Palm-stroking handshake may be harassment, but it's not assault: court

The Ulsan District Court said Monday it had acquitted the head of an Ulsan-based company of committing an indecent act against a female employee by stroking her palm several times during a handshake. The man was charged under Article 298 of the Criminal Act over the March 2025 incident. During their first meeting, the man allegedly stroked the woman’s palm several times while shaking her hand and then enclosed her hand with both of his hands. The court said the conduct appeared sexual in nature

2026-08-04 13:31:49:00

High uranium level found in Incheon island water, but not likely linked to N. Korea plant

The South Korean government is investigating an abnormally high concentration of uranium detected in a water supply in Incheon, with officials saying Monday that it was unlikely to have been caused by a North Korean uranium facility. Government agencies said in a joint statement Monday that uranium was detected at a concentration of 45 micrograms per liter in drinking water on Seogeomdo, an island in Ganghwa County. The figure exceeds Korea’s drinking-water limit of 30 micrograms per liter. The

2026-08-04 12:39:49:00

Newborn dies after hospital overfeeding, court orders compensation

A South Korean court has recently ordered a hospital to pay 540 million won ($378,000) in compensation to the family of a deceased newborn who died due to the hospital staff's excessive feeding. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the compensation claim submitted by the bereaved family, acknowledging that the hospital staff is to be held accountable for the child's death in 2024. The attending doctor and hospital head were to pay the compensation, jointly shouldered by the medical

2026-08-03 16:58:35:00

Foreign tourists’ spending surges with medical travel boom

Spending by foreign tourists in South Korea surged in the first half, driven largely by a rebound in Chinese visitors and rapid growth in medical tourism, BC Card said Monday. The credit card company analyzed transactions made with 3.3 million foreign-issued cards and found that total spending rose 53.6 percent from a year earlier while the number of transactions increased 40.3 percent. BC Card did not disclose the total amount spent. A separate report released last week by the Ministry of Cultu

2026-08-03 13:55:56:00

Shoes off, please: What to consider when visiting a Korean home

Like in countries all over the world, Koreans have unique features concerning their style of living. These features are particularly on display at home, meaning it would be wise for a foreign visitor to know a thing or two about Korean homes before dropping in. From sharing food to sitting on the floor and, of course, taking off the shoes, here are some of the things Koreans do in the comfort of their own homes. While Koreans also use elevated furniture like chairs, sofas and beds, it is common

2026-08-01 16:00:03:00

Yangsan sets new heat record at 41.4 C

Yangsan city, South Gyeongsang Province, broke its own record Friday for the highest temperature ever recorded through South Korea's standard weather observation system. The city in the southeastern region recorded 41.4 degrees Celsius as of 1:40 p.m., surpassing the 40-degree mark for the third straight day since Wednesday. The daily highs on Wednesday and Thursday were 41.3 C, which before Friday were the highest figures ever recorded by Korea's Automated Synoptic Observing System. The ASOS co

2026-07-31 15:36:32:00

Prosecution's supplementary probe helped clear disabled man's charges: report

With the National Assembly set to vote on revoking the prosecution's direct investigative powers, a local media outlet on Friday reported that a supplementary probe by prosecutors recently helped a disabled man avoid criminal punishment. According to The Chosun Ilbo, a man in his 30s with severe developmental disabilities started his father's parked car and moved the vehicle about 10 meters into two other cars, on Dec. 26, 2025. In addition to being ordered to pay 36 million won ($25,000) in com

2026-07-31 12:18:50:00

Govt. to implement sharing system for medical imaging

The South Korean government on Friday said it is pushing to implement a system allowing hospitals to share medical imaging of a patient, such as CT and MRI scans. The system, part of the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans for the second half of the year, is to spare patients the extra medical expenses and inconvenience of getting new scans every time they move between different hospitals. The patient would use a QR code to upload existing medical images to the medical institution of their choo

2026-07-31 11:17:08:00

Retired teacher saves 4 with postmortem organ donation

A 63-year-old woman who spent half her life teaching elementary school students donated vital organs to four individuals after recently passing away from brain death. The Korea Organ Donation Agency said Friday that Lee Seung-hee's lungs, liver and both kidneys were donated to four individuals, and that tissue from the deceased was also donated. Lee fell unconscious on July 5 after suffering a severe migraine. She received medical treatment, but was eventually pronounced brain-dead. Her family s

2026-07-31 10:48:42:00

Chinese national's 5-year jail term confirmed, for trying to steal military secrets

The Supreme Court has recently confirmed the five-year prison term for a Chinese national for attempting to steal South Korea's military secrets by bribing active soldiers. The defendant was convicted of violating the Act on South Korea's Military Secret Protection for conspiring with a Chinese intelligence agent in an attempt to procure military secrets between May 2024 and March 2025. Forfeiture of 4.57 million won ($3,164) was also confirmed by the country's top court. While the first-instanc

2026-07-30 13:41:53:00