The national mental health center for disaster victims provided over 7,000 counseling sessions over last year's tragic Itaewon disaster, data showed Tuesday. The National Center for Disaster and Trauma conducted 7,141 counseling sessions over the past year after the Itaewon crowd crush that took 159 lives on Oct. 29, 2022, according to data sourced from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and disclosed by Rep. In Jae-keun of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. In the period from

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2023

Almost 6 in 10 Koreans believe in the correlation of blood types -- A, B, O or AB -- and personalities, a survey showed Friday. In a Gallup Korea poll of 1,501 adults aged 19 and over, approximately 57 percent of respondents support the concept of the blood type personality theory, a pseudoscientific notion suggesting that blood types can predict one's personality and temperament. In terms of preferences for a certain blood type, 49 percent of the respondents favored type O blood, follo

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2023

Nearly 1 in 3 Korean adults is classified as "obese," with over half of Korean men in their 30s falling within that range, data showed Thursday. According to nationwide data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the percentage of adults with a body mass index higher than 25 -- the cutoff for obesity in Korea -- reached 32.5 percent last year, marking an increase of 0.3 percentage point from 2021. The obsesity rate, based on BMI, a measure of body mass divided b

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2023

An endangered sea turtle was found dead in seas near Jeju Island on Saturday, with a fishhook lodged in its front flipper, the Coast Guard reported. The Seogwipo Coast Guard Station said Monday that it located the dead body of a green sea turtle, a globally endangered species, in waters off Beophwan Port in the city of Seogwipo on Jeju Island. The 60-centimeter-long turtle had a fishhook stuck in its right front flipper and was estimated to have been dead at least for 20 days, considering the

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2023

Adding to unease among South Koreans in a conflict-ridden world this year is the recent full-blown war that broke out between Hamas and Israel early this month. Palestinian militant group Hamas, an Islamist group based in the Gaza Strip, initiated large-scale land and air attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7. In response, Israel declared a state of war against Hamas and launched retaliatory airstrikes on Palestinian territory. The situation resonates with South Korea, where tensions persist betw

Defense Oct. 15, 2023

The city of Seoul said Thursday that it will add over 2,500 new trash bins on the streets by 2025. The difficulty to dispose of trash in public spaces has been among the most common complaints from foreign visitors to the capital, as well as residents. Across Seoul, a city of some 10 million residents, there are currently fewer than 5,000 trash cans. Public trash cans disappeared en masse from the streets of Seoul and elsewhere across the country following the 1995 introduction of a pay-as-you-t

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2023

Runaway inflation is putting pressure on the economically vulnerable across various walks of life, and college students are among those finding new ways to cope with the cost of living. In South Korea, it is not unusual for 20-something children to live with their parents until marriage, often receiving full or partial financial support from them. A survey of 1,319 people in their 20s, conducted by part-time job portal Alba Heaven in August, found that 88.1 percent are financially reliant on

Hashtag Korea Oct. 10, 2023

Four in 10 foreigners who initially came to South Korea on a visa mostly granted to Korean language program students ended up becoming illegal immigrants, data showed Tuesday. According to data sourced from the Ministry of Justice and released by Rep. Cho Jung-hun of the Transition Korea party, out of a total of 64,904 foreign nationals who entered Korea on the D-4 General Trainee visa, approximately 40 percent (25,898 individuals) eventually became illegal immigrants, as of June this year. Th

Social Affairs Oct. 10, 2023

For one local beer aficionado, the recent increase in the variety of alcoholic beverages available at convenience stores has been noticeable and -- to a moderate degree -- welcome. "Various Japanese beer brands are now part of the 'Buy four cans of imported beer for 10,000 won ($7.50)' deal," 32-year-old Lee Hyun-soo told The Korea Herald. "So I thought, 'Why not relish their rich flavor?' Especially since I haven't been to Japan in ages,” he said. M

Consumer Oct. 2, 2023

Breaking the internet in Korea with its catchy, electronic beats and amusing choreography, “Do you know Dr. Hong?” is the latest viral dance challenge to captivate teens and young adults across various social media platforms. At the center of the craze is Jojubong, the digital persona of the Korean comedian Jo Hoon, renowned for running the comedy YouTube channel, "The Myeonsang." Since its initial release in July, the original music video has accumulated five million vie

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2023

More than one million Koreans aged over 60 are primary household earners, despite their age falling within the typical retirement phase, data showed Tuesday. According to National Health Insurance data that Rep. Kim Sang-hoon of the ruling People Power Party received from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of Korean household breadwinners aged over 60 stood at 1.05 million last year, more than double the figure of 503,840 recorded in 2013. Among individuals with dependents on their

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2023

Nearly 7,300 South Korean nationals were victims of accidents or crimes in other countries during the first half of this year, with 19 of them murdered, data showed Monday. Data released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reveals that a total of 7,294 Korean nationals were victims of accidents or crimes while overseas during the 6-month period from January to June this year, marking an approximate 44 percent on-year increase. This rise comes as Korea saw a more than sevenfold on-year increas

Social Affairs Sept. 25, 2023

Besides the enduring popularity of Korean staples, a series of food crazes has been providing fresh gustatory excitement in Korea, however temporary their popularity may be. These trending foods span a wide array of categories, ranging from beverages and snacks to bread and noodles. Some are fleeting fads, while others become consistent sellers in the food industry. And then there are also those relinquish their momentary fame to other emerging culinary sensations. Currently reigning supreme are

weekender Sept. 23, 2023

More Koreans are expressing a preference for offering cash instead of gift sets to their parents during the Chuseok holiday, data showed Thursday. According to a survey conducted by KB Kookmin Card, a subsidiary of South Korea's KB Financial Group, among a total of 420 survey participants, 91 percent are planning to prepare gifts either in monetary or non-monetary form for their parents, with almost 80 percent opting for cash while 43 percent are considering product purchases. In terms

Social Affairs Sept. 22, 2023

Seoul City is organizing a job fair for marriage-based immigrants this week, as part of its efforts to help their integration into Korean society and unlock a pool of bilingual potential workers, officials said Wednesday. The event, to be held at Seoul Women's Plaza on Thursday, aims to link local businesses to foreign nationals who are married to Korean nationals and proficient in more than one language. Among the participating businesses, some 15, such as those related to medical tours an

Social Affairs Sept. 20, 2023