The cage recently vacated by a malnourished lion at Bugyeong Zoo, southeastern city of Gimhae is now housing the lion's 4-year old offspring, according to reports Thursday. The offspring, a 4-year old lioness, also appears malnourished, sparking outrage online. Complaints by furious citizens calling for the closure of Bugyeong Zoo are currently being posted on Gimhae City Hall's official website. The zoo has faced complaints and calls for closure over the past few months, with allegati

Fares for Seoul city buses will rise by 300 won (23 cents) from Saturday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday the fares for trunk (blue) and branch (green) routes will be raised to 1,500 won, while it will be 1,400 won for circulation (yellow) routes and 3,000 won for wide-area (red) routes. The late-night bus fare will be raised to 2,500 won, and village buses, or Maeul routes, to 1,200 won from 3 a.m. on Saturday. By route type, blue, green and yellow routes' fares will be rai

The commercial district of Sillim-dong in Seoul's Gwanak district continues to reel from the July 21 random stabbing attack there, with some merchants reporting a revenue drop of more than 50 percent. According to local news reports, small businesses in the area have seen sales halve since the attack, and that the drop increased after a similar incident occurred at Seohyeon Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province last Thursday. The district seemed to revive after being hit directly by the st

Incoming foreign tourists appear increasingly interested in daily life in Korea, including photo studios and hanbok, Korea's traditional costume, data showed Tuesday. According to Creatrip, a Korean content and commerce platform aimed at travelers, the number of searches it handled related to traveling in Korea in the first half of the year came to just over 945,000, up 88 percent from the previous half. Hanbok and photo studios were the most- and second-most searched-for topics, respective

The numbers of mosquitoes in central urban areas have nearly doubled from last year, amid concerns that Korea's changing climate may have become more habitable to mosquitoes. According to Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the trap index in central urban areas July 2-8 came to 68.2, a 98.5 percent increase on-year. The trap index refers to the average number of mosquitoes caught in one mosquito trap per day. The frequent heavy rainfall has likely contributed to the rise. Some anal

Keeping restraints on prison inmates during meals and while in the lavatory is a violation of their human rights, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea said Monday. The human rights commission reviewed the issue following a petition filed by an individual incarcerated in a Gyeonggi Province prison, who was put into restraints for several hours after they along with 10 others were involved in an incident to demand improved treatment in February last year. According to the NHRCK, the indiv

A teacher in charge of a special education class at an elementary school in Incheon was taken to hospital after being assaulted by a student, according to the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education on Thursday. The incident, which took place on June 23 and reportedly resulted in serious injuries, comes amid growing debate over the lack of protection for teachers. The assault occurred when the teacher warned the student not to behave aggressively to other students. The student responded by

A woman in her 30s has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect resulting in death and disposing of a body illegally, according to Osan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on Friday. According to police, the woman gave birth in September 2014 at a maternity clinic in South Chungcheong Province. The woman reportedly told the police that the baby died three or four days after birth, and that she buried the body on a hill in the area. During questioning, the woman reportedly said she had planned

A one-room studio flat in an officetel that was transformed into a dump by its tenant is causing a stir online. A post in online community Bobaedream by a landlord who rents out studio flats in Busan titled, “The reason why (being) a building owner takes work,” is making headlines. According to the post, the landlord recently received a call that his building smelled like a corpse was rotting in it somewhere, and when he entered the studio in question, he was met with a room filled w

A woman has been arrested after making six false police reports, including of smelling a "rotting corpse" and self-harm, police said Wednesday. According to Bucheon Ojeong Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, the suspect, a woman in her 50s, is being investigated on charges of violating the Minor Offenses Act. She faces charges of making six false police reports about a neighbor’s death or inflicting self-harm from 1:50 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. the previous day. “I think the perso

A sixth grade student's assault of a teacher has rekindled controversy over teachers' rights and authority. According to local media reports, a female elementary school teacher in Seoul has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and injuries requiring three weeks of treatment after being assaulted by a six-grade student. The victim told the local media that she was punched dozens of times in front of other students. The student also stomped on the teacher when she fell to t

Amid the heavy rain, an endangered baby Eurasian river otter escaped into a farmer's private storage facility in Seongdong-ri, Muan-eup in South Jeolla Province on Sunday. The property is located about 400 meters away from the Muan Stream, a branch of the Yeongsan River. “A wet otter was shivering in a bin placed there for onions,” said the farmer who first discovered the pup. “The otter living in the Yeongsan River seems to have come in after moving along the Muan Stream

The 2023 International Canine Federation (FCI) Seoul International Dog Show is being held at aT Center in Seoul, from Friday to Sunday. On Friday morning, the 103rd Korea Kennel Federation Dog Grooming Competition took place at the venue in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul. Participants carried on a spirited competition, each seeking to make their dog the most beautiful. Until Sunday, the KKF holds the 2023 FCI Seoul International Dog Show, which includes the KKF Championship Dog Show as well. Meanwhil

A man in his fifties has been sentenced to five years in prison for breaking and entering, as well as assault with a deadly weapon and causing an accident while fleeing the scene in his car. The Jeju District Court handed down the sentence Thursday morning. According to the charges filed by the prosecution, the man was charged with breaking into a house and attempting to stab the resident. He broke into the house in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, at 2:50 a.m. on March 5, and when the resident woke up sc

A police investigation is underway into the discovery of 10 live rifle rounds at a "clean house" -- a facility for household garbage disposal in Jeju. According to Jeju Dongbu Police on Thursday, a report was sent at 6:53 p.m. the previous day that live ammunition was found at a clean house in Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si. A clean house maintance staff member notified the police that he discovered the live ammunition in a white envelope while cleaning a plastic recycling bin. A joint on-site inv

“Squid Game 2,” the sequel to the megahit Netflix series, is stirring up controversy online over alleged rude behavior toward users of Incheon Airport from production staff. “We heard that citizens were inconvenienced while 'Squid Game 2' was filming at Incheon Airport on Monday,” stated "Squid Game 2” makers on Wednesday. “We did our best to announce to citizens of the on-site situation as much detail as possible.” The producers offered a

The discovery of an abandoned dog with a plastic bag covering its head has initiated an animal cruelty investigation in Busan. On Sunday, a local resident saw a dog tied to a pillar in an alley in Busanjin-gu while walking his dog at about 11 p.m. A red plastic bag was placed over the dog's head and tied into a knot around its neck, according to the Busan Korea Alliance for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on Monday. According to the Busan KAPCA, the bag appeared to have been tied on purpos