North Korea’s infant mortality rate is eight times higher than that of South Korea, a report by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs showed Tuesday.Three out of 4 infants in the North do not get proper nutrition, leading to the high mortality rate, said Cho Sung-eun, the head of KIHASA’s Center for Reunified Korea Social Security, calling for urgent support measures.  (Yonhap)Citing the World Health Organization, the report said that 24 out of 1,000 North Korean infants die, while t

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Tuesday the age limit for preferential savings accounts designed to help Koreans purchase houses will be expanded from the current 29 to 34. The minimum age for qualification remains the same at 19. The ministry said the expanded age limit will take effect in 2019, after a legal procedure for the revision is completed.  Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon (center) announces the tax code revision at the Sejong Government Complex on Thursday. (Yon

The prolonged heat wave continues in the country, causing heat-related illnesses in over 2,000 patients.According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Seoul will reach a daytime high of 38 degrees Celsius, which is near the record daytime high of 38.4 C on July 24, 1994. The weather agency forecast that the mercury might reach 39 C on Wednesday.(Yonhap)In 1994, around 3,000 people died of heat-related illnesses. There have been a total of 27 deaths in 2018 so far due to heat-related illne

As the summer weather turns sultry, exhibitions can provide a cool escape. Recent exhibitions in Seoul have been creating hype as renown and talented artists take over the local art scene.Here are five must-see exhibitions in Seoul:"Penking: Making Mistakes”Aug. 8, 2018 – Sept. 4, 2018  (WTFM)Up and coming artist Penking is set to exhibit his black comedy art at Backroom in Hannam-dong, Seoul. His work reinterprets the fable of the rabbit and the turtle, questioning if earnest hard work can stil

As high temperatures continue in Korea, many locals are escaping the heat by flocking to pools and beaches in a bid to cool off. Seoul recorded a daytime high of 37 degrees Celsius on Monday, Incheon 26 C, Suwon 25 C and Daejeon 26 C.A child goes down a water slide in a pool set up in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Sunday.Heat advisories have been in effect nationwide as the weather agency warned people to avoid vigorous outdoor activities. Soaring temperatures have seen an increase in the number of patients

Kakao, the operator of Korea’s dominant mobile messenger KakaoTalk, is working with YG Entertainment to expand its online comic content in Japan, according to industry sources on Monday.Kakao’s online comic platform in Japan, Piccoma, started to publish YG group Big Bang’s online comic series “Go Blings.” All five members of Big Bang were made into characters in the 1 2-episode series.  (YG Entertainment)“Go Blings” was released on July 20 in Korea, US and Japan and will start its promotion in J

Rapper Zico of boy band Block B released more teaser images for his upcoming single “Soulmate” featuring singer IU.The rapper’s agency Seven Seasons Entertainment released an image of Zico dressed in a checkered shirt with chino pants inside a yellow elevator. The elevator is distorted like a wave, evoking a dreamlike image.(Seven Seasons Entertainment)Previous teaser images portrayed surreal imagery of a yellow elevator door filled with red flowers and Earth seen from outer space.“Soulmate” is

In a country where working long hours used to be seen as a badge of honor, more people are adopting a new way of life in search of happiness. But there is one “small” condition. Instead of pursuing the purchase of an apartment, marriage or employment, people are simply looking for ways to be happy with the little things in life. The Korean phrase “sohwakhaeng,” which translates into “small but certain happiness,” is trending on local online communities in a big way. The emergence of sohwakhaeng

A college student who had been expelled over a sexual assault case filed a petition requesting the cancellation of his expulsion but was denied, according to the Seoul Eastern District Court on Sunday.The court did not accept the request in order to prevent the student from committing future sexual assault crimes.The student was in his fourth year of college when he sexually assaulted his junior colleague while she was sleeping in a school in April 2017.(Yonhap)The victim reported the incident t

More than 150 students and teachers attended the “2018 Sunfull Youth Summer Camp” held at Parkdaljae Youth Center in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, from July 21 to 22, according to the Sunfull Internet Peace Movement Headquarters.Students spoke out against cyberbullying and hate speech that can incite hatred and possibly push victims to take their own lives.  Students and teachers participate in the “2018 Sunfull Youth Summer Camp” to campaign against hate speech from July 21 to 22. (Sunfu

A bill to help 18,000 adoptees from Korea living in the US without US citizenship is making progress, according to the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles on Wednesday.The Glendale City Council unanimously passed a resolution to support the Adoptee Citizen Act of 2018, a bill that would provide US citizenship to individuals born outside of the US who were adopted by American parents.The Glendale City Council passed a resolution to support the Adoptee Citizen Act of 2018 on Wednesday (Korean

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said 17 high schools in Seoul will reduce one class each starting in 2019 due to a rapid decrease in students.Seven public boarding high schools and 10 private high schools will cut one freshman class each because the 17 schools had less than 22 students per class, according to a report by SMOE. The standard set by SMOE in 2018 is 27 students per class. (Yonhap)Fifteen other schools did not reach the standard but SMOE felt that reducing a class each wou

As a record-smashing heat wave continues, more patients are suffering from heat-related diseases, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.There were 1,487 patients of heat-related illnesses from May 20 to July 24, a 78 percent increase from last year during the period of May 29 to July 26 of 833 patients, reported KCDC.(Yonhap)Although 60 percent of the patients were in their 50s or older, 36 percent, or 541 people, were in their 20s to 40s. Health experts h

More Korean singers are creating their own video content online amid the rising popularity of YouTubers and internet broadcast jockeys. Comedians Kim Sook, Kang Yu-mi, Kim Ki-soo are among celebrities who create personalized content but singers are now jumping on the bandwagon. Singer and artist Kwon Ji-an, better known as Solbi, launched her own YouTube channel Roman Princess Solbi on Friday to better communicate with her fans. She plans to upload four videos per week related to eating and drin

Around 25 percent of helmets provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government for cyclists were stolen over a four-day period, according to the city on Wednesday.The city of Seoul operated a helmet rental system on a trial run from Friday to Monday at 30 stations in Yeouido for cyclists who ride the city’s bikes in preparation for the mandatory use of helmets that will start on Sept. 28.  Two children try on helmets provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government during the trial helmet rental period

Chinese tourists in Korea are increasingly shopping with mobile phones instead of using China-based bank card giant UnionPay’s cards, according to convenience store chain operator CU on Wednesday.CU analyzed payments made through UnionPay cards and mobile payments for the first half of 2018 and said 87.2 percent of the payments were done through Chinese mobile payment services such as Alipay and WeChat Pay. Payments through UnionPay decreased to 12.8 percent. Caption: A CU store has signs to inf

BTS’ upcoming album “Love Yourself: Answer” has sold over 1.5 million albums nationwide, according to BTS’ management agency Big Hit Entertainment on Wednesday.Preorders for the album began July 18 and ended Tuesday with a total of 1,511,910 orders, recording the highest number of preorders for BTS. (Big Hit Entertainment)“Love Yourself: Answer” sold 62,000 more preordered albums than “Love Yourself: Tear,” which was released in April. “Love Yourself: Answer” has also claimed the No. 1 spot in A

Police have requested Interpol for support in investigating a Korean restaurant owner accused of scamming several people into investing in a Hallyu street in Asuncion, Paraguay, according to the police and prosecutors on Monday.According to the Herald Business, the restaurant owner, surnamed Hong, went back and forth Korea and Paraguay for over five years. Introducing himself as a “food importer,” Hong allegedly persuaded a cosmetics factory owner in 2013 into pouring funds to build a “Korea Str

Jin Air employees plan to hold a rally Wednesday against the Transport Ministry’s decision to have a hearing on whether to revoke the business license held by Korean Air’s budget affiliate Jin Air. The budget carrier is under fire for violating the nation’s aviation law that bans airliners from seating foreign members on their board of directors.Employees said Tuesday they will gather in front of the government complex in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The protest is geared to cr

The average monthly tuition fees for “English language-oriented” kindergartens is around 1 million won ($900) which is double the amount of college tuition fees in the nation, according to experts.The average yearly tuition fee for English kindergartens is around 12.2 million won, which is 6.4 times the tuition fee of a private kindergarten of 1.89 million won and twice as much as an annual college tuition fee of 6.7 million won. (Yonhap)The educational campaign group World Without Worries About