The Korean government is responding fairly well to the growing global demand of Korean language education, through its expansive network of King Sejong Institute branches and sending out instructors. But given that these efforts are funded by Korean taxpayers’ money, the country should maintain a comprehensive oversight of their outcomes, such as tracking the career trajectories of learners after completing their Korean language education, said National University of Singapore professor Ch

Hashtag Korea Aug. 22, 2023

South Koreans are known for their unmatched love for alcohol, whether soju, beer, or both at the same time. But among younger drinkers, a different type of liquor is trending -- traditional Korean liquor. "Makgeolli (unfiltered rice wine) and other traditional liquor used to have an outdated image," said Park Ja-hye, a 31-year-old office worker in Seoul. "But now those liquors are sold in cans and bottles with modern and beautiful labels. They are now a popular gift," she add

Food Aug. 21, 2023

Education about Korean culture should go beyond merely presenting Korea's proud cultural heritage. It should be a two-way communication, beginning with addressing what foreigners are most curious about, said Lee Eun-jeung, director of the Institute of Korean Studies at the Free University of Berlin. In an e-mail interview with The Korea Herald, the professor said that if the education on Korean culture is carried out solely with the intention of showcasing what Koreans want to present t

Hashtag Korea Aug. 20, 2023

Two Vietnamese workers killed at a construction site incident in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday have been identified as brothers, officials said. According to Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police and Anseong City Government on Thursday, the victims -- aged 30 and 29 -- lived and worked together here. The older brother first came to Korea some seven years ago. The younger followed about two years ago to live with his brother and sister-in-law. The victims died after the uppermost floor o

Social Affairs Aug. 10, 2023

Find the correct answer at the bottom of this page. You may have discovered Korean cinema through "Parasite," the multiple Oscar-winning film directed by Bong Joon-ho. But this rising Asian cultural powerhouse boasts a long cinematic history that traces a century back from 2019, when Bong’s film came out. The very first film produced on the Korean Peninsula was "The Righteous Revenge," which premiered in 1919 at the country’s first movie theater Danseongsa in

Hashtag Korea Aug. 9, 2023

A sultry early-summer day was just starting to fade, when a deafening bang reverberated throughout Gangnam, Seoul. Half of Sampoong Department Store, the pink-color, two-building complex that had stood as a landmark of the affluent Seocho-gu neighborhood, was gone, leaving behind scenes of ruins, debris and dust. The June 1995 collapse killed 502 people and injured 937 others, making it the largest peacetime casualty event in South Korea's modern history — a record that remains unbr

Hashtag Korea Aug. 9, 2023

Local community service centers are easy to spot, but many overlook the services they provide for their communities. Taking the time to become acquainted with these centers can lead to various benefits, from saving money to accessing a wide range of cost-effective or even free programs and informative lectures. Free services Not all community centers across South Korea offer the same services. However, most of them help visitors with everyday needs. Many are equipped with copy, printing and

Hashtag Korea Aug. 2, 2023

Summer heat is becoming increasingly deadly in many parts of the world, as the Earth has entered an "era of global boiling," as declared by the United Nations last week. South Korea is among the countries that are grappling with extreme heat, with the number of victims of heat-related illnesses rising at an alarming pace. According to fire authorities, a total of 23 people have died from May 20 to Monday due to heat-related illnesses. The number is more than triple the total 7 deaths i

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2023

Jagalchi Station, on Busan Metro Line No. 1, is where one can find some of the seaside city’s oldest, largest and most famous markets, including the famed Jagalchi Market. As such, the station is always bustling with tourists, all hoping to soak up the authentic Busan atmosphere and try a wide array of delectable seafood dishes and street snacks. The Gukje, Bupyeong and Jagalchi markets -- all located within a few blocks from each other -- are famous for their decades-old stores and busi

Culture July 29, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law was detained Friday after an appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced her to one year in prison for forging a financial document used in a land purchase deal. The appellate court in Uijeongbu, northeast of Seoul, dismissed an appeal by 76-year-old Choi Eun-soon who demanded the prison sentence handed down to her in 2021 be reconsidered. Choi was accused of falsifying her bank balance certificate in 2013 to make herself appear financial

Social Affairs July 21, 2023

Scores of vehicles were driving through an underpass at around 8:40 a.m. on Saturday morning in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, as flooding hit. The tunnel was only some 600 meters away from the Miho River, a tributary of the Geum River, South Korea's third-largest waterway. Drivers were apparently unaware that a flood warning for the area had been issued about four hours earlier, due to heavy rain across the country. No signs or officials were in place to stop traffic entering the un

Social Affairs July 16, 2023

Two people died and two were injured after a landslide triggered by heavy rainfall overtook a charnel house on Friday in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, authorities said. A pile of mud from a nearby mountain came crashing down on the city-run Yangji Memorial House at 4:02 p.m, according to South Chungcheong Fire Department. A man in his 80s, identified by his surname Yoon, was visiting at the time with his wife in her 70s, their 21-year-old grandson and a 59-year-old cousin. All four people

Social Affairs July 14, 2023

A 29-year-old councilor of the southern island province of Jeju has been expelled from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, amid allegations that he bought sex. Kang Gyeong-hm, who began his four-year term as councilor last year, is being investigated by the police for allegedly buying sex services at a Jeju bar. The police, while probing the bar’s sex trafficking of four foreign women, have unearthed records of money transactions between the councilor and the establishment. A Je

Politics July 13, 2023

The ill-fated replica of Korea's 16th century turtle-shaped warship, which cost 1.6 billion won ($1.2 million) to build, is being disposed of after several failed attempts to find a buyer. The process of dismantling the warship replica kicked off Tuesday and is scheduled to be completed on July 23, according to reports Wednesday. The wooden parts are to be burned, while the steel frame will be sold to a local junk shop. Some 60 percent of the 120-ton vessel was dismantled as of Tuesday. The

Social Affairs July 12, 2023

Shark sightings in South Korea have long been limited to the realm of movies like Steven Spielberg's iconic 1975 film, "Jaws." Being a relatively shark-free zone, encountering dangerous sharks was considered more fiction than reality. But recently, a growing number of sightings of shark that are known to attack humans in the East Sea indicate that Koreans are no longer safe from the predatory creatures. Shark scare On the night of July 8, a fishing boat floating off the coas

Social Affairs July 12, 2023