[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

Bustling Jongno pocha street is a regulatory minefield

For avid viewers of Korean dramas, the sight of a lead character nursing a bottle of soju at a "pojangmacha," a makeshift roadside eatery, is a familiar trope. Venture beyond this well-worn cliche, and you will find that the Jongno 3-ga Pojangmacha Street pulses with a more vibrant atmosphere. The 200-meter stretch from Exit 5 to Exit 6 of Jongno 3-ga Station transforms from daily calm into a lively nighttime spectacle, with plastic tables and stools overflowing onto the pavements from

June 18, 2023

Education Ministry to audit institution overseeing Suneung to make it ‘fair’

South Korea’s Vice Education Minister Jang Sang-yoon said Friday that the Education Ministry would audit the institution overseeing Suneung, the nation’s scholastic aptitude test, to assess the exam's fairness. Jang said the ministry would team up with the Office for Government Policy Coordination regarding when and whom it would audit, as the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation is a government body operating under the OPC, not the Education Ministry. The ministry declined t

June 16, 2023

Instagram partly to blame for Korea's record-low fertility rate, says star lecturer

A star math lecturer’s diagnosis on South Korea’s persistently falling birth attributing part of the blame to Instagram overflowing with “flex posts” went viral Thursday. In a video clip, uploaded to his YouTube channel, apparently from a lecture, Chung Seung-je shares his thought on the issue, starting with a question, “Koreans had more babies in the past when they were much poorer. Things have gotten a lot better now, but why do people have fewer babies?” &l

June 15, 2023

[From the scene] Is investment drought near end for Korean biotech?

Over 500 Korean companies and institutions gathered in Boston to take part in the BIO International Convention 2023 last week to discover new partnerships and to negotiate potential licensing deals. The number of participating Korean biotech and pharmaceutical firms and agencies doubled this year from a year ago, the largest after those from the United States, raising anticipation for the industry which experienced investment drought last year. “During this year’s event, multinatio

June 14, 2023

More flexible workweeks at Samsung, large firms

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it is introducing more flexible working hours by allowing employees to take one Friday off per month. Keen attention is being paid to the brand new working hour scheme launched by the nation’s largest company by sales, renewing discussions about the idea of a four-day workweek, two decades after a five-day workweek was introduced back in 2002. Samsung’s new policy will be applied to all employees who fulfill the required work hours of 160 to 168 hours

June 13, 2023

[News Focus] What's really driving Yoon's war on unions?

    Last week, South Korea’s largest umbrella union declared a boycott of the country’s tripartite social dialogue channel, declaring an "all-out war" against what they called the “anti-labor” administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The decision by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions has effectively struck down the Economic, Social and Labor Council, as it has been the sole labor representative in the presidential consultative body for labor polic

June 12, 2023

4 kids found alive after 40 days in Amazon

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Four Indigenous children survived an Amazon plane crash that killed three adults and then braved the jungle for 40 days before being found alive by Colombian soldiers, bringing a happy ending to a search-and-rescue saga that captivated a nation but also prompted questions about their extraordinary survival. Officials in the South American country announced their rescue Friday, following days of highs and lows as searchers frantically combed through the rainforest hunting for

June 11, 2023

Passengers on Korean Air flight stranded for hours in Paris

A Korean Air flight from Paris that was to return to South Korea carrying 354 passengers has been delayed for at least 16 hours due to a mechanical problem, The Korea Herald learned Saturday. The incident left its passengers stranded for more than four hours while aboard the airplane as it waited. The plane was initially supposed to take off at 9 p.m. Friday local time at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. But a mechanical error left the flight stuck on the tarmac. "They knew about the proble

June 10, 2023

Yoon’s special adviser in hot water over son's alleged bullying

  Lee Dong-kwan, special adviser to President Yoon Suk Yeol for external relations, whom Yoon is reportedly considering as the next head of the Korea Communications Commission, has raised controversy as allegations over his son having bullied a fellow high school student in 2011 have reemerged. Lee said some of the allegations made by the media and members of the main opposition party were “distorted and exaggerated” as he went over details of his son's school violence case in a

June 9, 2023

Australian BTS fans in Seoul to celebrate group's 10th anniversary

Dressed in colorful hanbok, 28 BTS fans shouted out loud “BTS, we love you” as they posed for a group photo at Changdeokgung in Seoul on Wednesday. As members of the BTS fandom, Army, the fans from Australia are in South Korea as part of a special tour hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the K-pop megastars' debut. Under the name “BTS Road,” the tour will focus on following in BTS' footsteps, visiting locations that hold special s

June 7, 2023

Korean fathers miss out on OECD's longest paternity leave

Only approximately one in five fathers in Korea are using paternity leave, despite being entitled to the longest period of child care leave among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's member countries, data showed Tuesday. According to the OECD Family Database, of Korea's total parental leave takers in 2021, 22.7 percent were fathers. This figure differs from countries that implement what is called a "father’s quota" system, such as Sweden, Icela

June 6, 2023

S. Korea beat Nigeria to advance to semifinals at FIFA U-20 World Cup

South Korea have advanced to the semifinals at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina, moving within a win of reaching the championship match for the second consecutive tournament. Choi Seok-hyun headed in the match's only goal early in extra time, as South Korea knocked off Nigeria 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the tournament at Santiago del Estero Stadium in Santiago del Estero, northern Argentina, on Sunday. Coached by Kim Eun-jung, South Korea will take on Italy in the semifinals at La Plata Sta

June 5, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Korea needs to talk about invasion of English alphabet in everyday signage

In one up-and-coming neighborhood in Seoul, the prevalence of English letters on cafe and restaurant signboards adds to its exotic ambiance, complementing the diverse range of foreign cuisines found there. Approximately 7 out of 10 signboards in this area, known as Yongridan-gil and situated between Samgakji and Sinyongsan subway stations in central Seoul, are exclusively written in foreign languages. English is the most commonly used, followed by Chinese and Japanese. As one strolls through t

June 4, 2023

LGBT festival seeks alternate venues after Seoul squashes initial request

Organizers of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival said late Thursday that they are still looking for places in Seoul to hold this year’s event, after the Seoul city government refused its initial request to use its usual venue, Seoul Plaza at City Hall. The organizing committee said that it submitted applications with the Seoul Police Station, Seoul Namdaemun Police Station and Jongno Police Station in Seoul to hold the 17-day annual festival for the LGBT community from July 1 in the nation&r

June 2, 2023

[From the Scene] S. Korea’s L-SAM: vanguard of multilayered missile shield

TAEAN, South Chungcheong Province -- South Korea has made remarkable strides in enhancing its independent capabilities to effectively thwart escalating missile threats from North Korea. With resounding success, South Korea has concluded developmental tests of an indigenously developed long-range surface-to-air missile, better known as the L-SAM interceptor, which is tailored to destroy incoming enemy missiles at high altitudes. This accomplishment positions the country to establish a multi-tier

June 1, 2023

Evacuation alerts send Seoulites into panic

Confusion, frustration and fear were what Lee Hyun-jung felt early Wednesday morning after she received a mobile emergency alert and heard sirens outside calling for Seoulites to evacuate following the news that North Korea had attempted to launch a space satellite. The sirens started at 6:32 a.m, with the city issuing a “Presidential Alert” to all Seoul residents to prepare for a potential evacuation. However, 20 minutes later the Interior Ministry sent a correction. “Notice t

May 31, 2023

On the front line in the war against puppy mills in Korea

  “Up to five dogs stuffed into tiny cages, floors covered in filth, drugs and needles everywhere, and dead bodies in the freezer” -- this was the horrific scene that greeted charity workers and rescuers as they entered an illegal bichon frise and poodle breeding facility in Jinan-gun, North Jeolla Province, on May 2. “It was like a living hell,” said Kim Hye-ran, a representative from the Better Tomorrow Rescue, a small volunteer-run shelter and one of the organizat

May 30, 2023