From Bulgaria to Korea, one family's journey through art

Amid the bustle of arriving passengers pushing trolleys loaded with suitcases and duty-free shopping bags at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport on June 27, one sight drew curious glances: Tape-wrapped boxes and cardboard tubes stacked on a cart. The paintings arrived in Korea after an 8,000-kilometer journey from Bulgaria with a family visiting the country for the first time. They were neither for sale nor souvenirs for friends, but part of a collection of 30 paintings, mostly acr

2026-07-14 17:13:23:00

Sleep disorders are rising in Korea. The sharpest increase? Children under 10

More Koreans are suffering from sleep disorders, with the number of patients increasing by more than 20 percent over the past four years, data showed Monday. A total of 1,346,196 Koreans were treated for sleep disorders last year, up about 24 percent from 1,088,038 in 2021, according to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Sleep disorders include chronic insomnia, which makes it difficult to fall or stay asleep for at least three months, as well as sleep apnea. People in their 60

2026-07-13 17:18:41:00

Poisoned Buam-dong ginkgo tree on brink of death

The fate of a centuries-old ginkgo tree in Seoul's Buam-dong, allegedly poisoned by a nearby museum for potentially obstructing traffic, hangs in the balance despite extensive efforts to salvage it, according to news reports Sunday. The tree, which stands on private land next to the Whanki Museum, began showing signs of severe distress in April, shedding its leaves weeks earlier than usual and turning color. A joint investigation by Jongno District officials and police later concluded that herb

2026-07-12 14:41:35:00

Man under investigation for secretly recording dates with AI smart glasses

A man is under investigation for allegedly using AI smart glasses to secretly film women he dated and sharing the footage online, police said Thursday. The Seoul Gangseo Police Station said the suspect, whose identity has been withheld, is accused of wearing Meta's AI glasses while on dates with four women earlier this year, recording photos and videos without their consent and later uploading the footage to social media. The case came to light after one of the women discovered his social media

2026-07-09 13:49:31:00

Overnight downpours batter central S. Korea, at least 1 missing

Overnight monsoon rains battered central South Korea, triggering flooding, road accidents and emergency evacuations. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, one person was reported missing as of 4 p.m. Thursday in connection with the heavy rain. A total of 423 residents had been evacuated, and more than 215 cases of damage to public and private facilities had been reported. The Korea Meteorological Administration sa

2026-07-09 13:46:38:00

Does bringing a child to a fertility clinic cross the line?

A woman seeking fertility treatment for a second child found her car vandalized after she brought her first child with her to a fertility clinic, sparking debate online over whether children should be brought to such facilities, local media reported Wednesday. According to the Korean-language daily Chosun Ilbo, the incident occurred at a clinic in Gyeonggi Province. After an appointment, the woman, in her 30s, returned to the parking lot with her toddler son and discovered her car had been scrat

2026-07-08 17:25:08:00

When these dogs listen, children find their voice

On a recent Tuesday afternoon at a library tucked beneath the wooded slopes of Achasan in Seoul, a 8-year-old girl sat turning the pages of a picture book with one hand as she read aloud, while gently stroking the soft golden fur of a labrador retriever with the other. The retriever slowly settled onto the floor, closed its eyes and drifted off to sleep. Book by book, the girl's voice, barely above a whisper when she began, grew steadily louder and more confident. The two were partners in a chil

2026-07-07 13:24:39:00

No apartment? You can't join this dating app

Housing status is emerging as a new yardstick in South Korea's dating scene, with even a dating app now requiring users to verify they live in an apartment before signing up, news reports said Monday. The app Apting has been generating buzz online for being exclusively open to apartment residents in their 20s and 30s, regardless of whether they own or rent their homes. Residents of villas, officetels and other types of housing are not eligible. Connect Seoul, the app's operator, verifies applica

2026-07-06 14:26:31:00

Foreign man kissing 'haenyeo' statue in Jeju sparks outrage

A foreign man sparked outrage online after a video of him hugging and kissing a statue honoring Jeju's haenyeo, or female divers, went viral, news reports said Friday. The video shows the man climbing onto the statue near Hamdeok Beach in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, and making lewd gestures toward it while his companions laugh nearby. The man has reportedly lived on Jeju for about a year, while the person who filmed and uploaded the video is a Korean resident of the island, according to JTBC. The vi

2026-07-03 14:59:39:00

Younger Koreans lean toward June 3 election fraud claims, survey finds

A recent survey has revealed a sharp generational divide over allegations of election fraud in the June 3 local elections, with respondents in their 40s and 50s largely rejecting the claims and those in their 20s and 30s more likely to believe them. A nationwide telephone survey of 1,000 adults aged 18 and older, jointly conducted from Monday to Wednesday by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research, found that 47 percent of respondents believe there was no election fra

2026-07-03 09:37:17:00