A survey released Sunday by a civic group showed that 15.3 percent of South Korean workers have been subject to direct physical or verbal abuse at work, highligthing the ongoing issue of workplace harassment. Nongovernmental organization Workplace Gapjil 119 conducted a survey on 1,000 employed individuals across the country, asking if they have been subject to abuse. About 14.8 percent of office workers; 17.2 percent of those in manual labor; and 15.2 percent of those in service industries said

A Russian national currently seeking refugee status in South Korea has been arrested on suspicion of growing cannabis at his home, the Korea Coast Guard said Sunday. The man in his 20s is accused of growing the plants at his home at a residential-commercial complex in Ulsan. He is also alleged to have smoked the home-grown marijuana multiple times. The drug unit of the Coast Guard had received a tip-off that the suspect was involved in a drug crime, and had managed to catch him in the act on Nov

South Korea’s exports of dried seaweed and Korean instant noodles, called ramyeon, are expected to hit record highs this year, according to government data and industry sources, Sunday. According to data from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, outbound shipments of dried seaweed reached $670 million between January and October, up 20.4 percent on-year. Dried seaweed exports continued to increase in November to reach $702 million as of Nov. 10, topping the previous record of $690 milli

Renault Korea Motors is pinning high hopes for next year to be the beginning of a complete turnaround after years of struggle, as the French automaker has big plans for 2024 and beyond, its CEO says. “Next year, we will have two big events. One related to the brand uplift and one related to the launch of the Aurora 1,” said Renault Korea Motors CEO Stephane Deblaise in an interview with The Korea Herald at the automaker’s office in Seoul on Dec. 5. The Aurora 1, codenamed AR1,

The Korea Water Resources Corp., or K-water, said Saturday it attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference to represent South Korea while seeking international cooperation on tackling climate change. COP is an annual multilateral decision-making forum on climate change where almost every country gathers to address the climate crisis. Kicking off on Nov. 30, this year’s COP28 forum was held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, with the aim of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees

President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to embark on a state visit to the Netherlands on Monday, mainly to "forge a chip alliance" and level up the existing bilateral strategic partnership in diplomacy, defense and economic security, the South Korean presidential office said Sunday. The two countries are expected to strengthen cooperation in addressing a diverse set of challenges, including chip supply chain issues compounded by the intensifying US-China tech war. "To forge a chip alliance

The rate of South Korean teenagers who had thought of suicide recently has been on the rise, with some 1 in 7 students now having considered taking their own lives. Of some 50,000 middle and high school students asked across the nation in 2022, 14.3 percent have thought of suicide over the past 12 months, according to a survey released by the Korea Center for Disease and Prevention Agency on Sunday. First conducted in 2005, the rate had exceeded the 20 percent mark in its first three years, but

SK Group said Sunday it has formed an alliance with Korean energy firms and business groups to expand the voluntary carbon market, which allows carbon emitters to offset their emissions by purchasing carbon credits. On Friday, a total of 11 institutions and enterprises signed a multilateral memorandum of understanding to form an alliance for the "Environmental Protection Credit Market," on the sidelines of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also called COP28, which take

Samsung Group Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won are set to travel to the Netherlands this week to strengthen business ties with ASML, the sole provider of equipment critical in producing advanced chips. The heads of South Korea's top two conglomerates are accompanying President Yoon Suk Yeol on his state visit to the Netherlands from Monday to Thursday. There, they will visit ASML's headquarters in Veldhoven, and also explore the Dutch firm's newly built cle

The rival parties are expected to engage in an intensified tug-of-war starting Monday, as they failed to come to a consensus on the passage of the 2024 government budget and pending bills. The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea on Thursday agreed to kick off an extraordinary session on Monday, which will include two plenary meetings scheduled on Dec. 20 and 28, respectively. The Dec. 20 meeting will address next year’s budget plan, which parliament

Artists tell us about their inner worlds through the art they create. Two young Korean artists -- Hwang Sue-yon and Choi Yoon-hee -- unveil their inner selves, both fragile yet strong, through the medium of paintings and sculptures. The emerging artists are showing new works at G Gallery in Seoul at the exhibition “Thick Skin," which kicked off on Nov. 29. Hwang explores paper sculptures, created with paper and graphite. From a distance, the sculptures look as though they are made

Online art platform ART Fin kicks off the exhibition “The Present” on Tuesday at ART Fin gallery in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, bringing together seven artists -- Kwon Ji-young, Kim Su-cheol, Min Chan-wook, Bahk Young-hoon, Lee Gun-hee, Lee Si-san and Lee Yoon-jeong. Coinciding with the holiday season, part of the sales from the exhibition will be donated to groups supporting underprivileged children, according to ART Fin. The works on display include “Mycota,” an 80-cent

In a studio that became the home ground for jazz singer Yun hee-jung for 30 years, concert posters, newspaper clippings, microphones, a keyboard and other musical instruments show the history of the 70-year-old vocalist. Clad in leather pants and an eye-catching knitted hat, Yun brewed her coffee — the latest obsession for Yun, who lacks no energy. After expounding on her newfound passion for a while, she returns to her biggest passion: jazz. Jazz came to her a bit later in life -- when sh

In her teens and early 20s, Park Jung-mi (not her real name) viewed herself as an achiever, even if she wasn't one of the highest fliers. In high school, she studied until late into the night on a near-daily basis, aiming for admission to a prestigious university. After successfully getting into one of the top 10 universities here, she maintained her commitment to hard work and self-discipline, graduating with an average GPA above 4 out of 4.5. But from then on, life has been disappointing.

Diverse, a Korean metaverse and game development company, said Monday that its Web3 gaming platform Creta has secured a new partnership with Thomas Vu, the renowned producer of the League of Legends game. Under the partnership, Creta agreed to support the game incubation business led by Vu, through which promising game developers can obtain ideas, resources and funding opportunities. Vu started his gaming career as a producer at Namco Bandai Games and Electronic Arts -- the publisher of the Sims

Singapore's Asian Civilisations Museum, a cultural institution that exhibits a wide range of artifacts and offering a fascinating exploration of the diverse heritage and history of Asian civilizations, is trying to attract younger visitors with its latest fashion exhibition, according to its director Kennie Ting. “It was very much focused on connoisseurship, and there was an aspect of us that was ethnographic because we have these Southeast Asian collections,” Ting told The Kore

South Korean aerospace and defense firm LIG Nex1 has decided to acquire a 60 percent stake in American quadruped maker Ghost Robotics for some 315 billion won ($240 million) to secure a future growth platform and penetrate the US defense market. In a regulatory filing on Dec. 8, LIG Nex1 disclosed its plan to purchase the controlling stake in Ghost Robotics. For the deal, the Korean company will inject 187.7 billion won into LNGR, a specially formed entity provisionally named for this acquisitio

On Dec. 4, a fire broke out at a home in a residential-commercial complex in Jungnang-gu, eastern Seoul, killing a poodle that was home alone at the time. Fire authorities provisionally concluded that the fire was caused by the dog, who is thought to have inadvertently turned on the electric stove. The incident was the second fire in a week thought to be caused by a pet left home alone. The first fire was reportedly caused by a cat that accidentally turned on an electric stove in Geumcheon-gu,

K-pop boy group Ateez’s second studio album, “The World Ep. Fin: Will,” landed at No. 2 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart Top 100 Saturday. The chart is compiled by the Official Charts Co. based on sales of CDs and vinyls, downloads, audio streams and video streams. Ateez debuted on the same chart with its ninth mini album, “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw,” in June this year. Ateez is the second K-pop boy group to land on the Official Album Chart Top 100 following K-

South Korean police investigating legal complaints filed by San Diego Padres' infielder Kim Ha-seong, who has alleged that he is being blackmailed over a fight that occurred two years ago, have been questioning witnesses including local professional baseball players who were present at the fight. According to Seoul Gangnam Police Station on Saturday, officials have called in for questioning several acquaintances of Kim, including teammates from when he played with the Kiwoom Heroes of the K