Collecting fandom merchandise, a trend which began with giveaways to entice fans to buy albums, and was found to be one of the biggest reasons behind album purchases, has led to environmental concerns surrounding the disposal of plastic discs. The Korean Consumer Agency on Tuesday announced that 52.7 percent of K-pop fans answered that they had bought albums to “get fandom merchandise” in a survey of 500 citizens who purchased fandom-related goods over the latest two years. Fandom me

K-pop March 8, 2023

A 48-year old man with 24 prior charges of arson as well as an attempted rape charge is being investigated by the police over Saturday night's fire that devastated Incheon's Hyundai Market. According to Incheon Jungbu Police Station, the man is suspected of causing the fire that destroyed 55 shops in the market. The suspect initiated the fire by setting smaller fires at five locations inside and nearby the market at 11 p.m. on Saturday. No injuries have been reported as the market was

Social Affairs March 7, 2023

A group of cats relocated from the southernmost island of Marado are being temporarily housed at a provisional shelter at the Jeju World Natural Heritage Center in Jocheon-eup, northern Jeju Island on Monday. The 42 cats, caught on Wednesday and Thursday, were found to be healthy in a brief check-up by a medical team from Jeju National University's Wildlife Rescue Center following their move to Jeju Island on Friday. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on Thursday announced that it would r

Social Affairs March 6, 2023

Primary patriots who committed themselves to Korea’s liberation greet people today in full-color photos at Gwanghwamun Plaza in downtown Seoul, Wednesday. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on Tuesday began displaying the patriots’ portraits on a billboard outside the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, after bringing color to the original black-and-white, damaged photos with the Generative Facial Prior-Generative Adversarial Network based on artificial intelli

Social Affairs March 1, 2023

Police raided a large illegal gambling den on Wednesday, confiscating 38 million won ($28,700) at a location in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province. A total of 32 people, including the gambling den organizer in her 60s, were caught at the countryside vacation home, Boeun Police Station announced Monday. They were suspected of playing an alternative form of Go-Stop, also known as Hwatu, where a group of people play the Asian card game from both sides of a line and combine scores on each side to dec

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2023

“Eol-juk-a,” a shortened version of the phrase that roughly translates to “iced Americano even if I freeze to death,” has been vindicated as the cold beverage turned out to be the most popular menu in a nationwide coffee franchise during January, the coldest month in South Korea. Hollys Coffee, one of South Korea’s top 10 coffee franchises, on Monday announced sales statistics for January when the average temperature was below zero. The figures, collected from custo

Consumer Feb. 27, 2023

A large crowd turned out at a series of vigils and rallies held outside the Russian Embassy in Seoul on Friday and Saturday to show support for Ukraine, one year since Russia’s invasion of the country. Chants denouncing Russia -- “Withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine! If Russia stops fighting, there is no war!” -- rung around the square near the embassy, as Ukraine supporters and anti-war demonstrators gathered. One of them was Andrei Litvinov, a Ukrainian teacher at a school i

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2023

Trees were decorated with Taegeukgi, South Korea’s national flag, near Hyochang Park in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul on Friday. Yongsan-gu on Monday announced its plan to install the flags along the 600-meter walkway between Hyochang Park subway station and the park in celebration of the 104th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, a nationwide uprising in 1919 against Japan's colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. Hyochang Park is home to the tombs of primary patriotic figures incl

Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2023

“’Geumeo’ is a magic fish guiding the way to find a tree which grants wishes in changgeuk ‘Tree, Fish, Moon,’” actor Kim Su-in explained his role. “Changgeuk” refers to a traditional play form, in which many performers participate in the story, singing songs called “chang.” Kim simply calls the traditional art genre "Korean style opera or musicals." In the play, Kim wears a costume that looks like colorful fish scales, with a

weekender Feb. 24, 2023

A woman in her 30s was apprehended by the police on suspicion of decieving drivers into believing she was hit as a pregnant woman pedestrian at least 103 times. Jeonju Wansan police are investigating traffic accident fraud cases where a woman was suspected to have received at least 27 million won ($20,700) from drivers and insurance companies by deliberately colliding with passing cars with her wrist or ankle, according to the police on Monday. The fraudulent accidents had been occuring since Oc

Social Affairs Feb. 23, 2023

Cheongju Heungdueok Police Station has launched an investigation into allegations of animal abuse by the owner of a dog day care center in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. According to reports, the owner is suspected of committing multiple counts of animal abuse which allegedly took place between early January and Feb. 7, according to the Korea Abandoned Animal Welfare Association, the civic group that reported the case. KAWA submitted CCTV video footage of the inside of the facility which

Social Affairs Feb. 20, 2023

A second South Korean relief team has arrived in southeastern Turkey on Friday to replace the first team which has assisted the aid and rescue efforts in region for over a week. The second team arrived at Adana Airport around 6 a.m. on Friday, having departed from Incheon Airport on Thursday night, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. While the first relief team consisted mostly of rescue workers from the military and South Korean National Fire Agency, the second team is made up of 21 publ

Foreign Affairs Feb. 17, 2023

The South Korean government will provide $1 million of humanitarian aid to Syria, a country gravely affected by the Feb. 6 earthquake. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to offer humanitarian aid to Syria, which has no diplomatic relations with South Korea, via the United Nations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said in a regular press briefing on Thursday. Alongside Turkey, Syria’s northwest was hit hard by the 7.8 magnitude quake and subsequent aftershocks. Rescue efforts

Foreign Affairs Feb. 16, 2023

The Turkish Embassy in Seoul is asking Koreans not to donate used goods, and are warning against fake news about donations. The embassy announced Sunday that it would not be accepting any used materials to send to Turkey, citing a lack of infrastructure at the goods' destination. The earthquake has destroyed public health infrastructure, leaving the Turkish authorities in affected regions unable to sterilize the donated goods before they are distributed. Following the decision by the embass

Social Affairs Feb. 14, 2023

A taxi driver was found guilty of death by occupational negligence for letting a drunk passenger out at the edge of a motorway in an appellate trial. Busan High Court threw out a lower court's acquittal and sentenced the driver to one year in prison, suspended for two years. The driver has also been ordered to carry out 40 hours of social services. “Taxi drivers are responsible for protecting passengers until they reach the destination, as well as taking safety measures for them,&rdqu

Social Affairs Feb. 13, 2023