Some unmarried South Koreans do not plan on revealing their entire fortune to their soon-to-be spouses, a recent survey by a matchmaking firm showed Tuesday. According to the survey by Gayeon conducted on 250 unmarried men and 250 unmarried women between 25-39 years of age, 15 percent of respondents said they would not disclose 100 percent of their assets. The most popular reason (49.3 percent) was "even spouses need some secrets," followed by "I might need emergency funds only fo

Social Affairs Sept. 18, 2024

Travel YouTuber Kwak Joon-bin, better known as KwakTube, touched a nerve with the public concerning bullying when he posted his latest video featuring Lee Na-eun, a singer-turned-actress who was accused of bullying her former bandmate in the now-disbanded K-pop group April. Kwak on Monday posted a video of his travels in Italy during which he met Lee. He told Lee about how he misunderstood her because of now-disproven allegations of school violence. Police launched an investigation into the al

Social Affairs Sept. 18, 2024

  From Madison Square Garden in New York to Wembley Stadium in London, the biggest sports arenas and stadiums in major cities often double as concert venues. But holding concerts at Seoul World Cup Stadium is being challenged by some soccer fans complaining that nonsports events there have crucial detrimental effects on the field. A self-proclaimed fan of Son Heung-min on Sept. 11 posted a petition on the state-run e-People website, calling for the cancellation of the K-pop superstar IU's c

Soccer Sept. 17, 2024

South Korean team captain Son Heung-min rescued his team late in the second half of their World Cup qualification match against Oman on Tuesday, putting his team into the lead for a much-needed away win. Despite Son's heroics, pundits and fans alike have raised doubts about the head coach Hong Myung-bo's leadership of what could be Korea's strongest-ever collection of soccer talent. The team had a shaky start with a goalless draw at home against minnows Palestine in its first Gr

Soccer Sept. 16, 2024

Hospital and pharmacy fees from Saturday to Wednesday will cost patients 30 to 50 percent more, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday. The extra cost is mostly due to the existing system of adding 30 to 50 percent more for medical services received during Saturdays, night times and holidays. But the ministry will also allow additional surcharges for the smaller hospitals, clinics, oriental and dental hospitals and pharmacies that stay open during the Chuseok holidays. Specifically,

Social Affairs Sept. 14, 2024

South Korea's consumer market increased by 33.3 percent from 2014 to 2023, with the annual growth in non-store retailing such as online markets outstripping that of large stores by tenfold. The consumer market for the country was 509.5 trillion won ($380.4 billion) in 2023, up from 382.3 trillion won in 2014, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's analysis based on Statistic Korea data showed Wednesday. The report looked at the total growth in the time period over various secto

Economy Sept. 11, 2024

South Korean government on Tuesday held a commemoration of the state-designated Suicide Prevention Day, on which it commended welfare foundation employee Kim Dong-ho for his activities as a "suicide watchman" for over three years. Kim, 31, was among the 67 individuals and 23 organizations who received certificates of appreciation from the Ministry of Health and Welfare for their contribution suicide prevention. A fire safety manager for the South Jeolla branch of the Miral Welfare Foun

People Sept. 11, 2024

Summertime temperatures have persisted and likely will for some time, with the state-run weather agency projecting the current late heat wave to continue. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration's forecast, temperatures in Seoul may rise above 30 degrees Celsius into late September. The nation's capital also saw its first-ever heat wave advisory in September on Tuesday. Korea defines "heat wave days" as when the daily high is 33 degrees Celsius or higher. Seoul s

Social Affairs Sept. 11, 2024

Government data showed Tuesday that the notoriously crowded commuter rails connecting Seoul and the satellite city of Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, continue to be full beyond capacity, despite additional subway trains being dispatched recently to address the issue. The subway trains of Gimpo Goldline, which connects Seoul and the Gimpo, were carrying as much as 208 percent of the stated maximum capacity of passengers during rush hour, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., early this month, according to the G

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2024

Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday it has added information on foot traffic in major shopping districts to the real-time information service it provides on the most popular areas in the city. The service, accessible at the Seoul Open Plaza website, provides an overview of popular areas in the city with information including the estimated foot traffic, road and weather conditions, empty parking spots, adjacent public transportation routes and rentable bicycles. For example, Seoul Plaza ne

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2024

The South Gyeongsang Province government has signed multiple memorandums of understanding with international and local firms in the defense, aviation, industrial and automobile parts sectors for investments in the province's industrial zones. Delegations for the province, headed by Gov. Park Wan-su, visited European countries including Poland and Czech Republic to elicit cooperation with companies that have expanded their operations into the region. On Sept. 2 in the Polish capital Warsaw,

People Sept. 10, 2024

A Buddhist monk's tolerance toward a boy who stole from a temple led the boy to become a better person, a man who had stolen from a temple's offering box 27 years ago wrote in a letter of gratitude he sent to the temple recently. Tongdosa, a temple of the Jogye Order, has revealed that its monks recently found a letter with 2 million won ($1,490) inside the temple's offering box. The letter writer identified himself as having stolen money from the temple 27 years earlier, but

People Sept. 10, 2024

The number of young South Koreans with delinquent loans has rapidly increased in the past three years, data by the state-run financial watchdog showed Monday. As of July, 65,887 people in their 20s have been registered at the Korea Credit Information Services as "delinquent borrowers," referring to people who are disadvantaged in financial transactions due to long-standing credit card or bank debt. This figure marked a 25.3 percent increase from the 52,580 delinquent borrowers in the s

Economy Sept. 9, 2024

South Korean customs officials confiscated 769 kilograms of illegal drugs being smuggled into the country last year, 18 percent more than the year before, data from state-run bodies showed Monday. The confiscated drugs are reportedly worth about 61.3 billion won ($45.7 million), according to the data compiled by the Incheon International Airport Corp. and the Korea Customs Service, submitted to Rep. Jeon Yong-gi of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The amount of drugs seized by auth

Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2024

A backlash from the LGBTQ+ community has been mounting over Gangnam-gu office's decision to take down after four days what it called an "indecent" digital advertisement, which featured same-sex couples facing each other, hugging and kissing. Yang Sun-woo, chair of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival organizing committee, told local media that the decision was based on discrimination against LGBTQ+ members of society. "Many advertisements in Korea depict the affection between dif

Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2024