South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in was tapped by the Asian Football Confederation as one of the top 11 players of the Asian Cup 2023, after the top continental tournament in Qatar concluded Saturday with the home team defending its title. The 22-year-old scored three goals for the national team in his first Asian Cup outing, tying for the team lead in scoring with the captain Son Heung-min, while also adding an assist. His two goals in the opening match for South Korea against Bahrain in the qu

Soccer Feb. 13, 2024

South Korean police said Monday it is investigating a 28-year-old man on suspicion of locking up his girlfriend at his home and threatening her, after she expressed her wish to end their romantic relationship. According to Seoul Gwanak Police Station, the suspect is believed to have confined the victim in his home in Gwanak-gu, Seoul between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. last Thursday. When the victim dumped the suspect, he became enraged and violent, throwing a soju bottle and threatening to hurt the victi

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2024

Some 17.4 percent of South Korean workers said their actual working conditions were different from the ones they agreed upon before joining the company, a survey announced Monday showed. Civic group Workplace Gapjil 119, which assists victims of office abuse, surveyed 1,000 office workers across the country in December, including 600 "regular workers" -- a blanket term referring to those working under lifetime job security -- and 400 "non-regular" workers. In one case shared

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2024

A Seoul court recently ruled that a US-born man whose circumstances thwarted him from serving in the mandatary military service should be allowed to have South Korean citizenship. Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of a 31-year-old man who challenged the Seoul Immigration Office's 2022 rejection of his application for citizenship. Previously a dual citizen of South Korea and the US, he in 2022 submitted a written pledge not to exercise his US nationality while in the country and subm

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2024

School-age children who frequently use social media to interact with others are more likely to develop negative perceptions of their bodies, a recent study found. Researchers at Ewha Womans University analyzed the data of 1,412 elementary school students 2019 and 1,397 elementary school students in 2020 to determine the effects of social media on one's perception of body before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Researchers categorized the children into three groups: "information seekers

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2024

Popular Netflix original drama "A Killer Paradox" has been embroiled in controversy over one of its characters, who many here have alleged "bears a striking resemblance" to main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung. Netflix denied such rumors, saying such accusations are "completely baseless." The character, Hyeong Jeong-guk, portrayed by actor Seung Eui-yeol, is depicted as a corrupt older politician who is incarcerated for his crimes, with nea

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2024

With South Korea pushing to increase the number of doctors in the country by expanding the medical school enrollment quota, a study has showed that the addition of one extra doctor per 100,000 people to the day-to-day health care sector can reduce the death rate by 0.11 percent. Researchers from Seoul National University Hospital analyzed Ministry of Health and Welfare data from 2016 to 2020 to find the correlation between the number of primary care doctors and the death rate in the South Korean

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2024

The Ministry of Justice said Monday it is considering the inclusion of severe illnesses and pregnancy among cases that can be granted an extension for the state-mandated period to pass the bar exam. South Korean law stipulates that those who wish to become a lawyer can only take the state-issued bar exam five times within five years after getting a degree from law school, disqualifying those who failed to pass during that period from taking the test again. For those who served their mandatory mi

Social Affairs Feb. 12, 2024

Some 54 percent of unmarried people in their 20s and 30s say they have been in a romantic relationship where the power dynamics were skewed toward one of the parties, a recent survey by a local matchmaking company found. In the January survey by Duo, conducted on 150 men and 150 women in their 20s who have had romantic partners, 60.3 percent of the respondents said a so-called "gab-eul" power dynamic exists in romantic relationships. Gab-eul refers to a relationship between two people

Social Affairs Feb. 11, 2024

Hardly any of the South Korean drivers are fully aware of the details involving the recent legislative change on the proper way to turn right, a study by a government-funded organization showed Tuesday. The Gyeonggi Research Institute said they recently published a study on how well the residents of the greater Seoul area are aware of the 2022 revision of the Road Traffic Act. This revision specified that a vehicle must come to a full stop when making a right turn at the intersection at a red li

Social Affairs Feb. 11, 2024

South Korean military said Wednesday that it is planning to revise the Army regulation on retrieving casings of bullets used in marksmanship training, by deleting the part mandating soldiers to collect every single casing. The military is planning to revise Article 46 of the current Army regulation that states "soldiers must retrieve 100 percent of the used casings at the firing ranges and submit them" to "soldiers must retrieve the used casings at the firing ranges and submit the

Defense Feb. 11, 2024

South Korea's Supreme Court recently decided to allow an antiquated name for coffee to be used as the name of a coffee shop, officials said Tuesday. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiff surnamed Hong, who challenged an earlier decision by the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board that invalidated his 2015 trademark to use "Yangtangguk" as the name of his new cafe. Yangtangguk, which literally translates as "Western soup," was the name used during the Joseon e

Social Affairs Feb. 10, 2024

South Koreans across the country have been angered by the news that a drunk-driving DJ who hit and killed a motorcyclist did nothing to help the victim a the time of the accident. The 20-something DJ surnamed Ahn is accused of hitting a 54-year-old delivery man on a motorcycle with her vehicle last Saturday while driving under the influence of alcohol. She was arrested Monday on suspicion of death due to dangerous driving. A police investigation found that Ahn's car moved for 100 meters aft

Social Affairs Feb. 7, 2024

South Korea's loss to Jordan in the Asian Cup is casting doubt on the future of the national team, and drawing online fury from soccer fans. Korea lost 2-0 in the early hours of Wednesday (Korea time), in the semifinals of the top continental tournament. With Korea's shot at the Asian cup dashed yet again, South Korean supporters are voicing their disdain. Some have been calling for head coach Juergen Klinsmann's resignation ever since his squad's shaky performance in the gro

Soccer Feb. 7, 2024

A South Korean taxi driver who provided cosmetics supplies for passengers has been instructed not to do so anymore, after complaints that some of the items could present safety concerns. Kakao Mobility, the operator of the Kakao T taxi service, said Tuesday that it has ordered driver Ahn Seon-woo to remove all the makeup equipment from inside his vehicle. The 62-year-old driver based in Daejeon had been providing the services on his own initiative, gaining media attention and earning the nicknam

Social Affairs Feb. 6, 2024