15-year-old saves man in diabetic shock by feeding him snacks

A 15-year-old boy recently rescued a man suffering from a sudden drop in blood sugar at a Daejeon convenience store when he did some quick thinking and fed the man sugary snacks. Local News 1 reported Thursday that the man had lost consciousness at 8:20 p.m. on Aug. 17 at a convenience store inside the Daejeon World Cup Stadium while he was waiting in line. The man suffered from hypoglycemia and heat exhaustion which caused him to collapse. Song Min-jae, a student at an Incheon middle school,

Aug. 23, 2024

Gwangju explosion caused by disgruntled dental patient: police

A 79-year-old man who caused an explosion and fire at a dental clinic Thursday in Gwangju had done so out of dissatisfaction with the clinic, according to local police. The suspect had told police investigators that he committed the crime because he was discontent with the dental treatment he received, local media outlets reported Friday, citing officials at Gwangju Seobu Police Station. The incident occurred at 1:14 p.m., when the suspect set off an explosion with a makeshift device in the rece

Aug. 23, 2024

7 killed, 12 injured in hotel fire in Bucheon, electric fault blamed

Seven people were killed and a dozen others injured Thursday following a fire at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, with authorities on Friday strongly suspecting "an electric fault" as the main cause. The blaze started on the eighth floor of the nine-story building at around 7:39 p.m. at a hotel in Jung-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, according to fire authorities. The fire, which was confined to the hotel’s upper floors, quickly filled the corridors with thick b

Aug. 23, 2024

[Graphic News] Average commute hits 48.4 minutes

The average daily commute for South Korean workers takes 48.4 minutes, with those living in Gyeonggi Province spending the most time on the road and experiencing the highest stress levels, according to a survey by Job Korea. The online recruiting company polled 1,010 people nationwide to assess the current status of work commutes. Workers in Gyeonggi Province reported the longest average commute at 58.2 minutes. Seoul residents followed with an average of 46.8 minutes, while those living outsi

Aug. 23, 2024

1 killed, 4 in cardiac arrest in hotel fire in Bucheon

BUCHEON, Gyeonggi Province (Yonhap) -- One person was killed and four others were in cardiac arrest following a fire at a hotel in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, on Thursday, police said. According to the Gyeonggi Province firefighting headquarters, the fire began on the eighth floor of the nine-story hotel at 7:39 p.m. "We're currently putting out the fire and trying to rescue people, so we haven't determined the exact number of casualties," a firefighting official said. "

Aug. 22, 2024

Police launch probe into threats posted on German Embassy's website

Police said Thursday they have launched an investigation into threatening messages posted on the website of the German Embassy in Seoul. Nearly 100 messages have been posted on the website since Tuesday, including threats to install explosives at the embassy or blow up key facilities, such as Seoul Station and Asan Medical Center, according to Namdaemun Police Station. The texts were written in German, Korean and Japanese, police said. The messages did not indicate when the explosions would take

Aug. 22, 2024

In South Korea, 'communist party' joke leads to espionage investigation

A group of vacationers inadvertently triggered a national security investigation after a photo of their gathering with a banner jokingly referring to it as a "Communist Party" meeting circulated online. The image, which showed approximately 20 individuals including children under a banner reading "Inaugural Korean Communist Party Family Summer Camp," quickly spread across online forums, leading multiple concerned citizens to file espionage complaints with the authorities. On

Aug. 22, 2024

Explosion at Gwangju dental clinic; no casualties

A man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of causing an explosion that led to a fire at a dental clinic in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. The suspect, 79, brought a makeshift explosive comprised of four canisters of butane gas and a container with flammable material to the reception area of the clinic, located on the third floor of a building in Seo-gu, western Gwangju. He set fire to the material at 1:14 p.m. Thursday, setting off a chain of explosions that forced some 90 people to

Aug. 22, 2024

Government to hold ‘K-Community Challenge’ for foreign participants

The Korean government has launched the “K-Community Challenge” competition for foreigners, set to run until Sept. 22, officials said Thursday. The contest is being promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. This initiative invites participants to submit videos showcasing performances and demonstrations across four categories: Joseon pop, "sogochum" (Korean folk dances) "taekwonm

Aug. 22, 2024

Woman gives birth in ambulance after 4 hospitals turned her down

South Korean rescue officials said Wednesday that a pregnant woman recently gave birth inside an ambulance after four hospitals refused to take her in because they lacked the necessary medical staff or beds in their emergency rooms. According to Jincheon Fire Station in North Chungcheong Province, the woman called an ambulance at 1:31 a.m. on Aug. 15 after she went into labor. The rescue workers reached out to the four nearest hospitals in Cheonan and Cheongju, but all four said they did not h

Aug. 22, 2024

Agency raises caution on faulty weight-loss drugs

The state-run consumer protection agency said Thursday that it has received 203 complaints about weight-loss drugs since 2021, raising caution about using such medications. The number of requests for government intervention on consumer damages related to antiobesity medication has been on the rise, from 17 in 2021 to 44 in 2022, 85 in 2023 and 57 from January to June of this year, according to the Korea Consumer Agency. The number of such complaints in the first half of this year increased, comp

Aug. 22, 2024

Head-on collision of 2 vehicles in New Zealand kills 3 South Korean skiers

A head-on collision of vehicles on a New Zealand highway killed three South Korean skiers and seriously injured two other people, local police and South Korean sports officials said. The van and a four-wheel-drive vehicle were traveling in opposite directions before crashing at an intersection near the rural South Island town of Geraldine, the district’s police inspector Vicki Walker said. The collision Wednesday killed three of the van’s passengers and critically injured another p

Aug. 22, 2024

Diaspora journey of running for US Congress

More than 100 politicians of Korean descent from across the globe gathered in Seoul this week for the 10th Global Korean Politicians Forum to connect and discuss items on the agenda such as security, welfare and education. Among those is a name to watch in US politics: 40-year-old David Kim, a children’s court attorney and activist, who is currently running for Los Angeles’ 34th Congressional District. In a community brimming with the cultural vibrancy of Korean Americans, Kim stands

Aug. 22, 2024

S. Korea sees surge in bee stings

South Korea has seen a surge in bee stings as subtropical wasps, such as Asian hornets, have gotten more active due to high temperatures, according to the National Fire Agency on Thursday. According to the fire agency’s data, the number of cases where patients had to be transported to emergency services due to bee stings reached up to 2,583 over June to July in 2024. On average, the fire agency had seen up to 42 reports made daily regarding bee stings. There has also been a 35.9 percent in

Aug. 22, 2024

Celebrities on photo line: walk of shame or equal treatment?

Suga of BTS not showing up for his first round of police questioning Thursday reignited debates over whether high-profile figures are unfairly targeted by being made to face the media on the photo line when they are under investigation. The star of the mega-hit K-pop group faces accusations of driving an electric scooter under the influence earlier this month. Reports initially indicated that he would appear for questioning at Yongsan Police Station for the first time on Thursday, drawing dozens

Aug. 22, 2024

Harsher punishment sought for illegal driving of e-scooters, in light of related accidents

Lawmakers are seeking to impose stricter penalties for illegal operation of electric-powered scooters, on the coattails of safety concerns sparked by a series of accidents, including one involving K-pop superstar Suga. The controversy surrounding what are legally defined as electric-powered bicycles and electric kick scooters erupted earlier this month, when the BTS member was caught driving an e-scooter while under the influence of alcohol. The incident fueled ongoing concerns over the safety o

Aug. 22, 2024

Seoulites eat less fruit, more meat than decade ago: study

The eating habits of people living in Seoul have shifted towards consuming more meat, fewer vegetables and less fruit in the past decade, a study by the city-funded Seoul Institute showed Thursday. Seoul residents were eating 33.2 percent less fruit and 26.2 percent more meat in 2021 compared to in 2012, according to the study. Specifically, fruit consumption fell from 181.4 grams a day per person to 12.8 grams a day, while meat consumption rose from 110 grams per day per person to 149.1 grams a

Aug. 22, 2024

Seoul increases translations of local laws for growing foreign community

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that it is expanding translations of its local self-government laws, a crucial service for foreign nationals living, studying or working in the city, who now account for nearly 5 percent of the total population. Local self-government laws are sets of ordinances and regulations issued by local councils in addition to citywide laws. This initiative to provide local self-government laws in foreign languages began in 2010 during Mayor Oh Se-hoon&#

Aug. 22, 2024

Police probe pro-NK media founded by controversial pastor

Police have opened an investigation into a pro-North Korean online media outlet founded by Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young on suspicion of violating the National Security Act, officials said Thursday. Choi, who has made headlines for secretly filming himself handing over a luxury handbag gift to first lady Kim Keon Hee in 2022, reportedly participated in the creation of the media outlet in 2018. The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, 33 kilometers west of Seoul, has been investigating an

Aug. 22, 2024

Binggrae CEO indicted for beating police officer while drunk

The CEO of Binggrae Co., South Korea's major dairy maker, was indicted for assaulting a police officer under the influence of alcohol, judicial officials said Thursday. The Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office indicted Kim Dong-hwan, the oldest son of Kim Ho-youn, the former chairman of the food company, on charges of obstruction of official duties last week. Kim, 41, is accused of beating a police officer who arrived at the scene after a resident filed a complaint against him for kick

Aug. 22, 2024