Nearly 7,300 South Korean nationals were victims of accidents or crimes in other countries during the first half of this year, with 19 of them murdered, data showed Monday. Data released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reveals that a total of 7,294 Korean nationals were victims of accidents or crimes while overseas during the 6-month period from January to June this year, marking an approximate 44 percent on-year increase. This rise comes as Korea saw a more than sevenfold on-year increas

Besides the enduring popularity of Korean staples, a series of food crazes has been providing fresh gustatory excitement in Korea, however temporary their popularity may be. These trending foods span a wide array of categories, ranging from beverages and snacks to bread and noodles. Some are fleeting fads, while others become consistent sellers in the food industry. And then there are also those relinquish their momentary fame to other emerging culinary sensations. Currently reigning supreme are

More Koreans are expressing a preference for offering cash instead of gift sets to their parents during the Chuseok holiday, data showed Thursday. According to a survey conducted by KB Kookmin Card, a subsidiary of South Korea's KB Financial Group, among a total of 420 survey participants, 91 percent are planning to prepare gifts either in monetary or non-monetary form for their parents, with almost 80 percent opting for cash while 43 percent are considering product purchases. In terms

Seoul City is organizing a job fair for marriage-based immigrants this week, as part of its efforts to help their integration into Korean society and unlock a pool of bilingual potential workers, officials said Wednesday. The event, to be held at Seoul Women's Plaza on Thursday, aims to link local businesses to foreign nationals who are married to Korean nationals and proficient in more than one language. Among the participating businesses, some 15, such as those related to medical tours an

When Alpha Motor Corporation unveiled its Wolf electric truck at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show this spring, Edward Lee, the founder, CEO and chairman of the board of the US-based EV startup, presented a key solution for a healthier future -- design. As the chief architect of Alpha Motor, which earned the title of "2023 EV Manufacturer of the Year, California" at the Corporate LiveWire Global Awards, Lee is dedicated to commercializing cutting-edge automobiles and innovative mobility

What if you could locate where satellites are in space just by listening to the sounds they make? The Orbit Pavilion at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, where the sounds visitors hear map out the trajectories of 19 satellites orbiting Earth, offers real-time auditory connections to space. But this experience would not be as compelling without the pavilion's giant seashell design, which transports visitors to the celestial landscape of satellites by representing their chat

Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh cherishes the connection to the past and weaves it into her architectural creations for a sustainable future. With a deliberate focus on invoking memory, time, and space from the traces of the past, she aims to bridge the chasm between disparate time frames -- the past and the future -- ultimately unifying the human experience with nature in the realm of architecture. During her presentation at the Herald Design Forum on Tuesday, Ghotmeh expounded on her archi

One in 5 drivers in Seoul to have been ticketed has unpaid parking violation fines, resulting in an accumulated unpaid sum of 11.3 billion won ($8.5 million), the city of Seoul reported. According to data released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday, the capital city witnessed approximately 1.42 million parking violation instances during an eight-month period from January to August this year. A total of 55.2 billion won was levied in fines, but approximately 20 percent, amounting to

The act of purchasing Christmas gifts was viewed as a luxurious indulgence for Koreans in December 1997, as the nation was beset by deepening economic woes amid the Asian financial crisis. "Won plunges to record low," was the boldest headline on the Christmas Eve edition of The Korea Herald in 1997, which delivered a news story that was decidedly incongruous with the typical consumerist holiday spirit. The Korean currency, having significantly depreciated, had plummeted to an all-tim

The South Korean government appears to be reconsidering its earlier plan to introduce a disposable cup return program by 2025, in spite of the country’s proliferation of cafes and their widespread use of single-use cups. Designed by the previous Moon Jae-in administration, the deposit-refund system for plastic cups mandates cafe and restaurant owners to impose a surcharge of 300 won ($0.23) on each takeaway cup, eligible for a refund upon return of the used cup. Ahead of its scheduled nati

On the high-traffic Seoul Subway Line No. 2 sits Sillim Station in southwestern Seoul, which recently added the Sillim Line to Seoul’s sprawling web of metro stations. Sillim Station bustles with budding Seoulites, mostly university students and office workers, who take advantage of the neighborhood’s easy accessibility to universities like Seoul National University, as well as key business districts like Gangnam and Yeouido. Yet, it's not solely the location that adds to the

The expansion of the Korean fried chicken market has been driven by young Korean consumers using delivery services, with the biggest spenders accounting for nearly half of the sales, data showed Thursday. According to data released by KB Kookmin Card, a subsidiary of South Korea's KB Financial Group, the top 10 percent of individuals who splurge the most on Korean fried chicken constitute 41.5 percent of total fried chicken sales. On average, these individuals shell out approximately 80,0

A young Buddhist monk with a strong social media presence has created a sensation by selling out tickets to a temple tour program. According to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, a free nighttime tour of Hwaeomsa, which accepts 22 participants on a first-come, first-served basis, was fully booked in about four hours after booking opened. The program includes a tea time session with Venerable Beomjeong, who belongs to the temple located on Jirisan Mountain in South Jeolla Province. Venerable B

Browsing through a collection of photographs on his smartphone, Kim, a 28-year-old Seoul resident, fondly revisited moments from a recent art exhibition. Before long, some of these digitized memories would find their place on his social media profile, joining the stream of posts from young South Koreans eager to flaunt their recent museum adventures online. “This customary practice of taking artsy photos has taken root fairly recently, ever since I came across my friend’s online po

Jeju, South Korea's southern resort island, saw a 16 percent drop in domestic tourist arrivals in the peak vacation season of July and August, data showed Monday. According to statistics provided by the Jeju Tourism Association, the volcanic island received some 2.13 million domestic tourists in the two-month period. That is about 397,000 less visits, compared to the previous year's figure of 2.53 million. Total tourist arrivals encompassing both domestic and foreign visitors came in a

Seoul City has seen a threefold increase on-year in the number of serious heat-related illnesses this summer, authorities said Friday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Management Headquarters, a total of 158 cases were reported through 911 emergency calls between May 15 and Aug. 31. This year's figure is approximately three times larger than the 50 cases recorded last year. Of those patients, 104 were diagnosed with heat exhaustion, followed by 24 cases of heat stroke

Divorced singles looking for new relationships regretted not having been more generous and kind toward their partners during their marriages, a survey showed Monday. According to the survey of 516 divorcees (258 men and 258 women), conducted by South Korean matchmaking agencies Only U and Bien-Aller, the highest percentage of male respondents at 29.1 percent said they should have been "more generous" in their past married life, while 32.2 percent of female respondents regretted not hav

From dimly-lit dens shrouded in cigarette smoke in the 1990s to bright, cafe-like environments in the 2020s, South Korea's internet cafes – called “PC bang” in Korean -- have updated their appearance and services to stay relevant amid rapid changes in people's lifestyles and preferences here. These days, PC bang are stocked with state-of-the-art computer equipment and super high-speed internet, offering a myriad of video game titles for players, while serving as s

"The Korean Zombie," Jung Chan-sung, a 36-year-old South Korean mixed martial arts veteran, lost his battle against former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Max Holloway at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Saturday, seeing the two-time UFC title challenger leaving the octagon for good. Despite being on the losing foot throughout the fight, the Korean Zombie gave his best during the adrenaline-fueled bout. Known for his never-back-down fighting style, J

Contagious laughter broke out among a group of 6-year-olds as 78-year-old Yang Moon-jah energetically narrated a Korean folktale about a fart competition between a man and a woman. The septuagenarian delivered the tale with impeccable clarity, ensuring every word resonated throughout the entire 20-minute storytelling session. Officially known as an "iyagi halmeoni" in Korean, which translates into "storytelling grandmother," Yang boasts nine years of storytelling experience w