Same day, different holiday: Mid-autumn festivals across East Asia

People staring at screens to book tickets to home, jammed highways and families enjoying festive foods are typical scenes associated with Chuseok, one of South Korea's biggest traditional holidays. Along with Seollal, Chuseok is one of two holidays that span three consecutive days. The origins of Chuseok are unclear, but similar holidays are celebrated across East Asia on the same date -- Aug. 15 on the lunar calendar -- though some have come to mark Aug. 15 on the solar calendar as well.

CultureSept. 29, 2023

New teachers’ manual bans recording devices in classrooms

Parents have been banned from using recording devices or other means to record lessons without the teacher’s permission, according to a new teachers’ manual distributed by the Ministry of Education on Wednesday. The move aims to prevent parents from installing sound recording apps on their child’s phone to eavesdrop on classrooms, as some parents have reportedly confronted and verbally attacked teachers in the past based on such audio recordings, according to the ministry. Unde

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2023

Do professors in Korea have too much power over students?

Earlier this month, a former professor saw his appeal denied in a lawsuit he filed to overturn the university’s decision to dismiss him. He was fired for sending inappropriate messages to a graduate student -- a female foreign national doing a doctorate. In 2021, the male professor sent sexually suggestive messages to the Ph.D. student, while implying that he would not pass her dissertation if she continued to avoid his advances. In some of the messages disclosed to the media, he described

Social AffairsSept. 26, 2023

[Korea Beyond Korea] Early Koreanists 'on verge of extinction overseas'

Compared to the ancient and medieval history and archaeology of China and Japan, those of Korea have been substantially understudied overseas, with only a small number of scholars interested in the field. But the number has dwindled even more over the past years due to a lack of job opportunities and funding, according to Jack Davey, a US-based scholar of early Korean history and archaeology. A 2019 symposium on the archaeology of Korea, for instance, brought together just 12 scholars -- and s

hashtag KoaeaSept. 25, 2023

Esports legend Faker seeks to lead Korean surge at Asian Games

Among the biggest names in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou is South Korean Lee Sang-hyeok, better known by his gaming handle Faker and reputed to be one of the greatest esports players of all time. The 27-year-old is part of the country’s delegation of 1,140 athletes and officials participating in the Asian Games that kicked off Saturday. Led by Lee, South Korea has formed a national team of 15 players competing in four of seven categories of esports, which is making its debut as a medal

More SportsSept. 24, 2023

Modern pentathlete Kim Sun-woo wins silver for S. Korea's 1st medal in Hangzhou

South Korean modern pentathlete Kim Sun-woo won silver for the country's first medal at the 19th Asian Games on Sunday. Kim scored 1,386 points in total to take home the silver medal in the final of the women's individual modern pentathlon at Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou at the ongoing summer Asian Games. She finished 20 points behind Chinese Zhang Mingyu, while China's Bian Yufei took bronze with 1,374 points. Kim's silver was her third consecutive Asian Games medal, following her tea

More SportsSept. 24, 2023

Koreans prefer cash in Chuseok gifting for parents

More Koreans are expressing a preference for offering cash instead of gift sets to their parents during the Chuseok holiday, data showed Thursday. According to a survey conducted by KB Kookmin Card, a subsidiary of South Korea's KB Financial Group, among a total of 420 survey participants, 91 percent are planning to prepare gifts either in monetary or non-monetary form for their parents, with almost 80 percent opting for cash while 43 percent are considering product purchases. In terms

Social AffairsSept. 22, 2023

[Well-curated] A weekend for fall-time festivities

Namhae Oktoberfest comes to Seoul A limited-time pop-up event introducing Namhae German Village is being held in Seongsu-dong through Tuesday. The event sheds light on how Namhae German Village -- a village built by Koreans who went to work in Germany primarily as nurses and miners in the '60s and the '70s and returned to Korea after retirement, many of them with their German spouses. The village was first settled by about 75 families. The event showcases photos and maps of Namhae Germ

CultureSept. 22, 2023

Number of dementia patients set to surpass 1m this year

As South Korea's population ages at a rapid pace, the number of dementia patients in the country is also rising quickly, projected to exceed one million for the first time this year. According to the “Current State of Dementia 2022” report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 1 in 10 Koreans over the age of 65 suffers from dementia. The number of dementia patients aged 65 or older last year was 935,086, accounting for 10.38 percent of the senior population aged 65 or

Social AffairsSept. 21, 2023

No more hurdles for Korea's nuclear reactor exports?

A recent favorable ruling in the US may have lifted some pressure on South Korea regarding its export of nuclear reactors, but challenges remain as its US partner shows no sign of agreement in their ongoing legal disputes. The District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday dismissed Westinghouse Electric Company’s lawsuit against Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, ruling that the US energy firm -- which lacks the authority to enforce US nuclear technology export control requirements -- d

IndustrySept. 20, 2023

Over 2,000 subway passengers injured in Seoul over 5 years

More than 2,000 passengers were injured while using the subway in Seoul over the last five years. By subway line, Line No. 2 recorded the highest number of injured passengers. According to data released by Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, a total of 2,485 passengers were involved in safety accidents while aboard subway Lines No. 1 to 9 from 2019 to August this year. By year, 671 passengers were recorded to have been injured on Seoul’s subways in 2019, 457 in 2020, 482 in 20

Social AffairsSept. 20, 2023

What drove Korea's once-revered teachers to despair?

For Kim, a retired teacher in her late 60s, teaching was one of the greatest gifts of her life. Recalling students’ laughter and small parties in classrooms celebrating Teachers’ Day every year, she was a teacher who was revered and appreciated by both students and parents. However, when Kim visited a memorial altar for a Seoul elementary school teacher who took her own life on Sept. 4, she lamented at how different schools have become and how the teaching profession -- widely revere

Social AffairsSept. 19, 2023

SK, Netflix settle yearslong legal battle over net usage fees, vow to work together

SK Broadband Co., a major South Korean internet service provider, said Monday that it will end a yearslong legal battle over network usage fees against US streaming giant Netflix. “We agreed to withdraw all disputes in the interests of the greater success of both companies, reflecting the common intention of putting values on customers first,” an SK Broadband official said without giving details of the agreement. “But our position on the necessity of network usage fees remains

IndustrySept. 18, 2023

Caffeinated drinks spark buzz on teens’ overuse

Concerns are growing over the excessive consumption of caffeine among adolescents, according to a report on Sunday, citing a teen health study. According to last year’s “Youth Health Behavior Survey” conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on some 60,000 middle and high school students in 800 schools nationwide, 22.3 percent of the respondents answered “yes” when asked if they drink high-caffeine beverages more than three times a week. Some 26 p

Social AffairsSept. 17, 2023

Animals left in substandard conditions at some local zoos

A jaguar paced back and forth within its cage, measuring about 30 square meters in total area. Each time the great cat reached the edge of its enclosure, it reared on its hind legs, as if to attempt a futile climb onto the wall. Daejeon Aquarium’s “mini zoo,” located on the third floor of the aquarium, recently came under fire on social media for placing its animals in substandard living conditions. In light of the revision to the Enforcement Degree of the Act on the Management

CultureSept. 16, 2023

Mother throws poopy diaper at daycare center teacher

A mother allegedly threw a poopy diaper at a daycare center teacher, complaining that her son had been abused. On Sunday, the teacher at the daycare center located in Sejong City visited a hospital where the mother’s child was hospitalized. The teacher said that she visited the hospital to apologize for the scar on the child's neck. The child got hurt while fighting with other children at the daycare center, so the teacher went to the hospital to apologize, she said. But when she arri

Social AffairsSept. 15, 2023

[Well-curated] Exorcist lab, outdoor reading and artsy street festival make for rich fall weekend

“Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman” pop-up store in Seongsu A pop-up store for the upcoming comedy flick,“Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman,” in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, is set to entertain visitors ahead of the film’s opening on Sept. 27. Directed by Kim Seong-sik, “Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman” tells the story of Dr. Cheon (Gang Dong-won), a fake exorcist, and his encounter with a strong demonic possession. Heo Jun-ho, Lee Dong-hwi, Lee Som and Kim Jong-su star in the

CultureSept. 15, 2023