South Korea’s pet scene is steadily growing, with pets in 1 in 4 households, adding up to some 10.5 million companion animals, according to data gathered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. In proportion to the growing number, a proper farewell to the animals’ last moments has become part of the culture. Various types of pet funeral homes have been grabbing the attention of p...

In Yeongwol County, Gangwon Province, Aleksandra Bykova, a Russian graduate student, is taking a break from city life. The graduate student is known as a “WWOOFer” in the town. Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms is a global movement that promotes cultural and educational experiences on organic farms. First launched in the early 1970s in England, it has since spread its influence in more th...

A densely populated city, but also individualistic. Huge skyscrapers and state-of-the-art facilities coexisting with old-fashioned street corners. If one asks residents living in Seoul to picture the city, these are a few of the most common answers. The old and new seem to fit harmoniously together in the city, but even greater value is hidden underneath the bustling city when an architect views...

The burning of leftover inventory to preserve brand value is still a common practice in the fashion industry. Other items end up in landfills. But brands are coming up with new ideas to minimize waste and hopefully save the environment. RE;CODE is a South Korean fashion brand launched in 2012 by Kolon Industries. Under the slogan “This is not just fashion,” the brand aims to encourage conscienti...

진행자: 김혜연 Naomi Garyan 1. Boys no longer preferred 요약: 통계청의 작년 출생성비가 104.9명을 기록하면서, 43년 만에 남자 아이 비중이 최저 수준을 기록했다. [1] Statistics Korea’s data on Monday showed the male ratio at birth in South Korea fell to the lowest level last year, implicating the end of the country’s long-held tradition of boy preference. *long-held: 오랫동안 간직해 온 (생각 따위를) 지니다, 믿다 *preference: 선호(도), 애호 [2] The gender ratio ...

As the harsh winter season is gradually coming to an end, fresh spots are opening up on the street corners of Hongdae, Seoul, for those who can sing, dance and are ready to perform in front of crowds this coming spring. The Mapo-gu district office’s tourism department said Monday it will begin recruiting artists for the event, “2021 Hongdae Culture Tour - To Hongdae, to culture, and to tourism,”...

Starting this year, award certificates presented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will be on “hanji,” Korea’s traditional paper handmade from mulberry trees. The purpose is to support the nation’s hanji industry, which is suffering from a lack of demand despite its competitive quality, the ministry announced. The ministry stated on Tuesday that they had established a hanji consulta...

The Ministry of Justice is accelerating its efforts to implement a birth registration system for non-Korean children born in South Korea, in a bid to provide legal status to newborns, regardless of their parents’ social and legal status. On Monday, the ministry held a policy committee meeting and deliberated on introducing a “foreign child birth registration system.” As the current system is ri...

The first episode of “Meeting you” was aired earlier last year, based on an actual story of a mother who had to let go of her daughter suffering from an incurable disease. The VR episode, titled “Reuniting with the daughter,” was a scene the mother had dreamed of day and night ever since her loss. Despite mixed feedbacks from viewers as to whether the program delivered “warmth to the family of t...

South Korean car-sharing app operator SoCar is facing a public outcry over a sexual assault case involving one of its users. A local news report suggests that the company slowed down the police investigation when it failed to promptly turn over the suspect’s information. The accused man, who is in his 30s, reportedly rented a car from SoCar on Saturday and allegedly used it to pick up the teena...

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been facing various hurdles so far, the biggest one being the COVID-19 pandemic, but now internal problems have surfaced, threatening to further hamper the event’s progress. The Tokyo Olympics’ organizing committee chief Yoshiro Mori caused public outrage when he made derogatory remarks against women in a board meeting speech last week. He was quoted as saying that “a...

During the holiday, a total of 26 cleaning situation rooms will be set up and operated across Seoul, with 542 personnel in the cleaning patrols who will swiftly deal with civil inconveniences and complaints in the public environment. In addition, some 11,257 public cleaners will conduct special work duties during the holiday to handle street cleaning and cleaning complaints in major areas, while...

Artificial intelligence is on the way to help out police officers pinched for time, as they are overloaded with filing reports and handling disputes on the scene simultaneously. The National Police Agency said Thursday that it will invest some 7 billion won ($6.2 million) in government contributions to develop the AI-based 112 Emergency Decision Support System by 2024. Currently, the city and p...

Artists with less than two years of experience will be eligible to receive “art creation funds” from March, to help carry on their initial art productions with financial stability. Unfair practices that have lingered over the nation’s arts scene, such as overdue wages, are also to be addressed. The Korea Artists Welfare Foundation, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced its...

For over a decade, preferences for foreign language classes have favored some languages over others, and by 2022, only one French teacher will be left in Seoul's public schools. To guarantee that students have a choice of subjects and maintain a diverse range of language education offerings, growing concerns have risen over the need to appoint new eligible teachers. According to the Korea Assoc...