Seoul's police chief said at a press conference Monday that there was no human rights violation during the police investigation of Kim Ho-joong, a trot singer who was arrested for an alleged DUI hit-and-run last month, saying that he had been treated the same as the other suspects and people involved in the case. The embattled trot singer has said that his human rights were violated during the police investigation because officers had forced him to exit the police station through its main e

A committee under the International Labour Organization recently requested the South Korean government to provide details on a planned amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations under the United Nations agency aiming to advance social and economic justice by setting international labor standards, said Tuesday that it had filed a "direct request" with the Korean government in March for f

One in every 10 households in Seoul has a dog registered as a pet, with Maltese being the most common breed, a report showed Thursday. Some 612,000 dogs are registered in Seoul, 17.5 percent of the total dogs registered across the country. Of the total, some 20 percent of dog owners said they had a Maltese, according to the report released by the Seoul Digital Foundation, affiliated with the Seoul metropolitan government. The list of common breeds also included Poodles, mixed-breed dogs, Pomeran

Former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup had multiple phone calls with President Yoon Suk Yeol on the day that an internal investigation over a marine corporal's death was transferred to and returned from civilian police in August last year, communication records show. Yoon called Lee directly three times on Aug. 2 between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. soon after the internal report by a Marine investigator was sent to the police in the morning, according to the records obtained by Yonhap News Agency. T

Seoul will open the first-ever hotel built on a bridge, connecting the northern and southern parts of the city, the city government announced Tuesday. Named Sky Suite, the hotel is located on the northern end of the Hangang Bridge, where scenic views of the Han River can be enjoyed all day. The hotel is set to open to the public in July. “With the opening of Sky Suite Hangang Bridge, the city is looking forward to sharing the charms of the Han River and Seoul with the world," said

The 1st Sium Sium Han River Triathlon Festival inviting participants to complete swimming, cycling, and running events within 48 hours will take place along the Han river in Seoul in June. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday that the festival would take place on June 1 and 2 at the Ttukseom Han River Park in Seoul. Under the slogan, “Sium Sium” meaning "chill-out" in Korean, the festival is intended to ensure that everyone, regardless of age or gender, can

Celebrity dog trainer Kang Hyung-wook and his dog training business Bodeum Company are facing criticism for allegedly mistreating employees. According to several reviews on Job Planet, an online recruitment and job search platform, Kang and his wife Susan Elder, who serves as the company executive, surveilled employees’ work messages that were sent using an instant messaging app, used violent language, gaslighted employees, and asked them to run excessive errands on their days off. Startin

South Korea has the worst gender pay gap among the 38 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development according to 2022 data, an OECD estimate showed on Thursday. This marked the 27th year straight that Asia's fourth-largest economy recorded the most severe gender pay gap among the member states. The 2022 figure showed Korea's female workers were paid on average 31.2 percent less than their male counterparts in 2022, or 68.8 percent, the data showed. The d

The 2024 20th World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) Conference Gwangju-Gyeonggi will open in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, in July, hosting more than 2,000 musicians from over 30 countries, according to the municipal government. This year's edition of the biennial symphonic wind music festival will run from July 16-20. The music festival in the suburbs southeast of Seoul will include main concerts, lectures, fringe festivals and exhibitions, among which the main concer

Oh Dong-woon, the new chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, pledged Wednesday to strengthen the agency's role as an independent investigative body and to restore public trust. In his inaugural address, Oh said, “The CIO has been criticized for falling short of public expectations. My responsibility is to strengthen the agency's role as an independent investigative body in line with the purpose for which the CIO was created.” “Since t

The first 100 Filipino domestic workers will arrive in Seoul as early as September, with observers saying they are expected to earn at least 1.5 million won ($1,135) per month, in line with this year's minimum wage, according to South Korea's Labor Ministry, Monday. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said that the Philippine government posted a job notification earlier this month for 100 Filipino domestic workers willing to work in Seoul. The notification followed a wrap-up of discus

Police raided popular trot singer Kim Ho-joong's house in Seoul on Thursday night over allegations regarding a hit-and-run accident, officials said. According to Seoul Gangnam Police Station, investigators searched Kim's house and the home and office of Lee Kwang-deuk, the head of Kim's agency, Think Entertainment, to figure out the whereabouts of Kim and his manager following the incident. Kim is suspected of hitting a taxi on the opposite side of the road and fleeing the scene w

South Korea’s human rights commission on Friday called for Koreans and the government to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBTQ rights. Song Doo-hwan, chair of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, issued a statement Friday to mark the 2024 International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia & Transphobia. Celebrated annually on May 17, the day marks the anniversary of the World Health Organization’s decision in 1990 to declass

The debate has intensified over indoor spaces barring older people, notably sparked by local reports of residents in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, debating on online forums whether to designate a newly opened public swimming pool as a "no-seniors zone." One commenter posted: “People over 65 use the pool in a very dirty way, such as urinating in the water, and complain a lot, which ruins the atmosphere. Their use should be restricted.” The pool in question, reportedly

The nominee for the new chief prosecutor of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials is set to explain multiple accusations against him and his family, including allegations of nepotism, in a confirmation hearing scheduled for Friday. Oh Dong-woon, a former judge and attorney, was nominated last month to lead the state investigation agency but has since been mired in controversy surrounding the hiring of his wife at a law firm he worked for between January 2018 and Octobe

Seoul Metro has installed spikes to keep pigeons from roosting in its stations and will introduce more such measures, it said Monday. The operator of Seoul subway lines No. 1 through 8 announced that it has introduced spikes and would soon adopt other measures to deter pigeons and other birds, including nets, bird repellent gel and ultrasonic bird repellers. These measures have come as complaints about birds have increased. Seoul Metro said it received 131 total complaints about pigeons specific

The South Korean prosecution is gearing up to summon Korean American pastor Choi Jae-young whose spy camera footage shows him meeting with first lady Kim Keon Hee and giving her a Christian Dior handbag valued at 3 million won ($2,210). The Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office is scheduled to question Choi officially on Monday for the first time. It comes in the wake of the video's public disclosure last November by local media outlet and YouTube channel Voice of Seoul. The outle

A local court ordered the government to pay 10 million won ($7,500) in compensation to the Moroccan asylum seeker who was detained in the Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center for months beginning in March 2021 and suffered inhuman treatment there. The Seoul Central District Court delivered the ruling Thursday, about three years after the incident occurred at the detention center, during which the detainee was hog-tied, with his hands and feet bound behind his back. The Moroccan man originally a

A recent court ruling has declared it unlawful for the first time to require gender-affirmation surgery as a prerequisite for legally changing one's gender. Judges at the Yeongdong branch of the Cheongju District Court recently granted permission to five people who have not undergone gender reassignment surgeries to change their legal gender from male to female on their family registers. The decision was confirmed by the court on Thursday. The individuals, originally registered as male at b

In recent months, a wave of murders targeting ex-girlfriends has not only sent shock waves across the country but has also raised questions about why these incidents occur and how such a crime can be prevented. The murder of a woman in her 20s by her boyfriend on Monday atop a building near Gangnam Station in Seoul, which occurred following her request to end the relationship, tragically mirrors a distressing trend of similar incidents. The suspect, whom the authorities only identified as a 20-s