When torrential rain continues for days, hillside homes can be just as dangerous as riverside dwellings. This served as a painful lesson for South Korea, as several landslides caused casualties across the country. The record July downpour has left 50 people dead or missing nationwide as of 11 a.m. Tuesday. Of them, 21 fatalities and six missing cases were reported in North Gyeongsang Province, where landslides devastated several hillside villages. Twelve of the province’s casualties were c

Hashtag Korea July 18, 2023

The photo of a man standing out of the sunroof of a partially submerged car has gained considerable attention online, earning him the nickname, "Sunroof Jwa," with "jwa" being a Korean term denoting expertise in specific fields. The image of the vehicle, stranded in a deluged underpass, has also raised questions about how to escape submerged cars safely during the torrential rains that are currently inundating a significant portion of the country. In an online post shared Tue

Social Affairs July 14, 2023

A Korean soldier’s account of a taxi driver attempting to charge him triple the indicated fare has ignited fury online. According to an anonymous soldier who said he was serving in Inje, Gangwon Province, the taxi driver demanded 30,000 won ($23.70) despite the taximeter showing a fare of only 8,800 won. The driver justified the inflated charge by contending the fare would not even cover the cost of gas for driving such a short distance. When the soldier questioned the driver, the driver

Social Affairs July 14, 2023

Korean American former K-pop singer Yoo Seung-jun, also known as Steve Yoo, has won a visa case in an appellate court, overturning the initial denial of his visa and passport issuance, the Seoul high court said Thursday. Yoo had filed a lawsuit against the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles for refusing to grant him a visa to visit South Korea. This marked the second instance where Yoo has taken legal action in order to obtain a visa. The court said, “The ruling to deny the visa iss

Social Affairs July 13, 2023

Korea's Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a 20-year sentence for a private cram school director for sexually assaulting two sisters from the age of nine over a span of 11 years. The court upheld the original ruling and rejected the appeal of the 60-year-old man, who was charged with violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth against Sex Offenses. Between April 2010 and April 2021, the man sexually assaulted two sisters at different times who attended his after-school privat

Social Affairs July 13, 2023

A 15-year-old boy who was bullied has accused his school of not allowing him to speak freely about his experience, leaving him to transfer to another school. The boy, who was bullied for two months at a boarding high school in Gyeongsang Province this year, had wanted to share his experience at a weekly school meeting, but was asked to submit his speech in advance for review and adhere to certain restrictions, the boy's family was quoted as saying in local media reports Wednesday. Under t

Social Affairs July 12, 2023

A man in his 20s was arrested for extorting money from two women after tricking them into thinking he was the heir of a "chaebol" family by using a high-end imported vehicle and luxury goods, said police Tuesday. "Chaebol" refers to family owned Korean conglomerates. According to the Busan Haeundae Police Station, the man, who is now facing charges of theft, robbery, extortion, and fraud, is suspected of imprisoning two women between June 9 and 16 in Seoul and Gyeonggi Prov

Social Affairs July 12, 2023

A photo of a tip jar in a Korean cafe has ignited a fierce online debate, raising concerns about the possible spread of tipping culture in the country. A Twitter post on Sunday that read, "A type of culture we don't want to have in Korea: tipping," shared a picture of a glass jar labeled "Tip Box" and filled with South Korean bills. The tweet says that tipping in Korean culture is an unnecessary practice, because, in the author's understanding, the intention behin

Social Affairs July 11, 2023

An SUV fell into a playground located on the lower ground-level of an apartment complex in Seo-gu, Incheon, leaving one dead and one seriously injured, police said Monday. According to police, the SUV had collided with a smaller vehicle in a ground-level parking lot before crashing through a 1-meter high brick wall. The vehicle then plummeted to the playground at around 4:53 p.m., situated 20-30 meters below the parking lot. The driver, a 79-year-old man, sustained severe injuries and was sent t

Social Affairs July 11, 2023

A one-time, one-hour job for preparing a birthday gift for a panda named Fubao attracted over 10,000 applicants, its popularity stemming from the much-valued panda as well as the job’s high hourly wage. Everland, South Korea's largest outdoor amusement park, along with Danggeun Market, a hyperlocal e-commerce platform, revealed that they selected only three finalists from a staggering 13,621 applicants during the recruitment process. This translates to a highly competitive ratio of 4,

Social Affairs July 10, 2023

More than 70 percent of Koreans are either unsure or do not plan on going on a summer vacation this year, with 1 in 3 citing financial reasons, a survey showed Friday. According to a survey that polled 3,000 individuals aged between 20 to 69, conducted by PMI, an online research institution, 36.8 percent of respondents have no plans for a summer vacation. Another 36.2 percent have not yet made a firm decision, bringing the total percentage of respondents unlikely to enjoy a summer vacation to ov

Social Affairs July 7, 2023

A 49-year-old senior hospital administrator has been sentenced to three years in prison for drugging nursing assistants and sexually assaulting them, Daejeon High Court said Thursday. The court banned him from working at facilities associated with children or the disabled for a period of five years. Additionally, he was required to participate in 80 hours of treatment programs for sexual offenders. In January of last year, during a staff dinner gathering at the hospital in Eumseong, North Chungc

Social Affairs July 7, 2023

Prison terms have been requested for a dog owner and her male accomplice who buried a poodle alive, the Jeju District Prosecutor's Office revealed on Thursday. During the final trial at Jeju District Court, the prosecutors sought sentences of 18 months and 10 months for the woman in her 30s and the man in his 40s, respectively. They were indicted on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act. According to Article 10 of the Animal Protection Act, those who commit animal abuse face up t

Social Affairs July 6, 2023

Former South Korean soccer player Lee Chun-soo apprehended a drunken hit-and-run driver on Seoul's Olympic Expressway, police said Wednesday. According to Seoul Dongjak Police Station, at around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, Lee handed over the drunken driver to police when they arrived at the reported crime scene where the driver had crashed into a taxi and tried to flee. On his way back home after filming for a TV show, Lee got out of his car after he heard a taxi driver asking for help to catch

Social Affairs July 6, 2023

The prosecution is seeking a life imprisonment for a 43-year-old woman who colluded with her middle school son in the murder of her husband, in her second trial at Daejeon High Court on Wednesday. In October, the woman was referred to trial on charges of manslaughtering her 50-year-old husband. She was sentenced to life in the first trial. When her husband fell asleep at home, she stabbed him with a needle filled with antifreeze, and then struck him using blunt objects. The son further faced

Social Affairs July 5, 2023