Fertility rate in Korea projected to rise for the first time in nine years

South Korea’s fertility rate is projected to reach 0.74 this year, which would mark the first increase in nine years, according to a government body addressing the country’s declining birth rate and aging society. Joo Hyung-hwan, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, announced the estimate during a keynote address at the Global Symposium on Low Fertility and Aging organized by Statistics Korea and UNFPA on Tuesday in central Seoul. &ldquo

Nov. 26, 2024

Hurdle cleared for high-rise reconstruction of iconic Apgujeong apartments

Seoul’s iconic yet aging Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments, located in the heart of Gangnam, look likely to be replaced by a towering residential complex, rising up to 70 floors, under an urban planning plan approved by the city government. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday, the city’s Urban Planning Committee approved an eased maximum floor ratio of 300 percent for residential complexes aged over 50 years in the southern Seoul districts, including Apgujeong Hyun

Nov. 26, 2024

18 injured in motel fire in Hwaseong

Eighteen people were injured Monday after a motel caught fire in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, according to local media. One person was found on the second floor in a state of cardiac arrest, but recovered. The fire reportedly began on the first floor of the four-story building at 10 p.m., but the smoke quickly spread to the entire building. At the time, 22 people were staying in the motel and many of them were foreign workers at a nearby employer who was using the motel to accommoda

Nov. 26, 2024

Man who demanded settlement from Son Heung-min's father gets suspended term in separate case

A 44-year-old man, who had asked soccer superstar Son Heung-min's father Son Woong-jung for a settlement related to the elder Son's child abuse accusation, recently received a suspended jail term for false accusation and stalking in a separate case. The appellate division of the Incheon District Court on Nov. 15 upheld an earlier court ruling that sentenced the defendant, surnamed Kim, to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, for stalking and false accusation against multip

Nov. 26, 2024

K-pop star Psy's home temporarily seized due to penalty arrears

Singer Psy recently had his luxury home in Seoul temporarily seized by authorities after he failed to pay an administrative penalty imposed by the district office, local media outlets reported Monday. According to a report by Biz Hankook, the 46-year-old's home located in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was recently reported to the district office for an illegal modification. The home is a unit in a luxury apartment complex in the affluent Hannam-dong district, in which the star's family has live

Nov. 26, 2024

Jung's paternity reveal exposes where Korea stands on extramarital babies

Actor Jung Woo-sung’s recent admission that he fathered a child with model Moon Ga-bi has reignited conversations in South Korea about societal attitudes toward children born out of wedlock. While Jung pledged to fulfill his responsibilities as a father without pursuing marriage, the public response has been largely critical, highlighting the nation’s deeply conservative stance on non-traditional family structures. Many online users criticized Jung for his decision not to marry Moo

Nov. 26, 2024

Firefighters pull off dramatic rescue of a man who jumped from roof

South Korean firefighters managed to install an air mattress just in time to help a young man who jumped from the roof of an 18-story building, rescue authorities in South Chungcheong Province said Tuesday. Officials at the Nonsan Fire Station received a report at around 2 p.m. Sunday that a man was attempting to jump from an apartment building. Firefighters arrived to find the man in his 20s sitting on the building's roof. One of the rescue workers approached the man to persuade him not

Nov. 26, 2024

Hurdle cleared for high-rise rebuild of iconic Apgujeong apartments

Seoul’s iconic yet aging Apgujeong Hyundai Apartments, located in the heart of Gangnam, look likely to be replaced by a towering residential complex, rising up to 70 floors, under an urban planning plan approved by the city government. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday, the city’s Urban Planning Committee approved an eased maximum floor ratio of 300 percent for residential complexes aged over 50 years in the southern Seoul districts, including Apgujeong Hyun

Nov. 26, 2024

Man fined for slapping woman for smoking

A man in his 50s has been fined for assaulting a woman who was smoking in the street. Judge Jang Min-ju, presiding over Daejeon District Court’s 11th criminal chamber, fined the man of 700,000 ($498), local media reports on Monday. The man hit the 22-year-old woman on her back at midnight on April 29 while she was smoking in front of a shop in Daeduk-gu, Daejeon. During the police investigation, he reportedly said “How could a girl smoke?” and that he was angry about smoking ne

Nov. 26, 2024

[Health and care] Getting cancer young: Why cancer isn’t just an older person’s battle

Cancer was a journey Kang Min-ji never thought she would take during her early 30s. She was physically active, a non-smoker and didn't drink that often. But her world shattered in July 2022 after she was found to have thyroid cancer and a brain tumor when she underwent a health checkup. "Little did I know that I would have cancer because I was young and had a relatively healthy lifestyle, although I did have an exhausting work pattern where I stayed up until late at night and early mor

Nov. 26, 2024

[Graphic News] International marriages on rise in Korea

In 2023, one in ten newlyweds in Korea was part of an international couple, with international marriages making up 10.6 percent (20,431) of all unions. This marks an increase of 9.1 percent (17,428) in 2022. Of these, 69.8 percent were between foreign national wives and Korean national husbands, 17.9 percent between foreign husbands and Korean wives, and 12.3 percent were comprised of two or at least one naturalized Korean citizen. Married couples where both partners are of foreign nationality

Nov. 26, 2024

UN talks on plastic pollution treaty begin with grim outlook

BUSAN -- Delegates from 177 countries gathered in Busan on Monday for the fifth round of negotiations to clinch a deal for a legally binding United Nations treaty to combat plastic pollution, though doubts linger as to whether a final agreement can be reached. From Monday through Sunday, delegates to the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee are expected to finalize a legally binding treaty to address plastic pollution. This initiative emerged from a resolution passed duri

Nov. 25, 2024

Bill proposed to mandate antismoking warnings on e-cigarettes

The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Monday expressed its support for a legislative proposal from an opposition lawmaker to mandate anti-smoking warnings on e-cigarette devices. In a written answer to the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, the ministry said, “In terms of raising awareness of the harms of smoking, it is necessary to display health warnings on e-cigarette devices,” and added it would support the enactment of relevant legal changes. Currently, a

Nov. 25, 2024

Suwon to host UNESCO education forum

Suwon, south of Seoul, will host the 2024 UNESCO International Forum on the Futures of Education from Dec. 2 to 4, bringing together over 1,800 participants from around the world, including government ministers, international organization representatives, academics and civil society experts. The forum, organized by UNESCO, builds on the organization's 2021 report "Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education," which emphasizes the need for equitable and su

Nov. 25, 2024

Ministry to launch agency to expand hangeul courses globally

The South Korean government is intensifying its efforts to expand Korean language education in elementary and middle schools worldwide, leveraging the growing global interest in Korean literature following author Han Kang's recent Nobel Prize win. The Ministry of Education on Monday unveiled its plan to establish a specialized agency to develop strategies for Korean language education tailored to different countries and regions. The agency will also create localized learning materials and

Nov. 25, 2024

[Legal updates in Korea] Providing housing for 'jeonse' fraud victims

● Updated law: The Special Act on Supporting Jeonse Fraud Victims and Housing Stability What it does: Allows "jeonse" fraud victims to live in public housing without paying rent for 10 years Took effect: Nov. 11 Punishment: None "Jeonse" is a unique Korean system in which renters give landlords a large returnable deposit instead of paying monthly rent. The system has existed for decades, but in recent years, scammers have taken advantage of the system, refusing to return th

Nov. 25, 2024

Opposition chief acquitted of instigating perjury

Main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was acquitted Monday of subornation of perjury, with the Seoul Central District Court ruling him not guilty of allegedly asking a former mayoral secretary to provide false testimony in his favor in late 2018. Last year, prosecutors charged Lee with attempting to persuade a witness to make false testimony in his favor in December 2018, for a court trial over an alleged election law violation. Lee was accused of lying during a televised debate during his campai

Nov. 25, 2024

Backlash, damage disputes continue after Dongduk Women's Univ. protests

Despite Dongduk Women’s University temporarily halting its plans to transition into a coeducational institution, the aftermath of student protests continues to fuel controversy as alleged employment discrimination and damage compensation claims take center stage. The dispute sparked an online backlash, with discriminatory posts targeting graduates of women’s universities appearing on anonymous forums like Blind, a workplace discussion app. Users claiming to work in human resources at

Nov. 25, 2024

Diet, exercise top Korea's year-end resolutions: survey

As the year draws to a close, many South Koreans have named exercise and dieting as their top year-end resolutions, according to survey results Monday. The survey, conducted by Karrot Market, South Korea’s largest community marketplace platform, between Nov. 12 and 17, asked users what they most want to achieve before the year ends. The result showed that 39.5 percent of respondents identified exercise, health and dieting as their main priorities. Popular goals included walking for two hou

Nov. 25, 2024

'Giant eye’ watches over plastics talks in Busan

A massive flag depicting a human eye was unveiled near the venue of an international negotiation forum on plastics, which opened in Busan on Monday. Created and hoisted by the international non-profit organization Greenpeace, the "#WeAreWatching" flag aims to deliver a powerful message: global citizens are closely observing the discussions on solutions to end plastic pollution, the group said. Designed in collaboration with Swiss artist Dan Acher, it incorporates portraits of 6,472 ind

Nov. 25, 2024