The Seoul Fireworks Festival, which organizers said attracted around 1 million people, concluded without major disruptions Saturday night. However, the large amounts of trash left behind by visitors cast a shadow over the event. Yeouido Hangang Park was packed with families, friends and couples from early morning as they secured prime spots for the fireworks show, which began at 7 p.m. There were no significant incidents during the festival or while people left afterward. Fire authorities report

Seoul revises pilot program for Filipina domestic workers after initial trial The Seoul city government said Sunday it has revised its pilot program for providing Filipina domestic workers to households, following about a month of the program's implementation. The revisions, made during meetings between the labor ministry and other relevant parties, will take effect this month to address issues that arose during the initial phase of the program, such as some workers leaving their workplaces

The average budget for firefighters' meals has been found to be as low as 3,100 won ($2.33), sparking concerns over the quality and nutritional adequacy of their food. Data from the National Fire Agency, provided to Rep. Han Byung-do of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Friday, showed significant discrepancies in meal budgets across the country’s fire stations. In some areas, fire stations are left without the support of nutritionists, prompting further concerns about w

Nearly two-thirds of South Korea's weather agency's forecasts for Seoul during the rainy season this year were incorrect, data showed Thursday. Rep. Lim Lee-ja of the ruling People Power Party analyzed Korea Meteorological Administration's rain forecast for Seoul from June 29 to July 27, and compared it to the actual weather in the South Korean capital. The KMA predicted rain for 27 of the 29 days. Lim found that of the 27 days it was supposed to rain, forecasts for 16 of these

Nearly two-thirds of Korean women who gave birth last year did so via cesarean section, data shows. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, obtained and released Thursday by the ruling People Power Party Rep. Kim Mi-ae, the proportion of women undergoing surgical delivery stood at 64.2 percent last year. The data highlights a consistent rise in C-section deliveries over the past five years, from 51.1 percent in 2019 to 61.6 percent in 2022. The upward incline continued in

Local researchers conducted an analysis on a recent international survey about various social challenges, and found that South Koreans are among the people who are the most likely to feel that AI technology could threaten their jobs. Scholars of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs studied the data provided by the study "Societal Challenges, Public Opinion and Public Policies in 10 Countries," a survey of 10 countries conducted by the Digital Futures at Work Research Cente

South Korea has reported another case of lumpy skin disease in cattle, government officials said Saturday, raising the number of confirmed cases this year to eight. The case broke out Friday at a livestock farm located in Goseong, about 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, according to the agriculture ministry. The new case was reported just one day after similar cases were confirmed at farms in Yangyang, 154 km northeast of Seoul, and Pyeongtaek, 64 km south of the capital. To prevent further inf

Prosecutors on Friday requested an arrest warrant for Ku Young-bae, CEO of Singapore-based Qoo10, which owns Korean online shopping platforms Tmon and WeMakePrice, for alleged fraud, embezzlement and breach of duty over large-scale e-commerce insolvency incidents. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office also sought warrants to arrest Tmon CEO Ryu Kwang-jin and WeMakePrice CEO Ryu Hwa-hyun. The prosecution said it filed for the warrants for them considering the significance of the incident,

A Korean government-run institution to attract international students from the US interested in studying in Korea will be established and operated for the first time in Los Angeles, the Education Ministry has said. Consisting of office space and an exhibition room to promote studying in Korea, the Study in Korea Information Center in LA will provide assistance to students by connecting them with universities in Korea, according to officials. The establishment comes after the ministry acknowledge

Public transportation routes will be adjusted, roads closed for the festival

South Korea, already plagued with the world's highest suicide rate, saw an on-year uptick in suicide cases last year, reversing a short-lived downward trend, data shows Friday. According to the state-run Statistics Korea, 13,978 people took their own lives last year, which translates to 27.3 deaths per 100,000 people. This marks an 8.5 percent increase from the 2022 figure of 25.2 deaths. This increase follows a one-year decline between 2021 and 2022, when the rate dropped from 26 to 25.2

Demand for cellphone numbers in South Korea is expected to peak in 2032, but it will not lead to a shortage due to the projected population decline in the country, a government reported projected Friday. The need for mobile numbers beginning with the "010" is expected to reach 64.57 million by then, according to the Korea Information Society Development Institute's projections submitted to Rep. Choi Soo-jin of the ruling People Power Party. This would be 80.7 percent of the possib

An official at the state-funded Advocacy Center for Online Sexual Abuse Victims said Friday that the center, tasked with removing illegal pornography online, will soon officially hire two more employees, but highlighted the need to increase its workforce at a faster pace to tackle surging digital sex crimes. The hiring decision comes as the center affiliated with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family struggles with a chronic staffing shortage and follows the National Assembly's passage

Around 1,430 minors, aged 14 to 18, were investigated by police for drug offenses, including possession, consumption, and distribution, between 2018 and 2023, according to data from the Korean National Police Agency. The report, released by Rep. Kang Min-kuk of the ruling People Power Party on Friday, highlighted the growing concern over youth involvement in drug crimes during this period. By year, the numbers rose each year, from 56 in 2018, to 201 in 2022. This steady increase was followed by

A 61-year-old man, who cut the hose of an apartment gas line and threatened to start a fire with his family there, was sentenced to 1 year in prison, suspended for two years by a local court. The Uijeongbu District Court said Friday it had handed the guilty verdict to the defendant indicted for threatening and exposing others to explosive substances. Using gas or other explosive substances to cause danger to another person is punishable by at least one year in prison, according to the Article 17