Smoking accounted for more than 80 percent of in-flight illegal acts reported by South Korea's 10 carriers in the past five years, government data showed Tuesday. In the five years through July this year, 1,509, or 80.8 percent, out of 1,868 illegal acts were related to smoking onboard, according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Under South Korean law, a fine of up to 10 million won ($7,500) will be imposed once in-flight smoking, including e-cigarettes, is f

Nearly half of all fatal hit-and-run accidents in the past five years were caused by drunk or unlicensed drivers, National Police Agency data showed Tuesday. Out of 420 hit-and-run deaths from 2019-2023, 50.2 percent, or 211 people, were hit by drivers who were driving without a license or under the influence of alcohol, according to data submitted to Rep. Jo Eun-hui of the ruling People Power Party. During the same period, 30.5 percent of the 49,562 people injured from hit-and-run cases involve

A 35-ton fishing vessel capsized off the coast near Gunsan, a southwestern port city in North Jeolla Province, resulting in the deaths of three people onboard, the Korea Coast Guard said Monday. The Coast Guard successfully rescued all eight people from the capsized vessel. However, three of them -- the Korean captain, the Korean chief engineer and an Indonesian sailor -- were transferred to hospitals but later pronounced dead. The remaining five survivors, which include three Vietnamese and two

The conversation was one of the most jarring moments since her wedding in 2020, recalled Seong, a 35-year-old office worker, who said her exchange last week with her husband, five years older, left her perplexed at first, then indignant as she slowly digested what her husband had alluded to. “He said we should call his parents and ask for their understanding because we would not be staying at their home on Chuseok day, Tuesday, even though we’d be there from Saturday to Monday,&rdquo

More South Korean students are experiencing sleep deprivation, fatigue and suicidal thoughts as they spend more time on the internet, a new study showed, fanning concerns about youth mental health. The findings come despite the government’s five-year health promotion plan for students, which started in 2019 and appears to have fallen short of its objectives aimed at promoting mental health among students. A recent report released by the National Assembly Research Service shows that the per

A heat wave watch was issued for all parts of Seoul on Sunday, the first time it was issued this late in the year, according to the weather authorities. A heat wave watch is issued when the highest sensible temperature is expected to reach 33 C or higher for two or more consecutive days or when major damage is anticipated from the heat. Other parts of the country, meanwhile, including Gongju and Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province, and Yongin and Anseong in Gyeonggi Province, were issued he

Nearly 2,000 separated family members in South Korea died in the first eight months of this year without having an opportunity to reunite with their loved ones in North Korea after being separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, government data showed Sunday. A total of 1,961 applicants for government-arranged reunions for separated families died in the January-August period, raising the total number of such people to 96,352, according to the data from the unification ministry. As of end-August, arou

Homebound traffic on expressways is expected to be heaviest Sunday, the second day of the extended Chuseok holiday, according to the expressway operator. As of 9 a.m., travel time from Seoul to the southeastern city of Busan is estimated at 7 hours and 30 minutes, 7 hours to the southeastern city of Ulsan, 6 hours and 40 minutes to the southwestern city of Mokpo, and 6 hours and 30 minutes to the southeastern city of Daegu, according to the Korea Expressway Corp. Travel times to Seoul are estima

Hospital and pharmacy fees from Saturday to Wednesday will cost patients 30 to 50 percent more, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday. The extra cost is mostly due to the existing system of adding 30 to 50 percent more for medical services received during Saturdays, night times and holidays. But the ministry will also allow additional surcharges for the smaller hospitals, clinics, oriental and dental hospitals and pharmacies that stay open during the Chuseok holidays. Specifically,

Traffic was backing up heavily on many expressways across the country Saturday and is expected to ease at around 8 p.m., on the first day of the Chuseok holiday. Chuseok, which falls on Tuesday this year, is the Korean autumn harvest celebration during which people head to their hometowns to get together with family members and relatives and visit their ancestors' graves. The Chuseok break runs for five days from Saturday to Wednesday. According to the Korea Expressway Corp., major highways

The beleaguered national governing body of badminton has pushed back against the embezzlement allegations recently raised by the sports ministry, threatening to take legal action in response. The Badminton Korea Association released a statement late Friday, three days after the ministry of culture, sports and tourism announced interim results of its probe into the badminton body's administration. The ministry launched the investigation last month after An Se-young, the women's single

The number of emergency patient transports to hospitals that took more than an hour increased by 22 percent this year compared with the previous year, a National Fire Agency report showed Saturday, amid the protracted doctor walkout. According to the report submitted to Rep. Chai Hyun-il of the main opposition Democratic Party, the number of such cases from March to August came to 13,940 this year, up 22 percent from 11,426 cases tallied during the same period last year. In Seoul, 1,166 cases

Doctors and medical professors announced a decision Friday not to join a consultative body proposed by the government and the ruling party to resolve the monthslong medical standoff, saying that it is "premature" to do so unless the government changes its course. Earlier this month, the government and the ruling People Power Party proposed the establishment of a joint consultative body involving rival parties and the medical community to discuss the government's medical reform plan tha

Ahead of the massive exodus expected ahead of Chuseok, one of the biggest traditional holidays in South Korea, the amount of trash dumped on highways per day during the autumn holiday is found to be more than twice the average per day during the rest of the year, new research showed. According to data released by Democratic Party Rep. Min Hong-chul on Friday obtained from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, a total of 47,737 metric tons of garbage was collected from private and

Lawmakers in South Korea have each received a bonus of around 4.24 million won ($3,181) for the upcoming Chuseok holiday, while more than 40 percent of ordinary workers reported receiving no such bonus, igniting a debate about whether legislators deserve such privileges and benefits. On Thursday, members of the National Assembly received their Chuseok bonus -- one of the two holiday bonuses -- with each amount calculated as 60 percent of their monthly salary, according to the regulations on civi