A woman in her 40s was killed when a transformer radiator fell from a factory building in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, as she was leaving work, police said Sunday. The radiator, weighing about 60 kilograms, fell about 4 meters from an exterior emergency staircase at a mobile phone parts factory in the city’s Masanhoewon-gu district at about 12:12 p.m. Saturday, according to Masan Dongbu Police Station. The woman, an employee at the factory, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries b

Cases involving the kidnapping or confinement of South Koreans more than doubled last year across 10 countries frequently covered by Korean travel advisories, according to government data disclosed Sunday. The number rose to 553 in 2025 from 246 in 2024, with Cambodia accounting for 510 cases, according to figures that Rep. Kim Jun-hwan of the Democratic Party of Korea obtained from the Foreign Ministry and National Police Agency. Overall, incidents involving South Koreans in the 10 countries in

A 77-year-old man suspected of setting fires at two buildings housing patent firms in Seoul has largely admitted to the allegations, saying he wanted to frighten the firms and publicize his claim that they had cheated him, police said Wednesday. Police said they planned to seek an arrest warrant on suspicion of arson resulting in injury after a second round of questioning. The man told investigators he believed the firms had defrauded him by issuing false patent registration certificates, police

South Korea’s National Health Insurance Service will launch a system Wednesday to track and share suspected cases of forged documents submitted by foreign nationals seeking health insurance coverage or dependent registration. The system will allow NHIS offices nationwide to share records of document checks and cases suspected of forgery, the agency said Tuesday. It will cover overseas-issued documents submitted for both health insurance enrollment and dependent registration. The move follows rec

Seoul-based Gibbeum Hospital President Kang Yoon-sik introduced his mesh-free hernia repair technique to military medical professionals at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Kang discussed the procedure, known as the Kang Repair, on Oct. 1 at the 76th Annual 38th Parallel Healthcare Training Symposium. The technique uses a patient’s own tissue to reinforce the weakened area instead of synthetic mesh. Kang said he developed the procedure in response to concerns about pain af

A startup developing artificial intelligence technology to detect fall risks before an accident won the top prize at Seoul’s second startup competition for foreign entrepreneurs, earning cash and points toward a technology startup visa. NeuroDetectYO, led by a Ukrainian entrepreneur, took first place at “Jump Up, Start Up 2026,” held Wednesday at the Seoul Global Center, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday. The startup is developing AI-based fall-risk detection technology and wearable

South Korea’s population aged 100 and older grew by nearly a third in four years, with women far outnumbering men. The country had 8,701 centenarians in 2025, up 32.6 percent from 6,563 in 2021, according to national statistics agency data released Friday by Rep. Nam In-soon of the Democratic Party of Korea to mark Senior Citizens’ Day. Nam, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, called for stronger income security and care support as more people live into old age. “On

A man in his 30s has died and four others were injured after a car rear-ended a truck and then struck another car in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, late Thursday. The crash occurred at around 10:20 p.m. on a three-lane road near the South Pohang Interchange in Ocheon-eup, according to police. Police said the car struck a moving truck from behind, then bounced off it and hit a nearby car. A man in his 30s riding in the front passenger seat was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest but later d

Seoul will deploy as many as 1,500 free shuttle buses and add more than 200 subway services if city bus drivers go on strike Wednesday, as the capital prepares for what would be its second bus walkout this year. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday that the emergency transport measures would take effect if the union proceeds with the strike from the first service Wednesday. Up to 1,300 chartered buses will operate as free shuttles linking residential areas and major transport hubs with

A Chinese international student in South Korea was sentenced to 18 months in prison Wednesday for creating more than 1,100 sexually explicit deepfakes using images of seven people, including colleagues in his university research lab. The Seoul Northern District Court convicted the 30-year-old of charges including habitually producing manipulated sexual images and videos in violation of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act. The court also ordered him to complete 40 hours of a sex offender treatment

For Koreans already worried about the future solvency of the National Pension, reports that foreigners could pay into the system for only a few months, make years of retroactive contributions and qualify for a lifelong pension were bound to be provocative. One case can be enough to prove a failure. It is not always enough to prove a pattern, especially when it touches a mandatory pension system that millions are required to pay into and whose long-term viability is already under question. Presid

Drivers in Seoul may want to steer clear of Yeouido on Saturday and the city center Sunday morning, when a fireworks festival and marathon will trigger rolling road closures across some of the capital’s busiest routes. The biggest disruption will come Saturday around Yeouido, where the 2026 Seoul International Fireworks Festival is expected to draw heavy crowds along the Han River. Yeouidong-ro between the southern end of Mapo Bridge and the 63 Building will be completely closed to traffic from

Seoul’s city bus union has threatened to launch a full strike from the first buses on Sept. 16 if mediation with operators fails, reviving a wage dispute that led to a brief walkout earlier this year. The Seoul Bus Labor Union said it had asked the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission to mediate after wage talks with the Seoul Bus Transport Business Association broke down. If the 15-day mediation period ends without agreement, the union will be legally able to strike. The dispute centers on

Seoul residents put traffic congestion, late-night crime and fine dust at the top of the city problems they want technology to solve. The findings come from a survey of 8,531 people living in Seoul. Conducted online and offline in February 2025, it was released Sunday as the city lays out its plans for tech-forward upgrades through 2030. Transportation was the biggest concern overall, cited by 37.5 percent of respondents, followed by environmental issues at 21.2 percent and safety at 16.2 percen

Yong Hye-in’s path into public life began with a silent march she organized as a university student to mourn the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster. Over a decade later, the two-term lawmaker has been nominated as gender equality and family minister. At 36, the progressive Basic Income Party floor leader is the first Cabinet nominee born in the 1990s. She helped found the party in 2020 around a pledge to provide every citizen with 600,000 won ($435) a month. Yong entered parliament that ye