A grandmother and her grandson who were swept away by waves while swimming at a beach in Donghae, Gangwon Province, were rescued by a group of foreigners Sunday, according to local news reports. The incident occurred at around noon when a large wave struck the pair, causing them to be pulled away from shore. Holding onto a small swimming tube for kids, they called for help. Four men who had also been swimming rushed to their rescue. The foreigners soon managed to pull both individuals safely

Social Affairs July 10, 2023

Along Garosu-gil, a street packed with shops in Sinsa-dong, Seoul, there is a business offering four private screening rooms for hosting watch parties. A new type of business borne out of the streaming era, it caters to guests who seek shared entertainment by watching content offered by an array of streaming platforms together. “Customers, mostly in their 20s and 30s, come to share their subscription accounts to streaming services and enjoy the content together,” said a senior mana

Hashtag Korea July 8, 2023

Ahn Hye-ji, 29, used to spend 13,500 won ($10.32) per month on Netflix, but has recently cancelled her subscription. Instead, she has found a way to pay for the streaming service on an hourly basis, which costs only a fraction of the monthly subscription fee. “There are many reality shows and drama series that are streamed exclusively on certain platforms. It is a waste of money to subscribe to so many different platforms," Ahn said. She found people sharing their streaming accoun

Social Affairs July 6, 2023

After Japan beat South Korea in the final of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation U-17 Asian Cup on Sunday, the AFC’s official Instagram account was bombarded with derogatory comments from trolls targeting Korean victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery. Team Korea, led by head coach Byun Sung-hwan, suffered a 3-0 defeat during Sunday’s final match at Pathum Thani Stadium in Thailand. After one post showing a video clip of Japan’s striker, Gaku Nawata, scoring a goal

Social Affairs July 5, 2023

A Starbucks at the foot of Bukhansan National Park in Seoul serves fruit-flavored icy blended drinks in whiskey glasses, combining lemonade, Earl Grey tea and non-alcoholic cognac syrup. The whiskey-inspired mocktails are offered only at the Bukhansan location. A 26-year-old graduate student surnamed Hong was among the guests enjoying the mocktails against the backdrop of panoramic mountain views. Hong, introducing herself as a fan of highballs made with whiskey and soda, commented, “Thi

Hashtag Korea July 4, 2023

More than 70 percent of infanticide suspects caught by police over the past nine years were in their teens and 20s, a lawmaker said Sunday, citing police data. Out of 86 people accused of killing young children between 2013-2021, 38 suspects, or 44 percent, were in their 20s, while 29 suspects, of 34 percent, were aged 14-19, according to National Police Agency data released by Rep. Jung Woo-taek of the ruling People Power Party. The two age groups accounted for 77 percent of the total suspects,

Social Affairs July 3, 2023

K-pop phenomenon BTS surpassed other global megastars like Taylor Swift and Elton John in terms of fan loyalty, a survey showed Sunday. BTS’ global fandom, known as Army, scored 88.4 points out of 100 in a survey conducted by the US-based travel company Upgraded Points on 3,192 American fans of 10 artists -- BTS, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Queen, Lana Del Ray, Beyonce, Eminem and Harry Styles. They survey measured how loyal they are to their beloved music artists

Social Affairs July 2, 2023

The South Korean government will expand the annual quota for E-7-4 visas issued to skilled workers to 30,000 by the end of this year, a fifteen-fold increase from last year, the Justice Ministry announced Thursday. "Resolving manpower shortages faced by many industries is an important short-term task. We are making efforts to accept more foreign workers to fill job vacancies as instructed by the president,” Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said during a Cabinet meeting presided over by

Social Affairs June 29, 2023

Starting next month, habitual drunk drivers could face the forfeiture of their vehicles. The punishment is among a package of measures to combat drunk driving announced Wednesday by the Supreme Public Prosecutors' Office and the National Police Agency. Drivers to be subject to vehicle seizure are those who have caused a car crash resulting in death or serious injury, and those with a history of two or more drunk driving incidents within five years or three or more incidents within five year

Social Affairs June 28, 2023

Yoo Jae-suk, arguably the biggest television celebrity in Korea, has become the third-largest shareholder of his entertainment agency, Antenna Music, according to news reports Monday. He reportedly bought a 20.7 percent stake in the unlisted firm from its largest shareholder, Kakao Entertainment, for 3 billion won ($2.3 million) on Jun. 9. In a separate deal, Antenna CEO Yoo Hee-yeol has acquired a 21.37 percent stake in the firm. With the transactions, Kakao’s shareholding in Antenna fell

Social Affairs June 27, 2023

  For some, a picnic in Seoul is synonymous with “chicken and beer by the Han River.” The combination of fried chicken and beer is so popular in Korea that it even has its own term -- "chimaek," a combination of "chicken" and "maekju (beer)." And relaxing on picnic mats or in pop-up tents along the river while enjoying chimaek has long been a cherished summer ritual for many. Hungry Seoulites can order chicken to be delivered to their location at an

Hashtag Korea June 27, 2023

급증하는 전세계 한국어 교육 수요에 교원 부족 현상 심화 한국어 세계화를 위해 에듀테크 기술 적극 활용해야 노중일 비상교육 GEO 코어 그룹 대표 인터뷰 한류 열풍으로 전세계 한국어 학습 열기가 높아지면서 정부의 교원 파견과 수업 개설 지원만으로는 학습자들의 수요를 충족시키지 못하는 상황에 봉착했다는 제언이 나왔다. 노중일 비상교육 GEO 코어 그룹(GEO Core Group) 대표는 최근 코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 “점차 다양해지고 세분화되는 학습자들의 수요를 고려하면 에듀테크(Edu-tech)가 대안”이라며 “기술을 통해 (세계 곳곳의) 학습자와 한국어 교육 기관을 연결하는 에듀테크 기업들의 역할”을 강조했다. 에듀테크란 교육(education)과 기술(technology)이 결합된 신조어로 빅데이터·인공지능 등 정보통신기술을 활용한 차세대 교육을 의미한다. 노 대표가 이끄는 GEO 코어 그룹은 2019년에 출범한 비

한국어판 June 26, 2023

제2외국어 채택 2년도 안돼 제1외국어로 K콘텐츠 인기에 초3학년부터 한글 공부 학습 수요에 못 미치는 교원 수..."현지 한국어 교사 양성 시급" [하노이=코리아헤럴드] 한국에서 비행기로 5시간 떨어진 베트남 하노이에는 한국어의 인기가 그 어느 곳보다 뜨겁다. 초등학교 3학년에 해당되는 8세 어린이들이 한국어를 영어와 함께 제2외국어로 배우고 있고 한국어능력시험(TOPIK) 응시자 수는 2021년 8,000명에서 2022년 28,450명으로 3배 가까이 늘었다. 베트남 교육훈련부는 지난 2019년 한국어를 제2외국어로 승인한 데 이어 2021년에는 독일어와 함께 제1외국어로 추가 선정했다. 채 2년이 안되어 제1외국어로 승격된 것이다. 베트남 교육 과정 상 제1외국어는 초등학교 3학년부터, 제2외국어는 중등학교부터 선택 과목으로 배우게 된다. 현재 한국어와 독일어를 포함해 총 7개국어 (영어, 러시아어, 프랑스어, 중국어, 일본어)가 제1외국어로 채택되어 있

한국어판 June 26, 2023

한국기업 진출과 고용 확대로 한국어 학습자 ↑ 시장 수요와 한류 맞물려 폭발적인 학습 열기 "다른 외국어 전공자보다 1.5배 더 번다” [하이퐁=코리아헤럴드] 베트남 북부의 항구도시 하이퐁에는 “영어를 잘하면 월급 2배, 한국말 잘하면 월급 3배”라는 말이 있다. 다소 과장이 섞여 있지만, 이 표현은 하이퐁에 불고 있는 한국어 열풍을 잘 보여 준다. 많은 한국 기업들이 이 곳에 대규모 공장을 짓고, 수억원 가치의 프로젝트를 주도하면서 한국어에 능통한 베트남 인재 유치전이 벌어지고 있기 때문이다. 올 초 코리아헤럴드가 방문한 하이퐁 마리퀴리고등학교(Marie Curie High School)에는 많은 학생들이 일찍이 한국 기업 취직을 목표로 한국어 공부에 매진하고 있었다. 마리퀴리고 10학년 팜 옌(Pham Yen) 학생은 본지와의 인터뷰에서 “어머니가 하이퐁에 진출한 한국 기업에서 일하고 계신다”며 &ldqu

한국어판 June 26, 2023

South Korean Buddhist monk Doyeon is seeking to renounce monastic life and return to lay life, following revelations that he may have fathered two children. According to the Jogye Order, the largest Buddhist sect in South Korea to which he belongs, Ven. Doyeon has officially notified the sect of his intention to leave, without giving any specific reason for his decision. Earlier this month, allegations arose that he was the father of two children, which violates the sect’s rules of celib

Social Affairs June 26, 2023