Police launch belated probe into another teacher's suicide after parental harassment

Police have launched a probe into the suicide death of an elementary school teacher in Uijeongbu, just north of Seoul, for possible harassment by parents, nearly two years after his school reported the death merely as a fall, officials said Sunday. The Uijeongbu Police Station has recently opened a probe into the death of Lee Yeong-seung who taught at Howon Elementary School after a regional education office requested an investigation into three parents on suspicions of infringing his education

Oct. 1, 2023

Seoul's financial assistance for egg freezing receives attention from single women

The Seoul city government has initiated a financial assistance program for single women interested in egg freezing, garnering significant attention from unmarried women, officials said Sunday. Starting Sept. 1, the Seoul metropolitan government began offering financial aid of up to 2 million won ($1,500) for fertility preservation, in the latest of a series of measures introduced by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in March to address the city's alarmingly low birthrate of 0.59. "The number of e

Oct. 1, 2023

Heavy traffic on expressways expected on 4th day of holiday

Expressways were expected to experience heavy traffic Sunday, the fourth day of the extended Chuseok holiday, as people traveled back home. As of 9 a.m., the estimated travel time to Seoul from the southeastern port city of Busan was 5 hours and 26 minutes, 5 hours and 6 minutes from the southeastern city of Ulsan, and 3 hours and 50 minutes from the southwestern city of Gwangju, according to Korea Expressway Corp. Traffic into Seoul is expected to become congested starting around 10 a.m. and pe

Oct. 1, 2023

Traffic heavy on expressways following Chuseok

Traffic was backing up heavily on many expressways across the country Saturday as people traveled back home on the third day of the extended six-day Chuseok holiday. This year's Chuseok, the Korean fall harvest celebration, fell on Friday, and the holiday runs from Thursday through Tuesday when the country marks National Foundation Day. According to Korea Expressway Corp., major highways, particularly Seoul-bound ones, were jammed with vehicles. As of 2 p.m., the estimated travel time to Se

Sept. 30, 2023

Expressway traffic congestion persists on 2nd day of extended Chuseok holiday

Major expressways across South Korea remained congested with heavy traffic Friday morning as many drivers hit the road to spend the Chuseok holiday with their families. Chuseok, which falls on Friday this year, is the Korean autumn harvest celebration during which people reunite with family members and relatives and visit ancestors' graves. This year's Chuseok holiday runs from Thursday to Tuesday. According to Korea Expressway Corp., the estimated journey times from Seoul to major cit

Sept. 29, 2023

Memorials commemorating Itaewon crowd crush to be erected at accident site

A set of memorials will be installed in commemoration of last year's deadly crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district on the occasion of the tragedy's first anniversary next month, bereaved families said Friday. The crowd crush killed 159 people, many of them women in their 20s, on a narrow, sloped back alley in the nightlife district of Itaewon on Oct. 29 as a massive crowd packed the path amid Halloween festivities. With the accident's first anniversary just a month away, gro

Sept. 29, 2023

Traffic jam expected to ease late Thursday, 1st day of Chuseok holiday

Korea Expressway Corp. said Thursday the traffic jam on major roads and expressways is expected to ease later in the day, the first day of the Chuseok holiday. Chuseok, which falls on Friday this year, is the Korean autumn harvest celebration during which people head to their hometowns to get together with family members and relatives and visit their ancestors' graves. The extended Chuseok break this year gives people six days off until Tuesday, as an extra one-day temporary holiday and Nat

Sept. 28, 2023

[Graphic News] 8 out of 10 expats ‘satisfied’ with life in S. Korea

Eight out of 10 expats in South Korea said they were “satisfied” with their life here, but around 20 percent of foreigners here experienced discrimination, a survey showed. Around 40.8 percent of the respondents said they were “extremely satisfied” with their life in South Korea, while another batch of 39.6 percent replied they were “a little satisfied,” according to the survey carried out by Statistics Korea. The survey was carried out on 25,000 expats last y

Sept. 28, 2023

Traffic jammed on highways ahead of extended Chuseok holiday

Heavy traffic began to build up on major roads and highways across South Korea on Wednesday as people headed to their hometowns to celebrate the extended Chuseok holiday. Chuseok, which falls on Friday this year, is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving during which people get together with family members and relatives and visit their ancestors' graves. The extended Chuseok break this year gives people six days off until next Tuesday, as an extra one-day temporary holiday and National Fou

Sept. 27, 2023

Scholarships to begin in October for Ukrainian students in S. Korea

South Korea's Ministry of Education will offer all Ukrainian college students in South Korea scholarships and living subsidies from October, the National Institute for International Education announced Tuesday. The ministry revised its basic plan to support the Global Korea Scholarship, a scholarship program for government-invited students, to offer a total of 780 million won ($578,000) to cover the tuition and living costs of Ukrainian students enrolled at South Korean colleges for the fal

Sept. 27, 2023

‘Do you know Dr. Hong?’ Moms say they wish they didn’t

Breaking the internet in Korea with its catchy, electronic beats and amusing choreography, “Do you know Dr. Hong?” is the latest viral dance challenge to captivate teens and young adults across various social media platforms. At the center of the craze is Jojubong, the digital persona of the Korean comedian Jo Hoon, renowned for running the comedy YouTube channel, "The Myeonsang." Since its initial release in July, the original music video has accumulated five million vie

Sept. 27, 2023

Walking can help ease depression, suicidal impulse: study

Regular walking can reduce and prevent symptoms of depression in middle-aged people, a study showed Wednesday. According to the latest edition of the Frontiers in Psychiatry, which publishes peer-reviewed research on psychiatry, a collaborative research team of Yonsei University’s College of Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry at Ajou University and Soon Chun Hyang University Bucheon Hospital found that middle-aged people who engaged in walking every week felt better emotionally and wer

Sept. 27, 2023

Hospital visits during Chuseok cost up to 50% more

Patients will have to pay up to 50 percent in additional charges when they go to hospitals or pharmacies during the Chuseok holiday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday. The higher rates are applicable beginning on Sept. 28 and run over the Chuseok holiday period and through Oct. 3. Additional charges ranging from 30 percent to 50 percent are applied in accordance with relevant government regulations, which require people to pay more while using medical facilities, including hospit

Sept. 27, 2023

New teachers’ manual bans recording devices in classrooms

Parents have been banned from using recording devices or other means to record lessons without the teacher’s permission, according to a new teachers’ manual distributed by the Ministry of Education on Wednesday. The move aims to prevent parents from installing sound recording apps on their child’s phone to eavesdrop on classrooms, as some parents have reportedly confronted and verbally attacked teachers in the past based on such audio recordings, according to the ministry. Unde

Sept. 27, 2023

More seniors working but still not earning enough: data

More elderly Koreans are working after retirement to avoid poverty, but many find their income insufficient, data showed Wednesday. According to data released by Statistics Korea, 36.2 percent of those aged 65 or older in 2022 said they are still working, up 6.1 percentage points from 2012’s 30.1 percent. The rate was above the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations’ average of 15 percent and the highest among the 36 OECD member countries. Japan reported

Sept. 27, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'UN peacekeeping forces need better gender equity'

United Nations peacekeeping force officers who visited Seoul earlier this month emphasized the need to enhance gender inclusivity within peacekeeping forces and to recruit more talented women into the military. Colonel B. Maureen Wellwood, the first woman in the Canadian Infantry to attain the rank of colonel, said women’s strength plays a key role in situations where peacekeepers should build trust with suffering residents, referring to her missions in several countries including Afghanis

Sept. 27, 2023

Do professors in Korea have too much power over students?

Earlier this month, a former professor saw his appeal denied in a lawsuit he filed to overturn the university’s decision to dismiss him. He was fired for sending inappropriate messages to a graduate student -- a female foreign national doing a doctorate. In 2021, the male professor sent sexually suggestive messages to the Ph.D. student, while implying that he would not pass her dissertation if she continued to avoid his advances. In some of the messages disclosed to the media, he described

Sept. 26, 2023

Is S. Korea dangerous for women?

Despite the Yoon Suk Yeol government's pledge to crack down on crimes against women, concerns are growing over the women's safety following a spate of gender-based violence cases. The tragic death of 38-year-old Lee Eun-chong, who was murdered by her former coworker and boyfriend after being stalked, stirred criticism over a lack of practical protection for victims of gender-based crimes under South Korean law. In Lee's case, she had been granted a temporary restraining order to

Sept. 26, 2023

Breadwinners in their 60s or above double in 9 years

More than one million Koreans aged over 60 are primary household earners, despite their age falling within the typical retirement phase, data showed Tuesday. According to National Health Insurance data that Rep. Kim Sang-hoon of the ruling People Power Party received from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of Korean household breadwinners aged over 60 stood at 1.05 million last year, more than double the figure of 503,840 recorded in 2013. Among individuals with dependents on their

Sept. 26, 2023

S. Korea to step up quarantine efforts against animal diseases

The agriculture ministry said Tuesday it will run a five-month special disinfection period to implement stronger antivirus measures against animal diseases in the winter. During the campaign, running from October to February, the government will strengthen the monitoring of wild animals and local farms and carry out stronger disinfection and quarantine measures against the highly pathogenic avian influenza, African Swine Fever, and other diseases among animals, according to the Ministry of Agric

Sept. 26, 2023