On Dec. 29, the life of 66-year-old Jeon ended abruptly by a fire that broke out inside a soundproof tunnel on a highway. He was one of the five who died in the deadly flame in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, which left 41 others injured and 45 cars destroyed. In his last phone call alive, Jeon told wife it was chaos in the tunnel and that he couldn’t move the car nor open the car door. “There was an explosion in the tunnel. It’s filled with smoke and it’s all dark. &hellip

Social Affairs Jan. 5, 2023

The South Korean national health insurance operator's list of heavy defaulters – those whose overdue premiums payments exceed 10 million won ($7,833) – includes self-styled “rich” rapper Dok2. He has failed to pay 16.6 million won from 2018 to 2019, it showed. The revelation came just a month after the National Tax Service made public the same rapper’s overdue balance of 320 million won in taxes. When this was disclosed, Dok2 posted promotional images of his

Culture Jan. 3, 2023

Before there was The Korea Herald, there was The Korean Republic. On Aug. 15, 1953, a four-page tabloid began publication with a mission of telling the world South Korean stories from South Koreans’ perspective. For a small, impoverished nation that was just setting out to rebuild the ruins of the war, the world was a hostile place, where superpowers -- the US and the now-defunct Soviet Union -- dominated the global agenda and the voices of smaller countries were too often muffled even w

Hashtag Korea Jan. 2, 2023

On Oct. 1, 44-year-old Cho Han-ah and her husband were enjoying the afternoon out. The unseasonably warm weather invited the couple on a walk across the 1.5-kilometer-long Wonhyo Bridge over Han River in Seoul, where they ran across a young woman about to jump into the waters below. “No!” Cho shouted, as she grabbed the woman who already had a leg up on the railing of the bridge. The woman fell over her feet and landed on the bridge floor. The woman attempting to jump was a 19-year-o

Social Affairs Dec. 31, 2022

Pele, the Brazilian soccer legend who died of cancer Wednesday at age 82, is widely regarded as one of the best players in sports history. His numerous accolades include being the only player to win three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and being the most prolific goal-scorer in Brazil’s history by netting 77 goals, a record he shares with Neymar. In 1999, the International Olympic Committee elected Pele the Athlete of the Century, while he was also selected as FIFA Player of the Centur

Soccer Dec. 30, 2022

Breakdancing will be included in after-school classes provided by elementary and middle schools in Seoul starting next year, the city’s education authorities said Wednesday. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Korea Breaking Federation -- the administrative body of breakdancing events and competitions in South Korea -- are slated to sign an agreement on creating breakdance classes tailored to students. The KBF will organize education courses and teaching materials while fost

Social Affairs Dec. 28, 2022

The New Year’s bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak will be back this Saturday as an offline event for the first time since 2019. Coronavirus restrictions had forced the ceremony to be held exclusively online for the past two years. Just as Americans gather to see the ball drop at New York City's Times Square at midnight, South Koreans flock to the Jongno-gu area to see the old bronze Bosingak bell being rung 33 times, a time-honored tradition with religious roots that signifies “c

Hashtag Korea Dec. 27, 2022

St. Nick's world-famous sled, led by Rudolph, has dashed across most of the world and is currently covering the Americas on a daring 24-hour marathon to deliver gifts to children across the world. At least that's what the official NORAD Santa Tracking website, run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, says. The military agency responsible for monitor and defense of the skies above North America has continued the tradition of providing real-time tracking system for Santa Clau

Culture Dec. 25, 2022

A 20-year-old Vietnamese woman is under police investigation for allegedly abandoning her newborn child in subzero weather in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Officials at the Jeonju Deokjin Police Station said Wednesday that they are planning to file for a warrant to detain the suspect for violating the Child Welfare Act. Anyone who abandons a child under his or her protection and supervision can be punished with up to two years in prison or 3 million won ($2,349) in fines. The suspect is accused

Social Affairs Dec. 22, 2022

A man who was seen inflicting unwanted physical contact on his 7-year-old stepdaughter on a recently-aired TV show is under investigation for sexual harassment, local police said late Wednesday. According to the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency, officials have commenced the pre-arrest investigation on the person after being notified of the allegation. “Details of the case will not be revealed due to fear of secondary damage on the victim. (Officials) will summon the related individuals whe

Social Affairs Dec. 22, 2022

An average wage earner in South Korea would have to save up one’s entire income for 14 years to buy a home in Seoul, a government study showed Wednesday. The price-to-income ratio -- the median home price divided by the median annual household income -- for Seoul in 2021 jumped to 14.1 from 12.5 in the year before, according to the 2021 Korea Housing Survey released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The figure was higher than that of any other region in the country, wi

Economy Dec. 21, 2022

At the bottom of a winding path in the quiet neighborhood of Wa-dong, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, resides one of South Korea's most infamous child sex offenders in a nondescript apartment. In 2008, a middle-aged man called Cho Doo-soon sexually attacked and maimed a then-eight-year-old girl in a church restroom. The inhumane assault resulted in unspeakable injuries to the victim, which she still suffers from according to a recent statement by her father. This also led to a flurry of proposed

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2022

Korea has had an abundance of home remedies throughout its history. Many of them are as simple and harmless as drinking plum tea when you have a cough, but some can be as extreme as downing water from human feces. These methods have varying levels of effectiveness and most medical experts voice concern about following them blindly. One example of time-old home remedies still practiced by many in Korea is poking your finger with a needle to cause it to bleed in case of indigestion. Although not a

Hashtag Korea Dec. 17, 2022

All members of the South Korean parliament have pledged to take part in a campaign to get rid of hate speech, bullying and human rights violations in cyberspace, the Sunfull Foundation said Sunday. “All 299 lawmakers have signed a pledge to support using good language during their political activities,” announced the organization’s founder Min Byoung-chul during an award ceremony held Dec. 7 to commend 35 parliamentarians for using what they perceive as a respectful language, a

People Dec. 11, 2022

Recently, South Korea suffered its worst Halloween nightmare when a catastrophic crowd crush on Oct. 29 claimed 158 lives, mostly young people simply out to have fun and enjoy the festivities. In light of the tragedy, district offices around crowded areas and party districts in Seoul have rolled out some specific safety measures. Within the famous nightlife streets of Hongdae, located in Mapo-gu, red lines have been drawn on sloped streets to help warn pedestrians. And by the end of the month, t

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2022