Long-term care spending for seniors doubles in last 5 years

South Korea in 2024 spent 14.76 trillion won ($10.27 billion) in state-provided long-term care benefits for those aged 65 and up, again marking an all-time high as the proportion of older residents in the country keeps climbing. The latest figure marked a substantial increase from the year before and was nearly double the 7.73 trillion won spent five years ago, according to the National Health Insurance Service data submitted to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the ruling People Power Party. The annual figure

Feb. 20, 2025

Teacher who killed 7-year-old 'laughed in ER': report

The elementary school teacher accused of stabbing a first grader to death had laughed while receiving emergency medical treatment after the incident, a local media outlet reported Wednesday. The suspect surnamed Myeong, 48, was brought to the emergency room of a university hospital in Daejeon at around 6:43 p.m. on Feb. 10, after Kim Ha-neul, 7, was found with fatal wounds at their elementary school. Myeong had also inflicted wounds on her own neck with the knife she apparently had used to stab

Feb. 20, 2025

'President will of course accept' results of impeachment trial: Yoon's lawyer

Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyer said Wednesday that the impeached president will accept the decision of the Constitutional Court of Korea, which is deliberating whether to confirm his impeachment over his botched declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. "The president will of course accept the results from the Constitutional Court. (...) We cannot consider the possibility of him refusing or being unable to accept (the trial's results)," Seok Dong-hyeon, who represents Yoon, told reporters in a press confere

Feb. 20, 2025

Teacher's attack on 7-year-old was premeditated: police

The elementary school teacher suspected of stabbing her student to death was found to have looked up murder articles in the past along with information about weaponry, police said Wednesday. Investigators of the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said they have found what appears to be evidence of the suspect surnamed Myeong, 48, planning the attack. They have searched the suspect's phone, her personal computer and three computers that she used at school. "We've confirmed it was a premeditated c

Feb. 19, 2025

'Korean Stephen Hawkings' honored

A South Korean hospital said Wednesday it held the annual "Congratulations, Korean Hawkings," commemoration ceremony, dedicated to celebrating the academic accomplishments of patients with rare neuromuscular disorders. The event is named after the world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for most of his life. According to the Gangnam Severance Hospital, seven patients were honored at this year's event on Tuesday -- three who were accepted at univer

Feb. 19, 2025

College admissions offer cancelled in prank by classmate gone wrong

A 19-year-old who had gotten into Soongsil University had their admissions offer cancelled in a prank by a classmate from the same private education institute, or hagwon, a local news outlet reported Tuesday. According to the Yonhap News Agency, the student had received a text message from the university that the process of refunding their tuition had been completed, although the student had not asked for the refund. The student explained the situation to the school and reported to the police th

Feb. 19, 2025

Man who killed 2 says he did it because of anger, but can't remember why

A 35-year-old man who fatally stabbed his stepbrother and a store clerk told police that he did so because he was uncontrollably angry, but said he did not remember what upset him. "It appears that the suspect committed the crime due to a burst of emotion. ... He has said that he does not remember the details of the incident," said officials of the Siheung Police Station in Gyeonggi Province. Police said Wednesday they will forward the murder case to the Ansan branch of the Suwon District Prosec

Feb. 19, 2025

Drivers cleared in death of woman who leapt from taxi, fearing kidnapping

Two drivers prosecuted over death of a college student in 2022 tragic expressway accident found innocent On March 4, 2022, a female college student jumped out of a taxi in the middle of an expressway, mistakenly thinking she was being kidnapped. She was fatally hit by another vehicle. Late last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the two drivers charged in her death – the taxi driver and the driver of the car that hit her – were not responsible for it. According to court officials on Tuesday, th

Feb. 19, 2025

Rights watchdog offers continued support for Yoon, despite controversy

NHRC discusses protective measures for four military commanders on trial for insurrection, emphasizes several of Yoon's arguments South Korea’s human rights agency is facing criticism for its defense of the rights of President Yoon Suk Yeol and his military commanders accused of following orders during the short-lived martial law that Yoon declared Dec. 3-4, 2024, which repeated some of the presidents' self-justifications. Despite denunciations even coming from dozens of its own staff, the Natio

Feb. 18, 2025

Korea's child obesity rate, highest in East Asia, keeps rising

Studies have shown that the obesity rate of children and teenagers in South Korea is consistently on the rise, and a new report indicates it is the highest in East Asia. In 2022, 43 percent of males and 24.6 percent of females aged 5-19 in the country were found to be obese, according to a 2024 report by a joint research team comprising the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, SoonChunHyang University Bucheon Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital and Korea University Colle

Feb. 18, 2025