A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for stealing a car while posing as a prospective buyer, Daegu District Court said Tuesday. In January, the man met with the owner of a Porsche in the parking lot of an auto repair shop in Busan to negotiate the purchase of the vehicle. He asked to inspect the car's interior, but on entering the vehicle, he started the engine and drove away without finalizing the deal. While making his escape, he pushed the owner, who had tried to

Social Affairs July 5, 2023

The Busan District Court on Tuesday handed down a suspended sentence to a deliveryman for causing the death of a resident in an apartment complex after a physical altercation over the use of an elevator. The court imposed a two-year jail sentence suspended for three years with 80 hours of community service. The deliveryman faced charges of manslaughter after he pushed the resident with his shoulder, causing the resident to fall head-first to the floor and suffer a traumatic brain hemorrhage. T

Social Affairs July 4, 2023

Attendees of a Psy concert were taking flak online Monday for soaking Seoul subways after enjoying the Korean singer-songwriter's summer concert, known for its water bomb spectacle. Psy held his iconic annual summer concert, "Psy Summer Swag 2023," from Friday to Sunday in Seoul. Attendees were provided with raincoats and waterproof plastic bags for their convenience. The concert organizer recommended that attendees wear raincoats to keep themselves warm on the way back home. Howe

Social Affairs July 4, 2023

The authorities are trying to identify the body of a woman found in Seokchon Lake in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, police said Monday. According to the Songpa Fire Station, a Lotte World theme park worker noticed a body floating in the western part of the lake at 8:18 a.m. This worker was reportedly conducting an inspection near the entrance of Magic Island, the outdoor theme park within Lotte World. At approximately 8:40 a.m., the fire department retrieved the body from the lake and handed t

Social Affairs July 3, 2023

South Korea may not be the birthplace of coffee and cafe culture, but its passion for both is extraordinary, rivaling that of cafe meccas such as Italy and France. Cafes are found in almost every nook and corner of Seoul, as well as elsewhere throughout the country. A common sight in these establishments is individuals occupying tables meant for four, engrossed in their intellectual activities, predominantly studying, with their headphones plugged in. These individuals are called "cagongj

Hashtag Korea June 20, 2023

Max Park only needed 3.13 seconds to solve a 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube, setting his fifth Guinness World Records in speed cubing, at an event in California last weekend. According to Guinness World Records, the 21-year-old Korean-American advanced the previous record of 3.47 seconds, held by China's Yusheng Du since 2018, by 0.34 seconds. Smashing records at a breathtaking speed in other speed cubing categories, Park also holds Guinness World Records for solving 4x4x4, 5x5x5, 6x6x6 and 7x7x7

People June 16, 2023

With peak pandemic days now in the past, blood donations are rebounding in South Korea, though donations have yet to reach pre-COVID levels, according to the Korean Red Cross on Wednesday, which is also World Blood Donor Day. This year’s donations are up 5 percent from the corresponding period in 2022, recording a total of 1,014,000 as of May this year. The blood bank’s website shows that on Wednesday, it has 6.5 days’ worth of blood supplies and that blood type O is in relat

Social Affairs June 14, 2023

"Would you drink Fukushima water?" This seems to be a defining question in the intense debate over Japan’s planned discharge of the treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo became the latest figure to be brought into the debate. During his appearance at the National Assembly on Monday, he was asked the question to which he answered, “If it has undergone a scientifically proven purification p

Politics June 13, 2023

People living in urban areas are more likely to experience mental stress while those in rural areas are more likely to drink and smoke, data showed Monday. Findings in the 2022 Community Health Survey, conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, showed Seoulites recorded the lowest rate of smoking among the six groups studied, but that they had higher levels of alcohol consumption. Compared to other areas, however, they are less likely to binge drink. The survey looked into the

Social Affairs June 12, 2023

    Last week, South Korea’s largest umbrella union declared a boycott of the country’s tripartite social dialogue channel, declaring an "all-out war" against what they called the “anti-labor” administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The decision by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions has effectively struck down the Economic, Social and Labor Council, as it has been the sole labor representative in the presidential consultative body for labor polic

Politics June 12, 2023

Police plan to summon for questioning a teenage boy who allegedly placed a brick-sized rock on a high-speed railroad last week, officials said Sunday. According to Korea Railroad Police and Korail, the state-run railway operator, the incident occurred at around 9 p.m. on Thursday at Singyeongju Station in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. A rail traffic controller who was monitoring the station via closed-circuit cameras noticed the boy trespassing into the restricted railroad area and plac

Social Affairs June 11, 2023

Hong Kong waffles at Ikseon-dong hanok village It would be a perfect weather this weekend to stroll around the maze-like hanok village at Ikseon-dong in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. The narrow alleys that run through this cluster of traditional houses are paced with hip cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops. Among the cafes is Iksun Jutaek, literally meaning Iksun house, which offers Hong Kong-style bubble waffles. Bubble waffles, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, are a common street sna

Culture June 9, 2023

An 82-year-old general hospital in central Seoul is in the process of closing its doors, due mainly to mounting losses. Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital’s board of directors will convene on June 20 to finalize the decision, proposed by the hospital’s self-help task force, an official from the hospital said. The hospital, located near Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul’s Jung-gu district, has accumulated a deficit of 174.5 billion won ($135 million) over the past 20 years. Sin

Social Affairs June 6, 2023

Only approximately one in five fathers in Korea are using paternity leave, despite being entitled to the longest period of child care leave among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's member countries, data showed Tuesday. According to the OECD Family Database, of Korea's total parental leave takers in 2021, 22.7 percent were fathers. This figure differs from countries that implement what is called a "father’s quota" system, such as Sweden, Icela

Social Affairs June 6, 2023

The 20th Busan International Performing Arts Festival kicked off in Busan on Friday with 41 productions by artists from 11 countries presenting their work over the 17-day festival. A special performance titled "1945," presented by theater company Dongnyok, will be staged at Busan Citizen's Hall from Friday to Sunday. "1945" tells the story of forgotten individuals who embark on a return journey to Korea after the country’s independence from Japanese colonial rule

Performance June 2, 2023