Some 8,500 patients out of the 43,000 Scouts who participated in the World Scout Jamboree at Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province visited a medical facility during their stay at the campsite, an opposition party lawmaker said, citing state agency data. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's report, which recorded medical operations at the campsite between July 29 to Aug. 7, about 20 percent of participants had visited the site’s medical grounds due to infectious d

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2023

The police said Sunday they were looking for proof that a man who raped and beat a woman to death on Thursday had intended to kill her. The woman in her 30s was assaulted with brass knuckles in an alleged rape at a park in Seoul’s Sillim-dong on Friday. As she was pronounced dead on Saturday, the assailant’s alleged crimes were changed from rape and assault to rape and murder. "Since the victim has passed away, we changed the suspect’s charges to rape and murder,” sa

Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2023

As the National Agency for Administrative City Construction’s Multifunctional Administrative City project in Sejong comes to a close, Egypt and Mongolia are collaborating with South Korea to build administrative cities in their respective countries. Also known as “Happy City,” the city construction project focuses on building a self-governing city that centers on administrative functions. Since the inauguration of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, the project has gained attenti

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2023

The police are investigating an email threatening to blow up Seoul City Hall on this week’s Liberation Day, officials said Monday. According to police, the email stated that high-powered bombs were installed in several locations around Seoul City Hall, with detonation set for 3:34 p.m. Tuesday. The email, sent from a Japanese account to local media outlets, was received Sunday afternoon. The email, sent in English, Japanese and Korean, stated, "There are bombs planted in several place

Social Affairs Aug. 14, 2023

With The Korea Herald’s 70th anniversary comes an opportune moment to reflect on the path it has forged and the lives it has impacted. A number of readers have shared their journeys with The Korea Herald, many of which illustrate how the daily has evolved into being not just an English-language lens into Korean society, but also catalyzes personal growth, opens up new perspectives and serves as a cultural connector. Here are some of their stories. Expanding perspectives through a globa

Newsmaker Aug. 13, 2023

Sixteen-year-old Scout Nora Gothberg from Sweden was taken aback at the chaos that unfolded in the World Scout Jamboree, but says she wouldn't trade the experience for anything. "Even if I were to go back in time and I knew these troubles would still occur, I'd still participate in the Jamboree," said Gothberg. Despite having to deal with challenges such as a searing heat wave and lack of hygiene facilities at the campsite in North Jeolla Province, Gothberg said they didn

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2023

Choi Won-jong, the suspect behind the deadly knife attack last week in a department store in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, went on the stabbing rampage because he believed he was being stalked by a group of people, police investigation reports revealed Wednesday. During Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police’s press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, the police stated that they will file for an arrest warrant against Choi on Thursday for murder, attempted murder and preliminary murder. “Choi a

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2023

Fans of the globally popular K-pop group BTS are expressing outrage over a Korean politician's call for two of the band's members, who are currently serving in the military, to perform at the World Scout Jamboree's "K-pop Super Live" concert in Seoul. Rep. Sung Il-jong of the ruling People Power Party requested Friday that the Ministry of National Defense send the two BTS members serving in the military to the World Scout Jamboree's concert. “The World Scout J

Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2023

Polish President Andrzej Duda, who was due to arrive in South Korea on Wednesday, has canceled his trip over safety concerns as a strong typhoon is set to hit the peninsula, the Polish ambassador told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. Duda was planning to visit Korea for a four-day trip that would include an official scheduled visit to the Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree in Buan, North Jeolla Province, and a visit to Gwangju. The Polish leader was expected to see how the Jamboree was being hosted in

Social Affairs Aug. 8, 2023

Saemangeum is a reclaimed tidal flat area of Buan, North Jeolla Province, which was dammed by the government’s Saemangeum Seawall Project in 2006. The area was first introduced as a potential location to host the event in 2015 when the Korea Scout Association chose Saemangeum over Goseong, Gangwon Province, in its bid to host the 2023 World Scout Jamboree. In 2015, the Park Geun-hye administration pushed for Korea’s victory in the bid, saying that the government will provide the su

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2023

All 36,000 scouts remaining at the World Scout Jamboree site in the Saemangeum reclaimed tidal flat area of Buan, North Jeolla Province will be withdrawing from the campsite starting on Tuesday morning as precautionary measure for a strong typhoon approaching the peninsula, the government said Monday. The participants will start withdrawing sequentially from 10 a.m. on Tuesday and move to the metropolitan area, as Typhoon Khanun is likely to hit the east coast of South Korea on Thursday. "A

Politics Aug. 7, 2023

Amid the consecutive withdrawals of several countries' delegations, the Jamboree Organizing Committee and the Korean government said they were urgently seeking to salvage the ongoing World Scout Jamboree, which has been plagued by weather-related safety and health issues, hygiene woes and the spread of COVID-19. A day after deciding to continue the 12-day event, the government said it mobilized all necessary forces to provide a better environment for participants still facing the scorching

Social Affairs Aug. 6, 2023

Three Korean nationals in West Africa's Niger, which was hit by a military-led coup d'etat on July 26, have safely departed from the country, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. The three left Niger on a flight provided by the French government and arrived in Paris at around 1:45 a.m. there. Eleven other Korean nationals are to remain in Niger, and have not expressed the will to leave the country. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Park Jin held a joint videoconferenc

Social Affairs Aug. 3, 2023

A US soldier and two women were detained for allegedly distributing and taking synthetic cannabinoids, according to local reports Thursday quoting police. According to the Pyeongtaek Police Station, a Korean national is accused of taking and bringing synthetic cannabinoids into Korea via the military postal service through her boyfriend, who is a US soldier stationed at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. She is also accused of finding potential buyers and distributing the drugs wit

Social Affairs Aug. 3, 2023

The number of civil service workers who resigned from their positions after less than a year on the job has doubled over the last two years. According to data released by Rep. Lim Ho-seon of the Democratic Party of Korea, up to 3,064 civil servants voluntarily resigned after being on the job for less than a year in 2022, double the 1,583 who voluntarily resigned in 2020. The number of those who resigned after two years on the job also doubled over the last three years. In 2022, 6,136 civil serva

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2023