Teokbokki, a rice cake snack marinated with red pepper paste, was selected as the favorite street food among foreigners. According to a survey by Kyung Hee University’s Institute of International Education of 455 foreigners from 62 countries residing in Korea, teokbokki topped the list with 31.1 percent. It was followed by dakkochi, skewered chicken; sundae, blood sausage; and tempura, deep-frie...

One out of every three adults here is under a serious level of stress, a group of doctors said Thursday. Workplaces and financial issues were the main causes of stress, the Korean NeuroPsychiatric Association said. According to its survey conducted of 1,006 people over 19 years old nationwide, about 23.9 percent said they were under some level of stress while 26.2 percent said the pressure was ...

Number of seniors tops 1m in Seoul By Bae Ji-sook The number of people in Seoul older than 65 has surpassed 1 million, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday. The number of infants and youths, on the other hand, declined. According to its report, the number of senior citizens marked 1,002,770 as of Dec. 31 last year, a 6.3 percent jump from the previous year’s 942,946. Over-65s now ...

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― South Korean Ambassador Han Duck-soo on Tuesday exchanged a memorandum of understanding with Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia that will exempt holders of a South Korean drivers license from taking tests. The “Driver’s License Reciprocity Arrangement” will allow holders of a South Korean drivers license to get a Virginia license without taking a written and driving test. ...

Seoul City will be holding a bimonthly lunchtime garden concert in English to help promote its English study cafe, according to officials. The concert, to be held every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, kicks off with music by an Ecuadorian band and will be followed by live folk music from various countries including Russia, Mongolia, Mexico and others, officials said. The performances ...

Civic groups have for the first time joined to form a permanent consultative body to urge Japan to solve ongoing conflicts and apologize for its annexation of Korea a century ago. Next Friday, some 20 Japan-related civic groups here will launch the Korea-Japan Citizens’ Consultative Body, a consolidated body to request that Japan settle historical conflicts, according to the Institution for Rese...

South Korea will launch a task force to handle possible contingencies from Japan's recent discharge of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, an official said Wednesday. The decision came after a series of inter-agency meetings held earlier in the day, where officials from relevant ministries agreed to coordinate their response, the foreign ministry official said on the condition of anonymity...

The Ministry of Environment on Tuesday designated Seoul, Jeju and Yeonggwang in South Jeolla Province as “leading cities” in promoting the use of electric vehicles across the country. Local authorities will provide residents with 168 electric vehicles and 251 recharging facilities. Korea plans to put more than 1 million electric cars in use by 2020. In Seoul, where electric buses already operat...

Money can’t buy you love but it often makes a relationship go sour. Couple.net, a matchmaking agency, said Tuesday that the number of divorces caused by financial problems has sharply increased in the past decade. In its survey of 4,405 couples divorced between 1990 and 2009, the number of people divorcing because of money problems marked 7.1 percent between 1990 and 1999, but jumped to 12.7 per...

Radioactive materials from Japan might hit South Korea this week, state-run agencies said Monday. Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and Korea Meteorological Administration said that winds containing radioactive materials from Fukushima nuclear plants might reach Korea by Thursday. “As high pressures develop around Japan, atmospheres in the height of 1-3 km may reach Korea through the East China...