Rain batters Korea's southern regions, 'heaviest in 200 years'

Record heavy rains hit South Korea's southern regions Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, leaving at least four dead and one missing, with weather authorities saying it was the most intense downpour in 200 years. Heavy rains battered parts of North Jeolla Province starting early Wednesday. Gunsan received 131.7 millimeters of rain within one hour to 2:24 a.m., the heaviest hourly downpour recorded nationwide. The hourly precipitation accounted for over 10 percent of the city's avera

July 10, 2024

Ministry eases rules for protesting med students

Five months into medical students' boycott of classes in protest over the government's decision to increase the quota for students at the schools, the Ministry of Education announced guidelines Wednesday to grant universities the flexibility needed to prevent these students from failing out due to their prolonged absence. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho said at the Government Complex Seoul that schools can individually apply different timing, criteria and stan

July 10, 2024

Seoul sees 64% jump in teens seeking ADHD medication from 2021-2023: data

The number of teenagers seeking medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is growing markedly in Seoul and other major cities, government data shows. There were a total of 17,230 teens seeking ADHD treatment in the capital last year, up 64.3 percent from two years ago when the figure stood at 10,489. Rep. Kim Dae-sik of the ruling People Power Party, which obtained the data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the National Health Insurance Service, said this inc

July 10, 2024

Suspect in murder of S. Korean tourist in Thailand extradited from Cambodia

One of the three suspects behind the May murder of a South Korean tourist in Pattaya, Thailand has been extradited here Wednesday, 58 days after he was apprehended in Cambodia. Korea's National Police Agency said the 27-year-old suspect arrived via Incheon International Airport this morning. He was nabbed by police in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 14, and the Korean police has been working with the local authorities to ensure that the suspect is sent here as quickly as possible within the bou

July 10, 2024

[Community Discovery] Beyond Bukhansan Park: Dobong seeks to emerge as cultural hub

Dobong, a gateway connecting Seoul with northern Gyeonggi Province, has historically been a bedroom community lacking the industrial infrastructure necessary for economic growth. The district's abundant green space, including Bukhansan National Park, and national conservation efforts have constrained its ability to attract businesses, limiting local job opportunities. However, the district head is now seeking sustainable ways to generate new income by leveraging the national park and promot

July 10, 2024

1 in 650 Korean seniors pick up cardboard: data

Older local residents pushing carts laden with discarded cardboard on the street have become a poignant symbol of South Korea’s elderly poverty crisis. These individuals roam the streets collecting cardboard boxes to sell to recycling centers. According to the Ministry of Welfare on Wednesday, at least 1 out of every 650 South Koreans aged 65 or older engage in the activity to make a living. Between February and May this year, there were 14,831 such individuals. Their average monthly inc

July 10, 2024

Samsung faces labor struggle at home as union stages indefinite strike

Samsung Electronics' largest labor union announced Wednesday an indefinite extension of their ongoing strike, claiming that their collective action could cause potential disruptions in production at one of the world’s leading chip manufacturing sites. The announcement followed a three-day strike, which ended without any engagement from management. “We declare a second round of strikes for an indefinite period as we have confirmed that management doesn’t have the will to ta

July 10, 2024

29 probed in baseball drug scandal, including 9 active players

Over two dozen people are being investigated in a drug scandal surrounding former professional baseball player Oh Jae-won, Seoul police said Wednesday. Seoul Gangnam Police Station said it has forwarded the case to the prosecution, with 29 people facing charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. The list includes 13 active or retired pro baseball players, a trainer for Oh's former team the Doosan Bears of the KBO, parents of a player from Oh's baseball academy, three people who

July 10, 2024

Man cleared of spy charges, wrongful imprisonment and 55 years too late

South Korea's highest court recently upheld a lower court ruling that cleared an 82-year-old man of spy charges, for which he served a seven-year prison term after being convicted over five decades ago. The Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the prosecution, who claimed that the man, surnamed Kim, was guilty on some of the charges pressed against him back in 1969. The court said the evidence presented against him did not indicate that Kim could potentially threaten the nation's securi

July 10, 2024

Actor caught drunk driving, 'attacks' citizens who reported him

An actor in his 40s is being investigated on the charge of drunk driving, with additional allegations of him assaulting the people who reported him to the authorities. The officials at Seoul Seongdong Police Station said they have handed prosecutors a drunk driving case that occurred at on July 2 in Seongdong-gu, eastern Seoul. The actor is believed to have been drinking at a restaurant in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, before driving his car some three kilometers to his home in Seongdong-gu. The m

July 10, 2024

Over half of sudden unintended accelerations involve under-60 group: report

More than half of recorded incidents suspected of being sudden unintended acceleration have involved drivers under the age of 60, government data showed Wednesday, contrary to the spreading belief that many such cases are caused by operator error on the part of older drivers. There have been 456 reports of SUA in South Korea from 2014 through last month, according to a Korea Transportation Safety Authority report submitted to Rep. Ahn Tae-jun of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The

July 10, 2024

S. Korea adds fewer than 100,000 jobs for 2nd month in June

South Korea added fewer than 100,000 jobs for the second consecutive month in June due to the slowing growth of manufacturing jobs and the weak construction industry, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people came to 28.91 million last month, up 96,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. In May, 80,000 new jobs were added on-year, which was the fewest since February 2021, when the country shed 473,000 positions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Januar

July 10, 2024

Labor side proposes 13.6 pct hike in 2025 minimum wage; management suggests near freeze

The labor segment of the Minimum Wage Commission proposed a 13.6-percent increase in next year's minimum wage Tuesday, while management representatives called for a near freeze. The proposals were made during the ninth plenary session of the commission tasked with determining the legal minimum wage per hour for 2025. This year's rate is set at 9,860 won (US$7.13), with an eye being placed on whether it will surpass 10,000 won for the first time. The labor side of the commission, which

July 9, 2024

Another round of heavy downpours forecast till early Wednesday, Seoul expected to receive up to 120 mm

Another round of monsoon rains will hit most regions of the country till late Wednesday with the greater Seoul area to receive up to 120 mm of rainfall until late Wednesday, the state weather agency said Tuesday. Heavy downpours have left one person missing, and many houses and roads inundated in the southern regions, and heavy rain warnings across the country may be issued later in the day, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The downpours will continue in the wider Seoul area

July 9, 2024

Leader of crime ring sentenced to 23 years for drugging, blackmail

A South Korean court sentenced a 27-year-old man who led a scam that involved spiking teens' drinks with drugs and blackmailing parents to 23 years in jail Tuesday. The defendant surnamed Lee is believed to have been the leader of a crime ring that made drinks out of methamphetamine and milk and distributed them to middle and high school students in Daechi-dong, southern Seoul on April 3, 2023. The perpetrators falsely claimed that the drinks would help students concentrate. Lee ordered his

July 9, 2024

DJ sentenced to 10 years in jail for deadly drunk driving

A local DJ was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday for a February drunk driving accident that resulted in the death of a 54-year-old motorcyclist. The Seoul Central District Court found Ahn Ye-song guilty of death by dangerous driving, hit and run, drunk driving and not taking appropriate measures after causing an accident. It also ordered that her car be seized as a relatively rare form of punishment imposed on particularly severe drunk-driving cases. The investigation found that Ahn, whi

July 9, 2024

Speed limit of e-bikes, e-scooters slashed to 20km/h in pilot plan

To address a sharp rise in accidents involving e-scooters and e-bikes, the South Korean government plans to implement a lower speed limit for micromobility vehicles in a project scheduled for the latter half of this year. According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Tuesday, the maximum speed for micromobility vehicles will be slashed to 20 kilometers per hour, from the present 25 km per hour, in major cities like Seoul and Busan from July to December. Once the pilot project proves

July 9, 2024

Twins, Bears to move to Olympic Stadium

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday that the Seoul Olympic Main Stadium would serve as a temporary baseball venue for the next five years as construction is set to begin on the new Jamsil Dome Stadium. The arrangement is part of a broader urban development plan unveiled in September 2023, which includes the construction of the Jamsil Sports MICE Complex in southeastern Seoul. The project will expand the city's capacity for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (M

July 9, 2024

Suicide prevention education mandated

Starting on Friday, suicide prevention education in schools, workplaces, public institutions and hospitals will be made mandatory once a year as part of the country's efforts to tackle the devastating suicide rates and increase help-seeking behaviors for those struggling, the Health Ministry said Tuesday. The strengthened suicide awareness and prevention training comes after the Cabinet on Tuesday approved a partial amendment to the Act on the Prevention of Suicide and the Creation of Cultu

July 9, 2024

Injunction to keep Korea's only Go department rejected

The Seoul High Court recently turned down an injunction filed by professors and students at South Korea's only university teaching Go, calling for the suspension of the decision to shut down the department, according to legal professionals on Tuesday. The court ruled that students planning or preparing to enroll in the major faced an unexpected situation following the department's decision to close. However, the court also pointed out that upholding the injunction to halt the closure w

July 9, 2024