An Italian crustacean infestation is fanning culinary excitement in Korea, with a local seafood importer reaching out to Italy for possible imports. Italy's northern Adriatic coast has been dealing with an invasive crab species called the Atlantic blue crab in recent years, with the species wreaking havoc on the country’s ecosystem and causing millions of dollars worth of damage. First introduced through the bilges of foreign vessels several years ago, the Atlantic blue crab found a h

Social Affairs Sept. 16, 2023

A woman in her 50s has been sentenced to six months in prison and two years of probation for continuously harassing her adult daughter. The harassment included sending hundreds of abusive text messages and making unwanted visits, which constituted trespassing. Daejeon District Court documents outline the extensive nature of the harassment, which occurred from December 2021 to May 2022 and involved 306 text messages and 111 phone calls. The messages initially contained ordinary requests, such as

Social Affairs Sept. 14, 2023

A viral post on Chinese social media of what the poster claimed to be a mysterious animal swimming in the crater lake of Baekdu Mountain on the China-North Korea border has reignited interest in a mythical creature in the lake, Chinese news outlets reported on Monday. The video, captured from an observation deck situated 500 meters above the lake, shows a dark object traversing the water's surface. The still surface of the lake is perturbed by the object seen gliding beneath, which leaves a

World News Sept. 12, 2023

Pedestrians in Eunpyeong-gu, northern Seoul, were sent scrambling for cover Monday morning as concrete bricks and wood, some weighing up to 3 kilograms apiece, were hurled from the rooftop of a nearby seven-story building onto the sidewalk and road below. The chaos unfolded at around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 4, as people were busy heading to work. One of the falling objects struck a moving car. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. Police responded to the scene and arrested a man in

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2023

South Korean women face widespread sex discrimination in the workplace, experiencing inappropriate comments or remarks three to four times more frequently than men, a new survey found. The survey, conducted online by Embrain Public on behalf of nonprofits Gapjil 119 and the Beautiful Foundation Aug. 2-10, was of 1,000 working adults, including 435 women. Of the respondents, 55.9 percent of women reported being addressed or referred to in inappropriate terms, a rate 4.5 times higher than that of

Social Affairs Sept. 11, 2023

Invasive species cost the global economy a whopping $423 billion annually, a major new study from the United Nations found Monday. Introduced to new environments through human activities, these species adversely impact local biodiversity and human lifestyles by destroying crops and wiping out native species. Korea is no exception to this global concern. The country's natural ecosystems have been significantly disrupted by invasive species over the years. Here are some of South Korea’s

Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2023

The southern region of South Korea's most populous province saw a spike in emergency hospitalizations following a string of seemingly unprovoked violent crimes -- dubbed "mudjima" or don't-ask-why crimes -- this summer, a recent report the region's police agency found, suggesting heightened fears over a possible link between mental illness and violence. According to the South Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, the South Gyeonggi region saw a 31 percent increase in emerge

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2023

Nearly 4 in 10 teachers in South Korea are at high risk of depression, a recent survey by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) showed. The survey also showed that 1 in 6 experience suicidal thoughts, highlighting serious concerns about mental health among educators in the wake of recent suicides in the teaching community. Conducted jointly with Green Hospital in Seoul, the online survey ran Aug. 16-23 and involved 3,505 teaching staff across different grade levels. The survey in

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2023

South Koreans living in rural areas have double the risk of delayed access to emergency health care compared to urban residents, highlighting the country's significant urban-rural disparity in crucial healthcare infrastructure, the National Medical Center reported on Sunday. The center’s 2022 public health report used four time frames to measure medical care access: 30, 60, 90 and 180 minutes. The shortest -- 30 minutes -- is associated with the time needed to access urgent care units

Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2023

Revenue from South Korean YouTubers surged to 860 billion won ($650 million) in 2021, a tenfold increase compared to 2019, data from the National Tax Service showed on Sunday. The top 1 percent of YouTubers accounted for 25 percent of this total revenue, earning an average annual income of 713 million won, according to data. In the same year, the top 1 percent of all workers in South Korea had an average income of 417 million won. Apart from YouTube's expanding influence in the country, the

Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2023

In light of mounting concerns over school bullying, students with disciplinary records for bullying will face stricter scrutiny during the college admissions process in South Korea. Starting in 2026, colleges will be required to consider applicants' school bullying records during admissions, the Korea Council for University Education, the country’s leading body for college admissions, announced on Wednesday. Under the new policy, every applicant will undergo mandatory checks of bullyi

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2023

South Korea's fertility rate has dropped to a record-low 0.70 in the second quarter of 2023, according to the latest government report, in yet another stark indicator of the deepening demographic crisis in a nation already grappling with the world's lowest birth rate. According to the monthly demographic and census report released on Wednesday by Statistics Korea, the country's statistics body, there were 56,087 newborn babies in the second quarter, a 6.8 percent drop from the sam

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2023

Nighttime and early morning speed limits in "school zones" – child protection zones on roadways adjacent to schools – will be raised to 50 kilometers per hour from the current 30 kph starting from Sept. 1, the National Police Agency of South Korea announced on Tuesday. Effective from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., the new speed limit aims to accommodate traffic during times when fewer students are present on the streets. The decision follows last year's pilot testing in specific ar

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2023

An online vendor has become embroiled in legal action for selling T-shirts featuring a smiling image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in a case highlighting the polarized perspectives of South Koreans towards their northern neighbor. Six right-wing activist groups have filed a joint civil lawsuit against two individual sellers, with e-commerce giants Naver and Coupang also named as defendants for displaying the product on their platforms. According to the complaint submitted to the Seoul Metr

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2023

The Coast Guard nabbed 55 individuals in connection with an illegal whaling operation, officials confirmed on Thursday. Of them, 13 are being held by the Coast Guard, facing charges of unlawfully hunting 17 minke whales from January to June using harpoons and spears. According to officials at the Coast Guard Station at Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, the group had used various tactics to evade capture, including stashing whale meat in underwater buoys and smuggling it to local eateries at nig

Social Affairs Aug. 25, 2023