On Oct. 12, another courier died after working long shifts with little sleep. It was the 10th fatality this year linked to overwork among parcel delivery workers in Korea, according to a coalition of 67 civic groups and labor unions formed to improve their working conditions. Delivery workers, despite being hailed as heroes for their contributions to the public’s well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak, continue being pushed to their physical limits with little protection from labor law

A financial fraud scandal involving a private equity investment company has spilled over to the prosecution after a key suspect claimed to have lobbied ranking prosecutors, one of whom is now part of the investigative team. The revelation added fuel to the political debate surrounding the country’s law enforcement authority, which the Moon Jae-in administration has openly criticized for wielding “uncontrolled” power and has vowed to reform. It also ripped open a rift between

The Korea Methodist Church slapped Rev. Lee Dong-hwan with a two-year suspension from work for giving a blessing to participants in a queer festival in August last year. The judicial committee of the Korea Methodist Church’s Gyeonggi Province branch made the decision Thursday, immediately suspending Lee from his position as pastor at a Methodist church in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. He is also barred from making sermons, giving blessings and holding prayers on behalf of the Methodist Church

The police decided not to permit two outdoor rallies planned by a conservative group for Sunday and Oct. 25 due to concerns that the events could cause another resurgence of the coronavirus. At 9 p.m. Wednesday, the Seoul Jongno Police Station notified the group, which also organized one of the rallies held on Aug. 15 in central Seoul’s Gwanghwamun at which hundreds were infected with the virus, of its decision to refuse permission for both of the events. The group, known for its anti-g

South Korea saw a 25 percent decline in airborne nitrogen dioxide levels between January and May from the previous three-year average, a lawmaker said Wednesday, attributing the decline to coronavirus lockdowns in China. Rep. Jang Chul-min of the Democratic Party cited Korea Environment Corp. data available on AirKorea that showed Korea’s average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, a key air pollutant, during the first five months of this year reached 0.017 parts per million, 25.4 percen

Six universities, including the nation’s most prestigious Seoul National University, were found to have breached the government-set evaluation standards in their portfolio-based admissions process, the Education Ministry said Wednesday. The six caught with rule breaches in the ministry’s special inspection from Nov. 13-Dec. 6 are Seoul National, Korea, Sogang, Sungkyunkwan, Kyung Hee and Konkuk universities. The probe into the six institutions’ past admission records was a fol

Mask-wearing has become mandatory in South Korea on all forms of public transportation as of Tuesday, as well as in medical facilities and other designated public spaces, but not all types of face coverings are deemed acceptable. Considered suitable are government-certified medical masks such as KF-94, KF-80 or KF-AD as well as cotton masks and ordinary, disposable hygiene masks, if worn properly covering both the nose and mouth. Masks with valves and those made out of mesh are categorized a

The use of South Korea as a transit point for international drug trafficking has increased sharply over the past few years, a lawmaker said Tuesday, citing customs data. Rep. Kim Tae-heum of the People Power Party said a total of 107 kilograms of narcotics bound for overseas destinations had been seized by the Korea Customs Service on six occasions over the past five years. The aggregate value of the drugs seized was nearly 280 billion won ($243.67 million). For 98.5 percent of the drugs tha

Face masks will be mandatory on public transportation and in medical and care facilities starting Tuesday as South Korea continues to combat the coronavirus outbreak. The requirement under the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act was put in place to fight the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. A fine of up to 100,000 won ($87) will be levied for not wearing masks on buses, subways or trains. Anyone without masks at medical or care facilities or demonstrations is also subj

Schools in South Korea will raise their attendance caps for schools in line with the recent easing of social distancing guidelines. Many hope this will narrow the achievement gap among students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, which has widened since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. The Education Ministry announced Sunday that all schools will be allowed to have two-thirds of their students attend classes in person starting Oct. 19. Currently, attendance is capped at two-thirds

The Seoul Foreign School has appointed the interim head of the Swiss International School in Qatar as its high school principal, it announced Sunday. Nancy Le Nezet will be leaving her current position in Qatar to lead SFS High School at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year. SFS is an international independent school in Seoul for more than 1,450 students aged from 2 to 18 years. Le Nezet has extensive experience in International Baccalaureate education and excellence in pedagogical skills,

SEOCHEON, South Chungcheong Province - The year 2020 has been tough for the National Institute of Ecology, with the number of visitors and exhibition opportunities plummeting from the coronavirus outbreak. The wildlife center in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province, attracted 994,966 visitors on its first full year of opening and stayed relatively popular, with 823,826 visitors last year, but for the first 9 months of 2020, the NIE welcomed just 161,834 visitors. And when The Korea Herald visi

Conservative groups held “press conferences” and “drive-thru” rallies instead of large-scale protests Friday as police officers and buses were mobilized to prevent illegal demonstrations in central Seoul. Despite heated debate over whether it was necessary, police again parked buses in tight formation to control access to the Gwanghwamun area on Hangeul Day. But the police did not set up the wall of buses around the area’s main central square out of concerns over

Firefighters put out a fire at a high-rise apartment building in Ulsan, after a 13-hour struggle that started late Thursday night. A total of 91 people have been sent to hospital for smoke inhalation, but no fatalities were reported. Firefighters are continuing to search for anyone who might be inside. The blaze broke out at 11:07 p.m. Thursday at the 33-story Samhwan Art Nouveau commercial and residential building in Ulsan, and flames, fanned by strong winds, engulfed the entire building at

South Korea‘s daily coronavirus count increased by a double-digit figure for a second straight day, as health authorities are still on alert over a possible post-holiday resurgence. Korea added 54 new COVID-19 cases –- 38 locally transmitted and 16 imported from overseas – according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Friday’s tally marks a drop from 69 cases added the previous day. Before reporting double-digit figures for two consecutive days, the coun

Barring those with multiple citizenships from giving up their Korean nationality before completing mandatory military service is incompatible with the Constitution, South Korea’s constitutional court ruled Thursday. The clauses of the current Nationality Act that impose obligations and restraints on multiple nationality holders in their selection of nationality does not confirm to the Constitution, the court said in a 7 to 2 decision on a petition filed by a man with dual Korea and US cit

Employers owed more than 7 trillion won ($6.05 billion) in overdue wages to 1.53 million workers over the past 4 1/2 years, data showed Thursday. 　 According to Labor Ministry data obtained by the office of Rep. Kim Sung-won of the People Power Party, the sum of all overdue wages rose 20 percent in the four-year period from 2016-2019, from 1.43 trillion won for 325,430 workers in 2016 to 1.72 trillion won for 344,977 workers in 2019. In the first eight months of this year, unpaid wages totaled

Private elementary schools have held more in-person classes than public ones, a lawmaker said Wednesday, claiming it to be evidence of the “unequal” disruptions in students’ learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the office of Rep. Lee Tahney of the Democratic Party, private elementary schools in Seoul offered an average of 4.2 in-person classes per week, compared to just 1.9 at public schools. The data is based on lesson plans that the schools reported to the Se

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, students, parents and teachers are rediscovering the merits of a small school. While in-person classes have been limited to only once or twice a week at crowded schools in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province due to persistent coronavirus threats, rural schools with fewer than 100 students have been running normally, except for periodic body temperature checks and required mask-wearing. In late June, Lee Hyun-jin had her two girls transfer from an elementary sc

Authorities are staying on guard for another wave of rallies in downtown Seoul this coming weekend, amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. Far-right groups have taken to the streets on major holidays to condemn President Moon Jae-in, drawing thousands of protesters. One such event, held Aug. 15, Liberation Day, was blamed for a spike in the number of coronavirus cases. On Saturday, when South Koreans celebrated National Foundation Day, a large number of police officers and vehicles