S. Korea unveils 5-year plan to attract 300,000 foreign students

South Korea’s Ministry of Education on Wednesday unveiled a five-year plan aimed at attracting 300,000 international students to tackle the nation’s rapidly declining school-age population and to strengthen the competitiveness of local universities already reeling from enrollment shortages. To attract more foreign students to enroll in Korean universities, the Education Ministry plans to revise the International Education Quality Assurance System, which stipulates that more than 30 p

Aug. 16, 2023

3% of teens convicted of major crimes punished under Criminal Act: data

Only about three percent of those classified as "criminal youth" who committed any of the five major violent crimes -- murder, robbery, rape, indecent assault and special violence -- were found to have been punished under the Criminal Act, while the majority of them received mild correctional measures, the data showed Wednesday. Juvenile offenders between the ages of 14 and 18 are designated as "criminal youth." Out of 18,084 juvenile cases sent to trial for the five major vi

Aug. 16, 2023

Woman given suspended sentence after nude tantrum

A woman who stripped down and assaulted a prison guard at a detention center in Incheon was sentenced to an eight-month jail sentence suspended for two years on charges of assault and obstruction of justice Tuesday. The woman, who was imprisoned in Incheon Detention Center for unrelated charges, was reportedly protesting unsatisfactory sleeping arrangements on Feb. 7. She started cursing at the prison guard and swung her arm at guards who tried to stop her. When one of the guards called for back

Aug. 16, 2023

Man caught with concealed knife at internet cafe

A man was taken into police custody on Aug. 7 for carrying a weapon concealed in an umbrella, on charges of special intimidation in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.. The suspect, who is in his sixties, was engaged in an argument with the internet cafe owner, who called the police after sensing the suspect was armed with a weapon. The National Police Agency released the surveillance footage of the internet cafe via its official YouTube channel, where the agency has been sharing content related to its in

Aug. 16, 2023

Long-term exposure to extreme heat undermines cognitive health: study

Cumulative exposure to extreme heat can undermine cognitive health in the long run, especially among vulnerable groups, a US study showed Wednesday. The 12-year study by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research was conducted on nearly 9,500 adults in the US, aged 52 or older, from 2006 through 2018, as part of the Health and Retirement Study measuring participants' cognitive function over time. The research team found that high exposure to extreme heat was associated with fa

Aug. 16, 2023

High schooler confesses to posting sexual assault threat

A teenage boy has turned himself into the police for allegedly threatening to sexually assault a minor in an online post, police said Tuesday. The high schooler turned up at a police outpost in Guro-gu, southwestern Seoul, confessing to posting the notice, according to Seoul Guro Police Station. A notice, published in an online forum at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, read that a person would sexually assault an elementary school girl aged 8 to 13 near Gangnam Station. The original post has been deleted.

Aug. 16, 2023

Seoul unveils logo for "Seoul, My Soul" slogan

The city of Seoul unveiled its new city logo with the "Seoul, My Soul" slogan, as part of an initiative officials say aims to bolster the city's global image. The slogan emerged as the top pick from an open call for idea submissions last August, besting the runner-up "Seoul for You." It then underwent a rigorous review process, incorporating various surveys to finalize the design, city officials said. The new branding will replace "I Seoul U," which had been the cit

Aug. 16, 2023

State audit agency signals massive inspection into World Scout Jamboree

The Board of Audit and Inspection said Wednesday it has launched preparations to look into what went wrong in the hosting of the World Scout Jamboree, vowing to conduct a thorough inspection from the winning of the right to host the event to its closure. The quadrennial event concluded Saturday after overcoming significant challenges, including poor preparations, a heat wave and a powerful typhoon, which forced the relocation of around 40,000 participants from a campsite in Saemangeum, a reclaim

Aug. 16, 2023

Thai man sent to prosecution for entering women's shower room at jamboree camp

A Thai man caught entering the women's shower room at the campground of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree in the southwestern reclaimed land area of Saemangeum has been sent to the prosecution for further investigation, police said Wednesday. The man, who participated in the jamboree event as an adult supervisor, is accused of entering the women's shower room and taking a shower on Aug. 2, according to the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency. A female participant who heard the man singing in

Aug. 16, 2023

[Graphic News] Heat-related deaths highest since 2018

The number of apparent heat-related deaths hit the highest this summer since 2018, the disease control agency said. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, a total of 28 people were presumed to have died of heat-related illness as of Aug. 11 since late May. The tally marks the largest since 2018, when the comparable figure was 48. The number of people hospitalized for heat-related illnesses, including those who have died, came to 2,123 during same period, also the largest s

Aug. 16, 2023

Gov't considers extending fuel tax cuts amid surging prices, high inflation

The government is considering extending a tax cut scheme on fuel consumption, which is set to expire this month, through December, sources said Tuesday, amid soaring energy costs and high inflation. According to the sources, the Ministry of Economy and Finance has been mulling extending the measure and plans to announce its decision later this week. Currently, a 25 percent discount is provided for the consumption of gasoline, and a 37 percent discount is given for the consumption of diesel and l

Aug. 15, 2023

3 foreign jamboree Scouts nabbed for alleged theft

Three underage foreign participants of the World Scout Jamboree that ended last week have been arrested on theft charges in Seoul, police said Tuesday. The male suspects from Europe, whose identities have been withheld, are under investigation for allegedly stealing clothes worth 100,000 won ($75) from a store in the Gangnam district in southern Seoul on Monday, according to the Gangnam Police Station. The suspects are all aged 14 or older and are subject to criminal punishment under local law.

Aug. 15, 2023

Malaria on the rise in Korea

Fears of malaria are growing in South Korea as the country is seeing an increase in the mosquito-borne disease. According to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Infectious Disease portal, a total of 509 cases of malaria have been reported so far this year. The figure amounts to a nearly fourfold increase compared to last year, when 193 malaria cases were reported during the first seven months of the year. The number of total malaria cases here has not gone beyond 70

Aug. 15, 2023

Yoon designates 2 special disaster zones following Typhoon Khanun

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday designated two areas hit hard by last week's Typhoon Khanun as special disaster zones, his office said. They are the town of Gunwi in Daegu, 213 kilometers south of Seoul, and a part of Goseong in Gangwon Province, 154 kilometers east of the capital city, according to the presidential office. The typhoon, which plowed through South Korea from south to north for 16 hours last week, caused flooding, facility destruction, landslides and school closures. The de

Aug. 14, 2023

S. Koreans divided on traveling to Japan during Liberation Day

As South Korea marks the 78th Liberation Day from Japan on Aug. 15, a recent poll highlighted a societal divide on how to approach traveling to Japan – a top destination for South Korean tourists – during the holiday. A recent poll by research firm PMI surveyed 3,000 South Koreans aged 15 to 69. Of those polled, 50.6 percent said they believe it is inappropriate to visit Japan on Liberation Day, the most popular view across all age groups. Some 19.9 percent responded they are against

Aug. 14, 2023

Sexual harassment report over a '3-second stare' sparks debate

Controversy has erupted online after a store owner was reported to police for staring at a female customer's sheer clothing. Recent posts on various online communities and social media platforms have shared an article with the headline: "Store owner reported to police for looking at customer's underwear." The owner explained the customer was wearing a white dress shirt that made the clear outline of her underwear visible. He admitted to looking at her for about three seconds

Aug. 14, 2023

ADHD diagnoses in South Korea rise by 80% compared to 4 years ago: report

The number of South Korean children and teens diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder has risen by 80 percent over the last four years, a government agency report found. According to data released by the National Health Insurance Service on Sunday, ADHD diagnoses for individuals aged between 6 and 18 rose from 44,741 in 2018 to 81,512 in 2022, marking an 82.2 percent increase. Of these, 63,182 were male and 18,330 were female. The global rise in ADHD diagnoses, including in South K

Aug. 14, 2023

Police investigate bomb threat email targeting Seoul City Hall

The police are investigating an email threatening to blow up Seoul City Hall on this week’s Liberation Day, officials said Monday. According to police, the email stated that high-powered bombs were installed in several locations around Seoul City Hall, with detonation set for 3:34 p.m. Tuesday. The email, sent from a Japanese account to local media outlets, was received Sunday afternoon. The email, sent in English, Japanese and Korean, stated, "There are bombs planted in several place

Aug. 14, 2023

S. Korea expands welfare services for middle-class households

Young and middle-aged people in the middle-income bracket will be newly eligible to receive state welfare services starting as early as this month upon registration and a small fee, officials said Monday. Young people aged 13 to 34, who are caring for family members with severe diseases, disabilities or mental illnesses, or are supporting them financially, and middle-aged people aged 40 to 64, who are socially isolated due to illness or injury, will be new beneficiaries. Socially isolated people

Aug. 14, 2023

Bikinis in downtown Seoul spark 'indecent exposure' row

Incidents of women dressed in bikinis in central Seoul areas have sparked criticism online, with the authorities considering charging them with indecent exposure. On Friday, a woman riding an electric scooter dressed in a bikini was spotted in Hongdae district. Photos taken by citizens quickly spread across online communities and social media. On the very same day, a report was made to the police about four motorcycles carrying women in bikinis and helmets in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The police are cu

Aug. 14, 2023