President Yoon Suk Yeol celebrated the opening of the Yongsan Children's Garden on what was formerly part of the US' Yongsan Garrison military base on Thursday. The 300,000-square-meter site is open to the public for the first time in 120 years, as the central Seoul site had been used for military facilities by Qing troops in the late 19th century, the Imperial Japanese army during the colonial era and US Forces Korea after Korea's liberation in 1945. The ceremony to celebrate t

LGBTQ+ rights group accuses Seoul city govt. of condoning bigotry, discrimination

The police caught 12 suspects, five men in their 20s, and two males and five females in their teens, for allegedly extorting 220 million won ($165,000) from men they lured into sexual contact with minors. Ansan Sangrok Police Station apprehended the suspects on April 23 for extorting money from 11 men they baited into drinking and having sexual contact with female minors. The victims of the extortion claim that they did not know they were minors, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said on T

Heavy rain, accompanied by strong gusts of wind, is being forecast across the nation for Friday, which is likely to dampen parents’ plans to take kids out to festivals and outdoor events for Children’s Day. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Wednesday, there is a high probability that some regions will see heavy downpour alerts issued. The weather agency did not provide the exact amounts of precipitation expected. Rain is expected to start from the southern islan

A joint public-private discussion forum to promote animal welfare in chemical testing took place at the National Assembly on Tuesday. The forum was hosted by Reps. Nam In-soon, Han Jeoung-Ae and Jeon Yong-gi, organized by Humane Society International/Korea and Rep. Lee Soo-jin, with public officials and experts from chemical industries in attendance. At the forum, Nam stressed the need for constant investment in the development of animal replacement testing and the training of such experts. Acco

Three out of 10 elementary and middle school students suffered from anxiety, depression, and stress during COVID-19, but more than half of them did not ask for help, according to survey results released on Wednesday. The Korean Educational Development Institute conducted a survey on a total of 26,332 people consisting of 9,607 elementary students, 13,856 middle school students and 2,869 elementary and middle school faculty members. The survey was on psychological changes in students during the C

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday plans to spend 414.6 billion won ($309.8 million) in the next four years until 2026 to improve children's well-being in South Korea's capital city. The budget will be used to increase children's playtime; spread the culture of respecting children's rights; help children shape their future careers; fight the digital divide among children; ensure children's safety from car accidents and domestic violence; and tackle chi

In three days, hundreds of residents raised 10.7 million won ($8,000) to pay for the hospital bills for a beloved Gwangju street cat that was injured in a hit-and-run. The fundraising campaign was launched on April 26 through Instagram for Jullyang-i, the unofficial mascot for Seoyoung University in Gwangju, after it was left critically injured after being hit by a bus a day before. About 700 people participated in the campaign that ran from April 26 to 28, according to a post on Monday on the c

South Korea's new coronavirus cases rose to over 20,000 on Wednesday as the daily caseload continued to log on-week growth on eased virus restrictions. The country reported 20,197 cases, including 26 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,212,598, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Wednesday's tally was a marked growth from the previous day's 15,741 infections and also higher than 16,380 cases a week earlier. The country added eight COVID-19 deaths We

Another South Korean woman who was forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II has died, the gender equality minister said Tuesday, bringing down the number of the country's registered surviving victims to nine. Without disclosing the identity of the deceased victim upon the request of the bereaved family, Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook said it is "heartbreaking" to witness another victim pass away. Kim vowed to take care of the remaining survivors and continue

The government on Tuesday finalized the designation of substitute holiday days for Buddha's Birthday and Christmas when the two public holidays fall on weekends, officials said. A revision to the Regulations on Public Holidays of Government Offices was approved at a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Yoon Suk Yeol, according to the Ministry of Personnel Management. This year's Buddha's Birthday, which falls on Saturday, will instead provide a one-day alternative holiday on

A labor union official who set himself on fire outside a court in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung earlier this week died during treatment at a hospital in Seoul on Tuesday, police said. The official, a ranking member of the Gangwon Province chapter of a nationwide construction workers' union, attempted self-immolation Monday hours before attending a pretrial detention hearing in Gangneung, 163 km east of Seoul, on charges of business obstruction. The 50-year-old official, identified o

Prosecutors indicted Han Sang-hyuk, chairman of the state Korea Communications Commission, on Tuesday on charges of involvement in the alleged score manipulation against a right-wing cable channel in the process of renewing its broadcasting license in 2020. Han, who was named KCC chief during the previous Moon Jae-in administration, is charged with prodding senior KCC officials to give low scores to TV Chosun during its license renewal evaluation process. The KCC head also allegedly arranged the

Police are facing criticism for allowing two men to return to the house of a Vietnamese woman whom they had chased home and threatened before assaulting her husband. On March 28, the woman was chased by a drunk man on her way to her house from a convenience store in a village located in Jindo-gun, South Jeolla Province, Korean broadcaster MBC reported Monday. CCTV footage shows the woman running down an alley with a man running after her. The man followed her into her yard even after she entered

A city council member in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, is facing intensifying criticism after making the discriminatory remark that one out of 10 Vietnamese in Korea is a drug user. Yang Tae-seok, a member of the Geoje City Council from the People Power Party, made such remarks during a city council meeting held to discuss a new ordinance to support foreign workers’ labor environment on April 20. Expressing his negative stance on the ordinance, Yang said, "One out of 10 Vietnamese