This year’s monsoon season, which has broken records for precipitation, is nearing its end, but it is not yet clear when the sporadic downpours will stop, the weather agency said Monday. The Korea Meteorological Administration said heavy rain will fall in most parts of the country on Monday and Tuesday, as a stationary front moves south. Up to 120 millimeters of rain is expected for the North and South Jeolla provinces and up to 80 mm in southern Gyeonggi Province, the North and South Gyeo

Social Affairs July 24, 2023

A stabbing spree in Sillim-dong, Seoul on Friday afternoon resulted in one death with three people injured, according to police. The incident took place near Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu in the early afternoon. Authorities received a report on the incident at 2:09 p.m., saying that an individual had stabbed multiple people near the station's Exit No. 4 before fleeing. Police apprehended the assailant at the scene at 2:20 p.m. The suspect was reported to be a Korean man in his 30s with 17 p

Social Affairs July 21, 2023

The average age of employed individuals in South Korea could exceed 50 years old by 2035, due to an aging population exacerbated by declining birth rates, a study showed, Friday. The Sustainable Growth Initiative, a branch of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recently released a report that revealed the average age of Korea's working population could reach unprecedented heights. The study projected the average age of employed Koreans to be approximately 46.8 years old in 2022, and

Social Affairs July 21, 2023

Reports of unidentified packages are continuing nationwide Friday, the day after three people suffered from dizzy spells after opening a suspicious international package. Authorities are collecting packages from several cities, and about 1,700 people have been evacuated at the Seoul Central Post Office in Myeong-dong, after a similar package was found. The authorities are now investigating the possibility of terrorism, and as reports of related suspected cases continued, the Korea Post decided t

Social Affairs July 21, 2023

There had been warnings issued before almost all disasters that have happened recently in Korea, including the deadly underpass flooding on July 15. But the warnings delivered to on-site officials were often ignored or did not reach the top decision-makers, according to disaster management experts. Lee Soo-gon, a former civil engineering professor at the University of Seoul, said that the "top-down" system of administrations, where officials are instructed to carry out orders rather th

Social Affairs July 20, 2023

After days of monsoon rain left at least 44 dead, clear weather has emerged across the country, but danger from swollen rivers and strong torrents of water remained Wednesday. According to the Marine Corps on Wednesday, a private from the First Marine Division's artillery battalion, who was searching for missing people around the Bomun Bridge on the Naeseong River in Yecheon-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, was swept away by a rapid stream at around 9:10 a.m. Marines were deployed to search

Social Affairs July 19, 2023

In the wake of record-breaking nationwide downpours, authorities discovered three bodies on Tuesday in Yecheon-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, bringing the death toll associated with the heavy rain in the province to 22. This brings the total number of deaths from downpour to 44 nationwide as of 6 a.m. The North Gyeongsang Fire Service Headquarters confirmed on Tuesday that the body of a woman in her 50s who had gone missing on Saturday with her husband, was discovered at 10:27 a.m. by Marines a

Social Affairs July 18, 2023

Flooding and landslides due to heavy monsoon rains in South Korea have caused dozens of casualties, while over 10,000 residents have been forced to evacuate, South Korean authorities said Monday. As the death toll continues to rise, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has confirmed that at least 41 people have died as of Tuesday 6 a.m. The total number of deaths includes 14 people who died in a flooded tunnel in the central South Korean city of Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Five bodi

Social Affairs July 17, 2023

At least nine people have died in a flooded underpass in Osong-eup, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, as of Sunday afternoon. Fire authorities are continuing drainage and operations to search for the missing. At around 8 a.m. Sunday, fire authorities found the body of a woman in her 70s on a bus, as well as the bodies of four others who have yet to be identified. Another body was found near the underpass entrance at around 8:50 a.m. Two more bodies, reportedly female, were found in the after

Social Affairs July 16, 2023

An underpass has been flooded by water overflowing from the Miho River in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, rescue workers said Saturday. The number of people trapped in the tunnel is unclear. As of 9 p.m. police said 11 people have been reported missing, and confirmed 15 vehicles including a public bus to be trapped in the underpass. Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong-eup was submerged around 8:40 a.m. Saturday after the banks of the river collapsed and water flooded into the four-lane tunnel.

Social Affairs July 15, 2023

Five unmanned marine weather observation devices, known as ARGO Float, will be dropped into the sea southwest of Jeju Island to gather environmental data on typhoons, the weather agency said Thursday. ARGO Float is a rocket-shaped climate monitoring device used in the international joint marine observation project promoted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the World Meteorological Organization. Currently, more than 3,800 vehicles are in operation in the world's oceans. W

Social Affairs July 13, 2023

The 25th World Scout Jamboree, set to be held on reclaimed land of Saemangeum in North Jeolla Province next month, will welcome 43,000 teenagers from 150 countries around the world, including 29 Ukrainian teens, the Gender Ministry said Tuesday. The world Scouting event for young people aged between 14 and 18 takes place Aug. 1-12. "Twenty-nine teenagers from Ukraine who are still suffering from the pain of war, will participate, and 33 teenagers will come from Uruguay, which is located on

Social Affairs July 11, 2023

South Korea has been rocked by volatile weather dubbed a “Goblin Monsoon" by local media, with heavy rain and heat waves alternating in a short period of time over recent weeks. This is due to the effects of low pressure that create unpredictable rain clouds, but is not a new phenomenon, the weather agency said Tuesday. Over the last few weeks, rain clouds have come and gone nationwide, moving away quickly after raining over small areas. These rainy periods are then followed by heat w

Social Affairs July 11, 2023

A voice audio data analysis model will be implemented by police from September in voice phishing investigations, the Interior Ministry announced Monday. The model is expected to speed up investigations by rapidly analyzing the voices of perpetrators, the ministry added. The model, jointly developed by the Interior Ministry and the National Forensic Service in February, is the world's first voice analysis model that specializes in voice phishing data. The model is also the world's first

Social Affairs July 10, 2023

The Education Ministry has asked police to investigate cases of inappropriate ties between private education institutions and officials overseeing Korea's annual college entrance exam, after it received hundreds of reports on alleged misconduct by hagwon, authorities said Friday. It received a total of 325 reports during a two-week reporting period that ended Thursday, 81 of which were classified as "private education cartels" and 285 as "irregularities," the ministry sa

Social Affairs July 7, 2023