The ruling People Power Party, doing little to hide its hostility toward local broadcaster MBC which reported President Yoon Suk-yeol’s profanity-laced hot-mic incident, has called out one of its reporters as being “rude” to wear slippers during a question-and-answer session with the president. “Freedom of the press must be respected, but reporters should think about the responsibility of the media and the basic courtesy required for human beings,” said Kim Jong-h

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2022

A 25-year-old Korean flight attendant on a layover was critically injured in a stabbing at a Target store in downtown Los Angeles, California, according to US news media reports. The incident occurred at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to eye witnesses, the suspect -- a homeless man -- walked into the store, grabbed a large butcher knife off of a store shelf and attacked the Korean woman and a 9-year-old boy. He also punched another woman who tried to intervene in the situation. The 40-year-

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2022

For those commuting to Seoul from cities in Gyeonggi Province, rush hour means standing on the aisle of a packed bus running on an expressway. It is unsafe and against the law, but widely considered just part of life. Starting from Friday, 44 percent of intercity buses in Gyeonggi Province will no longer accept passengers when there are no seats left. Gyeonggi Provincial Government confirmed the no standing policy on Tuesday, saying it is for the safety of passengers. The move comes amid a natio

Social Affairs Nov. 16, 2022

One whole Korean-style fried chicken contains far more calories than the daily intake recommended by the World Health Organization, industry data showed Tuesday. According to a survey of 24 products from the top 10 fried chicken franchises in Korea conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency, the calorie content of one whole fried chicken ranged from 1,554 to 3,103 kilocalories. The daily recommended calorie intake is 2,000 kcals for adult women and 2,500 kcals for men. The chicken with the highest c

Food Nov. 15, 2022

Friends and couples in kimonos take pictures on streets lit by colorful paper lanterns under the eaves of Japanese-style houses and shops. Food stalls' yakitori, takoyaki and platters of beautifully arranged sashimi tempt the appetites of passersby. At a shinto shrine, people write prayers or wishes on paper strips and bamboo plaques and hang them on wooden hooks. This corner of Dongducheon, just north of Seoul, may be a picture-perfect slice of Japan, but if you came to the same spot years

Travel Nov. 15, 2022

DAEGU -- A pig’s head sits atop a small chair at a residential dead end. Another is placed on top of a bucket, a few steps away. On a wall hangs a banner that reads: “We strongly oppose the construction of an Islamic mosque.” This tiny corner of Daehyeon-dong in the southern conservative city of Daegu is the site of one of the most acrimonious cultural conflicts in South Korea today. A group of Muslims bought one of the properties here and have set out to build a mosque. Now ne

Social Affairs Nov. 11, 2022

A derelict spiral ramp, which was once connected to a rooftop parking garage of the former Seoul Station building, has been adorned with fluorescent installations. At the hollow center of the circular ramp stands a large, blue structure that resembles a rotating galaxy. Dubbed “Docking Seoul,” the once-abandoned structure in the center of the capital has been turned into a unique cultural space with immersive art experiences. The ramp has been disused since 2004, when the new Seo

Hashtag Korea Nov. 8, 2022

Guenego Limamou, a 34-year-old French chef whose favorite Korean food was dak galbi (spicy stir-fried chicken), visited Itaewon on Oct. 29 to explore local eateries in the back alleys of Seoul's popular nightlife district. His anticipated trip to learn about the world of Korean cuisine, however, came to a tragic end when the neighborhood became the site of a disaster. He was among the 156 people who died in the fatal crowd crush in Itaewon. “He planned to create some French dishes ble

Social Affairs Nov. 7, 2022

프랑스 국적의 셰프 게네고 리마무(34)는 지난 29일 평소에 관심 있던 한국 음식을 체험하기 위해 이태원을 찾았다가 참변를 당했다. 유가족에 따르면, 그는 올해 파리에서 레스토랑을 오픈하려 준비 중이었고, 프랑스 요리와 한식을 접목시킨 퓨전 메뉴를 개발하기 위해 한국에 와 있었다. 열흘간 이태원을 비롯한 다양한 도시에서 한국 음식을 체험하고 현지 요식업 종사자들의 자문을 구할 예정이었지만 갑자기 벌어진 참사로 그는 하늘의 별이 됐다. 리마무의 시신 운구 절차를 위해 한국을 찾은 그의 사촌 아이작 페레이라(28)은 7일 코리아헤럴드 기자를 만나 리마무는 “전도가 유망한, 유명한 셰프 였고, 한식 중 특히 닭갈비를 좋아했다”고 회고했다. 리마무와 함께 자라 친형제와 다름 없다는 페레이라는 그에게 한국 음식을 처음 소개시켜준 것도 자신이라며 “함께 하기로 한 일들이 많은데 갑자기 이런 일이 생기다니 믿을 수 없다”고 했다. 7일 오후 페레이라는

한국어판 Nov. 7, 2022

Mourners form a long line near Itaewon Station Exit 1, just a few meters from where over 150 people died on a horrific Halloween night out on Saturday. One by one they get a white chrysanthemum from a makeshift table, which they lay down at a memorial altar for the victims set up nearby. The flowers have been brought by Kim Seo-joon, a 31-year-old man who runs a flower shop in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. He brought more than 300 white chrysanthemums to Itaewon on Wednesday morning to give aw

Social Affairs Nov. 2, 2022

Paula Nascimento, a 31-year-old Brazilian female office worker, is suffering from depression and anger after witnessing the nightmarish scenes in Seoul’s Itaewon Saturday night. “My mind kept straying back to when I saw emergency rescuers and citizens performing CPR on people lying unconscious on the street. What terrifies me the most is the faces of teenagers in the crowd screaming for help,” she said. Psychological trauma affects many people, in-person witnesses like Nascimen

Social Affairs Nov. 1, 2022

The news of a horrific crowd crush in Seoul’s foreigner-friendly neighborhood of Itaewon has left foreign communities here in shock and grief. Many interviewed by The Korea Herald spoke of receiving calls from worried families and friends back home, while others said they were trying to be of any help to the victims who were killed or injured in this foreign land. “My family members were all shocked when they first heard about the incident. I called them and said I’m doing okay

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2022

Restaurants and cafes near the site where over 150 people died in a fatal stampede in Seoul’s Itaewon on Saturday night will close for a three-day mourning period for the victims, a police officer said Sunday. “Some stores have already stopped operations. Whether the temporary closure will extend depends on how the situation unfolds,” a police officer who wished to remain anonymous told The Korea Herald. The closures are voluntary and some businesses have opened as usual. On Sa

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2022

The area around Itaewon in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, full of excited Halloween partygoers on Saturday night, turned into a catastrophic scene in an instant. At least 153 people died and dozens were injured in a crowd crush that took place in a narrow alley near the neighborhood’s famous Hamilton Hotel. The celebratory scene quickly turned into a nightmare as screams and cries for help erupted from the crowd, and the sounds of ambulance sirens mixed with thumping music that continued to fl

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2022

When KakaoTalk was down and suffered extended service malfunctions last month, rumors quickly swept through social media platforms that the messenger app’s multi-profile function had gone haywire, exposing users’ profile photos to groups which were not intended to be shown. People with secrets to keep, such as extramarital affairs, became particularly concerned about the rumor. A blog post on Daum acted as a warning to other adulterers who created a secret relationship profil

Hashtag Korea Oct. 28, 2022