Elderly couple's reunion after husband with dementia goes missing warms hearts

An elderly couple's emotional reunion after a man with dementia went missing in central Seoul has touched hearts online. Footage released by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency showed the elderly man who, having apparently lost his way, sat alone on a bench in a street in Jung-gu on the morning of Sept. 17. Around the same time, his wife visited a nearby police station to report her husband missing, explaining that he had dementia. Using details provided by the wife, including her husband's phy

2026-10-15 15:17:21:00

Jeju police say no signs of child abuse found before father-daughter deaths

Jeju police said Wednesday that they found no signs of danger during repeated checks on a father and his 4-year-old daughter who were later found dead in a car, as questions mounted over whether authorities had done enough to protect the child. According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency, Seogwipo police conducted eight in-person assessments of the father and daughter between Nov. 10 last year and July 27, either independently or alongside municipal child protection officials, but found no ev

2026-10-15 14:11:04:00

Father, 4-year-old daughter from Australia found dead on Jeju amid custody dispute

A man embroiled in a custody battle with his wife in Australia was found dead alongside his 4-year-old daughter inside a car on Jeju Island after allegedly bringing the child to South Korea without the mother's knowledge, news reports said Wednesday. The father, in his 40s, is believed to have died by suicide after burning charcoal briquettes inside a parked car with his daughter in Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo. Their bodies were discovered at around 6:08 p.m. Monday, according to the Jeju Fire and S

2026-10-14 13:38:06:00

Behind the numbers: Why women still die in childbirth in Korea

South Korea has made remarkable gains in keeping people alive. Life expectancy has risen sharply over the past several decades, while deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth have generally declined as access to medical care and obstetric treatment improved. That progress, however, is beginning to reverse. Maternal deaths from direct obstetric complications reached a nine-year high last year, with 27 deaths — up nearly 60 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea’s 2025 cause-

2026-10-13 17:11:14:00

Son Heung-min's airport encounter with tearful young fan goes viral

A video of South Korean soccer star Son Heung-min approaching a tearful young fan at an airport to give him an autograph has gone viral online. Filmed on Wednesday, the video shows Son, who plays for Los Angeles FC, at Incheon Airport preparing to return to the United States after playing for the South Korean national team in an international friendly against Uzbekistan at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the previous day. As Son makes his way through the departure area, a youn

2026-10-13 12:45:07:00

Amid ‘I’m Jane Doe’ movement, Korean American reporter shares alleged rape in Busan

“I am Jane Doe.” The three words have become a rallying cry across social media, as women share their own experiences of sexual assault in the wake of a high-profile gang-rape case involving Cornell University students. One of the women is Jung Jae-won, a Korean American television reporter at KPRC 2, an NBC-affiliated television station in Houston, Texas. She has spoken publicly about an alleged sexual assault she says she endured in South Korea in 2017, hoping to help other women feel less alo

2026-10-12 14:05:05:00

Teenagers’ cash-throwing stunt sparks backlash

A group of teenagers has sparked public outrage after one of them threw cash at a part-time worker while paying at a cafe in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, news reports said Thursday. In videos circulating in online communities, one of the boys flings several 1,000-won bills at the face of an employee standing behind the cafe counter. The employee bent down to collect the scattered bills from the floor while the boys giggled. The videos quickly drew outrage online, fueling growing resentment amon

2026-10-08 13:16:37:00

Hangeul without borders

With Hangeul Day just around the corner, writing competitions celebrating the Korean language are attracting participants from around the world. Some 1,500 international students gathered at Dongguk University in Seoul on Thursday morning for a contest marking both the national holiday, which falls on Friday, and the university's 120th anniversary. Under the theme "Korean language and me," participants shared their experiences learning the language and personal stories connected to it. "People f

2026-10-08 12:18:36:00

Han River plunge draws ire

A group of apparently foreign men have stirred controversy after climbing the railing of Seoul’s Banpo Bridge and plunging into the Han River. In posts circulating on online communities Wednesday, several videos showed the men jumping from the bridge in the evening, swimming through the river and eventually making their way out of the water. No accidents or injuries were apparent in the footage, though 119 rescue personnel were seen near the bridge. The incident drew mixed reactions online, with

2026-10-07 13:34:23:00

Busan’s celebrity shark gets no break from late-night crowds

Bukang-i, the shark stranded at Busan’s North Port Waterfront Park, is facing growing disturbance from the bright lights and noise of late-night visitors, news reports said Wednesday. Photos and videos circulating online show visitors shining high-powered lanterns, flashlights and cellphone lights onto the water to get a better glimpse of the shark in the dark. In one video posted on Threads, the shark makes sharp turns, as a powerful beam shines directly on it. "We’re making announcements and t

2026-10-07 11:34:14:00