As South Korea struggles to reverse a falling fertility rate, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has come up with a new idea: Open up the border to foreign nannies to relieve the child care burden of working parents. “Parenting should be socially respected, and measures are needed to enable mothers and fathers to raise their children together,” he said via Facebook on Tuesday. “The introduction of foreign b...

However, this is not without controversy. As in the above-mentioned case of the subway murder, the public are often baffled by the release of a much worked-on portrait image of the suspect. Professor Kwak Dae-kyung at Dongguk University's College of Police and Criminal Justice says a police mugshot, not an altered portrait, should be used to better serve the purpose of disclosing the suspect’s ...

The residents of Guryong are mostly squatters who were evicted from illegal homes in the Gangnam area before a massive building boom turned the area into Seoul’s equivalent of Beverly Hills. At its peak, the village, which occupies some 320,000 square meters of land, had over 1,100 households. Now, about 600 people are still living there, with 454 households having been relocated as of last year...

Nearly 100 groups of rural farmers from 60 cities across the nation are bringing a wide variety of farm produces to the market, which is held in three different areas, including the Malli-dong Square near Seoul Station, Digital Media City in Mapo-gu and Cheonggye Plaza, at the top of Cheonggyecheon Stream, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., until Nov. 25. The city-run market is held twice a year in spring ...

A second event is slated for Sunday in Youngwol-gun, Gangwon Province, covering the history and culture of kimchi-making carried on by “jongga,” or the head family of a respected clan. The historic village Oeam, located some 8 kilometers south of Onyang in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, will host the third event on Sept. 28, which will focus on the tradition of kimchi-making unique to the reg...

Looking forward, Choden expressed hopes to use her social media presence and the beauty queen title for promotion of LGBT rights around the world. “I will not only speak for the Bhutanese LGBT community, but also for other sexual minorities across the globe through a platform like the forthcoming Miss Universe pageant,” she proclaimed to The Korea Herald. Choden will represent her country at th...

Kim Dae-wok, a 41-year-old office worker who owns an apartment unit in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, echoed the view. “Besides its aesthetic value, an apartment complex’s large, luxurious front gate gives people an impression that it is not an ordinary apartment, helping to build a premium image and value,” he said. Builders and residents spending a generous amount of money to build an impressiv...

Some experts say the growing popularity of liquor stores is largely being driven by people’s preferences for at-home activities amid the pandemic. “The onset of the coronavirus gave rise to the phenomena of ‘homesul,’ or drinking at home, while boosting the existing ‘honsul’ solo drinking trend. The protracted coronavirus crisis, coupled with an increase in the number of single-person households...

CNN described tteokbokki as “a much-loved comfort food in South Korea,” adding the popular snack is incredibly versatile. “The most famous variation stars spicy red chili paste and fish cakes, but rice cakes can also be prepared with a milder soy sauce-based dressing, with cheese, or in various soups and hot pots,” it said. Among other street foods on the top 50 list are Vietnam's pho soups and...

A South Korean civic group is pushing to erect a statue to honor the late US Army Major Gen. John K. Singlaub to mark the 70th anniversary of the Seoul-Washington alliance next year, the group said Monday. The Korea-US Alliance Foundation, which was established in 2017, is in talks with the deceased general’s bereaved family in the US, as well as officials from the Ministry of Patriots and Veter...

The open library is open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays and from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays until Nov. 13. The schedule is subject to changes or cancellations depending on weather conditions. All visitors can read the books on-site at no charge. (cjh@heraldcorp.com)

The four-faced stone sculpture is engraved with four Buddhas -- the Amitabha on the west, the Bhaisajyaguru on the east, the Maitreya on the north, and the Sakyamuni on the south. Along with Pohang, also in North Gyeongsang Province, Gyeonggju is one of the hardest hit by super-strong Typhoon Hinnamnor which passed through S. Korea early Tuesday morning.

Experts say using MBTI personality tests for dating and relationships has downsides. People are already judging people on limited information like job titles, academic backgrounds, the house they live in or the car they drive. Plus, personality is not such a simple thing that can be explained with pseudoscientific four-letter categories, they point out. “Our personalities change over time and th...

Nearly one in five foreigners staying in South Korea are without a valid visa, latest government data shows. According to the Korea Immigration Service, as of July, a total of 395,068 foreigners were staying illegally, which is 19 percent of the country’s total foreigner population of over 2 million. The figure, which is up 4,665 from a year earlier, was the highest since September 2020, when t...

This laissez faire attitude on secret call recordings is now being challenged by a group of lawmakers. Led by Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the main conservative People Power Party, the 11 legislators have recently proposed a revision to the communication secrecy protection act to abolish the “one-party consent” rule. They say one party’s consent is not enough. Those who want to record phone calls or ...