A rural district in South Jeolla Province has pledged a benefits package for families of students who joins a school in Hongdo, a small island off South Korea’s southwestern coast suffering from population drop. Sinan-gun, the jurisdiction in which Hongdo lies, said Tuesday that it has received inquiries from over 80 households related to its planned cash incentives for new enrollees at Heuksan Elementary School’s Hongdo branch, which will graduate all three of its students in Februa

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2023

More than half of adults of South Korean nationality do not plan to continue holding the “jesa,” the traditional ritual held in honor of one’s ancestors, a recent survey showed. According to the Sung Kyun Kwan, a traditional Confucian educational institution, its survey of 1,500 Korean men and women aged 20 or older across the country found that while 62.2 percent of the respondents still perform the jesa ritual, 55.9 percent are considering discontinuing it in the future. The

Culture Oct. 30, 2023

South Korean police said a travel ban on Jeon Cheong-jo, an alleged con artist who was briefly engaged to former Olympic medalist Nam Hyun-hee, has been issued, as details surrounding the relationship between the swindler and the embattled sports hero continue to emerge. According to Songpa Police Station, the Justice Ministry recently authorized the police request to ground the 27-year-old Jeon, who is being accused of multiple counts of extortion. Jeon is suspected of swindling money from the

Social Affairs Oct. 29, 2023

South Korean actor Lee Sun-hyun on Saturday appeared before police in connection with allegations of drug use, and submitted hair and urine samples for drug testing. The 48-year-old tested negative in a rapid drug test that was also taken Saturday, while submitting his phone for evidence. The National Forensic Service is slated to conduct the test, result of which is expected about a month later. Lee, known for his appearance in the Academy-winning 2019 picture “Parasite,” did not ma

Social Affairs Oct. 29, 2023

Local casino and resort conglomerate Paradise Group on Thursday officially denied any relations with Jeon Cheong-jo, a con artist whose lie-riddled engagement with the former Olympic silver medalist Nam Hyun-hee has been making headlines here. The former athlete had broken off her engagement with Jeon on Wednesday, hours after which Jeon was arrested by police on accusations of stalking Nam. It was also revealed by police on Thursday that Jeon had a woman's resident registration number, alt

Social Affairs Oct. 26, 2023

Former Olympic medalist Nam Hyun-hee said Thursday that she had been deceived by Jeon Cheong-jo, who was engaged to the 42-year-old fencer before being revealed as a con artist. Nam, who became the first South Korean woman to win a fencing Olympic medal by winning silver in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said in a media interview that she learned Wednesday that her boyfriend had swindled money from her acquaintances. She said Jeon instigated everything in their relationship, including their marriage

Social Affairs Oct. 26, 2023

A series of rumors and accusations surrounding retired fencer Nam Hyun-hee's impending marriage has surfaced recently, with the former Olympic medalist and her groom-to-be vowing legal action against what they say are groundless accusations. Nam said Monday that she will marry a man named Jeon Cheong-jo, who was initially reported to be a businessman from a wealthy family. But in the two days since her announcement, the 42-year-old former athlete has been plagued by an array of allegations

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2023

The effects or safety of the substances sold in South Korea as “growth medicine” have not been verified through proper clinical testing, a report by a main opposition lawmaker claimed Wednesday. There are 24 different drugs that are being marketed as helping boost growth in Korea, according to Rep. Kim Young-joo of the Democratic Party. An analysis of the data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the National Health Insurance Service, and the Health Insurance Review & Asses

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2023

One chilly autumn afternoon in October, students of Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul poured out onto the streets for lunch. A group found their way into a small bakery by the name of Monday Picnic down an alley, where they treated themselves to yakgwa financier cakes. “I have never really been a fan of yakgwa, but I became curious after it started trending. From yakgwa cookies and financier to ice cream, there are several forms, and they're all pretty good,” said Jo

Food Oct. 25, 2023

An owner of a Chinese restaurant in Incheon claimed to have been threatened by nearby restaurant owners, who took issue with its free delivery policy. According to the owner, who made his claims on his restaurant's page at a mobile delivery application, he has been receiving calls from a group calling itself “Jungsik Yeonhap," which translates as Chinese Restaurants Association. The owner said the group demanded that he abolish the free delivery policy and raise his prices, or

Food Oct. 24, 2023

Lotte World Aquarium recently filed charges against a local marine animal rights advocates' group for holding a protest within its premises, the latest development in their ongoing battle over the release of a beluga whale. Songpa Police Station in southern Seoul last week said it is pressing charges of destruction of property and interference with business against eight activists from the group Hot Pink Dolphins, a marine conservation activist group. Last year, they held a protest at the L

Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2023

A fad of watching fireplace videos to relax has sparked a fire scare in Seoul, prompting 119 emergency calls from apartment residents and evacuation just after midnight. At around 12:03 a.m. on Thursday, Seoul Yeongdeungpo Fire Department received a call that a fire seemed to have broken out at an apartment in Dangsan-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The building was evacuated, but when the 61 firefighters dispatched to the scene arrived at the supposed site of the blaze, they found a video of a ca

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2023

“South Korea has had the most lively movie industry in the world for the past decade,” remarked French filmmaker Luc Besson during this year’s Busan International Film Festival that closed last week. Although it may appear as though Korean cinema’s meteoric rise to prominence occurred just over a decade ago or even more recently, its foundation runs deeper. For many, 2003 stands out as a pivotal year when Korean cinema made its mark on the global stage, with films from di

Hashtag Korea Oct. 19, 2023

Issuing and sharing one’s old school transcripts is a new social media fad in South Korea, as the retro craze continues among younger generations. According to the Ministry of Education, 2.85 million school transcripts were issued between July and September of this year, marking a 6.1-fold increase compared to the same period last year. While requests for transcripts are typically made for practical purposes such as job or college applications, this sudden surge is primarily attributed to

Social Affairs Oct. 17, 2023

Last year's deadly crowd crush at Itaewon, Seoul claimed more than lives. Recent data showed 1,316 firemen dispatched at the scene are still suffering from the psychological impact of the incident. According to the National Fire Agency data revealed by Rep. Oh Young-hwan of the main opposition Democratic Party, the rescue workers are receiving treatment for various side effects with relation to the tragedy. The deadly incident occurred Oct. 29, 2022 when the crowd became concentrated in a small

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2023