A 15-year-old boy who was bullied has accused his school of not allowing him to speak freely about his experience, leaving him to transfer to another school. The boy, who was bullied for two months at a boarding high school in Gyeongsang Province this year, had wanted to share his experience at a weekly school meeting, but was asked to submit his speech in advance for review and adhere to certain restrictions, the boy's family was quoted as saying in local media reports Wednesday. Under t

A man in his 20s was arrested for extorting money from two women after tricking them into thinking he was the heir of a "chaebol" family by using a high-end imported vehicle and luxury goods, said police Tuesday. "Chaebol" refers to family owned Korean conglomerates. According to the Busan Haeundae Police Station, the man, who is now facing charges of theft, robbery, extortion, and fraud, is suspected of imprisoning two women between June 9 and 16 in Seoul and Gyeonggi Prov

A photo of a tip jar in a Korean cafe has ignited a fierce online debate, raising concerns about the possible spread of tipping culture in the country. A Twitter post on Sunday that read, "A type of culture we don't want to have in Korea: tipping," shared a picture of a glass jar labeled "Tip Box" and filled with South Korean bills. The tweet says that tipping in Korean culture is an unnecessary practice, because, in the author's understanding, the intention behin

An SUV fell into a playground located on the lower ground-level of an apartment complex in Seo-gu, Incheon, leaving one dead and one seriously injured, police said Monday. According to police, the SUV had collided with a smaller vehicle in a ground-level parking lot before crashing through a 1-meter high brick wall. The vehicle then plummeted to the playground at around 4:53 p.m., situated 20-30 meters below the parking lot. The driver, a 79-year-old man, sustained severe injuries and was sent t

A one-time, one-hour job for preparing a birthday gift for a panda named Fubao attracted over 10,000 applicants, its popularity stemming from the much-valued panda as well as the job’s high hourly wage. Everland, South Korea's largest outdoor amusement park, along with Danggeun Market, a hyperlocal e-commerce platform, revealed that they selected only three finalists from a staggering 13,621 applicants during the recruitment process. This translates to a highly competitive ratio of 4,

More than 70 percent of Koreans are either unsure or do not plan on going on a summer vacation this year, with 1 in 3 citing financial reasons, a survey showed Friday. According to a survey that polled 3,000 individuals aged between 20 to 69, conducted by PMI, an online research institution, 36.8 percent of respondents have no plans for a summer vacation. Another 36.2 percent have not yet made a firm decision, bringing the total percentage of respondents unlikely to enjoy a summer vacation to ov

A 49-year-old senior hospital administrator has been sentenced to three years in prison for drugging nursing assistants and sexually assaulting them, Daejeon High Court said Thursday. The court banned him from working at facilities associated with children or the disabled for a period of five years. Additionally, he was required to participate in 80 hours of treatment programs for sexual offenders. In January of last year, during a staff dinner gathering at the hospital in Eumseong, North Chungc

Prison terms have been requested for a dog owner and her male accomplice who buried a poodle alive, the Jeju District Prosecutor's Office revealed on Thursday. During the final trial at Jeju District Court, the prosecutors sought sentences of 18 months and 10 months for the woman in her 30s and the man in his 40s, respectively. They were indicted on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act. According to Article 10 of the Animal Protection Act, those who commit animal abuse face up t

Former South Korean soccer player Lee Chun-soo apprehended a drunken hit-and-run driver on Seoul's Olympic Expressway, police said Wednesday. According to Seoul Dongjak Police Station, at around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday, Lee handed over the drunken driver to police when they arrived at the reported crime scene where the driver had crashed into a taxi and tried to flee. On his way back home after filming for a TV show, Lee got out of his car after he heard a taxi driver asking for help to catch

The prosecution is seeking a life imprisonment for a 43-year-old woman who colluded with her middle school son in the murder of her husband, in her second trial at Daejeon High Court on Wednesday. In October, the woman was referred to trial on charges of manslaughtering her 50-year-old husband. She was sentenced to life in the first trial. When her husband fell asleep at home, she stabbed him with a needle filled with antifreeze, and then struck him using blunt objects. The son further faced

A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for stealing a car while posing as a prospective buyer, Daegu District Court said Tuesday. In January, the man met with the owner of a Porsche in the parking lot of an auto repair shop in Busan to negotiate the purchase of the vehicle. He asked to inspect the car's interior, but on entering the vehicle, he started the engine and drove away without finalizing the deal. While making his escape, he pushed the owner, who had tried to

The Busan District Court on Tuesday handed down a suspended sentence to a deliveryman for causing the death of a resident in an apartment complex after a physical altercation over the use of an elevator. The court imposed a two-year jail sentence suspended for three years with 80 hours of community service. The deliveryman faced charges of manslaughter after he pushed the resident with his shoulder, causing the resident to fall head-first to the floor and suffer a traumatic brain hemorrhage. T

Attendees of a Psy concert were taking flak online Monday for soaking Seoul subways after enjoying the Korean singer-songwriter's summer concert, known for its water bomb spectacle. Psy held his iconic annual summer concert, "Psy Summer Swag 2023," from Friday to Sunday in Seoul. Attendees were provided with raincoats and waterproof plastic bags for their convenience. The concert organizer recommended that attendees wear raincoats to keep themselves warm on the way back home. Howe

The authorities are trying to identify the body of a woman found in Seokchon Lake in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, police said Monday. According to the Songpa Fire Station, a Lotte World theme park worker noticed a body floating in the western part of the lake at 8:18 a.m. This worker was reportedly conducting an inspection near the entrance of Magic Island, the outdoor theme park within Lotte World. At approximately 8:40 a.m., the fire department retrieved the body from the lake and handed t

South Korea may not be the birthplace of coffee and cafe culture, but its passion for both is extraordinary, rivaling that of cafe meccas such as Italy and France. Cafes are found in almost every nook and corner of Seoul, as well as elsewhere throughout the country. A common sight in these establishments is individuals occupying tables meant for four, engrossed in their intellectual activities, predominantly studying, with their headphones plugged in. These individuals are called "cagongj

Max Park only needed 3.13 seconds to solve a 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube, setting his fifth Guinness World Records in speed cubing, at an event in California last weekend. According to Guinness World Records, the 21-year-old Korean-American advanced the previous record of 3.47 seconds, held by China's Yusheng Du since 2018, by 0.34 seconds. Smashing records at a breathtaking speed in other speed cubing categories, Park also holds Guinness World Records for solving 4x4x4, 5x5x5, 6x6x6 and 7x7x7

With peak pandemic days now in the past, blood donations are rebounding in South Korea, though donations have yet to reach pre-COVID levels, according to the Korean Red Cross on Wednesday, which is also World Blood Donor Day. This year’s donations are up 5 percent from the corresponding period in 2022, recording a total of 1,014,000 as of May this year. The blood bank’s website shows that on Wednesday, it has 6.5 days’ worth of blood supplies and that blood type O is in relat

"Would you drink Fukushima water?" This seems to be a defining question in the intense debate over Japan’s planned discharge of the treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo became the latest figure to be brought into the debate. During his appearance at the National Assembly on Monday, he was asked the question to which he answered, “If it has undergone a scientifically proven purification p

People living in urban areas are more likely to experience mental stress while those in rural areas are more likely to drink and smoke, data showed Monday. Findings in the 2022 Community Health Survey, conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, showed Seoulites recorded the lowest rate of smoking among the six groups studied, but that they had higher levels of alcohol consumption. Compared to other areas, however, they are less likely to binge drink. The survey looked into the

    Last week, South Korea’s largest umbrella union declared a boycott of the country’s tripartite social dialogue channel, declaring an "all-out war" against what they called the “anti-labor” administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The decision by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions has effectively struck down the Economic, Social and Labor Council, as it has been the sole labor representative in the presidential consultative body for labor polic