The Korean Council for University Education said Wednesday that 21 universities in South Korea will consider school violence records in their regular admission processes for the 2025 school year. The colleges include Seoul National University, the country’s top-ranked university, Korea University, Hanyang University, Konkuk University, Korea University Sejong Campus, Kookmin University and the University of Seoul. The decision comes after the government announced strengthened policies agai

The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Hangang Project Headquarters said Wednesday that it would welcome visitors looking for a new way to read books along the banks of the Han River. Starting on May 5, the city government will operate “Reading at the Han River” at the parks in Yeouido, the plaza near Ttukseom Han River Park and near Banpo Bridge, where people can enjoy a “booknic,” a term combining the words “book” and “picnic,” where visitors

A three-year prison sentence has been handed to a mother in her 20s for killing her newborn baby soon after giving birth and for concealing the body. The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday also sentenced the father, also in his 20s, to two years in prison, saying that he was an accomplice to the crime. The couple was indicted on charges of killing their newborn shortly after birth at their residence in Seoul’s Gwanak-gu in January 2021. They hid the dead body inside a bag and placed i

Located in the narrow alleyways of Seoul’s industrial district Euljiro -- dubbed “Hipjiro” for its renaissance as a hotspot for younger locals -- Joil Food is one of the city’s growing number of popular “imokase” joints. Stemming from the Japanese term “omakase,” which translates into “leaving it up to you,” an imokase establishment is a small eatery where the chef, who locals call “imo,” serves an affordable meal for custom

Four crew members from a Russian fishing boat were found dead after a vessel caught fire off the southeastern coast near Ulsan on Friday morning, while the other 21 were rescued, the Russian Embassy in Seoul and South Korea’s Coast Guard said Friday. All 25 crew members were Russian nationals, and two crew members who were rescued have reportedly sustained minor burns. Russia’s Ambassador to South Korea, Andrey Kulik, was quoted saying that he would like to “express his deepest

A group of men who were arrested for illegal drug possession and use on Thursday reportedly all had tested positive for AIDS, according to local media and police. The drug investigation bureau under the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said Friday they had arrested 61 male drug users, manufacturers and dealers who were infected with the disease for breaching the country’s Narcotics Control Act. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, which is freq

South Korean education service provider Vine Group said Thursday it is jointly hosting an online forum with the Korea Coaching Psychology Association to help support the growth of Korean youths and parents and contribute to the spread of coaching culture. The online meeting is slated for Monday and will be available for those willing to participate for free. This year’s forum will be held under the theme “Effective learning methods in the era of ChatGPT.” Participants will lear

The Seoul city government said Wednesday it had signed an agreement with the Korea Tourism Organization and French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton to team up to promote tourism as part of the city’s “Visit Korea Year 2023-2024” initiative. Under the partnership, the Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to attract foreign visitors to Korea through promoting “K-culture,” including holding special events on the banks of the Han River and in other cultural spaces. The

Two aides of religious organization leader Jeong Myeong-seok, who was previously convicted with the sexual molestation of his female followers, were arrested on Tuesday as accomplices to Jeong’s alleged sex crimes. The Daejeon District Court issued arrest warrants for the two individuals, citing their flight risk and the possibility of evidence being destroyed. Arrest warrants for four other former officials of the religious group were dismissed as they have since left the group. One of th

The Seoul city government began to stop collecting toll fees at Namsan tunnels on Monday until May 16 to determine if the temporary pricing model for congested highways effectively alleviates traffic. Under the temporary scheme, the city will waive fees for vehicles with less than three people traveling through tunnel numbers one and three from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. The decision comes as questions were raised over the effectiveness of the policy implemented in 1996, by which the city has been char

The number of Koreans diagnosed with panic disorder surged 44 percent last year from 2017, with experts suggesting growing social and psychological stress as a possible cause. According to a report released by the National Health Insurance Service on Thursday, a total of 200,540 people received hospital treatment for panic disorder in 2021, up 44.5 percent from 138,726 in 2017. Of them, males accounted for about 45 percent or 89,273, while the number of female patients stood at 111,267. The 2021

Students with a history of bullying or school violence will have their records reflected in the regular college admissions process starting in 2024, and the current bullying record retention period of two years will be extended to four years after graduation, the government said Wednesday. School violence records will be submitted to colleges “voluntarily” in the admissions process for the 2025 school year, but will be reflected on a “mandatory” basis for admissions in 20

Choi Si-won of K-pop boy band Super Junior has been appointed as an honorary ambassador for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Indonesia. During the appointment ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Monday, Foreign Minister Park Jin said the appointment was made in hopes that the two countries’ relationship would grow closer. “Taking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year as an opportunity, (Korea) will further strengthen coope

The Korea Herald is running a series of feature stories and interviews on the evolution and rise of drug crimes, insufficient support systems and young addicts’ stories in South Korea. This is the sixth installment. -- Ed. Free drinks were offered last week on the streets of Daechi-dong, a district in Seoul's Gangnam lined with thousands of after-school cram schools and known as South Korea's private education mecca. The drinks, introduced as a brain-boosting drink for concentr

A man in his 40s was arrested by police Friday morning on charges of using and possessing methamphetamine after being reported by a YouTuber. The man is reported to have texted a woman on an anonymous chatting app proposing they have sex and take methamphetamine together, but the woman was a trap set by the YouTuber, who specializes in tracking downs. The YouTuber told police at around 2:30 a.m. that he saw a man in possession of drugs in Seoul’s Mia-dong, Gangbuk-gu. Police were immediate

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday urged leaders of local governments to go all out in support of Busan’s bid to host the World Expo 2030. During a regional cooperation council meeting held in the afternoon, the president said that hosting the global event is a task for the whole country, calling on central and local governments to work as “one team.” “The (Busan) Expo will be an international event where we can share our development experiences with the int

The delegation dispatched by the Bureau International des Expositions kicked off its second day in Busan by receiving a third presentation about Busan’s Expo bid from the bidding committee for the international exhibition. The presentation was delivered by professor Jin Yang-kyo of Hongik University’s Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Development about the venue and by Shin Jae-hyun, the new ambassador for international relations for Busan, about the city’s forecast of

Students with a history of bullying will have their records reflected in the regular college admissions process, while the government considers extending the bullying record retention period so that any history of bullying will follow perpetrators as they apply for jobs after college. During a consultation meeting led by the ruling People Power Party and the government on Wednesday to combat the growing cases of school violence across the nation, Rep. Park Dae-chul, head of the National Assembly

The delegation dispatched by the Bureau International des Expositions arrived at Busan and was met with warm greetings from approximately 5,000 people on Tuesday morning as it began its on-site inspection of the southeastern port city amid its candidacy to host the 2030 World Expo. The eight-member team led by Patrick Specht, president of the BIE Administration and Budget Committee, kicked off its four-day stay in Busan by attending a welcome event at Busan Station. Upon arrival, multicultural f

A high school student was arrested by police in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday for brandishing a box cutter at an elementary student. The Pyeongtaek Police said Tuesday that the offender, whose name and age have not been disclosed, is facing attempted murder charges for allegedly stabbing the victim’s neck with a box cutter. The arrest came a day after a report was filed to the police that a man ran away after jabbing a young student who was eating cup noodles at an apartment co