Lotte requests police probe over financial crisis rumors

South Korea's retail giant Lotte Group recently requested an investigation from Seoul Gangnam Police Station into rumors about the company's financial instability that have circulated online since late last month, according to legal professionals on Monday. The decision comes after rumors that the company will declare a moratorium in early December due to a liquidity crisis spread online after two YouTube channels alleged that the group was facing challenges in mid-November. Lotte ha

Dec. 2, 2024

Tributes paid to hero firefighter who died in line of duty

Government officials, fellow firefighters and the bereaved family of Im Seong-cheol attended a memorial for the late firefighter held on Jeju Island on Sunday, commemorating the one-year anniversary of his passing while rescuing an elderly couple in a fire. Im, who was 29, was dispatched with a firefighting crew to a fire at a factory in Pyoseon-myeon in Seogwipo city on the island on Dec. 1, 2023. After helping the elderly couple to safety, he was extinguishing the fire when the building coll

Dec. 2, 2024

Ex-Army man sends beloved ax as thank you to firefighters

An 85-year-old former Army serviceman has sent a letter, along with an ax he used during his time in the military, to thank firefighters for their efforts in a fire last month in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Local media outlets reported Monday that Ansan Fire Station recently received the gifts from Heo Hyeong-rae, who had served as a noncommissioned officer of the South Korean Army for 35 years until being discharged as a sergeant major in 1996. "I'd like to thank the firefighters who pr

Dec. 2, 2024

Leisure boat with 3 aboard goes missing in East Sea

A search and rescue operation is under way in the sea off the southeastern county of Uljin on Monday after a leisure boat with three people on board went missing the previous day, police said. The Uljin Coast Guard said families of the sailors reported around 8 p.m. Sunday that contact with the 0.6-ton boat had been lost. The boat reportedly departed from Uljin's Jiksan Port, about 230 kilometers from Seoul, at 1 p.m. on the same day to go fishing. The Coast Guard mobilized 13 patrol ships

Dec. 2, 2024

Labor Ministry rejects E-9 visas for foreign bus drivers

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has declined Seoul’s request to expand the E-9 visa program to allow foreign bus drivers on local community routes. The ministry stated that the proposal is incompatible with current laws and will be treated as a long-term issue requiring further consideration. According to the Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act, the E-9 visa program excludes professional occupations that require qualifications or experience. Bus driving, classified as a

Dec. 1, 2024

Lawmaker calls for larger scope of 'family'

Mentioning actor Jung Woo-sung and model Moon Ga-bi having a child while not marrying each other, People Power Party Rep. Na Kyung-won proposed introducing a policy similar to France’s "Pacte Civil de Solidarite" to offer legal protection for children born to unmarried parents. The PACS, a form of civil union in France, provides legal status to unmarried couples --both same-sex and opposite-sex -- granting some of the rights of marriage. Citing recent statistics, she wrote on Fac

Dec. 1, 2024

Perceptions of health linked to education, parenthood, economic level: study

South Koreans with higher education, income and no children are more likely to perceive themselves as healthier than their peers, according to the Korea Health Promotion Institute’s recent survey. The survey of 2000 adults aged 19-70, found that 39.4 percent of respondents with a university degree or higher considered themselves healthier than others their age, compared to 29.5 percent of those with a high school diploma or less. Similarly, 38.5 percent of economically active respondents r

Dec. 1, 2024

4 Greenpeace activists detained for questioning after 12-hour protest atop LPG tanker

Police have detained four foreign Greenpeace activists for questioning after they illegally boarded an LPG tanker and staged a protest demanding a reduction in plastic production, officials said Sunday. The Coast Guard in Pyeongtaek, 65 kilometers southwest of Seoul, said the four were detained for questioning on charges of vessel trespassing and obstruction of official duties. The activists are accused of illegally boarding a 2,999-ton LPG tanker off the coast of Incheon at 10:42 a.m. the previ

Dec. 1, 2024

Which surname will Moon and Jung give their child?

The revelation that actor Jung Woo-sung and model Moon Ga-bi, who are not married, have welcomed a child has captured widespread public attention, sparking speculation about whether the child will be given Jung’s or Moon’s surname and highlighting the legal intricacies involved. Jung confirmed on Nov. 24 that he is the father of Moon’s child, two days after Moon announced the birth on social media. While Jung pledged to "fulfill his responsibilities" as a father, he h

Nov. 30, 2024

Nearly 10,000 elementary school staff suffer from depression: data

An increasing number of those working at elementary schools across the country are suffering from depression, as government data showed Thursday that 9,468 elementary school employees were treated for depression in 2023. According to the National Health Insurance Service data submitted to Rep. Jin Sun-mi of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the depression treatment rate for elementary school workers has been on the upward trend since 16.4 per 1,000 people in 2018, to 37.2 per 1,00

Nov. 30, 2024

What to know about the plastic pollution crisis as treaty talks conclude in South Korea

BUSAN (AP) — The world’s nations will wrap up negotiating a treaty this weekend to address the global plastic pollution crisis. As their meeting concludes Sunday or early Monday in Busan, South Korea, here’s what to know about plastics: The use of plastics has quadrupled over the past 30 years. Plastic is ubiquitous. And every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes, the UN said . Most nations agre

Nov. 30, 2024

Talks on UN plastic treaty remain stalled with 2 days to deadline

Negotiations at the fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) in Busan, were seen making little progress with only two days left before the Dec. 1 deadline. The INC-5, which was started after a resolution passed during the UN Environment Assembly meeting in March 2022, is the final round of negotiations before delegations are expected to finalize the legally binding treaty text. The gathering started Monday and is scheduled to end on Sunday. Challe

Nov. 29, 2024

Korea scales back AI digital textbook rollout in classrooms

With just three months remaining before the new school year begins in March, the South Korean government announced Friday it will unexpectedly scale back its plan to introduce AI-powered digital textbooks in classrooms, adjusting the pace and deferring the rollout for some subjects. Under the scheme, the digital conversion of paper-based books for mathematics, English and informatics courses will go ahead as planned for third- and fourth-grade students, seventh-graders and first-year high school

Nov. 29, 2024

Children’s bubble spray poses explosion risks

Spray-type bubble cleansers used by children during bath time have been found to pose fire and explosion risks due to their use of liquid petroleum gas as a propellant, according to a report released Friday. A joint investigation by the Korea Consumer Agency and the Korea Gas Safety Corp. revealed that all 40 bubble cleanser products for children tested were found to use LPG as a propellant. It didn’t disclose the names of the products. When used in enclosed spaces like bathrooms, the gas,

Nov. 29, 2024

SNU professors join growing movement calling for Yoon's resignation

Seoul National University, South Korea's top university and the alma mater of President Yoon Suk Yeol, has joined a growing wave of calls for his resignation on Thursday, a movement that has been spreading across universities and the religious sector nationwide since late October. A total of 525 SNU professors held a press conference at the university's museum in Seoul on Thursday, announcing their participation in the movement of institutions issuing declaration spreading across the c

Nov. 29, 2024

Heavy, wet snow to fall more often this winter

Korea is expected to face a winter marked by the more frequent occurrence of heavier, wetter snow than usual, the Korea Meteorological Administration projected on Friday. Starting Wednesday, Korea already witnessed a historic two-day spell of record-breaking November snowfall. According to the KMA, the unprecedented heavy snowfall nationwide was due to the warmer temperatures of the West Sea compared to previous years, due to the unusually warm weather South Korea experienced during summer and a

Nov. 29, 2024

Police close probe into ex-F.T. Island member's alleged sexual misconduct without charges

Police said Friday they have closed an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations raised against a former member of K-pop boy band F.T. Island without filing charges due to a lack of evidence. Choi Min-hwan, a former drummer for the band, was suspected of engaging in prostitution and sexually harassing his then wife, Yulhee, a former member of girl group Laboum. The Seoul Gangnam Police Station said no charges were filed against Choi due to insufficient evidence of the alleged misconduct.

Nov. 29, 2024

Moon's daughter referred to prosecution over suspected illegal house sharing

Former President Moon Jae-in's daughter was referred to the prosecution without detention on Friday on suspicions of illegally operating house sharing businesses in Seoul, police said. The Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Station said it sent the case of Moon Da-hye to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office for further investigation and a possible indictment. She is suspected of running an Airbnb business at a studio apartment in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo district without official declarat

Nov. 29, 2024

At Lotte Hotel, worker falls to death while painting 20-meter-high ceiling

A worker fell to his death during a nighttime painting operation at Lotte Hotel World in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, according to police on Friday. The accident occurred around 11:48 p.m. on Thursday, when the worker, in a team of two, was painting a four-story-high ceiling inside the hotel on a scaffold lift. According to officials, one of the wires supporting the equipment snapped, causing him to fall from a height of 20 meters. The victim was not directly employed by the hotel but had been cont

Nov. 29, 2024

76 AI-based digital textbooks certified for classroom use for first time

Seventy-six artificial intelligence-based digital textbooks have been certified for classroom use for the first time, covering elementary to high school students, the education ministry said Friday. The textbooks, which were listed in the official gazette, are for the subjects of math, English and information for elementary school grades 3 and 4, middle school grade 1 and high school grade 1. The 76 were chosen from 146 textbooks submitted for certification. The certified textbooks will be displ

Nov. 29, 2024