The third women’s rally calling for a balanced inspection of voyeuristic hidden camera crimes took place in front of Hyehwa subway station on Saturday.The host of the protest, an online group fighting against female discrimination called “Inconvenient Courage,” estimated some 60,000 people took part. The police estimate is 18,000. Protesters dressed in red held up signs with slogans such as “My life is not your porn,” and “We are your future boss, not your future wife.” Other signs protested dep

Social Affairs July 8, 2018

The sixth Water Gun Festival in Sinchon, Seoul, brought some much needed relief to the scorching summer heat on Saturday.On the first day of the two-day fiesta, the main street that rolls down from Sinchon subway station to the front gate of Yonsei University was crammed with people of all nationalities and ages, armed with water guns and raincoats.Several were dressed up as DC and Marvel’s super heroes, including the intergalactic villain Thanos of the latest Avengers movie. The festival runs u

Culture July 8, 2018

Farmed halibut from Gijang-gun, Busan, were found to contain excessive levels of mercury, Tuesday.According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, three farms in the region were found to have shipped off halibut with mercury levels surpassing acceptable standards. Nearly 4 metric tons of fish from these fish farms were distributed to shops in Busan, Pohang, Ulsan and other destinations on June 29.All remaining fish at the farms have been culled, and the shipped fish were ordered to be recalled

Social Affairs July 5, 2018

Sunscreens containing chemical substances harmful to coral reefs will be banned in the US state of Hawaii from 2021, US local media reported Wednesday.Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed the legislation on Tuesday, making Hawaii the first state in the US to ban the sale, distribution and use of sunscreens that contain the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. The bill states, “Oxybenzone and octinoxate cause mortality in developing coral; increase coral bleaching that indicates extreme stress, even at t

World News July 5, 2018

A product from a cosmetics factory in Sinuiju, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently visited, is attracting a lot of attention in China. The “Kaesong Koryo Ginseng” balm cream, made by the “Spring Fragrance” (direct translation) company in North Korea, is currently being sold at 12 shops at China’s decentralized shopping platform Taobao, with user reviews of the cream coming up on Chinese lifestyle social media Xiaohongshu. The product, according to the Chinese purchasers, is cheap, abs

North Korea July 4, 2018

The Korean dish often referred to as kimchi pancake should be instead called by the romanization of its actual Korean name, kimchijeon, claimed a cyber organization promoting online diplomacy, Wednesday.Voluntary Agency Network of Korea is raising questions over the readymade packages by firms here that label their products as kimchi pancake in English.According to VANK’s field research, Ottogi and Sajo, as well as most of the food firms, are promoting kimchijeon as kimchi pancake. (VANK)“Just b

Food July 4, 2018

The recent initiative by Korea Airports Corporation to remove smoking rooms from airports has got smokers fuming.“Smokers are being unfairly inched out,” protested a smokers’ community in Korea, intuitively named “I Love Smoking,” Wednesday.On June 25, the KAC said that indoor smoking lounges at 14 airports in Korea would gradually disappear and outdoor smoking areas would be moved further from areas with a lot of passenger traffic, in a bid to protect nonsmokers from second-hand smoking. A smok

Social Affairs July 4, 2018

People in wheelchairs staged a protest on Monday at metro stations in Seoul to demonstrate their right to mobility. Some 50 disabled people gathered at Singil, Seoul and City Hall Stations on Line No. 1 in the afternoon, and collectively boarded a train from Singil and traveled five stops to Seoul Station, then reboarded the train to get off at the next stop, City Hall, where they held a press conference calling for a meeting with Mayor Park Won-soon. The protest coincided with the inauguration

Social Affairs July 3, 2018

A group of Korean women have decided to stop spending money on the first Sunday of every month, in a move to protest against gender discrimination. The campaign, started by a Facebook group called “Female Expenditure Strike” (direct translation of the Korean title), hopes to raise awareness of the damage done by advertisements that objectify women, gender discrimination and the “pink tax,” which refers to the extra amount that women often pay for goods and services compared to men. On Sunday, th

Social Affairs July 3, 2018

Passengers traveling via Asiana Airlines on Sunday and Monday had to endure unexplained departure delays stretching up to five hours, subsequently followed by a journey without in-flight meals. On Sunday, 36 Asiana flights took off without meals and 51 flights were delayed out of the 80 planes scheduled for the day. The next day, 18 flew without meals and 20 were delayed out of 75 flights, according to the tally by Asiana Airlines.Angry comments from hungry passengers took online platforms by st

Industry July 3, 2018

The CEO of a subcontractor of a small in-flight meal supplier for Asiana Airlines reportedly took his own life Monday morning, after criticisms mounted from angry passengers who were served no meal on Asiana flights. He was found dead at his house, according to local media reports. Asiana recently terminated a 15-year-old deal with LSG Sky Chefs, a subsidiary of German airline Lufthansa, and inked a contract with Gate Gourmet Korea, an in-flight catering service firm Asiana jointly set up with C

Social Affairs July 3, 2018

Seoul City will receive recommendations for candidates for honorary citizenship in the capital. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the notice Monday, listing out the qualifications of eligible candidates as foreigners who have continuously lived in the city for three years, or if in the case of discontinued habitation, those who lived a total of five years in Seoul.Also eligible are foreign guests to Seoul who have contributed to the betterment of the city in terms of how it is received

Social Affairs July 2, 2018

Police in South Jeolla Province are turning their attention to unsolved cases involving organ trafficking that have occurred in the region, following a recent case of a schoolgirl who went missing and later was found dead near a mountaintop in Gangjin. The Gangjin girl incident was due to be classified as a case of trafficking, but police have refocused the investigation following the discovery of the body. A search is ongoing on Maebongsan, the mountain where the body was found, for the victim’

Social Affairs June 28, 2018

In South Korea’s surprise 2:0 win against Germany in the World Cup match on Wednesday, the most notable player was Korea’s goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, who was made the Man of the Match by FIFA. Jo saved all six clean shoots by Germany, demonstrating quick reflexes with some astounding saves. Fans observed Jo must have “magnet hands.” German team made 10 other off target shoots. “Congratulations, Jo Hyeon-woo, you have been admitted to the ‘Do You Know’ club,” “BREAKING- Jo Hyeon-woo joins ‘Do You K

Soccer June 28, 2018