The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2023 will invite experts from Korea and abroad to discuss a master plan for restoring urban green spaces in the country’s capital city, the Seoul city government said Tuesday. At the Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture, the Seoul city government on Monday held a pre-biennale under the title of “Land Architecture, Land Urbanism: City of Mountain Ranges, Waterways, and Wind Breezes -- Drawing of the Seoul’s Next 100 years.&rdquo

Social Affairs Nov. 8, 2022

Candlelight vigils honoring the 156 people killed in the Itaewon crowd surge were held across South Korea over the weekend, with some gathering thousands of people. While the events were to commemorate the dead, some participants held signs calling for President Yoon Suk-yeol to step down and appeared focused on delivering a rebuke to the current administration. On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in central Seoul, paying tribute to the Itaewon victims and clutching white candles. Contrast

Politics Nov. 6, 2022

Jin, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, holds his single "The Astronaut," his first first official single that has landed at No. 61 on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100.  According to the latest chart updated Friday, the song entered the chart together with Rihanna's "Lift Me Up" and SZA's "Shirt.” "The Astronaut" is a pop-rock genre song co-written by British band Coldplay, which also played on the recording. Jin participated in wr

K-pop Nov. 5, 2022

The detection rate of new BA.5 subvariants in South Korea have dramatically increased over the past week, increasing the possibility of a COVID-19 resurgence during the winter season here, according to the country's health authorities Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency data, the detection rate of two new omicron subvariants, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, increased four times to 3.7 percent during the third week of October, from 0.9 percent a week ago. The detection rate

Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2022

The number of people who made reservations for updated omicron-specific bivalent boosters reached almost 100,000, according to health authorities Friday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said it opened reservations on Thursday to anyone aged 18 or older. The number of people who made reservations as of 5 p.m. on Thursday reached 99,512, the agency added. Previously, updated omicron-specific bivalent boosters were mainly available for people aged 60 or above. But the government dec

Social Affairs Oct. 28, 2022

The number of drug arrests made against foreign nationals in South Korea has increased much faster than the foreign population, a study has found, with the nature of the offenses also becoming more serious. According to a study by the Criminal Investigation Institute, a research center at the Korean National Police University, the number of drug arrests made against foreigners reached 2,335 in 2021, up from 359 cases in 2012. That is a 6.5-fold increase, while the foreign population rose just 35

Social Affairs Oct. 26, 2022

The base taxi fare in Seoul will rise by 1,000 won (69 cents) to 4,800 won, starting in February. Whether the increase will solve the ongoing shortage of after-dark taxis, however, remains uncertain. The Seoul city government on Tuesday passed the plan to increase the base rate for midsize taxis operating in Seoul from the current 3,800 won. The raise would be the first since February 2019. Under the new scheme, the distance that taxis travel with the basic fare, will also decrease to 1.6 kilome

Social Affairs Oct. 26, 2022

Friction between Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, a key member of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, and the opposition bloc appears set to further escalate, with Han hinting that lawmakers should be held responsible for their words. On Tuesday, Han hit back at Rep. Kim Eui-kyum of the main opposition, who had raised suspicion that Han met with lawyers from Kim ＆ Chang at an upscale bar with President Yoon Suk-yeol. “Rep. Kim acts like he as a license to lie,” Han said to reporters

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2022

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the city government will create wider walkways along a 7-kilometer route from Gwanghwamun in central Seoul to the Han River, while on his visit to Paris on Saturday. Oh made the remark after touring the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, where the Paris city government is running a city-led green makeover project. Oh was visiting Paris as part of his ongoing 11-day trip to Europe. According to the Seoul city government, Paris has injected some 330 billion won ($230 million) t

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2022

Seoul is considering imposing drinking and smoking bans across Han River parks, the city government said Sunday. But the plan could come to nothing if backlash ensues. The Seoul city government, seven years ago, tried to make Han River parks smoke-free, but failed due to staunch public backlash. Last year, the city government also tried to push ahead with imposing a ban on drinking at the riverside parks, but the local government also made no progress even after a yearlong discussion. The Se

Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2022

South Korea’s daily COVID-19 infections increased Saturday, while a new variant was confirmed in the country, fanning concerns for a resurgence in the winter. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of new COVID-19 cases on Saturday reached 26,256, slightly down from the previous day’s 26,906 cases. The daily figure, however, was up around 4,800 from the previous week’s 21,569 and up 8,610 from two weeks ago. The country reported 16 new deat

Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2022

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari will visit South Korea to attend the World Bio Summit 2022, being held in Seoul next Tuesday and Wednesday, the Embassy of Nigeria in Seoul said Thursday evening. According to a statement released by the embassy, Nigerian president Buhari will deliver a congratulatory message at the event’s opening ceremony. During his visit, Buhari will meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. The Nigerian president is also scheduled to meet with former UN Sec

Foreign Affairs Oct. 20, 2022

The number of people who died in South Korea as a result of alcohol addiction surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with solitary deaths accounting for half of that figure, a survey showed Thursday. The Korean Academy of Addiction Psychiatry collected the data from local addiction treatment facilities nationwide, which keep records of patients with alcohol use disorder. Excessive alcohol use was responsible for 156 deaths in 2019, according to KAAP. The figure increased to 204 in 2020 and 215

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2022

A disabled advocacy group continued its daily rush-hour subway protests on Wednesday, criticizing a Seoul court’s decision to hand down a suspended prison sentence to the leader of the group. Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination members on Wednesday began the protest at Seoul National University of Education Station on Subway Line No. 2. They were scheduled to later move to the National Assembly Station on Subway Line No. 9 and march to the People Power Party’s headquarters

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2022

South Korea's daily COVID-19 cases rose on Monday, as the spread of the virus stopped slowing and showed signs of a potential resurgence. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 33,248 new COVID-19 infections for the 24 hours of Monday. This was more than twice the 15,476 cases a week prior but this was mainly due to fewer tests on the previous Monday, which was a public holiday. But the figure was also up slightly on the preceding Tuesday, and the seven-day average of the nu

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2022