Professor’s organ donation saves three lives

A 63-year-old professor with over two decades of teaching experience donated her organs, saving three individuals just days before South Korea’s Teachers’ Day, according to the Korea Organ Donation Agency. Kim Mi-hyang donated her liver and both kidneys at Samsung Changwon Hospital on Saturday after she was declared brain-dead. According to the agency, Kim collapsed at home on April 17 after having headaches and dizziness, and she did not regain consciousness. Her family agreed to donate her org

2026-05-16 11:06:16:00

Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul indicted over dishes served with ants

A Michelin two-star restaurant in Seoul has been indicted for allegedly serving dishes with ants, which are not approved for human consumption under South Korean law. Prosecutors stated that the restaurant’s owner imported dried ants from the US and Thailand starting in 2021 and used them in several menu items over four years, according to local news reports on Saturday. South Korea permits only 10 insect species for edible use, and ants are not among them. Investigators estimate the restaurant

2026-05-16 10:48:08:00

Chef Anh Sung-jae pauses YouTube channel after wine controversy backlash

Chef Anh Sung-jae, known for his fine-dining restaurant and his appearance as one of the judges on Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars,” is taking a break from YouTube after facing criticism over a wine controversy at his Seoul restaurant. Anh’s YouTube team said Wednesday that they would pause uploads for now as they reorganized and reviewed the channel’s direction. “We hope to return with more responsible content,” the statement said. This decision follows weeks of backlash surrounding Mosu Seoul,

2026-05-14 13:32:39:00

Unstaffed hotel under fire after guest enters occupied room with stolen key

A guest at a Sokcho hotel was alarmed when a stranger entered their room after taking a key card from an unlocked front desk drawer, according to news reports, raising concerns about security at unstaffed hotels. The incident occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. on April 18, when a drunk guest used the key card to enter an occupied room. The occupants, startled by the intrusion, went to the front desk but found no staff on duty because the hotel uses an kiosk-based check-in system after midnight.

2026-05-08 11:10:11:00

Civic groups to form cheering squads for visiting N. Korean soccer team ahead of inter-Korea match

South Korean civic groups are organizing cheering squads to welcome North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s Football Club, which is scheduled to face a South Korean team in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League on May 20 at 7 p.m. at Suwon Stadium in Gyeonggi Province. The Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation plans to organize a cheering squad consisting of 100 to 200 participants. Combined with supporters from other civic organizations, including the

2026-05-07 14:48:43:00

4 in 10 Korean children prefer play after school, but most end up studying

Over 40 percent of children in Korea want to spend time with friends after school, but more than half attend private academies, known locally as "hagwon." According to the National Center for the Rights of the Child's recent report, 42.9 percent of respondents would like to socialize at playgrounds or internet cafes, but only 18.6 percent actually do so. Instead, 54 percent reported attending hagwon or receiving tutoring, compared to only 25.2 percent who said they would choose this option. Thes

2026-05-04 12:11:07:00

Han River nap contest returns

The 2026 Hangang Nap Competition took place Saturday in Yeouido Hangang Park. The contest, which started in 2024, invites people to compete for the best daytime sleep. The Seoul Metropolitan Government accepted applications from April 16-20 and chose 170 participants. Judges focused on how well contestants could stay asleep even with distractions. Participants faced two rounds of interruptions, like being tickled with a feather or being played mosquito sounds. The judges used sleep data to decid

2026-05-03 14:28:11:00

Japanese K-pop trainee faces exit ban after disappearance before debut

Seoul police have imposed an exit ban on a Japanese K-pop trainee accused of fraud after he allegedly disappeared just months before his group’s debut. According to local news reports on Sunday, the Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station is investigating the trainee following a complaint filed by his agency. The trainee went missing in December, about two months before he was set to debut as part of a six-member boy group. He reportedly left behind a message saying, “Trust has been broken,” before cu

2026-05-03 13:12:37:00

Ukrainian graduate student earns recognition at Korean beauty pageant

A Ukrainian graduate student received attention for placing third in the 96th Global Chunhyang Contest held in Namwon, North Jeolla Province. Namwon City announced Saturday that Herasymenko Anhelina, also known as Lina, a 23-year-old Ukrainian graduate student at Kyungpook National University, received the third-place title of “mi” at the pageant held on April 30. She is the first foreign contestant to finish in the top three. “As a foreigner, being named ‘mi’ in a pageant with nearly 100 years

2026-05-03 11:48:38:00

8 in 10 working mothers with preschoolers face ‘time poverty’: report

A recent report has found that over 80 percent of employed women with preschool-aged children experience significant shortages of sleep, leisure, and personal time, a condition identified as "time poverty." A report published by the Korea Labor Institute released Tuesday indicates that 81.2 percent of dual-income women with children aged under 7 experience time poverty, significantly higher than the 60.3 percent reported for their male counterparts. Time poverty is defined as a condition in whic

2026-04-28 13:42:23:00