Cash gifts, guest lists and early gatherings: Inside Korea’s wedding culture

A Korean wedding often begins long before anyone walks down the aisle. Weeks before the big day, the bride and groom may find themselves attending gatherings with friends, colleagues and relatives. Their parents pore over prospective guest lists, busily thinking about seating arrangements, and decide who should make the final invitation list and how the invites should be sent. At the other end, wedding attendees quietly calculate how much cash to place in the white envelope they will hand over a

2026-07-14 10:24:16:00

Hot dogs, churros and fried chicken are coming to your seat at Korean baseball games

Baseball fans in South Korea will be able to enjoy hot dogs, churros and fried chicken without ever leaving their seats. The Regulatory Reform Committee’s livelihood subcommittee and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety on Monday said they would push forward with allowing vendors to sell prepared foods directly to spectators in the stands at baseball stadiums and other sports venues under an official interpretation of existing regulations. While in-seat beer sales have been available at some sta

2026-07-13 14:11:11:00

Ferris wheel accident raises safety concerns at Gyeongju World

An empty cabin on a Ferris wheel at an amusement park in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, detached during operation on Thursday and struck passenger cabins carrying five people, authorities said Friday. No major injuries were reported. The accident occurred at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday on the Time Rider Ferris wheel at Gyeongju World, according to the Gyeongju city government. Standing 51 meters tall and taking about 12 minutes to complete a full rotation, the ride differs from conventional

2026-07-10 13:26:48:00

Member of Changwon city council takes maternity leave

Lee Won-joo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea has become the first member of the Changwon City Council to take maternity leave after giving birth, according to local media reports Thursday. Until recently, the council had no formal maternity leave policy, a gap observers attributed to its historically older, male-dominated membership. In May 2023, however, the council amended its rules to allow the speaker to grant up to 90 days of maternity leave to members who give birth, with at least 4

2026-07-09 14:39:20:00

'No Japan' boycott fades as Japanese products regain favor

South Koreans appear to have moved on from a consumer boycott of Japanese goods sparked by a bitter bilateral dispute in 2019, with Japanese beer imports hitting a record high and younger consumers showing waning support for the campaign. South Korea imported 100,322 metric tons of Japanese beer last year, the first time annual imports have exceeded 100,000 tons, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's annual report on imported food inspections released Monday. The figures underscore

2026-07-08 15:05:51:00

Nurse assistant arrested for self-administering propofol on first day at work

A nurse assistant was arrested on Tuesday after she was caught injecting herself with propofol on her first day of work at a dermatology clinic in Seoul's Gangnam-gu. Seoul Gangnam Police Station said the 20-something woman was arrested on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act and is under investigation. The nurse assistant is accused of self-administering the anesthetic drug after finding a leftover syringe inside a waste bin. Propofol is a fast-acting intravenous sedative used to indu

2026-07-07 11:23:01:00

Rough seas, stormy weather loom as Korea feels effects of Super Typhoon Bavi

South Korea is expected to avoid a direct hit from Super Typhoon Bavi, but forecasters warned Tuesday that the storm's vast size and powerful winds will still bring rough seas, heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the country later this week, particularly around Jeju Island and the southern coast. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Bavi, which battered the US Pacific territories of Guam and Saipan and was continuing on toward East Asia, remained strong as of 3 a.m. Tuesday, with a c

2026-07-07 10:24:18:00

DP lawmaker Lee Un-ju hospitalized after sexually explicit deepfakes spread online

Rep. Lee Un-ju of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea has been hospitalized after sexually explicit deepfake images and abusive posts targeting her spread online, prompting lawmakers to call for a thorough investigation and legal action against those involved. Rep. Lee is receiving hospital treatment for severe psychological distress and stress-related symptoms, according to the lawmaker's office on Sunday. Doctors have advised her to rest, making it difficult for her to communicate with others

2026-07-05 20:01:34:00

Samgyetang prices rise 29% in five years

Samgyetang, a go-to stamina dish eaten during "chobok," the first of the three hottest days of Korean summer, is getting pricier each year. The average price for a bowl of samgyetang in Seoul reached 18,154 won ($12) in May, up 29 percent from 14,077 won in 2021, according to data released by the Korea Consumer Agency on Sunday. The data also showed that famous restaurants now charge more than 20,000 won for the summer staple. Prices have risen steadily in recent years, from 14,577 won in 2022 t

2026-07-05 19:32:13:00

WSL brings surfing back to Korea with Siheung Open

Surfers from around the globe rode the waves at the 2026 World Surf League Siheung Korea Open, held Friday to Sunday at the Wave Park in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. The event featured men’s and women’s shortboard QS 6000 and longboard LQS 1000 competitions, with pizes totalling 130 million won ($85,000). Now in its third year in Korea, the WSL event drew around 250 surfers from 16 countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea and the US. (Photos: Yonhap)

2026-07-05 18:32:34:00