High school education will be free for all students in South Korea starting next year with expanded budget support. This would make education free for all primary, middle and high school students. The Ministry of Education said Tuesday that it was seeking a budget of 76.3 trillion won ($64.48 billion) for 2021, up 0.8 percent, or 601.5 billion won, from the 75.7 trillion won allotted this year. The proposed budget, set for a parliamentary review later this week, would increase spending on hig

Seoul Foreign School has been recognized for its architectural design that promotes unique learning experiences. The Seoul-based independet international school announced Tuesday that its high school building, designed by New York-based Ennead Architects, was awarded an International Distinguished Building, Landscape Architecture, and Urbanism Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. The SFS building will be featured in “Global Design + Urbanism XX: New Interna

South Korea is preparing for another strong typhoon expected to strike Jeju Island and southern coastal areas from Wednesday through Thursday, likely as one of the most powerful typhoons ever to hit the country. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety raised the alert level from “attention” to “caution” at 9 a.m. Tuesday and started running an emergency response team in preparation of Typhoon Maysak. By 3 p.m., the ninth typhoon of the year was around 220 kilometers no

Typhoon Maysak, expected to hit southern parts of Korea on Wednesday and Thursday, is forecast to intensify into a “very strong” storm late Monday, the weather agency said. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, as of 9 a.m. Monday, the ninth typhoon of the year was 470 kilometers south of the island of Okinawa, Japan, advancing northeast at a speed of 31 kilometers per hour toward the peninsula, as of 9 a.m. on Monday. With a maximum wind speed of 43 meters per seco

No casualties or major damages were reported from Typhoon Bavi, which cruised through Korea on Thursday. Typhoon warnings and advisories were lifted for all parts of the country Thursday, and the Korea Meteorological Agency forecast a return of sweltering summer heat, once the storm clouds clear. Typhoon Bavi, packing strong gusts of up to 45 meters per second, battered the southern island of Jeju on Wednesday and traveled northward through the Yellow Sea, affecting western parts of the coun

South Korea fell under the influence of a “very strong” typhoon Wednesday, with typhoon advisories issued for some of its southern regions. Authorities are bracing for one of the most powerful typhoons of the year, which is expected to directly impact the capital region. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Wednesday that as of 4 p.m. Typhoon Bavi was 200 kilometers west of Jeju Island and was advancing north at 22 kilometers per hour. The tropical storm had a maximum wind s

South Korea on Tuesday decided to close all schools and kindergartens in the capital area until mid-September, except for one particular grade -- high school seniors. Amid warnings over the coronavirus’s fast spread in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, keeping seniors in school is a “preemptive measure” both to protect students and to ensure that this year’s national college entrance exam goes ahead as planned, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said in a press briefing

Typhoon Bavi could grow to be one of the strongest to hit Korea in years, packing strong winds that could damage or destroy vehicles and outdoor structures, the weather agency said Monday. 　 According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the eighth typhoon of the year that formed off the east coast of Taiwan last week was around the northwestern coast of Okinawa, Japan, as of 4 p.m. Monday, advancing at a speed of 12 kilometers per hour toward South Korea. With a maximum wind speed of 1

Police on Sunday vowed to sternly deal with misinformation and actions obstructing the country’s efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, as fears of a second, deadlier wave grow. In a public statement, the Korean National Police Agency announced it will “thoroughly investigate any attempt to undermine the social trust and threaten the health and safety of citizens.” Since the virus arrived here in January through Thursday, police have arrested a total 202 pe

A typhoon is expected to pass through South Korea this week, likely battering the Seoul metropolitan area on its course. Typhoon Bavi, packing wind gusts of up to 97 kilometers per hour, with an atmospheric pressure of 985 hectopascals at its center, was 330 kilometers northeast of Taiwan as of 3 p.m. Sunday, traveling north at a speed of 11 kilometers per hour, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. It was forecast to reach Jeju Island at around 4 a.m. Wednesday, make landfall

About six months after the first coronavirus wave, South Korea is once again in turmoil from a large cluster of infections traced to churchgoers. At the center of the ongoing COVID-19 resurgence is Sarang Jeil Church, led by a controversial pastor with far-right, extremist political inclinations, which has emerged as the country’s second-largest virus cluster with over 600 confirmed cases. But smaller-scale breakouts have popped up nationwide at scores of other Protestant churches as wel

Seeing a stabilizing trend of new coronavirus cases in the past few months, many students, teachers and parents had hoped the coming second semester of the school year would be different. The first semester had been punctuated with weeks of closures followed by weeks of online-only classes and a mix of online and offline formats, with the former remaining the mainstay -- all because of the COVID-19 outbreak. But with COVID-19 cases suddenly surging in the capital region, including dozens of ca

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has entered an emergency phase as its approval rating fell behind that of the conservative opposition United Future Party -- for the first time in almost three years -- a survey revealed Thursday. The Realmeter survey found the ruling party’s support rating reach 33.4 percent, down 1.7 percentage points from a week earlier, while the United Future Party gained 1.9 percentage points to 36.5 percent. It is the first time the main opposition party has su

Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung is leading in a popularity poll for the next presidency, a survey showed Friday. In a Gallup survey of 1,001 adults in South Korea conducted from Tuesday to Thursday, Gov. Lee for the first time raced ahead of Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Nak-yon in terms of popularity. Over 19 percent of the respondents preferred Gov. Lee, up 6 percentage points from a month earlier. The endorsement rate for his political rival Rep. Lee dropped 7 percentage points to

Thousands of doctors on Friday staged a nationwide walkout as talks with the government over medical reform plans fell through. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 24.7 percent of 33,836 medical clinics, hospitals and institutions announced Thursday that they would be closed on Friday. The ministry said the actual closure rate for Friday could be higher considering the ongoing vacation season. Under the lead of the Korea Medical Association, which represents 130,000 doctors, medi

The July weather in South Korea was cooler than June for the first time in recorded history this year, in yet another disturbing sign of climate change on the Korean Peninsula. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the average temperature in June was 22.8 degrees Celsius, the highest June on record since data began to be compiled in 1973. July temperatures averaged 22.7 degrees Celsius, slightly lower than that of June. It is the first time that June was hotter than July. Nor

The government plans to launch a joint inspection of dams and weirs installed in the nation’s four major rivers for their possible flood control effectiveness, following President Moon Jae-in’s earlier call for the effort. The Ministry of Environment said Wednesday it will join forces with civilian experts to verify whether the so-called four rivers project helped mitigate flood risks during the recent torrential rains, as claimed by the conservative opposition United Future Party.

The government is doubling its subsidies for disaster relief and repair efforts as the country faces a record-long monsoon season that has caused significant casualties and property damage. The decision was made during a meeting involving the Cabinet, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the Blue House at the National Assembly on Wednesday morning. “We came to a consensus that national-level support is needed for regions affected by the unprecedented rainfall and discussed the need f

Tuesday marked the 49th day of the summer monsoon, tying the record for South Korea’s longest rainy season since data has been recorded. With no letup in sight for this wet streak, the country is expected to break the record set in 2013. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, this year’s rainy season, which started June 24, is forecast to continue until Aug. 16, with heavy rains expected mostly in the capital, Seoul, as well as in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces. Jeju

Tuesday marked the 49th day of this year‘s monsoon, tying the record for South Korea’s longest rainy season since data has been recorded. With no letup in sight for this wet streak, the country is expected to break the record, set in 2013, at midnight. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, this year’s rainy season, which started on June 24, is forecast to continue until Aug. 16, with more heavy rains expected mostly in the capital Seoul and Gyeonggi and Gangwo