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

Over 60 percent of Korean moth[1]ers aged 24 and under show signs of depression, a recent study by state-run institutes showed. The state-run National Youth Policy Institute and Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs conducted a survey on 101 mothers in that age group across the country based on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-11, which asks people how they felt or behaved in the previous week It found that 61.4 percent of mothers surveyed scored 16 or more, which in

Social Affairs Feb. 7, 2023

Almost immediately, one can feel the nationalistic pride that fills Dongnimmun Station as the taegeuk mark and the four black trigrams of the Taegeukgi, the national flag, can be seen across multiple corners of the Line No.3 terminal. It is one of the few subway stations in Seoul that has its own unique design reflecting the significance of the surrounding areas. Such meaning can be found immediately upon stepping out of exit No. 3, adjacent to a small exhibition hall named “House for

Travel Feb. 4, 2023

A 24-year-old woman was taken into custody by Incheon Police on Thursday on suspicion of neglecting her 2-year-old son at home alone for three days. The child was found dead. Investigation by Incheon Police Station found that the suspect left her home in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, at around 2 p.m. Monday, and returned at 2 a.m. on Thursday. Police took her into custody on suspicion of child abuse, after the suspect herself called the police and said her child was not breathing. The suspect did not st

Social Affairs Feb. 2, 2023

South Korea has recently rolled out a series of changes for foreign visitors and residents in the country, ranging from new visas to giving young children access to automated immigration gates at airports. The measures are intended to draw more foreigners, from tourists to long-term workers, after a period of pandemic-induced strict border controls. Introduction of new visas Two new visa types will be made available to visitors, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced last mont

Social Affairs Feb. 1, 2023

There are several hot places to hang out in Seoul, but there are few that does so to the extent of “Kondae street,” located in eastern Seoul adjacent to Konkuk Univ. Station Lines No. 2 and No. 7. Just as the name suggests, the subway station is located right next to Konkuk University campus, with the university hospital next to exits No. 3 and No. 4. The area is always bustling with students, those visiting the hospital, and mostly people out to dine and party across the road with

Hashtag Korea Jan. 25, 2023

Among the first actions by South Korea's founding President Syngman Rhee, after his administration mowed down protesters in what would later be known as the "Bloody Tuesday," was to call for patriotism. The front page of the April 21, 1960, edition for The Korean Republic -- forerunner of The Korea Herald -- carried the initial reaction by the Rhee administration to the April 19 Revolution, which eventually led to Rhee’s resignation. Thousands of students had poured out onto

Hashtag Korea Jan. 25, 2023

Approximately 4.5 percent of the youth population in Seoul have been cut off from society, a recent report by the metropolitan government said Wednesday, with many of them citing difficulties in finding jobs and personal relationships as the main culprit. The report by the Seoul Metropolitan Government surveyed 5,513 people aged between 19 and 39 living in the city, and found that 4.5 percent of them could be defined as “isolated” or “reclusive.” City officials defined &l

Social Affairs Jan. 22, 2023

In the Seongnam land development scandal, which has inflicted South Korea’s main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, involvment now appears to include the media with a CEO, managing editor and senior reporters across multiple news outlets. The latest to lose their job over suspected ties to Kim Man-bae, the key suspect in the high-profile land development scandal, was a reporter at Hankook Ilbo. According to the newspaper’s announcement on Friday, the senior reporter borrowed 100 millio

Social Affairs Jan. 13, 2023

Left-leaning journalist Kim Ou-joon, who has been a magnet of controversy for his brash words, is making top earnings as a YouTuber off its super chat donation system, the platform's website showed Thursday. According to Playboard, which shows various statistics related to YouTube, Kim's newly launched channel gyeomsonisnothing logged 31.8 million won ($25,533) in earnings. It topped the daily chart every day from Monday to Thursday. On Monday, when the first video was uploaded, it gar

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 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. “Re-unification of Korea is goal, Rhee,” says the front page of The Korea Herald, then called The Korean Republic, in its founding edition on Aug. 15, 1953. To today’s Koreans, this message from the late inaugural President Syngman Rhee may

Hashtag Korea Jan. 11, 2023

"사망자가 고위 관계자의 가족이 있었다면 이렇게 조용했을까요? 아닐 거에요." 지난 12월 29일 과천시 갈현동 제2경인고속도로 갈현고가교 방음터널에서 발생한 화재로 아버지를 잃은 A(38) 씨는 사고 경위에 대해 관련 당국자들이 책임 회피만 하고 있다며 울분을 토했다. 사고로 목숨을 잃은 66세 전모씨의 유족들은 지난 4일 코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 민자도로 운영사인 제2경인고속도로 주식회사로부터도, 관리감독 책임을 가진 국토교통부로부터도 조사 진행 상황에 대한 뚜렷한 설명을 듣지 못했다고 전했다. 사고가 난 지 일주일이 지났지만 이들은 오히려 "조사 방향이 어떻게 되는 것이냐?"고 기자에게 물으며 답답함을 표했다. 피해자 전씨의 둘째 딸인 A씨는 "먼저 유가족에게 사과는 해야 하는 부분인데, 조사만 한다고 하지 유가족에 대한 배려는 하나도 없다"라고 하면서 "물론 그 (정부) 사람들이 백프로 잘못한 것은 아니지만 어

한국어판 Jan. 6, 2023