The periphery of Typhoon Hinnamnor is forecast to bring heavy rain to the southern part of South Korea, including the resort island of Jeju, throughout the weekend, the state weather agency said Friday. The southeastern part of Jeju is currently seeing precipitation levels ranging between 10 and 20 millimeters per hour, with the level expected to reach up to 50 mm sometime, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Thunder and lightning are also expected on some parts of the is

The Ministry of Economy and Finance is facing criticism over social media posts pitting consumers who go for regular burgers against those who prefer premium burgers. “Burgers versus handmade burgers. What is your consumer trend?” the post which was uploaded last week read. The post went on to describe two different consumers, one who waited for three hours in line in Gangnam for a gourmet burger and the other who spent less than 30,000 won grocery shopping. On Twitter, users hav

  South Korea on Thursday started taking reservations for South Koreas first COVID-19 vaccine developed by a domestic firm, SK Bioscience. Adults aged 18 and older can make reservations for the country’s first homegrown vaccine if they have not completed the primary vaccination series. Those who make reservations will be able to get the vaccine from Sept. 13. Public health centers and local hospitals will also use the vaccine from Monday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare explained

Seoul prosecutors on Thursday searched the Presidential Archives in the widening investigation into the case of Lee Dae-jun, a South Korean fisheries official who was fatally shot and burned by North Korean troops at sea in September 2020. The prosecutors searched the presidential records to look for evidence relating to the Moon Jae-in administration’s determination that the slain fisheries official had tried to defect to North Korea. As Moon left office in May, his Cheong Wa Dae desig

Nearly one in five foreigners staying in South Korea are without a valid visa, latest government data shows. According to the Korea Immigration Service, as of July, a total of 395,068 foreigners were staying illegally, which is 19 percent of the country’s total foreigner population of over 2 million. The figure, which is up 4,665 from a year earlier, was the highest since September 2020, when the country estimated the illegal immigrant tally to be 396,728. The ratio of people overstaying t

Typhoon Hinnamnor has grown into the strongest level typhoon, and is expected to pass by Jeju Island by early next week. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Hinnamnor will reach 470 km south-southwest of the city of Seogwipo, Jeju, on Monday and be 180 km east-northeast of Seogwipo at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Most of the route prediction models expect Hinnamnor to pass through the Korea Straits between South Korea and Japan, but some predict that it will strike South Jeolla Province

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the 80,000 range Thursday amid a moderate declining trend, though a sharp rise in the death toll called for a continued close watch over serious cases. The country reported 81,573 new COVID-19 infections, including 300 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,327,897, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is down from Wednesday's 103,503 and 113,371 counted a week ago, marking a gradual slowdown of

South Korea plans to seek annulment of an international tribunal’s verdict to compensate Lone Star Funds in a decadelong investor-to-state dispute arbitration. According to the Ministry of Justice, the World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes has ruled that South Korea should pay damages of 280 billion won ($216 million). The amount is just 4.6 percent of the 6.1 trillion won sought by the US private equity fund plus interest. Justice Minister Han Do

The police are investigating the online sexual exploitation of minors through chat rooms similar to those used in the "Nth Room" and “Baksa Room” incidents that caused public outrage two years ago. According to police Tuesday, the cybercrime investigation unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is investigating a suspect on charges of violating of the law on protection of children against sex offenses. The police believe that the suspect coerced several minors to take

Three foreign workers accused of smuggling drugs to Korea from Southeast Asia have been arrested, amid statistics that seem to show narcotic crimes on the rise. Busan Regional Customs said that it referred three foreign workers in their 30s to prosecutors on charges of smuggling the drugs, Wednesday. Two of them are suspected of smuggling a synthetic drug known as spice by hiding it inside packaged snacks from October to November last year, and the other is suspected of smuggling 100 pills of MD

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed There is no state religion in South Korea and over half of Koreans profess no religion. But among those who are religious, the two largest groups are Christianity and Buddhism. According to a census conducted in 2015, 19.7 percent of the country’s population consider themselves Protestant Christians. Together with Roman Catholics, who make up another 7.9 percent of the pop

South Korea will lift its current pre-travel COVID-19 test requirement for inbound travelers later this week, an official said Wednesday, as the government believes the recent virus wave has passed its peak and the spread of omicron could slow down. The new rule that will take effect Saturday came after a state infectious disease advisory committee recommended the government lift the mandatory pre-travel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for inbound travelers. "All inbound travelers, wh

An empty fridge, a sink full of instant noodle packets, and notices for unpaid bills were what filled the home of a 50-something man in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, who was found dead on June 28. His passing added to the growing number of lonely deaths in South Korea, where nearly one-third of all households consist of a single person. Social isolation and loneliness are becoming severe issues in modern society, a problem that ails not just South Korea. In recent years, countries like the United Kingdom

A recent study showed the number of students from multicultural families has been increasing for 10 consecutive years, the Education Ministry said Tuesday. According to the study conducted by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute shared Tuesday, the number of students from multicultural families increased by 5.4 percentage point, from 160,058 in 2021 to 168,645 this year. The number has been on a steady increase since the study was first conducted in 2012.

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases rebounded to over 115,000 Tuesday after declining for a few days, due largely to fewer tests, as the virus trend continues at a steady pace. The country reported 115,638 new COVID-19 infections, including 380 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 23,142,479, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Tuesday's tally is a jump from the previous day's 43,142, but is in the range of 100,000-150,000 reported last week, e