Kim Young-man, in his 80s, remembers when he visited Yeosu Expo in 2012 with his son, and hopes to be in good health for another trip to Busan to see the World Expo 2030. It could be one last international event to attend in his lifetime, he said. “I do believe Busan will win the bid for the World Expo,” he said as he was visiting a festival at Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul. "Southern port cities of Korea, including both Yeosu and Busan, are nice tourist attractions with su

Social Affairs April 3, 2023

Warm and dry weather will continue until early next week, with wide daily temperature ranges, the weather forecaster said Thursday. Due to the influence of high atmospheric pressure, clear and dry weather across the country will remain until around Tuesday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. High pressure could mean weaker winds, causing the atmosphere to stagnate and raising the possibility of fine dust, it added. Temperatures will be 5 to 10 degrees higher than the early Apr

Social Affairs March 30, 2023

A civic group on Wednesday staged a rally in front of a police station in Seoul where Chun Woo-won -- the grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan -- is being investigated for drug crimes, calling for a greater focus on the junior Chun's other claims. The National Action to Judge Chun Doo-hwan said that rather than the junior Chun's drug crimes, investigators should prioritize his apology and reflection on the massacre that happened during the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in May 1980,

Social Affairs March 29, 2023

INCHEON -- Chun Woo-won, grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan, arrived in Korea on Tuesday and was immediately arrested on suspicion of drug offences. The 27-year-old, who lives in New York, arrived at Incheon Airport at around 6 a.m., Tuesday. The drug investigation team under Seoul Metropolitan Police arrested Chun and took him to Seoul for further investigation. He was wearing handcuffs as he appeared at the arrival gate. Before the flight, Chun repeatedly expressed his will to visit Gw

Social Affairs March 28, 2023

Actor Yoo Ah-in was questioned by police on Monday over allegations of habitual use of illegal drugs, according to investigators and reports. Police are also reportedly considering seeking an arrest warrant for Yoo. Yoo, whose real name is Uhm Hong-sik, appeared at the Mapo-gu office of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency at around 9:20 a.m., flanked by a group of star lawyers specializing in drug offenses. Yoo was originally supposed to appear before police on Friday, but he requested to postp

Social Affairs March 27, 2023

South Korean authorities are on the hunt for two Kazakh nationals who fled from the airport after being refused entry into the country. According to Incheon Airport Police, at 4:18 a.m. Sunday, two Kazakhs nationals -- aged 18 and 21, respectively -- fled over the northern fence on the fourth landing strip of Incheon Airport. The two Kazakhs arrived at Incheon Airport Terminal 2 at 7:26 a.m. on Friday on Korean Air flight KE992, which had departed Tashkent, Uzbekistan. They were denied entry due

Social Affairs March 26, 2023

The South Korean Constitutional Court has ruled that a clause in the Construction Workers Act preventing the payment of retirement deductions to foreign nationals' bereaved families living abroad is unconstitutional. The ruling came after a Vietnamese woman, whose husband worked in Korea and died in a construction site accident, was denied retirement deductions by the Construction Workers' Mutual Aid Association due to her foreign nationality and residency abroad. With the unanimous op

Social Affairs March 26, 2023

CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province -- As the spring semester began in March, counselors at the Changwon Youth Counseling and Welfare Center in the southeastern industrial city were busy greeting children who feared going to school. The center provides free psychological testing, counseling and play therapy for youths between the ages of 9 and 24 suffering from bullying. Most come to the center on recommendation from their schools and parents, though some come on their own. It is hard to detect

weekender March 25, 2023

Prosecutors and police on Thursday raided the compound of a religious group led by Jeong Myeong-seok, who is facing fresh allegations of sex crimes raised by the Netflix documentary series titled, “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal." The South Chungcheong Provincial Police deployed 120 investigators to the compound, which houses a training center and the residence of the leader of the organization, located in Wolmyeong-dong, Geumsan-gun, South Chungcheong Province. Jesus Morning Sta

Social Affairs March 23, 2023

The number of prison sentences for sex crimes against children and adolescents are on the rise, but more than half of the offenders ended up getting probation, according to government data released on Thursday. According to an analysis of court records involving sex offences targeting children and adolescents, there were 2,671 perpetrators and 3,503 victims in total in 2021. This analysis includes the data of sex offenders whose personal information was registered in 2021. The analysis was condu

Social Affairs March 23, 2023

The government will offer free COVID-19 vaccinations to all Korean nationals and residents with foreign registration numbers in the final quarter of the year to better control the spread of the disease that the authorities believe is under control. The vaccine will likely be offered once a year for free, similar to flu shots. While it has yet to be officially confirmed, once-a-year vaccinations will likely be maintained based on scientific evidence, according to Kim Won-ki, an official at the Ko

Social Affairs March 22, 2023

The United States Department of State expressed concern about the issue of restricted freedom of expression in South Korea through a report on human rights practices released on Monday. The report also highlighted other human rights problems in South Korea, including government corruption; the lack of investigation and accountability for gender-based violence; and laws criminalizing consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex in the military. According to the 2022 Country Reports on

Foreign Affairs March 21, 2023

Leaders of South Korea and Japan hailed a new era of bilateral ties strained for years over historic disputes on Thursday, with a list of agreements aimed at bolstering cooperation in the fields of security, economy and culture between the two countries. The agreements forged during a summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida held in Tokyo, the first in 12 years, came just 10 days after South Korea unveiled a deal with Japan. On March 6, the Korean governm

Social Affairs March 17, 2023

The mostly sunny and dry weather is forecast to continue next week, with a chance of showers in the southern part of the country, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Thursday. The KMA warned of the possibility of disasters caused by the dry weather as forest fires have been breaking out in several places. The sunny weather is expected to continue until next week thanks to the high pressure above Korea, according to a regular briefing by the KMA on Thursday. However, between Friday aft

Social Affairs March 16, 2023

"Room cafes" have been stipulated as a business that teenagers must stay away from, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday. The designation was made in an amended administrative notice posted on Wednesday, which listed room cafes as a business that minors, those aged 19 and under, are banned from entering or being employed at. Under the notice, which was established in 2011, businesses deemed inappropriate for minors are defined as those that provide toilets, bedding

Social Affairs March 15, 2023