Associations representing elementary school principals and teachers have opposed the National Educational Commission’s plan to keep younger elementary students at school until 3 p.m., calling it undesirable. The Korea Elementary School Education Principal’s Association on Wednesday urged the committee to reconsider requiring all first- and second-graders to finish school late, warning the plan could disrupt existing school programs and may not be in the best interests of young children. This fol

South Korean police on Tuesday revealed the identity of a Chinese lecturer accused of killing and dismembering a female Chinese graduate student who had taken his class. The Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency disclosed the suspect’s name, age and photos on its website, identifying him as Zheng Changsheng, 31. The information will remain public until Oct. 1. Before releasing his legal name, police previously identified the man only by the Korean spelling of his name, which in English is Jeong. Th

A woman’s claim that she was denied entry to a temple in Busan because she had a tattoo of a nude woman has sparked debate over whether religious sites should be allowed to restrict entry based on a visitor’s appearance. In a Thread post uploaded Sunday, the visitor asked if Haedong Yonggungsa in Gijang-gun, Busan, had an official policy prohibiting people with tattoos from entering its prayer halls. “I tried to enter one of the temple’s prayer halls on Friday but was stopped at the entrance by

A female soccer referee has come under fire after a player said she insulted her, then showed her a yellow card for reacting sensitively to the comment. The incident occurred during Friday’s match between Suwon FC Women and Seoul City Hall at the Suwon Sports Complex in Gyeonggi Province. Around the 31st minute, Ji So-yun appealed for a foul after what she described as repeated rough challenges by an opposing player. Referee Bae Sun-young then allegedly said over the officiating crew’s radio sys

A hospital visit rarely begins with treatment or seeing a doctor. It begins with waiting — and figuring out where to go next. Visits can stretch for hours, with patients moving between tests, examinations, registrations and payments. Even the most self-assured can feel helpless and lost, suddenly dependent on a system they do not fully understand. That sense of vulnerability can make the most ordinary hospital surroundings — rows of chairs, fluorescent lights, a closed examination-room door — fe

A man whose "zombie-like" posture in a video in June sparked suspicions of drug use has tested positive in a forensic analysis of his hair, after conflicting results from urine tests earlier, police said Wednesday. The Suwon Gwonseon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province said it had received the results of a detailed hair analysis of the man conducted by the National Forensic Service. Unlike urine tests that generally detect drug use within the previous week, hair analysis can identify substances

Authorities are investigating a nursing hospital in Seoul after a patient's severed toe was found in a refrigerator in the facility's kitchen. The toe had been placed in a disposable porridge container and kept in the fridge for about two weeks, alongside drinks and condiments, until the patient's family visited and found it, a KBS report revealed Wednesday. It reportedly belonged to a man in his 60s with an intellectual disability who had been living at the hospital for 10 years. The family sai

A growing number of sharks, including species known to attack humans, are being spotted in the East Sea as rising water temperatures draw more warm-water fish to the region. This year, 68 sharks were caught in fishing nets off the east coast as of Aug. 11, more than double the 27 recorded during the same period last year, according to data released by the National Institute of Fisheries Science on Tuesday. Shortfin makos — large, highly migratory sharks found in temperate and tropical waters wor

Attention is turning to who will take the helm of the South Korean men’s national soccer team, as the country’s soccer governing body prepares to name an interim coach ahead of a permanent appointment. The Korea Football Association has narrowed its search for an interim coach to three candidates — Gus Poyet, Jesus Casas and Domenec Torrent — according to local outlets on Monday. All three reportedly applied through the open recruitment process for the national team job, which closed on Aug. 9.

Parts of Geoje and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province were left covered in mud and debris on Monday after torrential rain battered the region over the weekend. The downpour left one person dead and flooded roads and buildings, prompting residents and emergency crews to begin clearing the wreckage. Authorities are assessing the damage and conducting recovery work across affected areas. Here are some of the photos from the disaster scene. (Photos: Newsis and Yonhap)

Baek In-chun, the only man to bat .400 in a South Korean professional baseball season, was laid to rest on Monday. As player-manager of the MBC Blue Dragons, now the LG Twins, Baek batted .412 in the Korea Baseball Organization’s inaugural 1982 season. In 2014, the Korea Pro Baseball Players Alumni Association established an annual award in his name honoring the country’s top high school or college hitter. (Photos: Yonhap)

Celebrities build their careers in the public eye, but in South Korea, the public's interest in their lives often extends well beyond their work — and increasingly into their homes. When a celebrity buys or sells a property, entertainment reports routinely detail where it is, how much it cost, what type of home it is, whether the celebrity borrowed money to buy it and how much they may have gained from the transaction. The more expensive or luxurious the property, the greater the attention. That

Paichai High School’s baseball team exited the national high school baseball tournament with a first-round defeat Wednesday, ending a season that put the school at the center of a national controversy over a cheer mocking the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising. Paichai lost 8-5 to Incheon High School in the opening round of the 54th Bonghwang Flag National High School Baseball Tournament at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Wednesday. It was the season’s final national tournament. The teams t

The Supreme Court ruled that a woman who brandished a knife at an uncle during a violent confrontation should not be punished because it was done in self-defense. The top court overturned a lower court's ruling that found the 39-year-old guilty of aggravated intimidation and sent the case back to Incheon District Court, legal sources said Wednesday. The incident occurred in January 2023, after the woman told family members that her 76-year-old uncle had sexually abused her when she was a child.

Photos of dogs wearing mesh onion bags over their heads have drawn attention online, showing pet owners’ unconventional attempt to protect their animals from ticks during walks. On Tuesday, an owner posted a photo on Threads of their dog on a walk with a green mesh bag covering its head. “Don’t throw away your onion nets,” the owner wrote, explaining that they had placed the packaging covering over the dog’s head because it frequently pokes its face into the grass. The owner said they came up wi