South Korean prosecutors on Wednesday said they are reviewing allegations of illicit funds surrounding late ex-President Chun Doo-hwan’s family, sparked by Chun’s grandson’s recent confession on social media that his family was “living off black money.” According to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the case has been allocated to the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Department to see if the disclosure made last week by Chun Woo-won -- the grandson in q

Social Affairs March 22, 2023

Find the answer at the bottom of the page. North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is the leader of the most reclusive country in the world, but it has not always been that way. The youngest son of late Kim Jong-il, the former leader of the totalitarian communist state, he attended the Liebefeld Steinholzli school near Bern, Switzerland in the late 1990s. No one at the time knew that he was a son of the North Korean dictator, as he was disguised as a son of an employee at the North Korean embassy. His

Hashtag Korea March 22, 2023

A ruling last month by a high court in Seoul has resurrected the debate on same-sex marriages, which, unlike in many other countries, is a topic rarely-discussed in South Korea. The judgement acknowledged people in same-sex partnerships as eligible dependents for national health insurance coverage under a partner’s subscription, a decision which was hailed by sexual minorities and their advocates, and denounced by naysayers, including conservative Christian groups. “Common-law marria

Social Affairs March 20, 2023

Grandson of the late former President Chun Doo-hwan, Chun Woo-won, who recently made headlines for publicly accusing his family of various felonies, broadcast himself taking what appeared to be drugs early Friday. The 27-year-old started streaming himself on YouTube around 5:40 a.m., Korean time, at his New York home and apologized for what he said were his family’s crimes, with a vow to donate half of his assets to society. He also showed himself donating $52,265 to UNICEF. After reiterat

Social Affairs March 17, 2023

To become a naturalized citizen of South Korea, applicants must have a basic knowledge of the Korean language, customs and culture, which is evaluated through a written test and an interview. The Korea Immigration and Naturalization Aptitude Test comprises of multiple-choice questions, a writing test and an oral test, which must be completed within 60 minutes. To pass, one must score at least 60 points out of 100. According to the Justice Ministry, Korean children in the fourth to sixth grades s

Hashtag Korea March 14, 2023

The 1970s was apparently an embodiment of paradox. The world’s two superpowers were at fierce competition with one another while also engaging in detente diplomacy on the surface amid a proxy war in Vietnam dragging on through the first half of the decade. On the Korean Peninsula, the two Koreas -- separated by the 38th parallel -- agreed on their first-ever accord, only to be followed by the most volatile confrontations. The July 4 South-North Joint Statement, or Communique of 1972, was t

North Korea March 8, 2023

A 37-year-old woman accused of injuring three people with a knife on a subway told police that she did so because someone called her “ajumma,” police said Saturday. The accused, whose identity was withheld, is charged with injuring two women in her 60s and a man in his 50s inside a subway train headed to Jukjeon Station in the city of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. According to the subway police, the accused was speaking on the phone when one of the two women asked her to lower her voice

Social Affairs March 5, 2023

The sex ratio at birth for South Korea in 2022 was 104.7 boys to every 100 girls, Statistics Korea data showed Wednesday, the closest Korea has ever been to gender parity among newborns since the government started keeping tally in 1990. The gender ratio for the year marked a new low since 104.9 in 2020, according to the state-run organization. The figure rebounded slightly to 105.1 in 2021 before dropping by 0.4. There have always been more baby boys than girls born worldwide: According to the

Social Affairs March 1, 2023

Tiny was hardly even the word for it. The solitary confinement inside the buildings of Seodaemun Jail was barely wide enough for an average-sized man to enter, and would have been just long enough for one to lie down. On one side of the windowless cell was a small hole, which turned out to be possibly among the most depraved versions of a toilet. Built in 1908 near the end of the Joseon era, this notorious jail was a place where many Korean independence fighters were locked up, tortured and exec

Travel Feb. 28, 2023

A bestselling writer and scholar named Lee Ji-sun -- whose story of surviving a severe injury inflicted by a drunk driver inspired many across the country -- said Friday that she has become a professor at her alma mater, Ewha Womans University. The 44-year-old author of the autobiographical essay collection “I Love You Jisun” will start her tenure as a professor of social welfare starting March 1, according to the university. Lee was involved in a seven-vehicle collision that occurre

People Feb. 24, 2023

Deep in the heart of the North Korean capital Pyongyang, moored along the Pothong River Canal, is a US Navy ship that is featured as an exhibition of the "Victorious War Museum." The ill-fated vessel is USS Pueblo, the only active ship on the commissioned roster of the American Navy now held captive by another country. On Jan. 23, 1968, the world’s most powerful military was dealt an unexpected blow by the hands of a tiny communist state, when Pyongyang attacked the US Navy intel

Hashtag Korea Feb. 22, 2023

In the winter of 1443, Korea’s native writing system called Hunminjeongeum, which means “the correct sound that teaches the people,” was born. Three years later, a book of the same name was published under commission of the king to explain how the novel writing system works and how it was created. Nearly six centuries have passed, and the writing system, now called Hangeul, is credited for South Korea’s near-100 percent literacy rate, with many taking pride in the scienti

Hashtag Korea Feb. 19, 2023

Survive & Thrive is a weekly series offering a guide to living in South Korea for those born outside of the country. – Ed. According to the latest government data, there are 210,990 naturalized Koreans in South Korea, making up for roughly 0.4 percent of the population for the nation. Each year, around 10,000 people become naturalized citizens, with recent figures being 11,752 in 2021, 13,400 in 2020 and 8,813 in 2019. There are basically three types of naturalization: general, simpl

Hashtag Korea Feb. 14, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government, while moving to raise fares for buses and the subway to cover mounting losses, backpedaled Wednesday on its plan to introduce a new distance-based fare system for buses after facing public backlash. The initial plan, which was recently submitted by the municipal government to the city council, called for raising the basic fare for intra-city buses by 300 won ($0.24) or 400 won from 1,200 won, and the inter-city bus fare by 700 won from 2,300 won. On top of that

Social Affairs Feb. 8, 2023

"History through The Korea Herald” revisits significant events and issues over the seven decades through articles, photos and editorial pieces published in the Herald and retell them from a contemporary perspective. – Ed. Last Wednesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the birthplace of Park Chung-hee, a military strongman who ruled South Korea with an iron fist for nearly two decades until 1979, calling him “a great leader.” A day before Yoon’s visit to Gumi

Hashtag Korea Feb. 8, 2023