Breakdancing will be included in after-school classes provided by elementary and middle schools in Seoul starting next year, the city’s education authorities said Wednesday. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Korea Breaking Federation -- the administrative body of breakdancing events and competitions in South Korea -- are slated to sign an agreement on creating breakdance classes tailored to students. The KBF will organize education courses and teaching materials while fost

The Busan Metropolitan City Government on Wednesday installed a "Climate Clock" at the south gate of Busan Citizens Park in Busanjin-gu, as part of the port city's efforts to raise awareness on environmental protection. Climate Clock is the name of a New York-based climate action group and also the name of the group's project involving scientists, artists and climate activists from around the world that aims to spread awareness on the seriousness of the global climate crisis.

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 80,000 for the second straight day Wednesday amid lingering concerns over a wintertime surge. The country confirmed 87,517 new coronavirus infections, including 56 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,859,713, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Wednesday's tally is slightly lower than the 87,596 reported the previous day. The country confirmed 88,160 cases last Wednesday and 84,548 on Dec. 14. The KDCA reported 69 COVI

The life expectancy of South Korean babies born last year reached 83.6 years, data showed, hovering above the average of major advanced countries. The average life expectancy at birth in 2021 marked a slight rise from the 83.5 years tallied a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. Compared with 1970 and 2000, the average life expectancy became 21.3 years and 7.6 years longer, respectively. Boys and girls born in 2021 are expected to live 80.6 years and 86.6 years, respectivel

South Korea confirmed one more avian influenza case at a chicken farm Tuesday in the latest in a series of infections at local poultry farms in recent weeks.The new case of a highly pathogenic avian influenza strain of H5N1 was found at a farm in the county of Yesan, 134 kilometers south of Seoul, which raises according to the agricultural ministry. Some 114,703 chickens are being raised at the farm. It brought the total caseload of this season at local poultry farms to 55, with the first one be

The South Chungcheong Province Office announced Tuesday that it has built a large "bee food forest" as part of efforts to prevent the ongoing mass death and disappearance of bees. The size of the bee food forest constructed by the province is equivalent to 4,733 soccer fields -- 31 percent larger than the original target of 25.79 million square meters. More than 8 million honey trees have been planted in the forest. Honey trees refer to those that provide food and habitat for honeybees

A Chinese national was sentenced by the Daegu District Court on Tuesday to six months in prison and two years of probation for illegally using a Korean citizen's resident registration number to get health insurance coverage for medical services. From 2012 to May 2022, the female Chinese national received medical treatment using a Korean citizen's resident registration number. According to the police investigation, the Chinese national received about 9.5 million won ($7,500) worth of be

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in depression disorder among men in their 30s and 40s, especially those with a lower education level or an unmarried status, data showed Tuesday. A report on adult mental health analyzed by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency based on a Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey said groups are considered at risk when the odds ratio, or relationship between a variable and the likelihood of an event occurring, is higher tha

KH's NK project partner and its link to opposition leader under scrutiny

A local civic group supporting Muslims in the conflict over a mosque construction in Daegu announced Monday that they filed a petition to the UN requesting emergency relief. The activists condemned the central government, Daegu Metropolitan Government and Daegu’s Buk-gu office, accusing them of inaction in the issue. “The fact that the government, Daegu and Daegu Buk-gu turn a blind eye to ongoing acts of religious discrimination and racial hatred constitutes a serious human rights v

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rose over 87,000 Tuesday, a significant hike from the previous day but a similar level reported last week. The country confirmed 87,596 new coronavirus infections, including 66 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,772,196, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Daily coronavirus case numbers tend to be lower on Monday due to fewer tests over the weekend and go up during weekdays. The country confirmed 25,545 new cases Monday, 87,536 last Tu

　Nearly half of recently married couples in South Korea had no children in 2021, data showed, amid the country’s chronic low birthrate and changing social norms. 　Some 45.8 percent of the country’s 871,428 couples who were legally married in the five years up to November 2021 did not have children, rising from the 44.5 percent tallied in 2020, the data from Statistics Korea showed. 　The statistics cover couples who tied the knot for the first time from November 2016 to October 202

A two-story redbrick house surrounded by trees in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, looks like any of the other ordinary suburban homes in the neighborhood. But residents in the house have a special purpose in common -- to put themselves on a path to recovery from drug addiction. The 165-square-meter house is the Gyeonggi branch of the Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Center, a private halfway house agency for recovery from drug addiction that aims to help drug users kick the habit without medical assi

An elementary school teacher has been convicted of child abuse for publicly humiliating students, according to local experts and news reports Monday. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the teacher to six months in prison and two years of probation for violating the child abuse punishment act. The court also ordered the teacher to attend a 40-hour lecture on child abuse prevention and mandated a two-year restriction on employment at any child-related institutions. From August until Novemb

Man died last week after returning from Thailand says disease control agency