S. Korea plans temporary visa waiver for Chinese tourists

The South Korean government announced a plan Thursday to allow exemption of travel visas for group tourists from China, in a temporary policy slated for the third quarter of this year to bring more tourists to South Korea. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it will reveal the specific plans for the visa exemption policy sometime in April after assessing public opinion. The ministry also hopes to boost foreign tourism centers by creating theme tourist packages -- such as in sports,

March 20, 2025

Authorities mull overhaul of state railway plan in Gangwon Province, amid bribery controversy

The state-run operator of South Korea's national railroads said Thursday it will consider an overhaul of its ongoing plans to construct a railroad in Gangwon Province, after its route was found to have been tampered with during the planning stage. The Korea National Railway said that it will re-examine from scratch the outlines for the planned 8.13-kilometer railway section connecting the cities of Chuncheon and Sokcho in the province. The decision by the KNR followed controversy after local med

March 20, 2025

Justice Ministry denies rumors about visa-free entry for Chinese

The Ministry of Justice on Wednesday denied a recent online rumor that a revision of the skilled worker visa system will permit a mass influx of Chinese nationals on a visa-free basis. The rumor is tangentially related to the September 2023 revision of the country's E-7-4 visa issued to skilled foreign workers, a key provision of which is an increase of the yearly quota for holders of such visas from 2,000 to 35,000. The online rumor claimed that large-scale visa-free entry of Chinese nationals

March 20, 2025

Burglar fries chicken, takes beer in late-night restaurant break-in

A burglar broke into a fried chicken restaurant overnight, fried some chicken, grabbed a beer, and left without taking anything else. Three days later, the bizarre incident repeated itself. When police caught the culprit, they discovered it was a former staff member, returning for a late-night snack. This case, which took place in Sejong in August last year, gained media attention this week, after a court sentenced the culprit to six months in jail, suspended for one year. The Daejeon District C

March 20, 2025

88-year-old who overcame lifetime of hardship donates building to university

Yun Geun, 88, an inn owner in Busan, has donated her building worth 4 billion won ($2.73 million) to Chungnam National University in her hometown area of South Chungcheong Province. The self-made businesswoman, who never had the privilege of even attending elementary school, expressed her wishes that her donation would allow financially-challenged students to pursue their dreams. She owns a six-story building in Yeongdo-gu, Busan, which was erected in 1995, where she has runs the Dongnam Inn. "I

March 20, 2025

Exonerated ex-teacher to be compensated for jail time

A 70-year-old former teacher who was recently exonerated of his anti-state charges will receive compensation for being wrongly imprisoned for two years, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The Busan District Court on Feb. 25 ruled that the state should give Lee Tae-yeong 291.4 million won ($200,000) for the damages inflicted by his time behind bars in the 1980s. The initial sentence was handed down in 1980 when then-high school teacher Lee was serving his mandatory military dut

March 19, 2025

Around 30 percent of elementary schools use AI textbooks: data

Government data showed Wednesday that around 30 percent of elementary schools in South Korea are using artificial intelligence-backed digital textbooks within their first year of introduction, with a comparably smaller number of middle and high schools using them. Of the 6,339 elementary schools across the country, 1,843 (29.1 percent) have adopted the AI textbooks for 3rd grade English while 1,813 schools (28.6 percent) use them for 3rd grade math, according to the Ministry of Education data su

March 19, 2025

72-year-olds in 2023 are as fit as 65-year-olds in 2011: study

The physical health of Koreans in their 70s in 2023 was similar to that of people in their mid-60s 12 years ago, according to a study by a Korean medical expert released Tuesday. Lee Yun-hwan, a professor of preventive medicine and public health at Ajou University School of Medicine, presented his study at a government-hosted discussion, comparing the functional health of senior citizens in 2011 and 2023. He quantified the concept of "healthy aging" using an index he devised based on the physica

March 19, 2025

Military purchased over 3,000 more body bags around Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration

Suspicions grow about purchase, inquiry into 1,000 cardboard coffins made in August The South Korean military placed a substantially larger purchase of body bags than normal around the time when now-suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3, a local media outlet and a lawmaker said, fueling suspicions on whether the military anticipated a large number of potential deaths. MBC reported Tuesday evening that the Army had 4,940 body bags in December of last year, quoting data

March 19, 2025

Seoul fines pro-impeachment ralliers, claiming 'illegal tents'

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that it is seeking indemnification for damages against groups calling for suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment to be upheld, saying their unauthorized occupation of Gwanghwamun Square caused an inconvenience to residents. A total of 1,549 civic and labor groups across the country have formed a coalition to call on the Constitutional Court to confirm Yoon's impeachment, with the court anticipated to announce its verdict any day now. Yoon is

March 18, 2025