Korean language has no shortage of insults, but “kkondae” seems to hold a special place in the country right now. While the term‘s definition and usage have expanded over the years from condescending seniors at work to people of older generations in general who come into conflicts with younger people over values and resources, the fear of being labeled as such has grown in tandem. At Kyobo Book Center, a keyword search for “kkondae” returns some 75 entries with

South Korea was preparing Tuesday to launch its homegrown space rocket Nuri in the second attempt to put satellites into orbit, a critical mission for the country's space program. The 200-ton Nuri is set to blast off from the Naro Space Center in the country's southern coastal village of Goheung at around 4 p.m., the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said. The state-run institute plans to announce the exact time of the liftoff at 2:30 p.m. South Korea had planned to launch the

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 10,000 for the 12th day Tuesday, marking a steady decline in the virus curve amid the slowdown in the omicron spread. The country added 9,310 new COVID-19 infections, including 76 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,289,373, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is more than double the previous day's 3,538, but the daily counts tend to fall sharply on Mondays due to fewer tests before cli

South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission is looking to impose sanctions against AstraZeneca over allegations that the global pharmaceutical firm colluded with a local firm to hinder the launch of cheaper generic drugs. The FTC has recently sent out an audit report to the two drug makers, according to industry sources on Monday. The audit report, which is considered as a prosecutor’s indictment, contained the regulator’s opinion that AstraZeneca provided financial benefits to Alvoge

Police interpreters in South Korea are often underpaid, mistreated and unprotected, prompting many to avoid taking on the role, a local study shows. Police interpreters are individuals who engage with non-native speakers in interpreting in police interviews and courts. The study, written jointly by police officer Choi Seob-min of National Office of Investigation and professor Jeong Ji-su of Korean National Police University, said many police interpreters here have experienced burnout. Acc

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest level in more than five months on Monday, partly due to fewer tests over the weekend, providing a clear indication of the slowing spread of omicron. The country added 3,538 new COVID-19 infections, including 96 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,280,090, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. Monday's figure marks the lowest since the 3,094 reported on Jan. 11. Daily infection numbers tend to drop on Mondays

A man in his 60s has been found dead in a burned car near the Han River in the city of Gimpo, police said Monday. Upon a fire report at 11:40 p.m. the previous day, policemen and firefighters extinguished the blaze in a car parked near a riverside road in Gimpo, west of Seoul, and found the man dead inside the vehicle. Police identified him as an office worker in his 60s and the owner of the car. An initial investigation showed he left his house at around 11 p.m. the previous day without telling

The rallies near the homes of President Yoon Suk-yeol and his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, are turning into partisan feuds among people with little regard for residents affected by the demonstrations, with both sides proposing a volley of revisions to amend the demonstration law. Since April this year, a total of seven legislative motions, most of them separately, by the People Power Party and Democratic Party of Korea, have been proposed to revise the demonstration law. But local residents will

South Korea is going full steam ahead in its bid to host the World Expo in 2030, with a delegation of top government and business leaders set to attend a presentation for the bid in Paris. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is set to attend the general assembly at the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the organization overseeing the World Expos, on Tuesday, accompanied by more than 50 top officials. South Korea’s Busan is competing against Rome and Riyadh for the international festiv

Metro operators selling more station names to cover deficits amid a yearslong freeze in fares, free ride offerings to seniors

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 10,000 for the 10th straight day Sunday, with fewer tests conducted over the weekend amid the slowing spread of the virus. The country added 6,071 infections, including 83 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,276,552, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The tally marked a fall from 7,198 on Friday and 6,842 on Saturday. The nation's coronavirus cases have been trending downward since peaking at an all-time h

‘Cat moms’ looking after stray cats a subject of fierce debate over animal rights and public well-being

South Korea's new coronavirus cases remained below 10,000 for the ninth day in a row Saturday, as the spread of COVID-19 is apparently slowing down. The country added 6,842 COVID-19 infections, including 79 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,270,481, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The country reported 11 deaths, raising the death toll to 24,427. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent. The number of critically ill patients came to 71, down from 82 t

Forty-nine child support obligors will be punished for refusing to pay for their children’s basic living expenses, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Friday. The ministry has revealed on its website the names of two noncustodial parents who did not pay the court-ordered expenses and requested a travel ban on 17 obligors and a driver’s license suspension for another 30. The punitive measures against such noncustodial parents were first imposed in October, follow

Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister nominee Park Soon-ae denied the allegation she had inappropriately included her husband in studies. Park, a former professor at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Administration, has been accused of inappropriately including her husband in researches and academic journals. The Education Ministry released a statement Thursday, denying the allegation. “The studies were more than just joint authorship between the nomine