Doctors accused of performing a late-term abortion at 36 weeks could face murder charges, police said Monday, concluding in their investigation that the fetus was delivered alive. The case, which has drawn significant attention, involves a YouTuber in her 20s who sought pregnancy termination and later shared her experience online. “If a fetus is born alive, the case is subject to the crime of murder. After delivery, it is a living person," said Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Off

What Tyson Nicholas of the Royal Australian Navy experienced in South Sudan in 2015 as part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission changed the course of his career and solidified his commitment to advancing gender equality in armed conflicts. In South Sudan, Nicholas witnessed firsthand the ways conflict disproportionately affects women and girls. “It was a moral injury,” he recalls, describing the emotional and ethical burden of seeing widespread sexual violence exploited during

Police detained a man in his 60s Friday morning after he allegedly smashed a glass door in an apparent attempt to break into the National Assembly’s main building in Seoul. According to Yeongdeungpo Police Station, the man was arrested for alleged intrusion and destruction of property with dangerous objects. The incident occurred at around 5:15 a.m. when the suspect reportedly threw a fire extinguisher at the glass door of the National Assembly. Police identified the suspect as he fled the

Amid nationwide elation over South Korean novelist Han Kang being awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize for Literature, one of her works has stirred debate for being "deemed harmful to youths." The controversy ignited after Han's "The Vegetarian" was found to be among the 2,528 books removed from some 2,490 elementary, middle and high school libraries in Gyeonggi Province last year for being detrimental to students. Among them were not only Han Kang's book, but also "Bl

The Seoul education office concluded Sunday that mandatory religious activities at general high schools, such as class worship services and choir competitions, could infringe on students' religious freedom. This conclusion follows an investigation prompted by a student complaint at a private high school in Seoul, alleging that such compulsory extracurricular activities related to religion violated their rights under the city's Student Rights Ordinance. The complaint, submitted by a stu

Seoul Cyber University has signed a dual degree agreement with California State University, San Bernardino, the US school's first such deal with an online educational institution. The primary focus of the agreement is the creation of a dual degree program between Seoul Cyber University and CSUSB. Under this program, students will spend two years studying at Seoul Cyber University's School of Business and two years at CSUSB, earning degrees from both institutions. Notably, this is the f

Jung Geun-sik, the newly elected liberal superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, officially took office on Thursday. With his inauguration, the city’s progressive approach to education, which has been in place for the past decade under his predecessor, Cho Hee-yeon, is expected to continue. Jung secured 50.17 percent of the vote in Wednesday's by-election, defeating his conservative rival, Cho Jun-hyuk, by a margin of 4.15 percentage points. His win surpassed the

To enhance the nation's digital skills and competitiveness, South Korea is rolling out a new initiative aimed at improving digital capabilities among adults aged 30 and older. The government will invest over 110 billion won ($80 million) to build a comprehensive digital lifelong learning ecosystem, the Ministry of Education announced on Wednesday. The initiative, dubbed the "AI-Digital (AID) 30+ Project," seeks to provide extensive retraining opportunities and digital education to

The rival parties engaged in heated exchanges over two high-profile incidents involving President Yoon Suk Yeol's wife, first lady Kim Keon Hee, and Moon Da-hye, daughter of former President Moon Jae-in, during a parliamentary audit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police on Thursday. The Democratic Party of Korea and other opposition lawmakers have raised concerns over first lady Kim Keon Hee's visit to Mapo Bridge on Sept. 10, an area notorious for frequent suicide attempts. The visit, made

The Ministry of Education announced plans to hold the 4th Korea-Mongolia Joint Commission on Education in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Scheduled for Tuesday, the meeting is part of an ongoing consultative process that began in 2015 to deepen bilateral educational cooperation. The commission aims to review past agreements and explore new opportunities for collaboration in education, the ministry explained. One of the primary focus areas of the meeting is the promotion of Korean language education in Mo

An average of 20 teachers made the tragic decision to take their own lives each year from 2021 to 2023, data showed Monday, sparking concern over the mental health and well-being of teachers in South Korea. The problem persists this year too, with 19 teachers having taken their own lives this year through August. This disturbing trend points to a deeper crisis within the education system, where teachers feel increasingly vulnerable and unsupported, according to Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the Democratic

As early voting kicked off Friday in the by-election to fill the Seoul education superintendent post, polling stations across Seoul remained relatively quiet, with public interest in the election low on the weekday. According to the Election Commission, voter turnout by 3:40 p.m. was 2.48 percent, with 206,317 ballots cast out of 8.32 million eligible voters. The election, featuring four candidates, is expected to influence the future of education in South Korea. While the superintendent's

The Ministry of Education on Thursday announced plans to double the number of internet-based sessions for the Test of Proficiency in Korean next year. Starting in 2025, 15 TOPIK sessions will be held annually. The new schedule will include six internet-based tests and six paper-based tests focusing on the listening, reading and writing sections, while the speaking section will be administered through three additional internet-based tests. This marks a significant increase in the frequency of int

The number of intensive care unit patients who died between February and March, the month after medical residents and interns began to resign en masse, rose by 375 from a year earlier, a new report found. According to an analysis by Rep. Kim Yoon of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee based on data from the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a total of 3,548 ICU patients died in February 2024. That was equal to 12.4 percent of the 28,665 admitted. The m

The number of terminally ill patients in South Korea choosing to discontinue life-sustaining medical treatment has been steadily rising, surpassing 70,000 cases last year alone. According to data provided by Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, 77,720 patients chose to withdraw from life-prolonging medical interventions in 2023, reflecting a 46.6 percent increase over the past five years. The trend has shown consistent growth, with the number of patients o

Allegations that first lady Kim Keon Hee interfered with the ruling party's candidate nominations ahead of April's legislative general election are stirring up the political landscape in South Korea -- and at the center of it all is a pollster who claims he "advised" President Yoon Suk Yeol. Myeong Tae-gyun became the center of attention after online media outlet Tomato News reported that he had connections with the presidential couple, and played a role in the ruling People

진행자: 최정윤, Chelsea Proctor Student violence on rise since pandemic 기사 요약: 팬데믹 이후 학생들이 교실로 돌아가면서 학교 폭력 늘어나고 11년 만에 피해응답률 최고 높아 [1] The number of elementary, middle and high school students reporting being bullied at school increased for the fourth straight year, pushing the corresponding rate to 2 percent for the first time in 11 years. *bullied: 괴롭힘을 당하는 *corresponding: 해당하는 / corresponding to ~에 상응하는/ correspond: 일치하다, 부합하다 [2] With 1 out of 50 children having experienced school violence, t

A Korean government-run institution to attract international students from the US interested in studying in Korea will be established and operated for the first time in Los Angeles, the Education Ministry has said. Consisting of office space and an exhibition room to promote studying in Korea, the Study in Korea Information Center in LA will provide assistance to students by connecting them with universities in Korea, according to officials. The establishment comes after the ministry acknowledge

An official at the state-funded Advocacy Center for Online Sexual Abuse Victims said Friday that the center, tasked with removing illegal pornography online, will soon officially hire two more employees, but highlighted the need to increase its workforce at a faster pace to tackle surging digital sex crimes. The hiring decision comes as the center affiliated with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family struggles with a chronic staffing shortage and follows the National Assembly's passage

진행자: 최정윤, Chelsea Proctor Online reviews of sex tourism in Southeast Asia proliferate 기사 요약: 동남아 여행지에서 성매매 업소를 방문한 후기와 정보 공유가 특정 연령대 남성들만 가입 가능한 카페서 18000여건이 넘게 들어나 논란 일어 [1] South Koreans leaving online reviews about visiting prostitution establishments in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Laos have proliferated, despite legal prohibition both here for Koreans and there abroad, according to observers and legal experts here Monday. *proliferate: 급증하다 확산되다 [2] The post