A man has been arrested and referred to the prosecution on charges of killing a stranger and using the victim’s fingerprints to obtain a loan via smartphone, Korean police revealed Tuesday. The victim in his 30s was killed on Nov. 12 at his studio flat, in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. According to authorities, the suspect, also in his 30s, had no prior connection to the victim. The suspect confessed to the police that he had been wandering around the multipurpose building where the

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2024

A female livestreamer on local video-streaming platform AfreecaTV has been arrested for allegedly extorting approximately 800 million won ($570,395) worth of money and valuables from singer and musical actor Kim Jun-su, former member of K-pop group TVXQ, Korean police revealed Monday. The suspect, who approached Kim in 2020 posing as a nail artist and later dated him, is accused of secretly recording private conversations and threatening to expose them. Her blackmail reportedly continued for nea

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2024

“Do you think it’s okay to go for a test-drive of a Mercedes Benz car in track pants?” Kim, a veterinarian in her 30s living in Seoul, posed the question via a yes-or-no poll on Instagram. To her relief, over 90 percent of respondents said, “Yes.” “I didn’t want to give the impression that I can’t afford the car, which could make the dealer treat me unkindly. So I asked whether there is a dress code for these events,” Kim said. Instagram and

Hashtag Korea Dec. 2, 2024

A worker fell to his death during a nighttime painting operation at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, according to police on Friday. The accident occurred around 11:48 p.m. on Thursday, when the worker, in a team of two, was painting a four-story-high ceiling inside the hotel on a scaffold lift. According to officials, one of the wires supporting the equipment snapped, causing him to fall from a height of 20 meters. The victim was not directly employed by the hotel but had been cont

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2024

Commuting has never been easy, but on Thursday morning, it became nearly impossible for some of South Korea's workers, as a severe snowstorm pounded Seoul and its surrounding areas, causing traffic disruptions. Oh Se-won, a 36-year-old secretary living in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, gave up driving to his office in Pangyo, just south of Seoul, and took the day off. Not only was his car covered in a thick layer of white, but so were the nearby roads blanketed in piles of snow accumulated over

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2024

Son Joo-eun, CEO of Korea's top online private education company, Megastudy, is facing a backlash for inappropriate remarks during a recent lecture to high school students in Daegu. Speaking to approximately 500 first- and second-year students from a high school in the southern city on Nov. 22, Son called for affirmative action for teenage mothers in college admissions. He called it a “special admissions policy allowing adolescent girls who gave birth to have strong advantages in th

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2024

Seoul’s iconic yet aging Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments, located in the heart of Gangnam, look likely to be replaced by a towering residential complex, rising up to 70 floors, under an urban planning plan approved by the city government. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday, the city’s Urban Planning Committee approved an eased maximum floor ratio of 300 percent for residential complexes aged over 50 years in the southern Seoul districts, including Apgujeong Hyun

Social Affairs Nov. 26, 2024

Seoul’s iconic yet aging Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments, located in the heart of Gangnam, look likely to be replaced by a towering residential complex, rising up to 70 floors, under an urban planning plan approved by the city government. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday, the city’s Urban Planning Committee approved an eased maximum floor ratio of 300 percent for residential complexes aged over 50 years in the southern Seoul districts, including Apgujeong Hyun

Social Affairs Nov. 26, 2024

Vanuatu, an archipelago of 83 islands in the South Pacific, is a paradise for nature lovers. But in South Korea, this beautiful island nation is gaining attention for a different reason: citizenship shopping. Bae, 30, a housewife living in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, is thinking of acquiring Vanuatu citizenship for the sake of her 4-year-old son. “My son currently attends an English immersion kindergarten. I am hoping he can enroll in international schools (in Korea), instead of local s

Hashtag Korea Nov. 24, 2024

Temperatures are expected to drop significantly from Wednesday, with some regions likely to see the first snow of the season, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Sunday. A low-pressure trough and a cloud band developing over the West Sea are expected to bring rain to most parts of the country on Tuesday. Following the rain, temperatures are forecast to drop significantly starting Wednesday, with morning temperatures as low as minus 8 degrees Celsius in Seoul, the KMA said

Social Affairs Nov. 24, 2024

Two dogs that President Yoon Suk Yeol received from Turkmenistan settled into their new home at Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, South of Seoul, the presidential office said Tuesday. A pair of Turkmen shepherd puppies known as “Alabai” were gifted to Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee from the Central Asian country’s president Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov during their meeting in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat in June. The Alabai puppies, Happy and Joy, have been living at the presid

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2024

For over half a century, yellow banana-flavored milk has held a special place in Korean culture, gracing supermarket shelves as a nostalgic favorite across generations. Now, its maker, Binggrae Co., aims to elevate the beloved drink’s status even further. The Korean dairy maker said Sunday that it is launching an effort to have the chubby shape of its top-selling drink’s bottle included on the state-registered cultural heritage list. It is currently gathering data to apply for elig

Companies Nov. 10, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating has fallen to 19 percent, the lowest level since he took office in May 2022, a recent poll by Gallup Korea showed Friday. According to the pollster's survey, conducted on between Oct. 29-31 on 1,005 people aged 18 and older, the positive assessment of the president's performance, which remained at 20 percent in the previous surveys taken in the second week of September and the fourth week of October, respectively, dropped to a new record

Social Affairs Nov. 1, 2024

The blind taste test featured in Netflix's megahit cooking survival show "Culinary Class Wars" has become one of the hottest social media memes in Korea. Videos of people eating blindfolded, mimicking the blind taste-testing carried out by the two judges -- popular restaurateur Paik Jong-won and Michelin three-star chef Ahn Sung-jae -- in episodes 3 to 5, have gone viral on YouTube and other social media platforms. Even Paik’s youngest daughter humorously recreated her f

Hashtag Korea Nov. 1, 2024

Marriages between third cousins or closer relatives are prohibited in South Korea, with the ban enforced by nullifying the effects of such unions when they are discovered. However, the ban on consanguineous marriages within the eighth degree of kinship looks set to lose its effectiveness, as a legal article governing the annulment of such unions will expire at the end of this year, with no substitute measures drafted or prepared to date. Of the two Civil Act articles on consanguineous marriage

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2024