Tyler Rasch and Nidhi Agrawal, who have called South Korea home for years, are no strangers to wearing many hats. Rasch is a well-known TV personality renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge of Asian history and culture. He's also an author, translator, social media influencer and climate activist. Agrawal, who moved to Korea in 2016 keen on bridging the Indian and Korean markets, has a background across the IT industry and has juggled numerous TV and lecture appointments. The two public pe

As the summer heat gives way to the crisp autumn air, it's time to start thinking about protecting yourself and your loved ones from the flu. If you’re a foreign national resident in South Korea, you may be eligible for free seasonal flu shots, one of many immunizations offered under the government's National Immunization Program, as long as you meet the same priority group criteria applied to Korean nationals. Korea’s vaccine program covers for free 18 essential vaccines f

Seoul will host a large-scale military parade Tuesday in celebration of the 76th anniversary of the Korean Armed Forces, with tanks and infantry marching through some of the city’s busiest streets. The event is expected to cause significant traffic disruptions, as major roads will be closed throughout the day. People are advised to use public transportation and adjust travel plans to avoid delays. The march will begin at 1:40 p.m. from the Seoul Air Base, in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. In

Seoul’s subway system, which serves 7 million passengers daily, recorded a total of 3,516 crimes in 2023, a 4 percent rise from the previous year, police data revealed. Misappropriation of lost property made up 42 percent of all crimes with 1,408 cases. Sexual assault accounted for 36 percent with 1,230 cases, and theft 25 percent with 855 cases, according to the data made public Sunday by Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the Democratic Party of Korea. The released data did not include comparative figu

In the middle of a bustling ballgame, a cheerleader casually fixes her makeup, seemingly preoccupied and unbothered — until a catchy beat suddenly brings her to her feet. She seamlessly launches into a dance routine, swiveling and swinging her thumb up and down to the bouncy, squeaky rhythm. This is not your typical cheerleading performance full of energy and acrobatics. Instead, the cheerleader maintains a cool, nonchalant expression as she throws her elbow up in place. The transition fro

In a bid to combat the persistent problem of drunk driving, South Korea is rolling out a new policy that will require repeat offenders to blow into a breathalyzer every time they start their car, authorities told local media on Tuesday. The policy, set to take effect on Oct. 25, applies to anyone caught driving under the influence more than twice in the past five years. Under the mandate, offenders will be responsible for installing the breathalyzer-like device -- referred to as the ignition int

Safety ranks high on the list of priorities for South Korean and foreign residents alike when choosing where to live in the country. But despite extensive online access to public records, assessing the relative security of specific Korean cities and neighborhoods remains a surprisingly challenging task. For starters, Korea generally presents an impressive safety profile, with homicide rates ranging from 0.5 to 0.6 per 100,000 residents according to the latest estimates from the United Nations Of

Chuseok is one of South Korea’s two biggest traditional holidays, bringing families together under the full moon to wish for a bountiful harvest and honor ancestors. But for hardworking ordinary people in Korea, the holiday's true significance perhaps lies in the rare opportunity it offers for people to escape the daily grind of their jobs. A recent survey conducted by a recruitment platform found that approximately one in four employees -- 25.7 percent -- plan on strategically sandwi

The bodies of two South Korean hikers who had set out to climb the Alps' highest peak have been recovered, three days after they lost contact with the rest of their group, according to the Korean Embassy in France. French authorities found the bodies approximately 100 meters from the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe at 4,897 meters, around 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, local time. The bodies of two Italian hikers who had also gone missing were found alongside the deceased Ko

In the mountains of Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, a 77-year-old forager stumbled upon a jackpot: a cluster of 13 ginseng plants with long, thin roots. Their value? A whopping 70 million won ($52,000). The discovery, reported Monday by a group calling itself the “national association of ginseng harvesters," has set the country’s ginseng enthusiasts abuzz. It has also left those unfamiliar with the plant's cultural significance scratching their heads, wondering what's

The past five days have seen a flurry of trash and debris littering the greater Seoul area again as North Korea resumed its campaign of floating hundreds of trash-carrying balloons over the border into South Korean territory. On Sunday, one of these balloons touched off a fire in a warehouse in the city of Paju, just 28 kilometers north of Seoul, local fire officials reported Monday. The fire reportedly broke out on the rooftop of a single-story pharmaceutical warehouse at around 1:59 p.m on Sun

At South Paris Arena 1, in Paris, Monday, South Korean boccia athlete Jeong Ho-won carefully surveyed the playing field from his wheelchair, as the referee, ruler in hand, measured the distances between the lined-up balls. In boccia, where winners are determined by how close their balls land to a target ball, called the jack, every fraction of an inch matters. As the referee's call all but guaranteed his win, Jeong cast aside his eye blinder and rushed to embrace his visibly emotional coach

Table tennis star and Paris Olympic double-bronze medalist Shin Yu-bin has become a favorite in the Korean food industry, landing major ad deals with top brands. The 20-year-old athlete brought home medals in mixed and women’s doubles, ending the country’s long medal drought in table tennis. Cameras caught her munching on snacks -- bananas, rice balls, and energy gels -- during breaks as the competition heated up. These endearing moments quickly went viral, adding to her charm alongs

"I made the unacceptable mistake of cheating on my wife. I offer my deepest apologies to the viewers." Actor Ji Seung-hyun, who stars in the hit K-drama "Good Partner," recently appeared in a YouTube video that at first glance looks like the real deal -- from the clickbait title ("I am Sorry") to the solemn-faced celebrity against a plain gray backdrop, bowing deeply before the camera as he delivers his pained apologies to the public. The video checks all the boxes

In South Korea, where getting into a top college is often seen as the golden ticket to success, a simple bumper sticker bearing an elite school's logo has ignited a fiery debate. The debate centers around the nation's undisputed top school, Seoul National University, and its "proud parent" bumper stickers distributed to parents of its students. An online post criticizing the SNU stickers as elitist quickly went viral, amassing millions of views and sparking heated discussions

Crispy, double-fried, and an inseparable companion to cold beer, fried chicken is South Korea's beloved go-to snack for everything from sports viewing to late-night hangouts. But the country's $5.7 billion fried chicken industry, the world's third largest behind the United States and China, is showing signs of market saturation with a growing franchise dominance. Recent data from the Korea Fair Trade Commission and Statistics Korea paint a picture of a sector in flux as major fran

Skeletal remains of a man in his 70s were discovered Thursday in a defunct motel in Ora-dong, Jeju City, police said Friday. The deceased, believed to be a former welfare recipient, had reportedly been living in the facility before its closure in 2019. Welfare officials had placed him on a watch list after losing contact in August 2020. An official conducting a premises check located the remains in a room of the abandoned building and alerted local authorities around 9:36 am Thursday. Investigat

A group of vacationers inadvertently triggered a national security investigation after a photo of their gathering with a banner jokingly referring to it as a "Communist Party" meeting circulated online. The image, which showed approximately 20 individuals including children under a banner reading "Inaugural Korean Communist Party Family Summer Camp," quickly spread across online forums, leading multiple concerned citizens to file espionage complaints with the authorities. On

This summer’s relentless heat wave isn’t just driving up temperatures – it’s also affecting tap water. On Tuesday, several cities in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Incheon and Anyang, and Gwacheon of Gyeonggi Province, issued public alerts following resident complaints about an unusual grassy odor coming from faucets. The culprit, officials said, is a widespread algae outbreak in the water reservoirs, triggered by months of scorching heat. The unpleasant smell com

In a groundbreaking moment for Korean astronomy, the International Astronomical Union has named a lunar crater after 19th-century Joseon-era polymath Nam Byeong-cheol, marking the first time a Korean name has been assigned to a feature on the moon's surface. The Danuri Magnetic Field Payload Research Team from the Department of Space Exploration at Kyung Hee University said Monday that a crater on the far side of the moon, discovered through international collaborative research, has been na