South Korean education service provider Vine Group said Thursday it is jointly hosting an online forum with the Korea Coaching Psychology Association to help support the growth of Korean youths and parents and contribute to the spread of coaching culture. The online meeting is slated for Monday and will be available for those willing to participate for free. This year’s forum will be held under the theme “Effective learning methods in the era of ChatGPT.” Participants will lear

Social Affairs April 20, 2023

The Seoul city government said Wednesday it had signed an agreement with the Korea Tourism Organization and French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton to team up to promote tourism as part of the city’s “Visit Korea Year 2023-2024” initiative. Under the partnership, the Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to attract foreign visitors to Korea through promoting “K-culture,” including holding special events on the banks of the Han River and in other cultural spaces. The

Social Affairs April 19, 2023

Two aides of religious organization leader Jeong Myeong-seok, who was previously convicted with the sexual molestation of his female followers, were arrested on Tuesday as accomplices to Jeong’s alleged sex crimes. The Daejeon District Court issued arrest warrants for the two individuals, citing their flight risk and the possibility of evidence being destroyed. Arrest warrants for four other former officials of the religious group were dismissed as they have since left the group. One of th

Social Affairs April 18, 2023

The Seoul city government began to stop collecting toll fees at Namsan tunnels on Monday until May 16 to determine if the temporary pricing model for congested highways effectively alleviates traffic. Under the temporary scheme, the city will waive fees for vehicles with less than three people traveling through tunnel numbers one and three from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. The decision comes as questions were raised over the effectiveness of the policy implemented in 1996, by which the city has been char

Social Affairs April 17, 2023

The number of Koreans diagnosed with panic disorder surged 44 percent last year from 2017, with experts suggesting growing social and psychological stress as a possible cause. According to a report released by the National Health Insurance Service on Thursday, a total of 200,540 people received hospital treatment for panic disorder in 2021, up 44.5 percent from 138,726 in 2017. Of them, males accounted for about 45 percent or 89,273, while the number of female patients stood at 111,267. The 2021

Social Affairs April 13, 2023

Students with a history of bullying or school violence will have their records reflected in the regular college admissions process starting in 2024, and the current bullying record retention period of two years will be extended to four years after graduation, the government said Wednesday. School violence records will be submitted to colleges “voluntarily” in the admissions process for the 2025 school year, but will be reflected on a “mandatory” basis for admissions in 20

Social Affairs April 12, 2023

Choi Si-won of K-pop boy band Super Junior has been appointed as an honorary ambassador for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Indonesia. During the appointment ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Monday, Foreign Minister Park Jin said the appointment was made in hopes that the two countries’ relationship would grow closer. “Taking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year as an opportunity, (Korea) will further strengthen coope

Foreign Affairs April 11, 2023

The Korea Herald is running a series of feature stories and interviews on the evolution and rise of drug crimes, insufficient support systems and young addicts’ stories in South Korea. This is the sixth installment. -- Ed. Free drinks were offered last week on the streets of Daechi-dong, a district in Seoul's Gangnam lined with thousands of after-school cram schools and known as South Korea's private education mecca. The drinks, introduced as a brain-boosting drink for concentr

Social Affairs April 10, 2023

A man in his 40s was arrested by police Friday morning on charges of using and possessing methamphetamine after being reported by a YouTuber. The man is reported to have texted a woman on an anonymous chatting app proposing they have sex and take methamphetamine together, but the woman was a trap set by the YouTuber, who specializes in tracking downs. The YouTuber told police at around 2:30 a.m. that he saw a man in possession of drugs in Seoul’s Mia-dong, Gangbuk-gu. Police were immediate

Social Affairs April 7, 2023

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday urged leaders of local governments to go all out in support of Busan’s bid to host the World Expo 2030. During a regional cooperation council meeting held in the afternoon, the president said that hosting the global event is a task for the whole country, calling on central and local governments to work as “one team.” “The (Busan) Expo will be an international event where we can share our development experiences with the int

Politics April 6, 2023

The delegation dispatched by the Bureau International des Expositions kicked off its second day in Busan by receiving a third presentation about Busan’s Expo bid from the bidding committee for the international exhibition. The presentation was delivered by professor Jin Yang-kyo of Hongik University’s Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Development about the venue and by Shin Jae-hyun, the new ambassador for international relations for Busan, about the city’s forecast of

Politics April 5, 2023

Students with a history of bullying will have their records reflected in the regular college admissions process, while the government considers extending the bullying record retention period so that any history of bullying will follow perpetrators as they apply for jobs after college. During a consultation meeting led by the ruling People Power Party and the government on Wednesday to combat the growing cases of school violence across the nation, Rep. Park Dae-chul, head of the National Assembly

Politics April 5, 2023

The delegation dispatched by the Bureau International des Expositions arrived at Busan and was met with warm greetings from approximately 5,000 people on Tuesday morning as it began its on-site inspection of the southeastern port city amid its candidacy to host the 2030 World Expo. The eight-member team led by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE Administration and Budget Committee, kicked off its four-day stay in Busan by attending a welcome event at Busan Station. Upon arrival, multicultural f

Politics April 4, 2023

A high school student was arrested by police in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday for brandishing a box cutter at an elementary student. The Pyeongtaek Police said Tuesday that the offender, whose name and age have not been disclosed, is facing attempted murder charges for allegedly stabbing the victim’s neck with a box cutter. The arrest came a day after a report was filed to the police that a man ran away after jabbing a young student who was eating cup noodles at an apartment co

Social Affairs April 4, 2023

The main suspect in a Gangnam murder case had previously been involved in a criminal case with the victim involving cryptocurrency, according to legal professionals and reports released Monday. The suspect, a 35-year-old only identified by his surname Lee, had reportedly been investigated by police for trying to seize a third party’s cryptocurrency assets in February 2021. Lee was sent to the prosecution on charges of extortion, while the third party was dismissed for a minor misdemeanor o

Social Affairs April 3, 2023