Seoul says it wants to recruit more caregivers from SE Asian countries other than Philippines

A draft of new sentencing guidelines unveiled on Monday calls for tougher penalties for severe and repeated cases of animal cruelty, a move widely seen as a push to end a long era of leniency in the judicial treatment of such offenses. The guidelines, drafted at a meeting of the Supreme Court’s sentencing commission on Friday, are the top court’s first formal framework for animal abuse crimes, a court spokesperson told local media. The move comes as public concern over animal cruelty

Seoul police crack down on drug use in Gangnam bars, round up 91 suspects

The construction of a hydroelectric dam has begun as a part of the Solomon Islands’ first-ever large-scale renewable energy project, according to the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) on Tuesday. According to K-water, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday in the capital city of Honiara in the Solomon Islands to mark the start of K-water’s project to build a hydroelectric dam on the islands’ Tina River. The ceremony was attended by more than 500 individuals, inc

Seoul’s plant-distribution initiative has proven effective in improving the mental health of young Koreans living in social isolation and seclusion, city officials said Tuesday. In a survey of 302 Seoul residents aged 19 to 39 who received free plants such as ivy, dwarf umbrella trees, hoya lisa, and Chinese evergreens as part of the city-run program, 90.9 percent reported that growing the plants at home positively impacted their mental well-being. Participants reported increased self-effi

South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld a 20-year prison sentence for a 15-year-old who killed his mother after she scolded him. The court ruled on Oct. 31 that there were no errors in the lower court’s verdict, dismissing the defendant’s claims that he was mentally ill, according to media reports Tuesday. The teenager was convicted of murdering his mother on October 1 last year, during the Chuseok holiday, at their residence in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. His mother was

A driver of a Seoul bus who resuscitated an unconscious female passenger is being praised for his quick thinking and appropriate measures, a local media outlet reported Tuesday. According to Newsis, the incident occurred at around 6:53 p.m. on Oct. 22 as a No. 3217 was waiting for the light to change. The passenger, who had been standing near the door, suddenly fainted and fell to the floor. A surveillance footage of the bus, revealed by the Seoul Bus Transport Association, showed the driver O

Nearly a third of young people in South Korea do not think financial or residential independence from their parents is necessary after they reach adulthood, a recent survey showed. The state-run Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs on Monday revealed the results of its survey on Koreans aged 19-34, on young Koreans' perceptions of adulthood, independence and the meaning of family. Some 30.2 percent of respondents said moving out of one's parents' home is not necessary,

The average amount workers spend on lunch has risen back above 10,000 won ($7.24), according to data from food tech company SikSin. The survey found that the average amount spent on lunch at restaurants nationwide was 10,037 won. After surpassing 10,000 won for the first time in the first quarter of this year, it dipped slightly to 9,902 won in the second quarter, but has since increased again. Other statistics reflect tighter household budgets. Notably, there has been a significant rise in wo

GWANGJU -- Prosecutors on Monday demanded prison terms of up to 10 years for company officials accused of involvement in the deadly collapse of an apartment building in Gwangju in 2022. The collapse of the 39-story apartment building under construction left six workers dead and one injured in January 2022. An investigation found that deck plates and concrete supports affecting the building's bearing capacity had been installed without a structural review. During the final hearing at Gwang

A man in his 20s was booked without detention for allegedly abandoning hundreds of pet reptiles, resulting in many of them starving to death, according to police on Monday. Heungdeok Police Station in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province said it is investigating the man on suspicion of breaking the Animal Protection Act. The police said they received a report on October 11 from the landlord of an apartment in the city’s Bokdae-dong neighborhood. The landlord said he had been unable to cont

A teacher who was accused on charges of child abuse for scolding and pulling a student’s arm has been ruled not guilty, the court announced Monday. South Korea’s Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling that had imposed a fine of 1 million won ($730) on the teacher, identified only by the surname Choi, for child abuse charges and sent the case back to the Uijeongbu District Court for review. The incident occurred on March 14, 2019, when the teacher allegedly shouted at a

● Updated law: Road Traffic Act What it does: Requires repeat drunk driving offenders to install car breathalyzers or in-car alcohol monitoring systems Took effect: Oct. 25 Punishment: Imprisonment up to 1 year or a fine up to 3 million won, driver's license revoked for failure to use the devices. South Korea has been making decisive moves in recent years to prevent drunk driving accidents and fatalities. Many celebrities and politicians have made headlines after being charged with drivin

Weather researchers from around the world came together Monday to discuss more measures that can be taken to improve weather forecasting in the era of climate change, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday. The three-day event, hosted by the Korea Institute of Atmospheric Prediction Systems, a research institute affiliated with the KMA, has been held annually since 2012, after South Korea established its own numerical weather prediction tool in 2011. Known as the Korean I

Some areas could see cold wave alerts issued