Gym owner acquitted after member trapped under 70-kg barbell

A South Korean court has acquitted the owner and a trainer at a fitness club in Busan over the death of a gym member who was trapped beneath a 70-kilogram barbell while bench pressing, according to local media reports Monday. The ruling was handed down earlier this month by the Busan Western District Court. The victim lost consciousness after becoming pinned under the barbell for about 25 minutes during a bench press exercise at the gym in December 2025. He died about a week later from brain dam

2026-07-20 17:41:12:00

Korean teens lean on caffeine as other countries tighten access

Coffee is no longer the only source of caffeine Korean teenagers are discussing during exam season. Energy drinks, high-caffeine canned beverages and even pills bought from overseas are being compared online for their perceived effects on concentration and alertness. Teachers say those discussions increasingly mirror what they see in classrooms. “Many students usually carry at least one energy drink with them. Those who are studying hard sometimes bring two or three cans, and some also come to s

2026-07-20 15:23:37:00

Starbucks Korea workers form first union over pay, workloads

Workers at Starbucks Korea have formed the company’s first labor union since it entered South Korea 27 years ago, seeking higher pay and relief from heavy workloads. The workers recently established a Starbucks branch under the Korean Chemical, Textile and Food Workers’ Union, the new union said Sunday. The industrial union, which is affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has about 44,000 members. The Starbucks branch said it was the first union formed by workers at a coffee f

2026-07-19 17:22:04:00

‘Daigou’ queue-jumping prompts safety measures at Incheon Airport

Incheon Airport is considering installing additional barriers at airline check-in areas after repeated incidents involving suspected Chinese traders known as “daigou” rushing past queues left airport staff injured, local media reported Sunday. The issue drew attention after a video filmed July 2 circulated online. It shows dozens of passengers surging toward check-in counters for a China-bound flight on the third-floor departure hall of Terminal 1. Instead of following the designated queue, the

2026-07-19 14:16:24:00

Coupang warehouse fire forces evacuations, draws nationwide response

Hundreds of firefighters battled a major fire at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon on Sunday, as heavy smoke spread into nearby neighborhoods and forced dozens of residents to evacuate. The blaze began at 6:54 a.m. Saturday on the sixth floor of the fulfillment center in Seo-gu and later spread to the seventh floor through the building’s exterior wall, according to fire authorities. All 121 employees inside the warehouse evacuated safely. One firefighter was hospitalized with a smoke inhalat

2026-07-19 11:12:49:00

What's next for Korea's digital nomad visa?

James, an Australian game developer, is among the foreign professionals hoping to benefit from South Korea’s eased digital nomad visa rules, which took effect June 30. “I have traveled in South Korea for extended periods before. I also spent a few weeks in Busan, and it is beautiful. It is definitely a city I would want to return to,” James said. “There is so much the country has to offer outside Seoul that most people do not know about.” The revised visa is designed to steer young remote worker

2026-07-17 18:27:09:00

Chinese-made pipe parts passed off as Korean in US-bound exports

A man in his 60s has been sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for falsely labeling Chinese-made pipe components as South Korean products before exporting them to the United States. According to the Busan District Court on Friday, the man exported 61,540 Chinese-made flanges on 52 occasions beginning in April 2023, mainly to the United States. The products, worth a combined 4.35 billion won ($2.9 million), were shipped with certificates of origin falsely identifying them as

2026-07-17 14:17:27:00

Korea weighs citizen-led rules on online gender hate

The South Korean government is considering creating a citizen body to define gender-based hate speech online and build public consensus on how to respond to it, local media reported Friday. According to Newsis, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is reviewing measures to address the longstanding social problem through a citizen body tasked with building public consensus on what constitutes hate speech and how it should be handled. The proposal also calls for greater self-regulation by onl

2026-07-17 13:38:33:00

Got thoughts on banking in Korea? KB wants to hear them

KB Kookmin Bank is recruiting foreign residents in Korea to join its new customer panel, the “KB Global Star Supporters.” The program is designed for foreign customers to test banking products and services, share their experiences and suggest ways to make them easier to use. Around 20 participants will be selected. Applicants must live in Korea, currently use KB Kookmin Bank products or services and be able to communicate in Korean. The supporters will take part in the program for about three mo

2026-07-15 16:47:29:00

Minimum wage rises, but the bigger fight is over who pays

South Korea's decision to raise the hourly minimum wage by 3.7 percent to 10,700 won ($7.20) immediately drew familiar criticism from both labor unions and business groups following the Minimum Wage Commission's vote Tuesday night. But this year's negotiations again raised a broader question over whether the minimum wage alone can protect low-income workers without placing disproportionate pressure on small business employers. Korea has increasingly relied on the minimum wage as a tool of social

2026-07-15 15:16:36:00