It’s that time of the year again for a 25-year-old officer worker surnamed Na to revel in the whimsical joy of Halloween traditions like dressing up and getting together with friends. She plans to go to Itaewon during the weekend to grab a drink and later stay the night with her friend at an accommodation facility in the area -- hoping there won’t be a repeat of the Itaewon crowd crush that took the lives of 159 people on Oct. 29 last year. Although a somber atmosphere lingers in par

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2023

Drug crimes in Seoul are most common in areas with vibrant nightlife scenes and wealthy neighborhoods, a study suggested Monday. According to the study on the analysis of spatial influencing factors on drug crimes in Seoul, Itaewon, Gangnam and Hongdae are the top three spots for drug crimes. The three neighborhoods are well known for their vibrant nightlife replete with an array of escort bars, nightclubs and accommodation facilities. The study, written by inspectors at the Seoul Seongdong Poli

Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2023

Lee Sun-kyun, known for his role in Oscar-winning movie “Parasite,” could be summoned for questioning sometime this week, reports said Sunday, citing police, as part of an expanding investigation into suspected drug use involving the actor and seven others. According to the reports, police are also considering a warrant to take a hair sample from the 48-year-old for drug testing in case he refuses to comply. The police probe is still at an internal stage, a precursor to a formal

Social Affairs Oct. 22, 2023

Artificial intelligence in education can offer equitable learning opportunities for less-advantaged students, but it may not alleviate the intense competition among elite students striving to gain admission to prestigious colleges, according to a US education technology pioneer. “AI appears to be most useful to people who aren’t really good. If you’re a great writer, using AI to write your article (wouldn’t be helpful). But AI can help the bottom of the class and, arguabl

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2023

With South Korean schools set to shift to AI-driven digital textbooks in schools in 2025, Stephen M. Kosslyn, a former Harvard University dean of social science, believes the switch can cool off the country’s private education market, and competition for medical school places. He says it is an opportunity to resolve the overconcentration of talent in a narrow set of fields and colleges. AI learning models can help students find their purpose, he says gradually reducing reliance on the priv

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2023

The union members of Seoul Metro, the operator of Seoul Subway Line Nos. 1 to 8, will go on strike next month to protest management's workforce reduction plan, the union said Wednesday. The walkout, which is set to take place on Nov. 9, a Thursday, comes after the two sides failed to reach an agreement over the dispute after conducting 10 rounds of negotiations, since the initial round on July 11. “Seoul City’s plan to reduce and restructure the workforce will ultimately threate

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2023

A South Korean lawmaker on Friday criticized a government-funded research and development institution under the Ministry of Education for distorting explanations of Korean history and culture on its official website, demanding immediate correction. A report released by Rep. Chung Kyung-hee of the ruling party, who is also a member of the National Assembly’s education committee, showed that the Academy of Korean Studies has been labeling kimchi as “pao cai” -- a pickled vegetabl

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2023

South Korean singer-songwriter Nam Tae-hyun appeared as a witness at a parliamentary audit of the Health Ministry at the National Assembly on Thursday, calling for increased government efforts to help individuals recover from drug dependence and eradicate such illicit substances. Nam, who was indicted on charges of allegedly purchasing and administering methamphetamine with an acquaintance last year, stressed the importance of rehab programs that provide a path to a drug-free state to help in th

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2023

Sejong University in Seoul ranked eighth among South Korean universities in the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024 for a third consecutive year, the college announced Wednesday. The university was ranked in the Nos. 251-300 bracket in the publication's ranking of 1,904 schools in 108 countries, also for the third year running. In the 2020 ranking, Sejong University sat between Nos. 401 and 500, climbing to Nos. 301-350 the following year. Ranking by the number of

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2023

South Korea’s Ministry of Education on Tuesday unveiled plans for the 2028 school year college admissions to make the state-administered college entrance exam more equitable and change the high school grading system. The latest measures, will affect current eighth graders, giving students and parents time to prepare. The ministry is mandated to notify the public of major changes to the country’s education system four years in advance. As part of its efforts to reform the college entr

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2023

The National Assembly on Friday passed a bill allowing women to give birth anonymously at hospitals as part of its efforts to reduce the number of children denied registration at birth. But concerns are growing over the anonymous birth system, which will be introduced in July next year, with some suggesting that it might lead to more mothers giving up their children, especially when it comes to children born with a disability. Observers also say that the Protected Birth Bill still falls short of

Social Affairs Oct. 8, 2023

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said Sunday that no Korean injuries or deaths have been reported so far from the fighting in Israel that erupted Saturday. There are currently 570 Korean residents in Israel -- 290 in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, 210 in central areas including Tel Aviv and 70 in other regions. There are also thought to be some 360 Korean tourists in the country, according to the ministry. The ministry advised Korean residents and travelers to evacuate to a third country if

Foreign Affairs Oct. 8, 2023

South Korea woke up to the coldest autumn morning this year so far on Thursday due to cold air moving in from the north, with some areas seeing the mercury drop below zero, the national weather agency said. The morning low in Seoul came to 10.2 degrees Celsius, down four degrees from the previous day’s 14.2 C, while the figure for Incheon, just 27 kilometers west of Seoul, plunged to 12.4 C as of Thursday at 8 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The rapid temperatur

Social Affairs Oct. 5, 2023

Some of South Korea’s biggest private education academies and star lecturers are under police investigation for allegedly purchasing state-administered college entrance exam, or Suneung, questions from teachers who participated in making them. The list of those being investigated includes the so-called big three hagwon, or private education institution firms -- Megastudy, Sidae Injae and Daesung Hagwon -- as well as Hyun Woo-jin, a star math instructor at Megastudy, according to local repo

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2023

Drug prevention education has long been thought of as a criminal issue in South Korea, but an increase in teenage drug offenders has led to wider calls for enhanced drug education. As concerns grow over adolescents’ shallow awareness of drugs due to a lack of education, politicians on both sides of the aisle are also demanding more thorough drug abuse prevention. In November last year, Rep. Lee Tae-kyu of the ruling People Power Party proposed a bill that would make drug prevention program

Social Affairs Oct. 2, 2023