An elementary school teacher in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, took her own life in a classroom Tuesday morning, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said late Wednesday. The teacher, whose identity has been withheld, reportedly killed themselves before school started in the morning, according to reports. Local media has reported that the teacher was a 23-year-old woman who passed the teacher certification test earlier this year. It added that students had not yet been informed of the teacher&

Nearly 5,500 people have yet to return home after torrential rains pounded the country last week, officials said, despite the monsoon rain coming to a lull Wednesday. Across the country, 5,494 were still staying at relatives' houses or shelters set up at senior centers, village halls or schools as of 6 p.m., according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters. The torrential rain that swept the country last week left 46 people dead and six others missing nationwide. T

The monthly pay for babysitters from Southeast Asian countries should be placed at 1 million won ($788.95) to make it available for middle-income households, a panel of experts said Wednesday during a discussion on how the government should prepare for the pilot program in the latter half of the year. Kim Hyun-cheol, a professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Economics Department and Division of Public Policy, said South Korea should take a cue from Hong Kong, where do

A woman has been arrested after making six false police reports, including of smelling a "rotting corpse" and self-harm, police said Wednesday. According to Bucheon Ojeong Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, the suspect, a woman in her 50s, is being investigated on charges of violating the Minor Offenses Act. She faces charges of making six false police reports about a neighbor’s death or inflicting self-harm from 1:50 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. the previous day. “I think the perso

Korea has no air pocket facilities to evacuate people, automatic gates to shut down underground spaces, experts say

Osong underpass case could lead to action under act on disaster management

A company that sells supplements for children posted an advertisement on social media in which an illustrated Black character is asked whether she is from Africa, and then told to go back to her country. The advertisement was taken after public outcry over its racist overtones. The company recently posted an animated advertisement on Instagram to promote supplements that it advertises as effective in whitening skin for children. This supplement contains ingredients such as glutathione powder, al

After days of monsoon rain left at least 44 dead, clear weather has emerged across the country, but danger from swollen rivers and strong torrents of water remained Wednesday. According to the Marine Corps on Wednesday, a private from the First Marine Division's artillery battalion, who was searching for missing people around the Bomun Bridge on the Naeseong River in Yecheon-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, was swept away by a rapid stream at around 9:10 a.m. Marines were deployed to search

A sixth grade student's assault of a teacher has rekindled controversy over teachers' rights and authority. According to local media reports, a female elementary school teacher in Seoul has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and injuries requiring three weeks of treatment after being assaulted by a six-grade student. The victim told the local media that she was punched dozens of times in front of other students. The student also stomped on the teacher when she fell to t

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday declared 13 municipalities as special disaster areas, after torrential rain pummeled most of the country and brought widespread destruction. The areas include Yecheon in North Gyeongsang Province, which reported nine deaths as of 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, along with Gongju and Nonsan-si in South Chungcheong Province, Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province and Iksan in North Jeolla Province. “Areas where preliminary investigations have been completed are

Behind the scenes of incessant alert messages lie 220 public offices caught in the quandary of accountability

Prime Minister Han Deok-soo instructed the government Wednesday to thoroughly prepare for possible damage from another wave of torrential downpours expected later this week. Han gave the instruction during an emergency response meeting with relevant government officials, as heavy rains have been battering most parts of the country, resulting in damage and dozens of deaths. "The country is expected to witness a slight decrease in rain activity for today and tomorrow, according to the Korea M

By Jang Sang-yoon In our quest to gain new inspirations while preparing for the world’s first nationwide introduction of AI digital textbooks, I embarked on a journey to the British Educational Training and Technology Show 2023, the largest education technology expo worldwide, in March, along with the Ministry of Education press corps. I still can’t forget the sight of a gray-haired senior teacher with his glasses slightly down, passionately explaining the program that he had dev

Two Korean organizations, the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea and Geumsan Ginseng and Herb Development Agency, initiated a petition on Tuesday calling for the English name of the plant "insam" to be distinct from the all-encompassing term "ginseng." They argue the broad categorization neglects the distinct cultivation, variety and health benefits of insam. According to the official guidelines for translating and notating public Korean terms into English by South Korea'

An unidentified United States national defected to North Korea from the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area while in the heavily fortified demilitarized zone on Tuesday, the United Nations Command confirmed. The Korea Herald learned that the defector was a US soldier, although it was unable to confirm if he was stationed in South Korea or had been visiting the country as a tourist. "A US National on a JSA orientation tour crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Lin