Articles by Lee Jaeeun
Lee Jaeeun
jenn@heraldcorp.com-
[Community Discovery] Gwanak transforming from 'goshi town' to youth innovation hub
Gwanak-gu, home to South Korea's most prestigious university Seoul National University, has been a key incubator for the nation's top elites for decades. Located in the southwestern part of Seoul and nestled within Gwanaksan, the district is home to numerous cram schools, small residential units, and affordable eateries. These support those preparing for South Korea’s notoriously competitive civil service exams, which facilitate significant social mobility and early career advanc
Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Hwaseong, Korea's newest special city, aims to become sustainable metropolitan hub
As Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun reaches the midpoint of his term, he reflects on both the progress he has made and his ambitious plans for the city's future. "On Jan. 1, 2025, Hwaseong is set to debut as South Korea's fifth special city officially, ‘Hwaseong Special City,’" Jeong told The Korea Herald. "We are fully preparing to make it more livable, work-friendly, and enjoyable." Achieving special city status requires surpassing a population of 1 mi
Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2024
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Mattress blamed for intensifying fatal hotel fire in Bucheon
The proximity of a mattress to the source of last week's deadly fire at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, appears to have significantly contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze, authorities investigating the case said Monday. The preliminary investigation suggests an electrical fault in the air conditioning unit as the likely cause, with sparks igniting the nearby sofa and the mattress. Fire authorities suspect that overheating or dust in the aging device precipitated the fault. Ca
Social Affairs Aug. 26, 2024
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Seoul to build large marina in Jamsil
The largest marina in Seoul is planned to be constructed at Jamsil Hangang Park in Songpa-gu, in the southeastern portion of the capital. The new facility is to accommodate 220 vessels, including yachts, as part of the city’s initiative to expand water leisure amenities. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that it had signed an agreement with private company Hangang Marina to carry out the project. Construction is slated to begin early next year, with completion and openin
Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2024
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Bereaved families mourn, survivors recall chaos of Bucheon hotel fire
Among the seven people who died in Thursday's hotel fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, was a 28-year-old woman whose final moments have deeply resonated with the public. The woman, surnamed Kim, made her last desperate phone call to her father at 7:42 p.m., just three minutes after the fire broke out, according to reports by the JoongAng Ilbo. "Something terrible has happened. The smoke is so thick I can’t get out," she said. In a second call, just over five minutes later, she a
Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2024
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7 killed, 12 injured in hotel fire in Bucheon, electric fault blamed
Seven people were killed and a dozen others injured Thursday following a fire at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, with authorities on Friday strongly suspecting "an electric fault" as the main cause. The blaze started on the eighth floor of the nine-story building at around 7:39 p.m. at a hotel in Jung-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, according to fire authorities. The fire, which was confined to the hotel’s upper floors, quickly filled the corridors with thick b
Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2024
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Seoul increases translations of local laws for growing foreign community
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that it is expanding translations of its local self-government laws, a crucial service for foreign nationals living, studying or working in the city, who now account for nearly 5 percent of the total population. Local self-government laws are sets of ordinances and regulations issued by local councils in addition to citywide laws. This initiative to provide local self-government laws in foreign languages began in 2010 during Mayor Oh Se-hoon
Social Affairs Aug. 22, 2024
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Prosecutors drop luxury bag charges against first lady
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has decided to drop the anticorruption charges against first lady Kim Keon Hee, closing its investigation into allegations that she received a luxury Christian Dior handbag and other expensive gifts in exchange for favors. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, which is in charge of the first lady's case, has recently decided not to press charges and report its decision to Prosecutor General Lee One-seok, according to legal circle
Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2024
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Meal expense cap for public officials raised to 50,000 won
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission officially announced on Monday an increase in the meal expense limit for public officials from 30,000 won ($22) to 50,000 won, citing the need to account for inflation since the limit was set in 2016. The commission’s chairperson, Ryu Chul-whan, stated that the new cap is to take effect on Aug. 27 following the approval of a revised enforcement ordinance during a Cabinet meeting on Monday. This change comes eight years after the Improper Soli
Social Affairs Aug. 19, 2024
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Police launch investigation into Mercedes-Benz EV fire
Police have launched an investigation into a massive fire caused by a Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle at an underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Incheon on Aug. 1, while reviewing criminal charges against the management staff at the complex, officials said Sunday. According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, they recently interviewed the first witness and the owner of the vehicle involved in the incident. The Mercedes owner reported that the vehicle had undergone routine mai
Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2024
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Removal of Dokdo models from subway stations stirs controversy
The recent removal of models of South Korea's Dokdo islets, originally installed in high-traffic Seoul Metro stations as part of an effort to educate the public and counter Japan's disputed claims to the islets, has ignited widespread controversy. Originally set up in 2010 in six Seoul subway stations -- Jamsil, Gwanghwamun, Jongno-3-ga (later moved to Anguk), City Hall, Itaewon and Gimpo Airport -- the models were part of an initiative based on a 2009 recommendation from the Seoul Met
Social Affairs Aug. 15, 2024
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157 families chosen for foreign nanny pilot
A total of 157 households in Seoul, primarily dual-income families, have been selected to participate in the newly introduced foreign nanny program, according to the Seoul city government. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it had received 751 applications by the deadline of Aug. 6, meaning there was significantly more demand than could be met by the pilot program. The city government chose the successful applicants by prioritizing single-parent households, pregnant women, families
Social Affairs Aug. 14, 2024
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Seoul mayor confident in 2036 Olympics bid
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon voiced strong confidence in the city's ability to host a profitable and successful 2036 Summer Olympics, citing Seoul's well-established infrastructure and robust public safety measures as key factors that would contribute to the event's success. In a Facebook post on Sunday titled "Again, the Seoul Olympics," Oh reiterated his commitment to bringing the Olympics back to Seoul, a pledge he first made two years ago. After visiting the Paris Olympics
Social Affairs Aug. 12, 2024
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Seoul reverses course, lifts greenbelt limits to fuel housing growth
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Friday emphasized that easing greenbelt development restrictions is crucial to addressing the city's housing demands, particularly for newlyweds, as part of broader efforts to tackle South Korea's pressing low birth rate. Oh acknowledged Seoul's historical reluctance to lift greenbelt restrictions but argued that current challenges, including population decline due to low birth rates and the urgent housing needs of young couples, make this change necessar
Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2024
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Anti-corruption official leading first lady probe found dead
A senior official from South Korea's anti-corruption body, who had spearheaded high-profile and politically sensitive investigations involving first lady Kim Keon Hee and former opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, was found dead Thursday. The official was found deceased in his apartment in Sejong City with a suicide note at around 9:50 a.m. Thursday by a person who visited the apartment after the official failed to show up to work or answer calls. Police are looking into the exact circumstance
Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2024
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