The incidence of premature puberty increased by 28 percent in the past three years in South Korea, a new study showed Wednesday. According to data from the National Health Insurance Corporation, the number of children who reached puberty too early stood at 86,869 last year, up 28 percent from 2013 when the figure was 67,250. The 2016 figure means an incidence rate of 171.1 per 100,000 people, up from 134.5 in 2013. Two elementary students are walking on sidewalks. (Yonhap)Symptoms of precocious

Reported cases of dating abuse are on the rise in South Korea, with 233 people murdered by their romantic partners in the last five years, police data shows. According to criminal statistics released by the National Police Agency, 8,367 people were booked on charges of physical violence against their partners in 2015, up 8.8 percent from the previous year. The total number of physical assault cases here was 305,957 in 2015.Among the 8,367 attackers, 37.7 percent had no previous criminal record,

A special counsel sought a seven-year jail term for Kim Ki-choon, former President Park Geun-hye’s chief of staff and a six-year jail term for ex-Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun for their involvement in creating a blacklist of artists critical of Park and orchestrating systematic discrimination against them. At the Seoul Central District Court, the special counsel asserted that Kim and Cho, two of Park’s core associates, “oppressed the freedom of expression protected by the Constitution” by collud

BUSAN -- Universities need more governmental support to maintain and increase the quality of education and academic research as enrollment is expected to drop in line with Korea’s falling birthrate, university presidents attending a seminar said Friday. Already many universities are suffering financial difficulties, they said, and the trouble will only deepen, with the number of high school graduates projected to shrink. It has reached a point where self-help efforts alone can’t ensure survival

The nominee to serve as South Korea’s top education official vowed to promote equality in education and monitor the increasingly competitive educational system here during his parliamentary confirmation hearing Thursday. 　Kim Sang-kon, the former education superintendent of Gyeonggi Province, told a panel of lawmakers that he would bring about “equal opportunities for all students” in education and get rid of the sense of privilege and excessive competition entrenched in the country’s education

In a world of digital media and technology, Dwight School Seoul presents itself at the forefront of technology and innovation, providing foundational skills students need to compete and succeed in the rapidly-changing workplace.A part of a global network of schools spanning across five countries, including the US, Canada and China, the Seoul campus in western Seoul gives students access to advanced technology including laser cutters and 3-D printers that children are able to use for their own de

A group of teenage boys were caught masturbating in front of a female teacher at a middle school in the southern city of Daejeon, according to Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education on Tuesday.The incident occurred last week during class.  (Yonhap)The teacher immediately left the classroom after spotting the sexual act by nine students, aged 12-13 and in the first year of the middle school, and reported it to the school. The school and the city’s education office are currently investigating th

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Wednesday decided to extend autonomous rights given to five premium high schools for another five years, despite talks of removing the elite schools in the long run. “All of the five schools subject to a re-evaluation will retain their status, as they received scores higher than the minimum level required,” Seoul’s Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said at a press conference.Seoul’s Education Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon (center) speaks during the

An investigation into foreign residents teaching subjects other than their native language on E-2 visas is “still open and ongoing,” South Korea’s immigration office confirmed to The Korea Herald. In April, a clampdown on two English immersion alternative schools in Seoul led to the deportations of some 14 foreign teachers and ultimately the shutdown of the institutions. “The investigation was initiated upon a request from the education office as well as complaints from some parents who send the

Some of Seoul’s specialized private high schools may lose their status as part of the Seoul education chief’s drive to level the playing field for students. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education was set to announce Wednesday the results of an assessment it conducted on five of the 29 foreign language and autonomous private schools across the city.(Yonhap)The review was conducted with the aim of deciding whether to cancel Seoul Foreign Language High School and four other schools’ designation

With liberal President Moon Jae-in in power, South Korea’s education policy is set to shift away from elitism toward equality. And the nation’s most coveted schools are first to take a hit. Elite private high schools, which in their heydays were gateways to prestigious universities here and abroad, are facing an existential crisis, as education chiefs in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi Province have vowed to rescind their autonomy in school curriculum and admissions. Protesters oppose aboliti

Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of South Korea’s former President Park Geun-hye, has been sentenced to three years in jail for pulling strings to get her daughter into an elite university.　The Seoul Central District Court found Choi guilty of obstruction of duty by exerting influence on Ewha Womans University to give undue favors to her 21-year-old daughter Chung Yoo-ra, using her ties with the former president. The prosecution had sought a seven-year prison term for her. 　“(Choi) is found to have

Foreigners teaching subjects other than English on E-2 visas may face eviction from South Korea, as the immigration office is cracking down on visa violations in English-only alternative schools. Fourteen Canadian teachers at the Canadian British Columbia International School in eastern Seoul were the first to receive departure orders in April, after the authorities concluded the teachers should have obtained the E-7 visa, not E-2, to work as school teachers. The decision led to the shutdown of

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is moving to remove carbonated drinks from youth facilities across the city in response to growing concerns about children’s health, a city official said Wednesday. To do so, the city plans to enact an ordinance restricting the sale of such beverages to underage children in public areas, including cultural and sports centers. Schools will not be subject to the envisioned new rule, but will be encouraged to follow suit and remove fizzy drinks from their cafeteria

South Korea’s weather agency issued another heat warning for most parts of the peninsula Tuesday, as midday highs continued to soar to 32-34 degrees Celsius, the agency said. A total of 58 heat-related illnesses were reported across the country as of Monday, according to the Ministry of Public Safety and Security.Heat shimmers from the surface of a road in Yeouido, Seoul. (Yonhap)The Korea Meteorological Administration issued heat wave alerts for Seoul, the Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces and o

A group representing judges nationwide decided to look into the Supreme Court’s alleged blacklisting of judges deemed critical of the nation’s judicial leadership, the group said Monday. 　The 100-member association’s decision came three months after the top court’s chief Justice Yang Sung-tae ordered a “self-investigation” into the suspicion that his organization systemically discriminated against liberal-minded judges. The top court’s chief Justice Yang Sung-tae (Yonhap)Last month, the audit te

A barrage of camera flashes greet Park Geun-hye as she steps out of the back of a detention center escort van. Wearing her inmate number, 503, on her left chest and handcuffs, the former president is escorted by two prison guards into the courthouse in southern Seoul. Inside the courtroom, Park quietly walks toward the dock and sits beside her attorney. As she does so, some people in the audience stand up in an apparent show of respect, despite security guards’ gestures not to. This much-repeate

North Korea on Friday lashed out at international sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, saying they are being used to block everything from frozen chicken to swimming flippers.  In an unusually detailed and lengthy statement, North Korea's Foreign Ministry stuck by its longstanding claim that the country has the right to develop nuclear weapons to defend itself against the United States, which it said under President Donald Trump is now openly trying to ``suffocate'' its economy.  It

South Korea’s police chief apologized for the death of a protestor who died after being knocked down by a water blast during an anti-government rally.Lee Cheol-seong, head of the National Police Agency, said he was offering his “full and sincere condolences” to the family of Baek Nam-gi, the activist farmer who died last September as a result of injuries he sustained while protesting against former President Park Geun-hye in 2015. “It should not be repeated that the police’s excessive use of for

Centuries ago in the Joseon era, Seoul’s royal palace was guarded by the most loyal of the king’s army, known as “Wanggung Sumunjang.” 　Today in the ultramodern metropolis of Seoul, tall and well-built actors assume the role, keeping guard at palace gates and re-enacting the changing of the guard ceremony. A display of splendid traditional outfits and military discipline, the ceremony catches the eye of tourists and passers-by three times a day at Daehanmun, the main gate of Deoksugung near city