The police have disclosed the identity and personal information of the suspect who is accused of raping and beating a woman to death in Seoul’s Sillim-dong as 30-year-old Choi Yoon-jong, Wednesday. By South Korean law, the police can disclose the identity of a suspect in a criminal case after the Personal Information Disclosure Committee agrees to reveal a suspect's personal information including their photo, name and age. However, problems have arisen in the past since there are no r

Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2023

A team that responds and handles parental complaints led by a school principal will be piloted at all schools starting next semester, the Ministry of Education said during a policy briefing Wednesday. Under the new policy, all communication from parents and carers -- including complaints, as well as informing teachers of the students' absence or tardiness -- will have to go through the school's response team from September. Parents could also be reprimanded for complaining to teachers

Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2023

An office worker in his 30s was apprehended on Tuesday, a day after writing an anonymous post as a police employee on a popular online platform declaring that he would commit a mass stabbing near Exit No. 1 of Gangnam Station in Seoul. According to the National Police Agency, the suspect was caught near his home at 8:32 a.m. on Tuesday. The suspect is accused of writing a post on Blind, an online community and forum for verified employees. “I'm going on a mass stabbing at Gangnam Stat

Social Affairs Aug. 22, 2023

An Air Koryo passenger flight from Pyongyang landed at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday morning for the first time since January 2020 when the pandemic began. Flight JS151 arrived at 9:14 a.m. there, 30 minutes ahead of its scheduled time of arrival. The electronic display board at Beijing Capital International Airport also showed another flight, JS152, was leaving for Pyongyang from Beijing at 1:05 p.m. Although it is unclear whether passengers were aboard flight JS151, a vehicl

North Korea Aug. 22, 2023

Subway passes offering unlimited rides for a set duration will begin to be issued in the second half of the year, Seoul Metro announced Monday, with the intention to offer greater convenience in travel to the increasing number of tourists visiting the capital. The operator will begin issuing one-day and three-day passes, considering that 36.8 percent of foreign tourists visit Seoul for four to seven days on average, Seoul Metro said, citing its own polling. The base fare for a subway ride with a

Social Affairs Aug. 22, 2023

Teenagers accounted for 41.7 percent of the 192 suspects taken into police custody for allegedly posting murder threats online last month, the National Police Agency said Monday. Police found 431 murder threats posted online in the month since the deadly stabbing rampage near Sillim Station in Seoul on July 21. They tracked down 192 people in connection with the posts and have arrested 20 suspects. In South Korea, minors under the age of 14 cannot be convicted of a crime. Juvenile offenders aged

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2023

Some 8,500 patients out of the 43,000 Scouts who participated in the World Scout Jamboree at Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province visited a medical facility during their stay at the campsite, an opposition party lawmaker said, citing state agency data. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's report, which recorded medical operations at the campsite between July 29 to Aug. 7, about 20 percent of participants had visited the site’s medical grounds due to infectious d

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2023

The police said Sunday they were looking for proof that a man who raped and beat a woman to death on Thursday had intended to kill her. The woman in her 30s was assaulted with brass knuckles in an alleged rape at a park in Seoul’s Sillim-dong on Friday. As she was pronounced dead on Saturday, the assailant’s alleged crimes were changed from rape and assault to rape and murder. "Since the victim has passed away, we changed the suspect’s charges to rape and murder,” sa

Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2023

As the National Agency for Administrative City Construction’s Multifunctional Administrative City project in Sejong comes to a close, Egypt and Mongolia are collaborating with South Korea to build administrative cities in their respective countries. Also known as “Happy City,” the city construction project focuses on building a self-governing city that centers on administrative functions. Since the inauguration of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, the project has gained attenti

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2023

The police are investigating an email threatening to blow up Seoul City Hall on this week’s Liberation Day, officials said Monday. According to police, the email stated that high-powered bombs were installed in several locations around Seoul City Hall, with detonation set for 3:34 p.m. Tuesday. The email, sent from a Japanese account to local media outlets, was received Sunday afternoon. The email, sent in English, Japanese and Korean, stated, "There are bombs planted in several place

Social Affairs Aug. 14, 2023

With The Korea Herald’s 70th anniversary comes an opportune moment to reflect on the path it has forged and the lives it has impacted. A number of readers have shared their journeys with The Korea Herald, many of which illustrate how the daily has evolved into being not just an English-language lens into Korean society, but also catalyzes personal growth, opens up new perspectives and serves as a cultural connector. Here are some of their stories. Expanding perspectives through a globa

Newsmaker Aug. 13, 2023

Sixteen-year-old Scout Nora Gothberg from Sweden was taken aback at the chaos that unfolded in the World Scout Jamboree, but says she wouldn't trade the experience for anything. "Even if I were to go back in time and I knew these troubles would still occur, I'd still participate in the Jamboree," said Gothberg. Despite having to deal with challenges such as a searing heat wave and lack of hygiene facilities at the campsite in North Jeolla Province, Gothberg said they didn

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2023

Choi Won-jong, the suspect behind the deadly knife attack last week in a department store in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, went on the stabbing rampage because he believed he was being stalked by a group of people, police investigation reports revealed Wednesday. During Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police’s press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, the police stated that they will file for an arrest warrant against Choi on Thursday for murder, attempted murder and preliminary murder. “Choi a

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2023

Fans of the globally popular K-pop group BTS are expressing outrage over a Korean politician's call for two of the band's members, who are currently serving in the military, to perform at the World Scout Jamboree's "K-pop Super Live" concert in Seoul. Rep. Sung Il-jong of the ruling People Power Party requested Friday that the Ministry of National Defense send the two BTS members serving in the military to the World Scout Jamboree's concert. “The World Scout J

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2023

Polish President Andrzej Duda, who was due to arrive in South Korea on Wednesday, has canceled his trip over safety concerns as a strong typhoon is set to hit the peninsula, the Polish ambassador told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. Duda was planning to visit Korea for a four-day trip that would include an official scheduled visit to the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree in Buan, North Jeolla Province, and a visit to Gwangju. The Polish leader was expected to see how the Jamboree was being hosted in

Social Affairs Aug. 8, 2023