At South Korea's 72nd annual national liberation day ceremony on Aug. 15, 2017, the usual formalities of the occasion gave way to an unexpected moment. As the then-President Moon Jae-in and other officials rose for the national anthem, a small, elderly woman took the stage alone. In a voice that was thin and trembling but remarkably clear, she began to sing Korea's national anthem to the melody of "Auld Lang Syne." Her rendition echoed the defiant spirit of the colonial era,

Social Affairs Nov. 18, 2024

A baby weighing less than a large apple at birth has defied medical odds, heading home after six months of intensive care, Samsung Medical Center in Seoul said Tuesday. Lee Ye-rang weighed a mere 260 grams when she was born on April 22 this year at just 25 weeks and five days, setting a record as South Korea's smallest surviving infant. A typical newborn weighs about 3.2 kilograms. By the time of her discharge on Nov. 5, she weighed 3.19 kilograms. She was breathing on her own, without the

Social Affairs Nov. 12, 2024

As Donald Trump is set to return to the White House for the second time, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is honing an unconventional diplomatic skill: his golf game. Senior officials familiar with the matter said Monday that the president has picked up golf again after a break of several years, in case it helps him build a rapport with the next US leader. President-elect Trump's affinity for golf is well-documented. Personally owning about 15 golf courses in the US and elsewhere, his

Politics Nov. 11, 2024

Residents south of Seoul are watching their step as another deer incident has put local authorities on high alert, just days after attacks left two people injured. A deer was spotted late Saturday on a roadway in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, prompting an immediate response from fire officials. The emergency call came in around 11:55 p.m. from a resident fearing possible vehicle collisions with the animal, local authorities said. Two emergency vehicles carrying eight personnel responded to the scen

Social Affairs Nov. 10, 2024

A draft of new sentencing guidelines unveiled on Monday calls for tougher penalties for severe and repeated cases of animal cruelty, a move widely seen as a push to end a long era of leniency in the judicial treatment of such offenses. The guidelines, drafted at a meeting of the Supreme Court’s sentencing commission on Friday, are the top court’s first formal framework for animal abuse crimes, a court spokesperson told local media. The move comes as public concern over animal cruelty

Social Affairs Nov. 5, 2024

Cars accelerating out of a driver’s control is a common fear among South Korean drivers, with suspected cases frequently highlighted in the local media. However, a forensic analysis of 364 alleged incidents found no cases with sufficient evidence to confirm sudden unintended accelerations had occurred. In all 321 cases where analysis was possible, drivers had pressed the accelerator – contrary to their claims of hitting the brake. In its report Wednesday, the National Forensic Serv

Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2024

A former corrections officer has revealed new details about Yoo Young-chul, one of South Korea's most notorious serial killers, including his claims of being haunted by the ghosts of his victims in prison. Yoo, now 54, was convicted of killing 20 people in Seoul between September 2003 and July 2004. His targets included wealthy seniors and sex workers who provided in-call services. Though he initially confessed to 26 murders, the court confirmed 20 deaths in his 2005 trial. New informatio

Social Affairs Nov. 1, 2024

A wild boar wrought havoc at a metro station in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province Tuesday afternoon, leaving one person injured and forcing an evacuation, local authorities said Wednesday. The incident began around 4:45 p.m. when the wild boar was first spotted near a local restaurant in Dong-myeon, Yangsan. By 5:10 p.m., it had crossed the street and made its way into Hopo Station on Busan Metro Line 2, officials said. The boar, estimated at 1.5 meters in length and weighing approximately 100

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2024

'Tis the season for all things eerie and macabre. As jack-o'-lanterns cast their glow and costumed revelers share tales of ghosts and ghouls, it's worth remembering that the thrill of supernatural horror isn't unique to Western tradition. While Halloween only caught on in South Korea in the late 90s via Western immigration and pop culture, Koreans have long nurtured their own rich supernatural tradition. Their folklore brims with spirits, demons and shape-shifting creatures t

Hashtag Korea Oct. 29, 2024

Two people were injured Sunday morning when a passing bus precipitated the collapse of a suspended pavilion structure in rural Yangyang, Gangwon Province, according to fire officials. The incident occurred at approximately 9:21 a.m. Sunday when a bus's roof snagged wiring that was supporting a gazebo-style structure in front of the Daechi-ri town hall, fire officials said. The pavilion subsequently collapsed, striking two individuals who were underneath. The victims, identified only as wome

Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2024

Young South Koreans entering the workforce increasingly find themselves taking on "irregular" jobs -- positions that fall outside traditional full-time employment, the latest government data shows. Four out of 10 workers aged 15-29, primarily first-time, entry-level job seekers, now hold irregular positions, marking the highest level since the government began tracking these statistics in 2003, Statistics Korea reported Sunday. Irregular employment encompasses a broad category of nonst

Social Affairs Oct. 27, 2024

For South Koreans seeking information online, all signs point to Namuwiki. The home-grown open-source encyclopedia has emerged as the country’s go-to knowledge hub, offering a more casual and community-driven alternative to Wikipedia. Boasting over 6.5 million entries that span everything from academic discourse to pop culture, it ranked as the nation's fifth most visited domain as of September, according to web analytics firm SimilarWeb. Operating through servers in Paraguay, Namuwik

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2024

If you meet a South Korean, there's a 45 percent chance that their surname is either Kim, Lee or Park. And there’s an even higher probability -- some say nearly 90 percent -- that their surname originates from a bogus family tree. According to the latest census data from Statistics Korea, these three surnames account for nearly half the population, which is over 20 million people. Expand that to the top 10 surnames, and you're looking at 64 percent of the population. This remarka

Hashtag Korea Oct. 22, 2024

It was a scene more fitting for a classic video game or a daydream than on the actual field: Thierry Henry crossing to Andrei Shevchenko, Alessandro Del Piero dribbling past Fabio Cannavaro before being thwarted by Carles Puyol. But these weren’t pixelated figures on a screen; they were real, flesh-and-blood legends playing in front of some 64,210 fans in Seoul, on Sunday. The Nexon Icons Match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Sangam-dong, northwestern Seoul, brought together dozens of the bi

Soccer Oct. 21, 2024

In South Korean schools, homeroom teachers are responsible for overseeing various aspects of their students' lives including their academic progress and college applications, keeping regular contact with parents if necessary. According to Education Ministry data made public Monday by Rep. Jin Seon-mi of the Democratic Party of Korea, the proportion of part-time teachers serving as homeroom teachers has been on the rise. In the past, homeroom teacher roles were reserved for full-time teacher

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2024