With only 48 days left before the vote to determine the venue for the 2030 World Expo, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo embarked on another last-minute trip to Europe last week to bolster South Korea's bid. According to his office, government and business leaders have traveled a total of 16,408,822 kilometers as of September -- equivalent to circling the globe 409 times -- in their efforts to promote the Busan Expo. The total number is the sum of the distance traveled by President

A hospital in Gangwon Province has reported to authorities to pursue criminal charges against a patient's companion, alleging she was the cause of a disruption at the emergency room when doctors treated a cardiac arrest patient at a higher priority. According to local reports, the hospital accused a woman of unspecified identity of disrupting emergency room duties for over an hour by shouting profanities and insults at the medical staff. She complained that the patient she had brought in --

D-4 mostly granted to those who pursue Korean language courses; largest proportion from Vietnam

Less than one in four suspects indicted for alleged stalking crimes have been sentenced to prison terms, whereas the number of suspended sentences and acquittals increased, data showed Tuesday. Of the 959 people indicted for violating the Stalking Punishment Act last year, only 22.73 percent, or 218 suspects, received a prison sentence in the first trial, according to Supreme Court data released by Rep. Park Yong-jin of the main opposition Democratic Party. Of the total, 312 suspects, or 32.53 p

The number of heat-related deaths nearly quadrupled on-year in 2023 as South Korea was struck by heat wave conditions, the disease control agency said. A total of 32 people were presumed to have died of heat-related illnesses this year as of Sept. 29, versus 9 last year, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. This year’s figure is the highest since 2018, when the country reported 48 heat-related deaths. South Korea began compiling such data in 2011. The country was g

A male high school student was arrested Monday for allegedly attacking three teenage girls purportedly with the intent of sexually assaulting them. The Suwon District Court issued an arrest warrant against the 16-year-old male suspect, whose identity was withheld, on charges of robbery, assault and attempted rape. He is suspected of choking and attacking a teenage girl after breaking into a women's restroom at a shopping center in the city of Hwaseong, south of Seoul, on Thursday. The sus

Seoul on Monday unveiled its plans for developing an artificial intelligence-based system to monitor and track unusual behavior among subway passengers, including instances of violence, with the goal of completing the system by the end of the year. The announcement from Seoul Metro and the Seoul Digital Foundation comes in the wake of a series of incidents that have heightened public concern about safety on the subway, including a stabbing incident on Line No. 2 in August that saw two passengers

The number of unmarried women opting to freeze their eggs for future use has skyrocketed over the past seven years, as the median age for first marriages has continued to rise, data released Monday showed. The number of egg-freezing procedures for unmarried women has witnessed a huge increase in recent years, according to data from CHA Medical Group, a health care provider with a network of major medical facilities across the country. In 2022, there were 1,004 such procedures at CHA, a significa

On Aug. 2, the ruling People Power Party and the government jointly issued a decision to grant aspiring homeowners who intend to occupy apartment units constructed without sufficient reinforcing bars, commonly referred to as “rebarless” apartment units, to cancel their contracts. From a legal point of view, it is crucial to clarify that this decision has a specific scope, which applies only to contracts for the purchase of dwellings built by state-run entities such as Korea Land and

South Korea finished third with 42 gold medals at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games, which wraps up its 16-day competition on Sunday. After finishing all of its medal competitions, South Korea won a total of 190 medals -- 42 golds, 59 silvers, 89 bronzes -- placing third on the official medal standings, which is counted by the number of gold medals. Host China topped the medal chart with 201 golds, 111 silvers and 71 bronzes, followed by Japan which raked up 52 gold medals, 67 silvers and 69 bronzes

The National Assembly on Friday passed a bill allowing women to give birth anonymously at hospitals as part of its efforts to reduce the number of children denied registration at birth. But concerns are growing over the anonymous birth system, which will be introduced in July next year, with some suggesting that it might lead to more mothers giving up their children, especially when it comes to children born with a disability. Observers also say that the Protected Birth Bill still falls short of

A number of victims of violent crime across the country have formed a support group to help other victims struggling with similar experiences. The group, provisionally named “Crime Victims’ Solidarity,” was launched in August, local media outlets reported Sunday. Founding members of the organization include the bereaved sibling of a victim of stalking and murder in Incheon, a woman who had been abused by her former boyfriend, and another woman who was assaulted by a man in Busa

South Korea's parliament on Friday passed a bill that will allow law enforcement to release the mugshots of suspects arrested for serious crimes without their consent. The National Assembly voted 215-0 in favor of the bill. Eight abstained. The passage of the law will create legal grounds for the disclosure of an alleged offender's photograph as long as the picture is taken within 30 days of the date it is released to the public. The Justice Ministry said in a statement that citizens' right to k

South Korea's top judiciary post is vacant for the first time in 35 years as the National Assembly, where the opposition holds the majority, voted down the nomination of Lee Gyun-yong for chief justice on Friday. The assembly voted 175-118 against the nomination of Lee as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Korea. Two lawmakers abstained. Lee's approval would have required 148 votes in favor, as 295 lawmakers were present at the plenary session. All 168 lawmakers of the main opposition Democra

Two people have died and two have been injured in an accident involving a 15-ton cargo truck, which crashed into a traffic control office Thursday morning in Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon Province. As a result of the impact, much of the temporary building was destroyed and fell into the adjacent Jijangcheon, a stream running through the area. Three people, all employees of the Jeongseon-gun Traffic Management Office, were reported to be inside the temporary structure at the time of the crash. Among th