While the season’s freezing temperatures gripped South Korea on Wednesday morning, a group of disabled protesters on wheelchairs staged their rush-hour subway protests at around 8 a.m. -- once again paralyzing train operations at Samgakji Station on Seoul’s subway Line No. 4. The 15 protesters are from Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, Korea’s largest disability rights group. Protesters usually stand in front of subway doors to stop people from entering and exiting,

Worries of a possible resurgence of COVID-19 this winter is weighing on the South Korean government, as officials mull whether it should lift the indoor mask mandate as early as January next year. Monday’s total confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 25,667, including 63 cases from overseas, bringing the total to 27,754,149, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The tally is also the highest for a Monday in more than three months since it reached 36,917 on Sept. 12. South

As the answers to this year’s Suneung, or the college scholastic ability test, are set to be released Friday, competition for college entrance is expected to heat up. But local education experts on Thursday said that the scores for Suneung don’t carry much weight now since universities weigh the scores differently in their college admissions. “Universities differ in terms of how much they take Suneung into account when it comes to college entry, so students and parents need to

As a rapid rise in drug-related offences is catching South Korea off guard, eyes are on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s final decision to abolish or formalize an official organization overseeing narcotics-related matters in the country. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is currently putting the final touches on transitioning a temporary narcotics division to an official organization called the Deputy Director General for Narcotics Safety Planning, with the aim of making it a m

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and first lady Kim Keon-hee met with Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday, asking the Vietnamese president to look into Korean citizens’ visa issues in the Southeast Asian country. The first lady called for the Vietnamese president’s “keen interest” in Koreans’ visa-related issues during Phuc’s visit to Cheong Wa Dae, saying she saw news reports about how Korean travelers or nationals dwelling in Vietnam hav

Namyang Dairy Products’ founder’s grandson was arrested for illegal drug use and the supply of drugs, according to legal professionals and news reports Friday. On Nov. 15 Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office arrested and charged the grandson, identified only by his family name Hong, with possession of marijuana and chronic drug administration under the country’s Narcotics Control Act, they said. The grandson, 40, is also suspected of distributing marijuana to his cl

Seoul subway services returned to normal as unionized workers at the state-run Seoul Transportation and Korea Railroad reached a last-minute deal early Friday, officials said. The labor union of the main operator of the Seoul Metro Lines No. 1, 3, 4 and Korail agreed to the complete withdrawal of the walkout on Thursday after hours-long labor-management negotiations took place at Korail’s Seoul office. The two sides shook hands over higher wages and better working conditions, steering clea

Since weeks ago when Kim Jong-un revealed his 10-year-old daughter Kim Ju-ae to the world openly for the first time, her fashion style has proven to be an instant hit in North Korea, and her styling seems to be sending young North Koreans abuzz. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, published pictures of North Korean women in white and pink padding jackets similar to that previously worn by Kim’s daughter when they inspected the launch of an intercontinen

With a recent tit-for-tat between Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon and Citizen Press The Tamsa TV inviting a discussion on the status of citizen journalists, local academics on Wednesday described them as a new form of news media but said they did not comply with the rules and ethics of traditional journalism. “The Tamsa TV could be classified as citizen journalism, as it doesn’t gather news materials by complying with the rules and ethics (of media), so it could also be perceived as m

The South Korean-born New Zealand citizen in her 40s believed to have killed two of her children was extradited to New Zealand after her arrest earlier this year. The Ministry of Justice said Tuesday it repatriated the 42-year-old New Zealand citizen of Korean descent to New Zealand at Incheon International Airport, Monday evening, as well as the evidence seized by police. The woman, only identified by her family name Lee, was arrested over the alleged murder of two children whose bodies were di

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it would kick off the construction of the Wirye Line Tram at the end of this month as the project was approved by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The construction is an eco-friendly new transportation project that connects 12 stations, including two transfer stations: Bokjeong Station on Line 8 and the Suin-bundang Line, and Namwirye Station on Line 8. Trams were first introduced in Seoul in 1899 and operated for nearly 70 years u

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon turned over five reporters from Citizen Press the Tamsa TV on suspicions of housebreaking and retaliation, Seoul Suseo Police Station said Sunday. On Sunday at around 1:30 p.m., five reporters from the online media outlet allegedly broke through Han’s apartment building doors in Dogok-dong, southern Seoul. According to footage from the Tamsa TV’s official YouTube channel, the journalists tried to enter the minister’s residence by pressing keys on

After enjoying immense success with its first-ever world tour, K-pop girl group Itzy made its way back to the music charts with its new EP, “Cheshire,” which will be released on Wednesday evening. The EP comes after it dropped “Sneakers” in July. Itzy’s press conference was held five days ahead of the release as they will be attending the 2022 Mama Awards on Wednesday at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan. During Friday’s event, Lia said the latest release means some

Days after singer and actor Lee Seung-gi became embroiled in a payment dispute with his longtime agency, Lee’s legal representative demanded Hook Entertainment disclose all payments for digital streams of his songs since his debut. According to local online media outlet Dispatch on Monday, the singer has not received a single payment for his songs’ digital streams or downloads of his songs on online music platforms. The report claimed that Lee made some 9.6 billion won ($7.27 million

Jin, the oldest bandmate of BTS, is set to enlist in the military on Dec. 13. According to local media reports, the band’s vocalist will enter the forward-stationed training unit next month and receive five weeks of basic training in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. Jin will then be placed in an Army unit afterward. After the news broke out, Jin took to Weverse, an online platform for fans, to share his thoughts about entering the military. All able-bodied South Korean men between the ages of

2022 has been a roller-coaster ride for K-pop boy band TO1. Several members announced their departure, and three new bandmates -- Daigo and Renta from Japan and Yeojeong, who’s Korean -- joined the group in June. It’s unusual for a rookie band to go through such seismic changes less than two years after its debut because getting its name out to the public is crucial. But for TO1, it was an option to add value to its musical career. And now, as a nine-piece act, the group is ready to

Like a catchy song on the radio, Gomak Boys, a special K-pop project group launched by Kakao Entertainment that introduced themselves to local media on Tuesday evening, hope to get stuck in the ears and hearts of music fans as they make their debut in the K-pop scene. Produced by South Korea’s entertainment giant, the highly-anticipated boy band was featured on Kakao TV’s original series “Gomak Boys,” which aired in September. Gomak Boys, which translates into eardrum boy

Jooheon, the rapper and music producer of boy band Monsta X, will make his acting debut through CJ ENM's global project. An industry insider told The Korea Herald on Monday that the rapper has been cast in CJ ENM's "Lost in America" as a K-pop idol who speaks fluent English and that he’s currently preparing for the role. The film revolves around the story of a Korean boy group that heads to New York for its debut but ends up stranded in Texas with no money and mobile ph

A stage decorated like a flamboyant broadway set that radiated blue lights with a live band session -- drums, bass and a guitar -- welcomed singer-songwriter Eric Nam’s fans in Seoul on Sunday. A series of pop tunes, including Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” and Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” came out from the speakers before the concert started, hyping up the first crowd here to meet the singer in concert in nearly four years. And as the clock struck 7:04

Leaving its powerful and frenzied beats behind, boy group Just B returned with a new batch of songs that shout out equality and the importance of it through its third EP, “= (Neun),” released Wednesday evening. If the group’s previous three records -- the Rage trilogy -- revealed stories of internal and external anger and overcoming their fury by stepping into a new world, this time, the rookie K-pop act took a seismic shift by singing songs that spelled out “equality.&rd