12 people died in immigration detention since 2015

Twelve foreign nationals died at immigration detention facilities across South Korea from 2015 to 2025, government data showed Thursday, raising concerns over possibly inadequate access to medical care at facilities holding foreigners awaiting deportation. According to data obtained from the Justice Ministry by Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Han-kyu, seven of the 12 deaths were recorded between 2015 and 2023, including two at the Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center, two at the Cheongju Imm

2026-10-08 13:20:52:00

AI glasses solve Suneung question during parliamentary audit, raising cheating concerns

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Kim Moon-soo tapped his AI-powered glasses and asked them to solve an English question from Korea’s college entrance exam during a parliamentary audit Wednesday. After a brief pause, he told fellow lawmakers and Education Ministry officials that the device had returned choice No. 3. Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said officials were preparing guidance to identify smart glasses ahead of the College Scholastic Ability Test, or Suneung, but deploying radio-frequency

2026-10-07 18:18:03:00

Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol win appeal against conviction over free polls from 'political broker'

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was acquitted on appeal Wednesday of illegally receiving free polling results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun, overturning his conviction and two-year prison sentence. The Seoul High Court also acquitted Myung of violating the Political Funds Act, citing an absence of evidence that he and the former presidential couple agreed to the provision of free polls. “There is no evidence whatsoever that there was a meeting of minds among Yoon, his wife and Myung regard

2026-10-07 15:31:23:00

Korea plans easier visa rules for Korean-speaking students, new gap-year track

South Korea plans to waive proof-of-funds requirements for international students who meet Korean-language standards and introduce a visa pathway for gap-year study, the Justice Ministry said Wednesday. The package also includes simpler rules for part-time work and new pathways for graduates to find jobs and settle in Korea. The number of international students residing in Korea rose from around 200,000 in 2022 to more than 300,000 last year, reaching about 350,000 as of August, according to min

2026-10-07 14:43:09:00

Where do Korea’s chaebol heirs study?

Columbia University tops the overseas university list for South Korea’s business dynasties, with Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and his son Shin Yoo-yeol among the 22 chaebol family members who studied there. A survey released Wednesday by corporate research firm CEOScore also found that nearly 94 percent of fourth- and fifth-generation members of conglomerate-owning families had studied abroad. The survey examined the educational backgrounds of 350 members of the controlling families behind

2026-10-07 14:31:42:00

Science and tech institutes see record applicants amid growing demand for AI, chips majors

Early admissions applications to South Korea’s four science and technology institutes surpassed 30,000 for the first time, apparently driven by the launch of new artificial intelligence-related majors and growing student interest in semiconductor programs, according to Jongro Hagwon, a major college entrance exam prep academy. The academy said Monday that a record number of students applied to the country’s four science and technology institutes — the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Tech

2026-10-05 17:54:39:00

Late-night brawl in Pyeongtaek involves multiple foreign nationals

South Korean police are investigating a brawl that is believed to have involved some 10 foreign nationals at a park in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, late Saturday night, authorities said Monday. The Pyeongtaek Police Station said it received a report at around 11:30 p.m. Saturday that “a group of foreigners were engaged in a brawl.” Video footage taken by a nearby member of Korea Citizens on Patrol, a neighborhood watch group voluntarily organized by local residents, shows several people surrou

2026-10-05 14:21:20:00

Debate over military exemption reignited over Asian Games gold

South Korea’s U-23 men’s soccer team returned home Sunday with a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal, but the celebrations were quickly overshadowed by backlash over players’ remarks about the military service exemptions that came with their victory. Team captain Lee Gi-hyuk, a 26-year-old defender for K League 1 club Gangwon FC, apologized for his controversial comment about avoiding the mandatory service upon arriving at Incheon Airport on Sunday. The team defeated Japan 1-0 in the Asian

2026-10-05 14:21:05:00

[World Class] Sookmyung bets Hallyu’s next stage is academia, not just entertainment

Behind each university’s global ambitions are choices about what to preserve, what to develop and where to go next. In “World Class,” The Korea Herald interviews leaders of Korean universities about the strengths they are cultivating and the futures they envision. — Ed. Sookmyung Women’s University is betting that the next stage of Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, will not be another hit song or streaming drama, but a field of study. When the university launched its Hallyu International College in Ma

2026-10-05 13:36:34:00

59 hospitalized after chlorine gas spreads in Jeju hotel

Fifty-nine guests and employees were hospitalized Thursday after chlorine gas spread through the Grand Josun Jeju hotel on Jeju Island, causing nausea, dizziness and other symptoms. The Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters received an emergency call at around 10:40 a.m. reporting that “all floors of the hotel smelled like bleach.” Firefighters arrived at around 10:53 a.m. and evacuated all 85 guests staying at the five-star hotel in the Jungmun Tourist Complex in Seogwipo. Authorities set up a temporar

2026-10-01 17:16:28:00