Foreign tourist arrivals in Seoul top 1.5 million in April

Foreign tourists spent more than 1.15 trillion won ($762 million) in Seoul in April, as the number of overseas visitors to the capital surpassed 1.5 million and continued to outpace pre-pandemic recovery levels, according to data released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday. The number of foreign visitors surged by 18.8 percent from 1.3 million in the same month in 2025. During the first four months of the year, cumulative arrivals reached 5.2 million, a 21.4 percent increase from 4.2

2026-05-31 15:04:08:00

Foreign parents in Seoul can get help with daycare costs

For many foreign parents in Seoul, childcare can become one of the biggest financial pressures of raising children in Korea, especially for families still adjusting to visa procedures, housing costs and life in a new country. To ease some of that burden, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is continuing its daycare fee support program for foreign children enrolled in daycare centers. The program provides partial support for childcare fees for foreign children aged 0 to 5 attending daycare faciliti

2026-05-28 17:05:53:00

Seoul volunteer program pairs foreign residents with seniors

A volunteer program near Dongnimmun Station is inviting foreign residents to spend an afternoon helping Korean senior citizens practice conversational English. Rather than formal tutoring, the session focuses on relaxed, everyday conversations designed to help seniors build confidence speaking English while meeting people from different countries and backgrounds. Organizers emphasize that native-level English is not required, making the program accessible to foreigners who speak English as a sec

2026-05-28 15:52:38:00

Korea’s unfinished fight for menstrual rights

Long treated in South Korea as a private discomfort to be managed quietly, menstruation is increasingly being reframed as a matter of public health, dignity and basic rights. The shift has gathered pace in recent years, as reports of menstrual poverty, concerns over product safety and demands for broader public support have pushed the issue beyond personal shame and into the realm of social policy. As the world marks Menstrual Hygiene Day on Thursday, that changing perception is gaining new poli

2026-05-28 08:00:00:00

Aging Seoul overpass collapses during demolition, leaving 3 dead

Three people were killed and three others injured Tuesday after part of the Seosomun overpass collapsed during demolition work in western Seoul, authorities said. The accident was reported at around 2:32 p.m. at the demolition site in Migeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, according to fire authorities and Seoul city officials. Officials said part of the structure fell to the ground, crushing a vehicle used in the demolition operation. The victims who died were three men, including two in their 60s and one

2026-05-26 15:34:10:00

Professors’ sexist remarks expose unchecked power on campus

A professor at a private university in Daejeon is under investigation after students accused him of making sexually inappropriate remarks during class. It is the latest case to raise questions about classroom misconduct and the power professors hold over students on South Korean campuses. According to students and local reports, allegations against the professor first surfaced in November last year on Everytime, a popular online student community platform. Students claimed the professor repeated

2026-05-26 15:14:00:00

African heritage takes center stage at Seoul event

From Rwandan attire to Angolan sculptures and Egyptian mummies, the Grand Hyatt Seoul became a showcase of African cultures on Wednesday for this year’s Africa Day event. The gathering, held ahead of Africa Day on May 25, drew about 500 people to the hotel in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, for a forum and cultural exchange event jointly hosted by the Korea-Africa Foundation, the African Group of Ambassadors in Korea and The Korea Herald. Outside the main venue, booths set up by 13 African countries

2026-05-25 14:14:29:00

Landmark Supreme Court ruling says tattooing by nondoctors is legal

A landmark ruling by the Supreme Court on Thursday stated that tattoo procedures performed by nonmedical practitioners do not constitute illegal medical practice, overturning a 34-year-old legal precedent that had effectively criminalized tattooing by nondoctors. The Supreme Court’s full bench unanimously overturned lower court rulings that had fined two tattoo artists for violating the Medical Service Act, sending the cases back to lower courts with suggestions to acquit them. “The act of tatto

2026-05-22 17:04:59:00

High school teacher who reported school misconduct found dead

A high school teacher in his 50s who had reportedly exposed corruption and misconduct at his school was found dead after falling from an apartment building in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, police said Wednesday. According to police and local reports, the teacher, surnamed Ahn, was found dead near the entrance of an apartment complex in Janghowon-eup at around 2 p.m. on Wednesday. He lived on the 13th floor of the building. Police said no suicide note was found at the scene. Based on CCTV footage an

2026-05-21 20:16:22:00

A decade after Gangnam murder, women ask: What has changed?

On May 5, a 16-year-old girl walking home alone in Gwangju was fatally stabbed by a man she had never met. The suspect, identified as a 23-year-old man, had allegedly prepared a weapon intending to kill a woman who had rejected him romantically. After failing to find her, he wandered the streets before targeting the teenage girl, following her for more than a kilometer before attacking her in an alley. The attack came almost exactly 10 years after the 2016 Gangnam Station murder, one of the coun

2026-05-21 15:20:02:00