On Wednesday, Kim Kyu-jin became the first openly gay Korean woman to give birth. While the birth of her child is a unique event here, it was a casual conversation over lunch which first sparked the idea of becoming a mother. “You are married? You are going to have a baby, right?” The question was posed to her by her boss at a multinational company in France. The question got her thinking, “If this kind of question can be so easily asked over lunch on the first day of work beca

People Aug. 30, 2023

How music shapes a city and accords identity: Scenes of 19th Jecheon International Music and Film Festival JECHEON, North Chungcheong Province -- The 19th edition of the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival -- the only internationally recognized festival that encompasses both music and film -- came to a close Tuesday with dampened festivities and controversy. The festival got off to a rocky start this year, suffering from budget cuts and leadership changes. This year's budget was

Film Aug. 15, 2023

Upon alarming incidents of random attacks against pedestrians in South Korea in recent weeks, the police held a press conference on Friday and vowed special security measures that include inspecting anyone suspected of carrying weapons. “We declare special measures for public peace and safety until the anxiety felt among the people subsides,” National Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun said in a live televised address. He said the police will selectively inspect anyone who is

Social Affairs Aug. 4, 2023

Monsoon rains have battered South Korea over the past few days, creating a number of bizarre commuting scenes. People in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province on Monday waded through the mud to get to work. High tides meant that the rain, which reached 200 millimeters overnight, was unable to discharge into the river. More than a dozen shops, including gas stations, financial institutions and cafes, were closed this morning as the eight-lane road around Seokhyeon Samgeori, dubbed the gateway to Mokpo, wa

Social Affairs July 24, 2023

진행자: 최정윤, Beth Eunhee Hong 1. A wake-up call on landslide dangers in S. Korea 기사 요약: 7월 호우 피해로 인해 한국 사회가 산사태 예방 및 대책에 얼마나 미흡한지가 들어나 [1] When torrential rain continues for days, hillside homes can be just as dangerous as riverside dwellings. This served as a painful lesson for South Korea, as several landslides caused casualties across the country. *torrential: (엄청난 양의/ 양동이를 들이붓듯) 많이 내리는 *casualty: 사상자, 피해자 [2] The record July downpour has left 50 people dead or missing nationwide as of 11

Podcast July 20, 2023

A couple under police investigation for burying their 5-day-old male infant in secret have been detained over suspicion of murder. It was the latest in a series of shocking child abuse or infanticide cases revealed after the government launched an investigation to check the well-being of more than 2,000 undocumented babies born since 2015, following the discovery of two unregistered newborns in a home refrigerator last month. An arrest warrant was issued for a man in his 20s and a woman in her

Social Affairs July 2, 2023

South Korea dispatched an emergency firefighting team to Canada on Sunday to support extinguishing the wildfires raging across the North American nation. The 151 workers from the Korea Disaster Relief Team, consisting of firefighters as well as government agency and medical personnel, are headed to Quebec, where they will work for about one month. The dispatch of the KDRT marks the second mission of its kind this year following its activities in Turkey to provide disaster relief following the ma

Foreign Affairs July 2, 2023

A teacher at an English academy in Seoul is under police investigation for allegedly abusing a 6-year-old child because he was not eating his food. CCTV footage released by YTN shows the child reacting in fright, quickly covering his mouth as the teacher approaches him. The teacher then grabs the child, pulling him out of the classroom. The 6-year-old is dragged on his knees and taken to a different room, where he is ordered to sit in the corner and look at his food while other children are allo

Social Affairs June 28, 2023

One-third of South Koreans believed that a victim of sexual assault has some responsibility for the attack if the crime occurred while the victim was inebriated, a government survey showed Wednesday. According to the survey of 10,020 people aged 19 to 64, 32.1 percent of respondents said that if a victim was drunk when assaulted, the victim is partially responsible for being attacked. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family conducted a survey on public's perceptions of sex crimes over th

Social Affairs June 21, 2023

A British man on Monday was caught 72 floors above ground climbing Lotte World Tower in Seoul -- the fifth tallest building in the world -- without a rope. Police identified the man as George King-Thompson, and arrested him on charges of trespassing and obstruction of business. Songpa Fire Station received a report at 7:50 a.m. that a man, 23, was scaling the 123-story tower with his bare hands and climbing chalk. The fire authorities dispatched 11 fire engines and 54 personnel. Fifteen police o

Social Affairs June 12, 2023

Every problem regarding the environment cannot be solved by the actions of a single individual, but they should be tackled in unison among global citizens, according to environment experts at the H.eco Forum hosted by Herald Corp. on Wednesday. With some 130 participants ranging from environmental activists and business owners in the industry to students interested in the issue, the second session of the forum underscored the importance of solidarity when taking forward climate crisis matters. I

Technology May 24, 2023

진행자: 최정윤, Beth Eunhee Hong 1. Income inequality widens marriage rates among men 기사 요약: 남성의 소득 불평등이 혼인율 감소 및 저출산으로 이어질 수 있다는 통계 조사 [1] South Korean men in the top income bracket are likelier to be tying the knot, data showed Sunday, suggesting that income inequality could be a major factor in exacerbating marriage and childbearing rates. * tie the knot: 결혼을 하다 * exacerbate: (문제, 특히 질병을) 악화시키다(=aggravate) * childbearing: 출산 / v. procreate, conceive [2] According to data released by the Kore

Podcast May 18, 2023

A teen has been arrested for forcibly inscribing a 22-centimeter-long tattoo on another teen. The Incheon Nonhyeon Police Department handed over the teenager to prosecutors for allegedly threatening a fellow middle school student and forcing him to get the tattoo, according to a YTN report on Thursday. The assailant faces charges of coercion and violating medical laws as tattooing and semi-permanent makeup can only be performed by medical professionals under current South Korean law. The victim

Social Affairs May 11, 2023

An Uzbekistan national working at a factory in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province died from injuries sustained from falling into a tank filled with 67-degree hot water while on duty. The deceased, a man in his 20s, was operating the temperature control panel of the hot water tank used in metal pipe production when he slipped and fell into the 1.5-meter-deep, 1.5-meter-wide, 7-meter-long tank, said the Yangsan Police on Wednesday. His demise comes nine days after getting treatment for his severel

Social Affairs May 10, 2023

Police are facing criticism for allowing two men to return to the house of a Vietnamese woman whom they had chased home and threatened before assaulting her husband. On March 28, the woman was chased by a drunk man on her way to her house from a convenience store in a village located in Jindo-gun, South Jeolla Province, Korean broadcaster MBC reported Monday. CCTV footage shows the woman running down an alley with a man running after her. The man followed her into her yard even after she entered

Social Affairs May 2, 2023