In South Korea, even tteokbokki can carry political meaning

Even the color of tteokbokki can take on political significance during election season in Korea. A viral post on X on Saturday showed a meal that included tteokbokki in its original red color alongside an edited version in which the dish had been turned blue. The post was captioned: "I voted and now I'm eating tteokbokki." Because red and blue are associated with South Korea's two main political camps, many interpreted the edited image as a lighthearted attempt to avoid appearing partisan. “Ah.

2026-06-02 13:33:13:00

The Guardian corrects Dokdo error

The Guardian corrected an article that had mistakenly stated that Dokdo was administered by Japan, following complaints from Koreans in Britain. The article, called “Full steam ahead: How ‘navy curry’ conquered hearts in Japan,” at first gave the wrong information about who controls the islets. The correction was made Wednesday, the same day the article was published. “An earlier version said that the Takeshima islands were administered by Japan but claimed by South Korea,” the correction note s

2026-05-22 11:38:42:00

Samsung’s hefty bonus deal sparks backlash online

News that Samsung Electronics' management and labor unions agreed to a compensation plan linking bonuses to over 10 percent of business profits prompted significant online backlash Thursday. Under the agreement, employees in Samsung’s semiconductor division, known as DS, could receive performance bonuses as high as 600 million won ($398,000) before taxes this year, based on an annual salary of 100 million won. As reports of the deal circulated online, reactions ranged from admiration to resentme

2026-05-21 17:45:14:00

Nearly 3m Korean workers left out of Buddha’s birthday holiday

While many South Korean office workers anticipate Monday’s substitute holiday for Buddha’s Birthday, nearly 3 million employees at businesses with fewer than five staff members may not receive the day off. South Korea’s labor law excludes several key protections for workplaces with fewer than five employees, including paid leave for public and substitute holidays. If employers do not provide paid leave, workers at these small businesses are not guaranteed time off. They also lack a legal right t

2026-05-21 13:19:27:00

Surveillance footage captures man wearing plastic bag stealing from unstaffed bakery

Surveillance footage captured a late-night theft at an unstaffed bakery in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, where a man wearing a plastic bag over his head emptied shelves of bread and pastries, according to a report by JTBC on Monday. JTBC reported that the man entered the bakery around 11:20 p.m. Saturday. He wore a plastic bag pulled tightly over his head with eye holes cut into the front. Carrying another plastic bag, the man calmly moved through the store, sweeping baked goods off the shelves a

2026-05-19 14:16:16:00

Not even Photoshopped: Plastic surgery clinics turn to AI for ads

Consumers have long questioned the authenticity of heavily edited before-and-after photographs from plastic surgery clinics. However, the emergence of fully AI-generated promotional images has introduced an additional layer of doubt. With the increasing adoption of generative AI, marketing materials created entirely by artificial intelligence are proliferating across online platforms in South Korea. Park Ji-yeon, an office worker in her 30s, shared, “I’ve started doubting all the reviews I see o

2026-05-17 11:14:32:00

Samsung Electronics Chairman apologizes amid growing strike threat

Lee Jae-yong, the chairman of Samsung Electronics, apologized Saturday over internal tensions at the company, saying the situation had caused concern among customers worldwide. “I sincerely apologize to our global customers for causing anxiety and damaging trust because of problems within the company,” Lee told reporters after returning to Seoul from a business trip to Japan. Speaking at Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center, Lee added that “everyone at Samsung is one team” and said employees sho

2026-05-16 14:47:18:00

Car crashes into pool at sports center, swimmers rescue driver

A woman in her 70s on Saturday drove her car through the first-floor glass windows of a sports center in South Gyeongsang Province, and the car fell into a basement swimming pool. The car flipped over after landing in the water, and swimmers nearby quickly jumped in to help the driver. “Men who were swimming pulled the driver out of the submerged car, and an instructor performed CPR,” a witness was quoted as saying. Emergency responders took the driver, who was conscious but had chest pain, and

2026-05-16 14:23:01:00

Police advised to refrain from responding to schools’ sports day noise complaints

Cheering students and loudspeaker announcements have long characterized school sports days in South Korea. Recently, however, noise complaints to the police have increased. In response to more emergency calls about playground noise, the National Police Agency has instructed regional departments to limit officer dispatches for school sports festival complaints, according to local media reports on Saturday. This guidance aims to standardize responses nationwide and reduce confusion among frontline

2026-05-16 14:04:47:00

Canola flowers reach peak bloom

Canola flowers reached full bloom on Friday at a farm in Yangyang, Gangwon Province. The county government reported that the flower fields cover approximately 23,000 square meters and were planted in March to attract tourists. Officials stated that this year's blooming season began about a month later than usual, so the canola flowers are expected to remain at their peak until early June.

2026-05-16 11:29:38:00