023

Korea Inc. heads to Vietnam to strike deals

With South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol taking his largest economic delegation involving top conglomerate chiefs on a state visit to Vietnam on Thursday, anticipation is growing on new joint business opportunities their trip will create for the two countries. For the three-day state visit, Yoon has formed his largest-ever delegation to accompany him, consisting of 205 entities -- 24 conglomerates, 28 mid- and small-sized companies, six economic lobbying groups, six economic associations and th

June 22, 2023

[Newsmaker] 82-year-old Seoul Paik Hospital to permanently close its doors

A final decision has been reached to permanently close the 82-year-old Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital, hospital officials announced Wednesday. Located near Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul’s Jung-gu district, the general hospital -- which had opened as the nation’s first surgical hospital in 1941 -- has been suffering from mounting losses. While the exact closure date is yet to be decided, Seoul Paik will “now proceed with necessary preparations in the following weeks, such a

June 21, 2023

Universal Ballet's Kang Mi-sun wins best female dancer at Benois de la Danse

Kang Mi-sun, a principal dancer at Universal Ballet in Seoul, has won the top prize at the prestigious Benois de la Danse, an annual ballet competition held in Moscow. Kang, along with China's Qiu Yunting, jointly received the best female dancer award at the awards ceremony held at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on Tuesday, according to the organizing committee. Kang was honored with the award for her role as a widow who bids farewell to her husband in "Mirinaegil,” an original pr

June 21, 2023

[Korean History] 1989: The year Koreans started traveling abroad

  A passport was once something reserved for a privileged few in South Korea until the government began allowing all citizens to travel freely overseas on Jan. 1, 1989. To prevent an outflow of foreign currency that would weaken the Korean currency against the dollar, as well as to minimize Koreans’ contact with communists, international travel was only permitted for certain groups of people who had special reasons for it. These included company officials or businesspeople who need to

June 21, 2023

What 'cagongjok' reveal about Korean culture, psyche

South Korea may not be the birthplace of coffee and cafe culture, but its passion for both is extraordinary, rivaling that of cafe meccas such as Italy and France. Cafes are found in almost every nook and corner of Seoul, as well as elsewhere throughout the country. A common sight in these establishments is individuals occupying tables meant for four, engrossed in their intellectual activities, predominantly studying, with their headphones plugged in. These individuals are called "cagongj

June 20, 2023

Ramen firms under pressure to lower prices

South Koreans ramen makers said Monday that it is currently difficult to adjust the prices of their ramen products, in response to the South Korean government's recent call for them to cut prices amid the fall in raw material costs. "Milling companies were supplied with months' worth of raw materials when their costs were high. Even if the prices of wheat and other major materials needed for making ramen have fallen recently, it is difficult to adjust the price of ramen immediatel

June 19, 2023