Every household in a small rural village in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, received cash gifts up to as much as 90.2 million won ($69,000) per household in the past month. The generous donor was Lee Joong-keun, the 82-year-old founder of property developer Booyoung Group, who grew up there in poverty and wanted to express his “thanks to the support of villagers.” According to the conglomerate, all 280 households in its chairman's hometown of Unpyeong-ri were wired cash, rangin

Industry June 28, 2023

The suspect in the murder of a university student in Busan is believed to have stabbed the victim over 110 times, prosecutors investing the case revealed Tuesday. Suspect Jung Yoo-jung, 23, is accused of attacking the victim with a weapon she prepared, dismembering the body and disposing of it in the Nakdong River near Yangsan, according to Busan District Prosecutor's Office. Jung was arrested last month. She confessed to the killing and said she did so "out of curiosity about murder.&

Social Affairs June 27, 2023

"Revenant," a new mystery thriller from the star writer behind “Kingdom,” is off to a strong start, with two episodes aired so far. With the second episode aired Saturday, the SBS TV drama, starring Kim Tae-ri, the heroine of “Mr. Sunshine,” as the protagonist who is possessed by a devil spirit, recorded a viewership rating of 10.8 percent among the Seoul metropolitan area's TV-watching households, while nabbing 10 percent of viewers nationwide, according t

Television June 25, 2023

Three Korean soccer players with Ulsan Hyundai FC were suspended for one game and fined 15 million won ($11,500) each on Thursday for posting allegedly racist comments online. A disciplinary committee under the Korea Professional Football League announced their decision to punish Ulsan defender Lee Myung-jae and his teammates Lee Gyu-sung and Park Yong-woo for posting allegedly racist comments on social media, one of which referenced Thai player Sasalak Haiprakhon earlier this month. This marks

Soccer June 22, 2023

A singer who raised donations by faking cancer was found dead in an apparent suicide, police said Wednesday. The deceased, 33-year-old Choi Sung-bong, was the semifinalist in tvN's 2011 singing competition program "Korea's Got Talent." Police and emergency officials found him dead at his home in Gangnam-gu around 9:41 a.m. on Tuesday. Officers arrived at the scene after receiving a report that he may have attempted suicide. Prior to his death, Choi posted on his YouTube chann

Social Affairs June 21, 2023

A Korean female livestreamer died Monday, days after she attempted suicide during a YouTube broadcast. Im Ji-hyae, who went by the online handle BJ Imvely, passed away at the age of 37, according to a post uploaded to her Instagram account. She is survived by two daughters, her parents and two brothers. On June 11, Im returned from a live drinking session with a group of fellow streamers, which was also broadcast live. A brawl erupted between Im and another female livestreamer, which soon turned

Social Affairs June 19, 2023

Busan, South Korea’s second-biggest city renowned for its vibrant beaches and delectable cuisine, has its own subway network. Much like Seoul Station, which acts as the main entry point for visitors to the capital, Busan Station serves as the gateway for those arriving in the city, doubling as a stop for the bullet train and a subway station. The subway stop is part of Line No. 1 that connects passengers with major tourist spots in the northern and western part of the city, including the

Travel June 18, 2023

South Korea’s National Assembly erupted in an applause in a rare, unifying moment on Wednesday, as a visually impaired lawmaker, accompanied by her guide dog, gave a passionate speech on disability rights. Rep. Kim Yea-ji of the ruling People Power Party took the podium on the last day of the government interpellation session, with Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon in attendance to answer her questions. She said crimes against the disabled are not properly dealt with in Korea’s justice

Social Affairs June 15, 2023

Officials confirmed on Tuesday that a ghostly-looking woman who had climbed on top of a highway tunnel near Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, had been successfully rescued. The incident had gained widespread attention after her eery silhouette scared numerous drivers. As fleeting images of her standing on top of the 10-meter-tall tunnel, taken from fast-moving vehicles, went viral Tuesday, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police announced her rescue on Sunday. The person captured in the video and photos is a f

Social Affairs June 13, 2023

A 12-year-old child died after a playground bench swing broke and collapsed on top of him, officials said Monday. The incident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday at a playground on the premise of an apartment complex in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province. According to local reports, the steel frame of the bench swing suddenly detached from the base, crushing the deceased boy and hitting another child who was playing in front of it. The surviving child suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Social Affairs June 12, 2023

A Chinese couple has been arrested by the Cambodian police on suspicion of murder after the body of a female live streamer of Korean nationality was found near Phnom Penh, officials and reports said Sunday. The woman in her 30s was found dead on June 6, wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a pond, according to Cambodian newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea Daily. Local villagers discovered her body and alerted the police. The Cambodian police soon identified the victim as a Korean woman with over 250,000 fo

Social Affairs June 11, 2023

One of the most popular cafes located in Itaewon, Seoul, is off-limits to guests aged 12 and under. "Our cafe wasn't a no-kids zone at the beginning," the owner of Cafe Kyeri told The Korea Herald in an interview on May 31. The cafe, located on the edge of the district, aims to provide a quiet and relaxing environment for visitors. That is why it decided to restrict children from entering the venue six years ago, the owner explained. "We would love to have children at the c

Social Affairs June 10, 2023

A local Hangeul foundation is hosting an online contest for foreigners to transcribe their native language in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, this summer. The contest, dubbed "Hangeul Festa 2023," hosted by Hangeul Nuri Foundation, requires its applicants to submit videos of the following descriptions from June 1 to Aug. 31 via its official website (https://www.hangeul-festa.org/en/). The contest will be held in three categories: transcribing in Hangeul the lyrics to a song; transcribing

Social Affairs June 1, 2023

From the infamous Jonestown Massacre in Guyana in 1978 to the more recent case of the "starvation cult" in Kenya this April, the world has witnessed a disturbing string of mass deaths associated with religious cults. In the summer of 1987, South Korea, too, had its own harrowing experience. On Aug. 29, a chilling discovery was made in the attic of a factory in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. It was a bizarre scene: Bodies were stacked upon one another, their feet bound and nostrils stuffed

Social Affairs May 31, 2023

The Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to restrict protests by groups with a record of allegedly illegal demonstrations as well as ban nighttime and rush-hour rallies, contradicts the Constitution as well as Yoon’s repeated emphasis on freedom and individual rights, critics said Thursday. Political commentator Chin Jung-kwon called this plan "a ridiculous and unconstitutional idea" in an era where "violent protests" have ceased to exist, saying it is a thinly veil

Social Affairs May 25, 2023