Naver announced on Tuesday that webcomic or webtoon writers publishing their work on the company’s webtoon portal, Naver Webtoon, earned on average about 200 million won ($178,000) per annum.The average salary of some 300 Naver webcomic writers from July 2017 to June 2018 was 220 million won, equivalent to an 18 million won monthly salary. (Naver Webtoon)Authorities said this is because Naver owns almost 80 percent of the webtoon portal market. Naver counts about 15.5 billion views per month --

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2018

Some 1,400 South Korean high school students were found to have plagiarized their college admission essays last year, data showed Wednesday. According to the data, provided by the Korean Council for University Education, 1,406 students were disqualified from admission over plagiarized personal statements.(Yonhap)Universities throughout Korea began using plagiarism detection software in 2011, disqualifying applicants whose essays show significant levels of similarity to works published online. Th

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2018

S.M. Entertainment plans to make inroads into Vietnam by widening the scope of its global business.CEO Han Se-min announced Tuesday that the company is preparing to establish a corporate branch in Vietnam, at a Korea-Vietnam business seminar in Hanoi, Vietnam.  (Yonhap)Founder and executive producer Lee Soo-man also attended the event as a keynote speaker.“We have previously announced our plans to search for talented youths in Vietnam and create NCT-V, a subunit of NCT,” Lee said in his keynote

Performance Sept. 11, 2018

Police said Tuesday they arrested 46 suspects who targeted inebriated people in Seoul’s popular nightlife spot of Hongdae over an eight-month crackdown.Eleven of the 46 were taken into custody with the remaining 35 booked without detention as part of the effort that began in January.  (Yonhap)So far this year, 10 suspects stand accused of having stolen from people who had passed out by pretending to help them get up. Nineteen taxi drivers and two designated drivers have been caught selling smart

Social Affairs Sept. 11, 2018

An elderly man was booked without detention Tuesday on the accusation of assaulting a bus driver in Gwangju. (Yonhap)On Sunday, the man reportedly grabbed the bus driver by the collar and shoved his bus pass card into the driver’s mouth. According to police, the man said he had done so because the bus driver had not given him information he had requested. Gwangju Bukbu Police plan to look into black box footage from the bus. 　By Kim Jee-min (jeeminkim@heraldcorp.com)

Social Affairs Sept. 11, 2018

South Korea-born Russian short-track speedskater Victor Ahn uploaded on his Instagram account Monday a handwritten letter confirming his retirement. However, he dismissed rumors surrounding his return to Korea.(Yonhap)“I have decided on my retirement earlier than I intended,” Ahn wrote in his letter. “I turned down the offer to coach the Russian national team because I had longed to continue as an athlete, rather than a coach.”He revealed that he has no clear plans regarding his career for now.

More Sports Sept. 11, 2018

The Ministry of Health and Welfare held a ceremony to mark Suicide Prevention Day on Monday in coordination with the Korea Suicide Prevention Center Thirty-four police officers and 36 institutions received commendations from the minister of health and welfare for their contributions to suicide prevention. Korail was one of the 36 institutions to receive a commendation from the minister of health and welfare. (Yonhap)Inspector Ham Myung-ho, who is part of the missing person investigation team at

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2018

As a collapsed preschool in Sangdo-dong, Seoul, is being partially demolished, some children were moved to a nearby elementary school’s day care center Monday. (Yonhap)A total of 58 preschoolers had planned to attend the elementary school’s day care center, but only 10 of the 58 preschoolers were reported to have come to class Monday morning. Though the elementary school is currently closed due to the collapse, the day care will stay open until the preschoolers can return to their own facility.A

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2018

A woman in her 40s was taken into custody in Busan for allegedly stealing cash from men she met online, police said Monday. (Yonhap)The suspect is accused of stealing about 300,000 won ($260) from a man who accompanied her to a Busan motel in May after meeting her online. He said she stole cash from his bag while he was looking the other way.Police believe the accused woman has used the same tactic to steal about 920,000 won from three other men over three months.The suspect was arrested at a sa

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2018

YouTuber Yang Ye-won on Wednesday attended the first court date of the defendant indicted on taking and leaking explicit photos of Yang and another victim.At the court, Yang’s attorney requested the next hearing be made public, including Yang’s witness examination. The request was being made because the defendant did not admit to his alleged crimes or showed remorse, according the lawyer. (Yonhap)The defendant reportedly admitted to leaking the photos of models who agreed to only the photo shoot

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2018

A request for an arrest warrant for a man accused of assaulting a woman and dog has been dismissed, police said.Police received a report on Aug. 31 that a man was striking a woman who had been taking her dog on a walk. The accused man reportedly resisted being taken into police custody, striking officers with his fists.The victim sustained injuries requiring an estimated four weeks for recovery, and her dog has also received surgery for a leg injury. (Yonhap)The accused was reported to have Aspe

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2018

A humorous video clip in which Big Bang’s Seungri talks in Japanese and a Japanese celebrity speaks in Korean is going viral on Twitter Japan.(Twitter)The post shows a clip from a live Japanese broadcast featuring Seungri and ex-SMAP members. Seungri is seen conversing with former SMAP members in Japanese, while Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, better known as Chonan Gang in Korean, sticks to speaking in Korean.“A Japanese star talking to a Korean star talking in Japanese,” wrote a Twitter user.SMAP was one o

Television Sept. 5, 2018

South Korea’s girl group Black Pink is set to be featured on an upcoming album from English pop singer Dua Lipa.Lipa tweeted an image Tuesday of the track list for her new album, due for release Oct. 19. The track list includes a song titled “Kiss and Make Up (Dua Lipa & Blackpink),” implying that the two pop icons had collaborated on one of Lipa’s new songs. (Instagram)“So excited to release a super deluxe edition of my album on October 19th with 3 NEW SONGS!!” Lipa tweeted.The collaboration st

Performance Sept. 5, 2018

Eco-Expo Korea 2018, hosted by the Ministry of Environment and organized by the Korean Environmental Industry and Technology Institute, opened at Coex in Seoul, Wednesday. The annual event, which started in 2005, puts together leading experts from environment-related industries to promote eco-friendly products and services.The exhibition presents a variety of activity-centered booths where children can engage in crafting eco-friendly sculptures, generating electricity by pedaling bicycles and pl

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2018

Two pythons were recently found at an apartment complex in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, alarming local residents.The first report was made Saturday, when a python was found in a flower bed on the complex grounds. Firefighters captured the snake, believed to be 1 to 2 years old. (Yonhap)The second python -- measuring 1.5 meters long, and most likely the mother of the first one, according to authorities -- was found Monday near the apartment. Given their unusual size and color, authorities believe

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2018