The number of daycare centers in Seoul, which accommodate infants and toddlers under age seven, has decreased by 24 percent in the last five years as the country has continued to record the world's lowest fertility rate, data showed Friday According to statistics from the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Friday, the number of daycare centers in Seoul was 4,712 as of the end of 2022, which decreased by 24.3 percent from 6,226 in 2017. The number of daycare centers by year has been steadily

Three out of 10 elementary and middle school students suffered from anxiety, depression, and stress during COVID-19, but more than half of them did not ask for help, according to survey results released on Wednesday. The Korean Educational Development Institute conducted a survey on a total of 26,332 people consisting of 9,607 elementary students, 13,856 middle school students and 2,869 elementary and middle school faculty members. The survey was on psychological changes in students during the C

A city council member in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, is facing intensifying criticism after making the discriminatory remark that one out of 10 Vietnamese in Korea is a drug user. Yang Tae-seok, a member of the Geoje City Council from the People Power Party, made such remarks during a city council meeting held to discuss a new ordinance to support foreign workers’ labor environment on April 20. Expressing his negative stance on the ordinance, Yang said, "One out of 10 Vietnamese

BUAN, North Jeolla Province -- With less than 100 days to go, South Korea’s Boy and Girl Scouts are eagerly anticipating the 25th World Scout Jamboree, which will bring together around 43,000 teenagers from 170 countries around the world. Ahn Ye-sung, a 17-year-old student at Buan High School in Buan-gun, North Jeolla Province, is one of three thousand Korean students fortunate enough to seize a one-time-only opportunity to participate in the Jamboree, which will be held under the theme of

With South Korea having lifted its mask mandate in stages, the number of patients with respiratory infections -- especially infants -- has been rapidly increasing, data showed Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country saw a total of 13,268 patients hospitalized at 220 government-monitored medical institutions for seven weeks from March to April 2023. The figure is more than 13 times the 1,002 people hospitalized during the same period last year. In particu

Song Young-gil, the former leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, said Saturday he is willing to take full political responsibility over recent allegations of illicit funds surrounding him, but denied any wrongdoing. Song held a press conference in Paris and said he will withdraw from the Democratic Party and comply with the probe. “To take full political responsibility, I am leaving the Democratic Party of Korea and stepping down from the party's senior adviser posi

North Jeolla Province Gov. Kim Kwan-young on Wednesday presented his vision to boost the province as an agriculture and biotechnology hub of South Korea. Kim, a two-time lawmaker in his early 50s who took office in July, delivered a speech at the Global Business Forum hosted by The Korea Herald, touting the province's strengths in the agriculture industry and its potential. There are a total of 47 organizations and institutes related to agriculture in North Jeolla Province, including the Ru

The number of registered people with disabilities accounts for 5.2 percent of the South Korean population, with more than half aged 65 or older, data showed Wednesday. According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the proportion of registered people with disabilities has steadily increased since 2003, due to the expansion of services for registered individuals and better understanding of the registration policy. The proportion has remained at about 5 percent of the tota

Eighty-six people will be given disciplinary measures for intentionally not paying for child support even after receiving orders from the court. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Friday it has decided to impose penalties on 86 of those who neglected their duty to pay child support expenses at the 29th Child Care Review Committee. By type of disciplinary measures, there are six people whose identity has been revealed to the public, 41 people who are banned from leaving the country a

Incheon is the only municipality in South Korea with a growing population and a home to many global organizations making the city more international and competitive, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said at a forum Wednesday. “Incheon is the only city with a growing population. Active reclamation projects are also possible as Incheon is adjacent to the sea and mud flats, so we have infinite possibilities,” he said in his speech titled “Incheon’s dream, South Korea’s future"

South Korea was blanketed by a yellow dust storm from China, with the fine dust density level hitting a record high this year in almost every part of the nation Wednesday. As of 5 p.m., the fine dust level in every region in the country was classified as "very bad," which is the worst level. The Ministry of Environment said Wednesday that it has raised its yellow dust crisis warning, which had been issued to 17 cities and provinces nationwide the previous day, from "attention"

One man was found dead in a wildfire that spread fast due to strong winds blowing across Gangneung, Gangwon Province, leading hundreds of residents, students and tourists to evacuate due to safety concerns, on Tuesday. According to the Gangwon Fire Headquarters, the forest fire broke out in the Nangok-dong area of the city, 260 kilometers west of Seoul, at around 8:30 a.m. and the flames then began to spread to houses nearby and other areas through the strong winds. About 379 hectares of forest,

Police said Monday they were tracking a suspect who posted a terror threat online toward President Yoon Suk Yeol. According to police, a 112 report was filed Sunday night that a terror threat had been posted to a moderate conservative online community. The suspect uploaded the post at 10:22 p.m. on Sunday along with a photo of a pistol. The registration number of the pistol was covered. "I bought the pistol with cryptocurrency and finally received it. The president has ruined the country an

Half of the single-person households live in poverty, and 7 out of 10 older adults living alone are also poor, according to a study. As the number of single-person households continues to increase sharply, there is a pressing need for countermeasures to address this issue, the Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs report published Sunday said. The 2022 Poverty Statistical Yearbook report revealed that in 2020, the relative poverty rate based on disposable income, which measures the percen

The court has ordered the state to provide compensation to the bereaved family of a soldier who committed suicide in the 1960s, after enduring intense training and harassment. This ruling comes 54 years after the soldier's death. According to legal sources on Sunday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that the state should pay a net total of some 19 million won ($14,400) per person to the three brothers of the deceased soldier, whose name remains unknown. The deceased was found dead in

BUSAN -- Celebrating the visit of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation to Busan, the southeastern port city held a variety of cultural events including a "K-Culture Night" concert featuring Soprano Jo Su-mi and singer Rain. Held on Wednesday evening at the Busan Cinema Center, the concert was attended by thousands of people, despite chilly weather and rain. From classical music to K-pop performances by Oh My Girl, the show was designed to showcase the wide and dive

BUSAN -- Baek Kyung-ran, born and raised in Busan, has never seen the city in such a festive mood before, except perhaps for the time when the country was hosting the World Cup 21 years ago. "Things have definitely changed around here. I see so many banners related to promoting the Expo on public transportation and street lamps. I also saw cheerleaders and dance teams performing to promote the country’s bid to host the World Expo on the streets," she said in front of Busan Statio

The southeastern port city of Busan plans to seek detailed and meaningful solutions for global warming if it were to host the World Expo 2030. The city has already picked "Sustainable Living with Nature" as one of its World Expo subtopics, and has decided to build eco-friendly transport infrastructure connecting the potential World Expo site to the city’s central area. “No World Expo throughout history had dealt with climate change issues," said Cho You-jang, director

The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) committee visited Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul on Monday evening, where promotional events were held to support Busan to win the bid for World Expo 2030. Representatives of the BIE came to South Korea on Sunday, and are scheduled to meet government officials and visit Busan to assess the city's suitability to host the World Expo. The eight members of the BIE took a stroll around the LED rose garden, and listened to explanations of the gia