The annual Sunung, or College Scholastic Ability Test, that will decide the outcome of 12 years of education for many Korean teens is a month away. The test is a major event that pushes back working hours and the opening of the stock market by one hour, and even halts airplanes for 25 minutes for the English listening test. The Korean passion for academic achievements, coupled with Koreans’ obsession with health supplements, has given rise to a big market for supplements and traditional me

The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Lee Jae-myung, on Thursday met with the bereaved families of the Sewol Ferry sinking in 2014, and discussed follow-up measures to take. Lee invited three committees, including the committee that represents the Sewol Ferry bereaved families, to the National Assembly early Thursday and held a closed meeting regarding the investigation result of "The Special Investigation Commission on Humidifier Disinfectants and April 16 Sewol Ferr

The government announced on Thursday it will pay about 25.2 billion won ($18 million) to 300 victims for the Jeju April 3 incident. This will be the first state-given compensation since the incident occurred 74 years ago. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security's "Jeju April 3 Incident honor recovery committee" held a meeting on Jeju Island and decided to pay compensation to 300 out of 304 applicants -- 220 people who died or went missing, 77 people suffering from after

Light could be used to treat viral infections in the respiratory tract, such as the common cold, a clinical trial by a local research team showed. A Jeonbuk National University research team led by Jeong Hwan-jeong, a professor at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, and Otorhinolaryngology professor Hong Yong-tae, conducted a clinical trial on treating the common cold with a laser device from March to September. Under the trial, the team's laser device, named "Bye-Vi," was used on

The conflict between the minister of justice and the main opposition party took another turn on Thursday, with the minister openly demanding an apology over allegations raised against him. "As a victim of false news, I demand a sincere apology and responsible actions from the Democratic Party of Korea," Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said through a statement earlier in the day. Han was referring to claims made by the Democratic Party's Rep. Kim Eui-kyum that he and President Yoon

The Ministry of Justice announced comprehensive countermeasure plans to deal with young offenders, including lowering the maximum criminal minor age from 14 to 13, Wednesday. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said at a press conference at the Justice Ministry on Wednesday that the aim was not rigid adherence to discipline or lowering the age standard in itself. "It is for the reformation of juvenile offenders and protection for victims," he said. At present, offenders aged over 10 and und

Pressure on the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and the previous administration is growing, with the prosecution honing in on Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and past developments that could implicate former President Moon Jae-in. The opposition party, for its part, is denouncing the investigations as "political oppression," increasing the possibility of deepening the rift between the ruling and opposition blocs. Death and repatriation The prosecution is investigati

The fallout from the probe surrounding the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea’s leader hit the political arena Thursday, with Democratic Party lawmakers demanding certain conditions be met for a parliamentary audit to proceed, reiterating that the party is facing "political oppression." The Democratic Party halted the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, demanding an end to what they call "retaliatory investigation&

Cho Ju-bin, the ringleader of the “Baksa Room” case that shocked the nation two years ago, is facing new charges of sexually assaulting a minor, which could push his sentence to life imprisonment from the current 42 years. Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office indicted Cho on Sept. 30 on additional charges of sexually assaulting an adolescent victim and forcing her to film sexual content. This newly revealed crime began in 2018, a year before Cho began the sexual exploitati

Only about 20 people a year receive treatment to manage pedophilia, while sex offenders against minors who have been newly ordered to register their personal information surpassed 2,900 on average in last four years. Experts call for more specific standards to judge pedophilic tendency while stressing that the patients’ will is the most important factor in treatment. Pedophilia, classified as a sexual preference disorder, requires medical approach. According to data Rep. Shin Hyeon-young f

Statistics showed that among diverse social media services, Twitter is the most popularly used channel to distribute sexually exploitative content involving children, Monday. According to data Rep. Kim Young-joo of Democratic Party of Korea received from the Korea Communications Standards Commission on Monday, among 15,000 requests to delete certain content from social media services in 2021, 5,665 cases were requests regarding the child sexual exploitation. Among them, 5,180 cases were regardin

The number of guns - including powder actuated nail guns - caught by the Korea Customs Service this year jumped more than 170 times compared to five years ago, data showed Monday. According to data that the People Power Party’s Rep. Bae Joon-young received from the Korea Customs Service on Monday, weapons were found in 13,195 cases between 2017 and 2021. The items include 154 devices using gunpowder along with 130 rounds of live ammunition, 3,051 swords and knives, and 9,860 imitation guns

The Supreme Court sentenced Chang Yong-joon, also known as rapper No:el, to one year in prison for refusing to comply with a breathalyzer test, Friday. Chang, whose father is Rep. Chang Je-won of the ruling People Power Party, was drunk driving and hit another vehicle at an intersection in Seocho-gu, Seoul, around 10:30 p.m., Sept. 18, 2021. He was unlicensed at the time, and when approached by a police officer he refused to comply to a breathalyzer test and assaulted the officer. The lower cour

The personal information of 54-year-old Kim Geun-sik, a serial rapist who sexually assaulted 11 minors, will be officially posted on government website on the day of his release, said the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Friday. The ministry said that it will disclose eight pieces of personal information on Kim: his name, age, photo, address, height and weight, criminal record, court ruling and whether he has an electronic tracking device. The Gender Ministry began the process of regist

Couples outside legal boundaries are still facing various disadvantages, data showed Thursday. According to a report from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 28.3 percent of partners who are in a nontraditional form of family, such as common-law partners, said they have faced disadvantages in government policy. The survey asked 159 men and 177 women between the ages of 19 and 49 in 291 households with unmarried couples whether they have experienced any kind of discrimination or in

Visa regulations for foreign workers in the agricultural and fisheries sectors will be eased as part of efforts to address labor shortages in rural areas. According to the advance notice of legislation the Ministry of Justice announced Thursday, visa issuance regulations will be eased for workers in those sectors. Foreigners who have stayed in South Korea for longer than five years on E-9 non-professional employment visas or E-10 maritime crew visas cannot apply for visa issuance certificates, b

To expand the Hangeul Party as a global event that promotes the beauty of Korean script, The Korea Herald, Hangul Planet, Art Token and Witty sealed an agreement on Oct. 7. Hangeul Party is an event that aims to convey the beauty of Hangeul to the world. It originally kicked off as a simple event hosted by the Korean Consulate General in May 2015. From Sept. 27-30 this year, the fifth Hangeul Party was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 370 students majoring in Korean language at six

The number of police assigned to work on dating violence and stalking cases remains largely unchanged despite soaring cases, data showed Wednesday. According to data Rep. Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party received from the Seoul Metropolitan Police, the number of dating violence cases reported in 2021 was 10,266, up 223 percent from 2018. From January to August this year, 9,865 cases were reported, and the number is expected to exceed last year's figure by the end of the year. Reports o

The Japanese government resumed visa waiver programs for 68 countries and regions Tuesday, lifting COVID-19-induced restrictions for South Koreans visiting Japan. With the visa waiver program reinstated, visitors from 68 countries and regions are able to stay in Japan for up to 90 days without a visa. The upper limit of people entering the country per day -- set at 50,000 -- has also been abolished, and individual visitors coming for sightseeing are now allowed. Antivirus measures remain in plac

The number of people in their 20s who died by suicide in Seoul last year increased by 9.3 percent compared to the previous year, exceeding the proportion of those in their 30s and 40s, the data showed Monday. According to data Rep. Chung Woo-taik of the People Power Party received from Seoul Metropolitan City and Seoul Police Agency, a total of 2,034 people took their own lives in Seoul last year. Among them, 655 people, or 32.2 percent, were in their 60s or older, followed by those in their 20s