The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories, a Korea Herald series exploring the city’s subway stations and surrounding areas. -- Ed.  An exotic scene created by the mixture of Korean and Chinese culture unfolds when walking out of Exit 12 at Daerim Station on subway lines No. 2 and 7 in southwestern Seoul. Large restaurants with colorful signs written in Chinese sell hot pot and lamb skewers, dishes that have become increasingly popular among Koreans in recent years. Small shops f

Residents of affected areas try to gauge impact on real estate prices, traffic, commercial districts

Crematoriums, funeral homes struggle to keep pace as deaths pile up

As the highly transmissible omicron variant continues to surge, South Korea’s cumulative number of COVID-19 infections nears 10 million since the country reported its first confirmed case around 26 months ago. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency‘s report on Sunday, the country added 334,708 new COVID-19 cases during the 24 hours of Saturday. The country’s total caseload neared 10 million at 9,373,646 as of midnight Saturday, accounting for some 20

The Supreme Court has ordered tax authorities to refund Samsung Electronics Co. 11.3 billion won ($9.3 million) in undue corporate taxes from a former patent deal with U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp., court officials said Sunday. Samsung filed the complaint against local tax officials, who purported that the South Korean tech company avoided paying corporate taxes for using Microsoft's patents in its smartphones following a deal in July 2011. Two lower courts also ruled in favor of Samsung.

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases dropped below 400,000 for the second straight day on Sunday but concerns remain high that infections could spike again as the government is set to ease social distancing rules this week. The country reported 334,708 new COVID-19 infections, including 22 from overseas, raising the total caseload to 9,373,646, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. The latest tally was down from the previous day's daily cases of 381,454. It also marked a sharp dr

New apartment compounds exacerbate segregation and exclusion through erecting walls while social-mix policies make slow progress

South Korea ranked 59th among 146 countries in a U.N.-sponsored world happiness index. The Sustainable Development Solutions Network under the United Nations announced the 2022 World Happiness Report on Friday (local time). Finland topped the list for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Denmark, Switzerland and Iceland. South Korea climbed up three places from last year to 59th. The nation ranked lower than the United States (16th), Taiwan (25th) and Japan (54th). China stood at 72th. T

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases fell below 400,000 on Saturday, but concerns linger over the highly transmissible omicron variant amid the government's move to shift away from rigorous social distancing. The country reported 381,454 new COVID-19 infections, including 63 from overseas, raising the total caseload to 9,038,938, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.  The latest tally is a sharp drop from the all-time high of 621,328 on Thursday, though the sudden spik

Passengers will be able to get on public buses in Gyeonggi Province without tapping their cards as its provincial office decided to expand the use of contactless payment solution on Friday. Starting Monday, a total of 1,760 buses travelling 212 routes throughout the province, will be equipped with the new fare payment technology. Double-decker and double-door buses were excluded from the scheme. Bluetooth communication system between the beacon installed in the vehicle and the passenge

A professor and students of Ewha Womans University's College of Music will begin holding lunchtime concerts every weekday in front of the Russian Embassy in central Seoul next week to wish for peace in Ukraine, officials said Friday. The concert series, titled "Small Concert for Peace," will kick off at 12:30 p.m. Monday with 20 to 30 minutes of performances by a cello quartet of professor Bae Il-hwan and three student cellists, officials said. The concerts will take place at the same

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases hit above 400,000 on Friday, led by the wave of the highly transmissible omicron variant, amid the government's steps to shift away from rigorous social distancing. The country reported 407,017 new COVID-19 infections, including 39 from overseas, raising the total caseload to 8,657,609, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The latest tally is a sharp drop from the all-time high of 621,328 on Thursday, but the Thursday count had included

The government will ease the limit on private gatherings to eight people from the current six while maintaining the 11 p.m. business curfew, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said Friday. Kwon made the announcement as South Korea has been weighing the option of further relaxing the virus restrictions amid the fast spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The measures will take effect Monday. On Thursday, the country reported 621,328 new COVID-19 cases, the largest daily count since it r

ATLANTA -- A year after the fatal shootings at three Georgia massage businesses, crowds gathered at rallies across the country Wednesday to remember the victims and denounce anti-Asian violence that has risen sharply in recent years. Six women of Asian descent were among the eight people killed in and near Atlanta on March 16, 2021. The slayings contributed to fear and anger among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and motivated many to join the fight against the rising hostility. At the Atla

Top psychiatrist sparks debate after giving advice to ‘correct’ gender-nonconforming children