Since the late 90s, Korea’s southern island of Jeju has celebrated the arrival of spring by setting fire to vast fields of silver grass on the slopes of one of its famous volcanic cones. The annual event long attracted tourists and locals alike. However, the Jeju Fire Festival has been on hold for three consecutive years over safety and environmental concerns. Its resumption next March is now the subject of heated debate, with locals and environmental activists at odds. The debate center

Hashtag Korea Dec. 11, 2024

South Korea’s two main parties cannot quite agree on what to do with President Yoon Suk Yeol after his botched attempt to rule the country under martial law. Their clash resulted in a failed vote to impeach Yoon on Saturday. As a result, Yoon remains president of South Korea. However, two 19-year-olds, despite their respective affiliations with the opposing parties, believe it is time to put party interests aside. In interviews with The Korea Herald, both said there is no way forward for K

Social Affairs Dec. 10, 2024

The political turmoil following last week’s martial law crisis in South Korea has heightened tensions in the US military forces stationed in the country, with some units imposing travel restrictions and curfew, according to officials Monday. A sergeant first class at the US Forces Korea's headquarters of Camp Humphreys, a key US military base in Pyeongtaek, about 65 kilometers south of Seoul, told The Korea Herald that the USFK issued a new regulation limiting all service members'

Social Affairs Dec. 9, 2024

Participants at the anti-President Yoon Suk Yeol rallies near the National Assembly in Yeouido on Saturday were provided with coffee, snacks and meals paid for by supporters. Some restaurants and cafes near the protest sites were flooded with preorders from citizens who paid in advance for food and drinks for unknown protesters. Pictures showing proof of prepayments made at restaurants, cafes and bakeries near the parliament building, as well as Gwanghwamun Square, where tens of thousands

Social Affairs Dec. 7, 2024

A researcher at the V-Dem Institute, an independent research organization that monitors trends in democracy, has slammed President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declaration of martial law and warned it could strain ties with the US. Fabio Angiolillo, a researcher at the institute, based at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, told The Korea Herald Saturday that Yoon's declaration was “an outright attempt to curb liberal, electoral, and participatory principles of democracy.&rdquo

Social Affairs Dec. 7, 2024

More than 70 percent of South Koreans want President Yook Suk Yeol removed from office over the martial law fiasco, a survey showed Thursday. According to the poll conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by a local news outlet, 73.6 percent of 504 Koreans aged 18 and older nationwide supported the president's impeachment, while 24 percent opposed the idea, and 2.4 percent said they were unsure. Yoon, in a move that plunged the nation into turmoil, declared emergency martial law late Tuesday

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2024

As political turmoil unraveled from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, following President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, local teachers prepared for their students' questions at school. "My knowledge of martial law is limited, from some books and films. I felt I didn’t know it well enough to teach students about it. I did some quick research on the internet before going to work,” said Kang, 31, an elementary school teacher in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2024

Who planted the ill-advised idea of martial law in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s mind? As of noon Wednesday, roughly 8 hours after military rule was officially dropped following a parliamentary motion to revoke it, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun appears to have been the key figure. The Defense Ministry confirmed Wednesday that Kim, who assumed his role in September this year, had proposed the declaration of emergency martial law to the president through the prime minister. By law, either the

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2024

A man has been arrested and referred to the prosecution on charges of killing a stranger and using the victim’s fingerprints to obtain a loan via smartphone, Korean police revealed Tuesday. The victim in his 30s was killed on Nov. 12 at his studio flat, in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. According to authorities, the suspect, also in his 30s, had no prior connection to the victim. The suspect confessed to the police that he had been wandering around the multipurpose building where the

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2024

A female livestreamer on local video-streaming platform AfreecaTV has been arrested for allegedly extorting approximately 800 million won ($570,395) worth of money and valuables from singer and musical actor Kim Jun-su, former member of K-pop group TVXQ, Korean police revealed Monday. The suspect, who approached Kim in 2020 posing as a nail artist and later dated him, is accused of secretly recording private conversations and threatening to expose them. Her blackmail reportedly continued for nea

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2024

“Do you think it’s okay to go for a test-drive of a Mercedes Benz car in track pants?” Kim, a veterinarian in her 30s living in Seoul, posed the question via a yes-or-no poll on Instagram. To her relief, over 90 percent of respondents said, “Yes.” “I didn’t want to give the impression that I can’t afford the car, which could make the dealer treat me unkindly. So I asked whether there is a dress code for these events,” Kim said. Instagram and

Hashtag Korea Dec. 2, 2024

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

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2024

Commuting has never been easy, but on Thursday morning, it became nearly impossible for some of South Korea's workers, as a severe snowstorm pounded Seoul and its surrounding areas, causing traffic disruptions. Oh Se-won, a 36-year-old secretary living in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, gave up driving to his office in Pangyo, just south of Seoul, and took the day off. Not only was his car covered in a thick layer of white, but so were the nearby roads blanketed in piles of snow accumulated over

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2024

Son Joo-eun, CEO of Korea's top online private education company, Megastudy, is facing a backlash for inappropriate remarks during a recent lecture to high school students in Daegu. Speaking to approximately 500 first- and second-year students from a high school in the southern city on Nov. 22, Son called for affirmative action for teenage mothers in college admissions. He called it a “special admissions policy allowing adolescent girls who gave birth to have strong advantages in th

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2024

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

Social Affairs Nov. 26, 2024