SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won hit back at his estranged wife Sunday, accusing her of deliberately stirring the pot to get the upper hand in their ongoing divorce settlement litigation. In a statement released through his lawyer, Chey said that their marriage was broken long before he started dating his current partner. “We’ve been a wife and husband merely on paper for decades,” stressed the tycoon, who had a child out of wedlock in 2015 with his current partner, Kim Hee-young

Poor air quality contributed to about 1 1/2 times more premature deaths in South Korea than the average of countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, data showed Sunday. According to the 2023 OECD Health at a Glance report, South Korea had 42.7 premature deaths from ambient air pollution per 100,000 population in 2019. The OECD average stood at 28.9 deaths per 100,000 in 2019. In contrast, some countries, such as New Zealand, Sweden and Finland, had relatively low mo

Major South Korean umbrella unions the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions staged large-scale protests in Seoul on Saturday in a bid to encourage the immediate promulgation and enforcement of the "yellow envelope bill" -- a bill which aims to guarantee the negotiating rights of workers in indirect working arrangements. The FKTU held protests starting from 1 p.m., in area between Yeouido station and Yeouinaru station, while KCTU staged protests

The agriculture ministry said Saturday it has completed its nationwide campaign to vaccinate all cattle against lumpy skin (LSD) disease, less than a month after the country reported its first-ever infection. The ministry has inoculated some 4.05 million cattle in the country to protect them against LSD after launching the intensive vaccination campaign following its first-ever case of LSD on Oct. 20. Authorities, meanwhile, plan to remain vigilant for the time being as it will take three weeks

Chief justice seat in Supreme Court left vacant for 47th day; Constitutional Court president retires from post

Plastic fidget toys resembling colorful pocket knives are a hit among Korean kids, but parents have expressed concern that they could encourage children to play with actual knives -- or worse. On Monday, the South Chungcheong Province’s Office of Education became the latest authority to prohibit the possession of the toy, locally known as a "carrot knife," on school premises. They stated, "Carrot knives are not toys; they are deemed dangerous items that could provoke vio

A police commendation process following the arrest of escaped criminal Kim Gil-soo has stirred up controversy, after it was discovered that two of the police officers who caught the fugitive were not properly awarded or recognized for their contributions. The National Police Agency on Tuesday granted special promotions to Sgt. Lee Seon-ju of Uijeongbu Police Station and Senior Officer Kim Min-gok of Anyang Dongan Police Station for their role in Kim’s arrest the day before. Lee had closely

Unionized Seoul subway workers opposed to their company's downsizing plans are set to end a two-day "warning" strike Friday evening but threatened to go on a general strike sooner or later unless their demands are met. The latest strike was launched Thursday by the biggest of the three labor unions of Seoul Metro, the operator of subway lines 1-8, in protest of the city-run company's bid to reduce its workforce by 13.5 percent, or 2,212 employees, by 2026 to address its chron

A total of 500 aircraft incidents involving collisions with birds have been reported in airports across South Korea over the past five years, according to data. According to data unveiled by Rep. Heo Jong-sik of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the total number of aircraft bird strike cases during takeoff and landing has totaled 500 since 2019. The lawmaker cited data submitted by airport authorities. Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul and Gimhae International Airport in

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon invited health and infectious diseases experts for official talks on methods to counter bedbugs in the capital city, Thursday. To respond to the recent outbreak of bedbugs in Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a comprehensive scheme on Nov. 3 to achieve a “zero-bedbug city.” Residents can report bedbugs to their local public health center or by calling 120. The city government also conducted special inspections on 3,175 bedbug-prone public facil

Gangnam-gu in southern Seoul was selected as the winner of the safety and resilience award at the Smart City Expo World Congress’ World Smart City Awards in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday. The World Smart City Awards are an international competition among cities around the globe that recognize projects, ideas and strategies that make cities more livable, sustainable and economically viable. Gangnam-gu received the safety and resilience award for its smart city policy supporting the welfare

Downsizing plan, outsourcing of safety personnel threatens riders' safety, the union says

By Yoo Hee-dong According to the 2022 Annual Report on Natural Disasters by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 96 heavy rainfall events occurred in South Korea during the summer season between 2012 and 2021, resulting in 1.6 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in property damage and 63 fatalities. Furthermore, last year and this year, unprecedented torrential rainfall caused 3.4 trillion won in property losses and 95 deaths. In just two years, this amount has surpassed the total damage of the past

South Korea’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission on Wednesday stressed its pivotal role in handling and resolving civil complaints and mitigating against the unfair treatment of citizens and foreign residents alike. Over the past five years, some 30,000 complaints have been lodged to the ACRC, while 23,887 cases have been addressed, including those filed by foreign residents. “Handling a complaint not only means dealing with the unjust situation of an individual citizen, b

South Korea's top court on Thursday ordered Oxy Reckitt Benckiser and a Korean vendor to pay 5 million won ($3,820) in damages to a woman who developed a pulmonary disease after using Oxy's toxic humidifier sterilizer, but whose illness was seen as being less likely associated with the product. The Supreme Court of Korea upheld the decision at the appellate court that found Oxy -- a Korean arm of United Kingdom-based consumer goods maker Reckitt Benckiser -- liable for violating the Pr