A majority of parents in South Korea were found to rely heavily on smartphones or tablet computers when tending to young children while carrying out daily tasks at home, a poll showed Saturday, a development that reflects the country's growing smartphone addiction problem among young people. In the poll conducted by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education on 1,500 parents with children a...

South Koreans' consumption of flowers and ornamental plants rose 6.1 percent on-year last year on rising demand amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions in outdoor activities, data showed Saturday. An average South Korean spent 12,386 won ($8.90) on buying flowers and other plants in 2021, compared with 11,676 won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Agr...

Chuseok feast Songpyeon rice cakes are what probably pops into most Koreans' minds when they think of Chuseok. Unlike several other Korean traditional dishes that share roots with neighboring countries, songpyeon are thought to be exclusively Korean, made in half-moon shapes with semi-sweet fillings comprising of soybeans, chestnuts, red beans, sesame seeds and honey. Making songpyeon is a trad...

A South Korean civic group is pushing to erect a statue to honor the late US Army Major Gen. John K. Singlaub to mark the 70th anniversary of the Seoul-Washington alliance next year, the group said Monday. The Korea-US Alliance Foundation, which was established in 2017, is in talks with the deceased general’s bereaved family in the US, as well as officials from the Ministry of Patriots and Veter...

Celebrating this year's Chuseok holiday, the first one to be spent in three years with social distancing measures lifted, heavy traffic congestion are already apparent on the nation's major highways, since Friday morning. Meanwhile, people still prefer to wear their face masks in public areas that are usually packed with crowds. Passengers wait by the boarding entrance stairs of the Seoul Railw...

Sections of expressways nationwide remained clogged with traffic Saturday as South Koreans traveled across the country on the second day of the four-day Chuseok holiday, officials said. This year's Chuseok holiday, or the Korean fall harvest celebration, started Friday and will run through Monday. Koreans normally head back to their hometowns to spend time with their families. As of 9 a.m., it ...

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases fell below 50,000 on Saturday, data showed, due largely to fewer tests carried out over the Chuseok holiday. The country reported 42,747 new COVID-19 infections, including 237 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,976,673, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Saturday's tally is sharply down from 69,410 the previous...

Sections of expressways nationwide became clogged with traffic Thursday as South Koreans headed to their hometowns for family reunions one day ahead of the four-day Chuseok holiday. This year's Chuseok holiday, or the Korean fall harvest celebration, runs from Friday to Monday. Traditionally, Koreans head back to their hometowns to spend time with their families and bow at their ancestors' altar...

Mostly pleasant weather conditions are forecast for the upcoming four-day Chuseok holidays, which kicks off Friday, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Thursday. On Chuseok, which falls on Saturday, skies will likely be cloudy, but it will be possible to see the full moon through the clouds in most parts of the country, it added. According to the state's weather authorities, the central...

More than 600 people remain displaced due to Typhoon Hinnamnor, as authorities struggle to deal with the aftermath of the typhoon in the southern regions of the country. According to the Central Disaster Safety Relief Headquarters, 5,242 people have been displaced with 613 yet to return home as of Thursday. A total of 8,370 houses were flooded, most of them concentrated in North Gyeongsang Prov...

When there is a risk of flash flooding, avoid underground areas. This is the lesson that a series of recent floods have highlighted after they caused multiple casualties. As powerful Typhoon Hinnamnor hit the southern city of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, early Tuesday morning, several people went missing in a flooded underground parking lot of an apartment complex. Two were found alive whi...

Seoul Mapo Police Station has printed out a leaflet to help foreigners who experience crimes in Korea. The leaflet under the title "Promoting the Protection and Support System for Crime Victims" was created to help foreign residents and visitors here. According to the station, many foreign citizens are unaware about the state support they can receive when they are victims of crimes. The leaflet...

One of the two survivors from a flooded underground parking lot in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, early Wednesday morning, was a woman in her 50s who lives at the apartment complex with her family. She had not gone down to the parking lot alone in the middle of the stormy night. Her teenage son had tagged along with her. After the mom’s rescue, the son was found dead as one of the seven bod...

The four-faced stone sculpture is engraved with four Buddhas -- the Amitabha on the west, the Bhaisajyaguru on the east, the Maitreya on the north, and the Sakyamuni on the south. Along with Pohang, also in North Gyeongsang Province, Gyeonggju is one of the hardest hit by super-strong Typhoon Hinnamnor which passed through S. Korea early Tuesday morning.

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest for a Wednesday figure in seven weeks, as the virus trend is weakening at a mild pace. The country reported 85,540 new COVID-19 infections, including 343 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,791,961, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Wednesday's tally is down from 99,837 the previous day and the low...