Heavy snow fell around the central region on Thursday, putting local governments and power suppliers in emergency mode to prevent accidents and power outages. A heavy snow advisory was issued for most of the Seoul metropolitan area and the west coast of South Chungcheong Province on Thursday morning. The advisory is issued when the amount of snow accumulated over 24 hours is expected to be more than 5 centimeters. As of 2 p.m., 3.5 cm of snow had accumulated in Seoul, 6.9 cm in Incheon, 8.5 cm i

Social Affairs Jan. 26, 2023

With accidents and facility damage reports continuing nationwide Wednesday, the nation's weather agency said the cold wave would ease from Thursday, but heavy snow is to follow. On Wednesday morning, when most areas of the country saw their lowest temperatures this year, the temperature in Seoul dropped to minus 17.3 degrees Celsius, the seventh lowest temperature in Seoul in the 21st century. Combined with the strong wind, the sensory temperature fell to minus 23.3 C. Damage caused by the

Social Affairs Jan. 25, 2023

With the growing number of multicultural families in the country, the government plans to announce a multicultural family policy road map in March, which will set the direction of overall policies regarding immigrants and their children from 2023 to 2027. The five-year plan will be announced within March after consultations with related ministries and approval from the Multicultural Family Policy Committee under the prime minister's office, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and F

Social Affairs Jan. 23, 2023

A court sentenced 20 years to the perpetrator charged with raping and causing the death of schoolmate at a university campus in July last year, Thursday. Instead of murder, a charge of "quasi-rape" resulting in death was applied, implying that the court judged that the perpetrator did not intentionally cause the victim’s death. Article 299 of the Criminal Act defines quasi-rape as sexual intercourse or an indecent act "by taking advantage of the other's condition of unconsci

Social Affairs Jan. 20, 2023

A disability rights advocacy group on Friday resumed its subway rush-hour protests, a day after the city government of Seoul did not accept its request for a one-on-one meeting with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. After a two-week hiatus, the group gathered again after multisite protests to call for increased budget and measures to ensure the mobility rights of the disabled. Member of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination began simultaneous demonstrations at several stations, including Oido,

Social Affairs Jan. 20, 2023

Firefighters extinguished a fire that broke out in Guryong Village in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the only remaining slum area in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed. At 11:46 a.m., the fire authorities announced that the fire has been completely extinguished. About 60 households were destroyed and 62 people lost their homes but no casualties have been confirmed. The exact property damage is under investigation. According to the Gangnam-gu Office, a total of 666 households are

Social Affairs Jan. 20, 2023

Authorities have ramped up pressure on labor unions for two straight days, with police seizing documents at the offices of the two umbrella labor unions of the country over illegal activities at construction sites, Thursday, Seoul police sent investigators to five construction workers' offices under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, three offices of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and eight houses of related officials from 8:10 a.m. Thursday, securing information on union oper

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2023

Yongin City said it will push for new projects this year in infrastructure, transportation, welfare and disaster prevention with the largest New Year's budget in its city’s history. The city's total budget for this year is 3.2 trillion won ($2.6 billion), up 7.6 percent from 2.9 trillion won last year. With the budget increase, Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il has come up with ambitious policy plans, promising that all spending will be used for the balanced development of citizens and th

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2023

The South Korean spy agency and police raided the headquarters of a major umbrella labor union in central Seoul on Wednesday morning, on suspicion that some members had violated national security laws. The National Intelligence Service said it obtained a search and seizure warrant from the court for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions on charges of violating the National Security Act, an NIS official confirmed to The Korea Herald on condition of anonymity Wednesday. "The NIS has been c

Politics Jan. 18, 2023

Several areas across South Korea -- but especially eastern Gangwon Province -- were hit by a snowstorm Sunday, with slightly colder temperatures than average expected in the coming week, a weather agency said. A heavy snow advisory was in effect in most of Gangwon Province as of 3 p.m. Sunday, with at most 50 centimeters of snowfall in the region to be expected until Monday. The snowstorm led to closures of 10 mountain roads and trails of several national parks within the region, as of Sunday 8

Social Affairs Jan. 15, 2023

Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il met with Austin City Mayor Kirk Watson in Texas on Monday to discuss ways to bolster bilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of semiconductors, with an aim to turn the city, home to Samsung Electronics chip plants, into the center of the global chip industry. After visiting the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Saturday, Lee flew to Austin, where Samsung has a chip plant. Lee first congratulated Watson, who won the mayoral election in December. Mayor Wat

Social Affairs Jan. 11, 2023

The average marriage age for South Korean women was consistently in their 20s for decades, but statistics showed a shifting trend where women are now getting married in their 30s. According to Statistics Korea, the number of women married for the first time in their 30s surpassed women married in their 20s as of 2021. This is the first time in 31 years, since 1990 when the agency started to compile related data. In 2021, the total number of reported marriages was 193,000, and of this number, wom

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2023

The Korea Meteorological Administration predicted that winter will disappear in South Korea’s southern region unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. Based on the high-carbon emission scenario of the 6th evaluation report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the KMA predicted climate change in 17 metropolitan cities; 220 cities and counties; and 3,500 towns and villages nationwide. The high-carbon emission scenario, also known as SSP5-8.5, is a scena

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2023

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, will comply with the prosecution's summons as part of an investigation into alleged bribery on Tuesday. This will be the first time for Lee to comply with the prosecution's summons since he became the party leader last year. “It was agreed that Lee will appear at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office at 10:30 a.m. next Tuesday,” said Ahn Ho-young, the Democratic Party's

Politics Jan. 6, 2023

Police investigating a deadly fire at the soundproof tunnel on the second Gyeongin Expressway in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, which killed five people on Dec. 29 last year, have raided a road management company. Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said Friday that it raided the offices of the 2nd Seoul-Incheon Linking Highway Co. as well as the Seoul office of a company entrusted with road management work on Thursday. The search and seizure operation, which involved 22 investigators, lasted

Social Affairs Jan. 6, 2023