Court maintains exit ban against US scholar accused of defaming President Lee

A Seoul court on Friday rejected a lawsuit filed by former Liberty University professor Morse Tan seeking to overturn a Justice Ministry travel ban against him, keeping the restriction in place until Aug. 15. The Seoul Administrative Court dismissed part of Tan’s challenge and rejected the remainder, marking the first substantive ruling on his efforts to contest the ministry’s repeated travel restrictions. “The portion of the claim seeking cancellation of the July 1, 2026 travel restriction is d

2026-07-31 14:19:50:00

Mega Special Zone bill draws labor backlash over deregulation

The government is preparing legislation that would ease labor regulations in planned Mega Special Zones for advanced industries, which has been drawing strong opposition from labor groups, according to local media reports. Local daily Hankyoreh reported Thursday, citing government and National Assembly sources, that the Industry Ministry plans to submit a bill on the designation and management of Mega Special Zones in early August. This includes a semiconductor cluster in the southwestern Honam

2026-07-31 13:18:09:00

Sookmyung to outline research vision at US conference, expanding women's foothold in STEM

Sookmyung Women’s University said Friday it will participate in the 2026 US-Korea Conference on Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship in Florida next month, as the women-only university seeks to expand its research footprint in science and engineering. The conference will be held from Wednesday to Aug. 8 at the Omni Orlando Resort in Florida. Held annually since 1991, the event is expected to draw around 1,500 participants, including researchers, government officials, policymakers, industry r

2026-07-31 11:47:26:00

Korean prisons use VR to put inmates in victims’ shoes

South Korean correctional facilities will now use virtual reality to help inmates confront their crimes from victims’ perspectives, as the Justice Ministry rolls out a VR-based psychotherapy program at 11 correctional facilities across the country, the ministry said Thursday. The program will begin full operations from late July after a pilot involving 392 inmates showed improvements in cognitive distortions, aggression and empathy, according to the ministry. The ministry said the program is des

2026-07-30 17:48:34:00

S. Korea helps Mongolia build cultural heritage conservation program

Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin visited the Mongolian University of Science and Technology on July 10 to review the progress of a higher education cooperation project aimed at training specialists in cultural heritage conservation. According to the Education Ministry on Thursday, Choi inspected the facilities, established under Korea's Leading University Project for International Cooperation, together with his Mongolian counterpart. The two ministers toured conservation treatment and analysis fa

2026-07-30 14:56:08:00

Muhak Girls' High coed conversion pits survival against tradition

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Thursday approved eight of 11 schools that applied to transition to coeducation, including Muhak Girls’ High School, allowing them to make the switch within the next two years. The decision is expected to draw backlash, particularly at Muhak, where alumni and students have mounted protests against the proposed transition. They have argued that their views were not sufficiently reflected and that the transition would undermine the school’s identity as

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

Gyeonggi education official found dead at Yongin apartment complex

A Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education official was found dead at an apartment complex in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on July 23, prompting a police investigation, authorities said Wednesday. According to local news agency News1, citing the Yongin Seobu Police Station, a resident called emergency services around noon after discovering the body of a man in his 20s in a flower bed at the apartment complex. The man was later identified as an administrative staff member at a local elementary schoo

2026-07-29 20:31:12:00

Hospital left with W840m bill after treating unconscious patient for 6 years

A South Korean hospital that had treated an unconscious Chinese patient for more than six years was left with over 800 million won ($550,000) in unpaid medical bills after the patient died, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said Wednesday. The commission recommended that relevant authorities establish measures to support hospitals with unpaid medical costs involving unaccompanied foreign patients and to facilitate their repatriation. According to the commission, the Chinese nationa

2026-07-29 20:21:22:00

K-pop, K-food brought into Korean-language classrooms in Russia

South Korea has launched a training program for Korean-language teachers across Russia that uses learning materials based on beloved aspects of Korean culture, food, music and entertainment, the Education Ministry said Wednesday. The three-day program, which began Monday at Moscow State University, brought together 46 Korean-language teachers working across Russia. It was jointly organized by four Korean Education Centers in Russia with the International Korean Education Foundation providing ins

2026-07-29 14:30:50:00

Kill the cats to save the birds?

“Cats? We need to catch them.” “The only way to control the population is to cull them.” When birdwatcher and YouTuber Kim Eo-jin made these remarks in a video, he touched one of the most contentious nerves in South Korea’s animal welfare community: What should be done about the country’s growing stray cat population? There is a widespread debate over how to deal with the stray cat population in Korea, with clashing views presented by those advocating for the humane management of cats and other

2026-07-29 13:32:29:00