A man has been arrested for killing a female subway attendant at Sindang Station at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, according to police on Thursday. The suspect, in his 30s, is a former colleague and stalker of the victim. He is alleged to have waited for nearly an hour at the station while wearing a sanitary cap and followed the victim into the ladies’ toilet before he killed her with a weapon. The woman, in her 20s, suffered a cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Th

Earlier this year, a popular Pyongyang-style cold noodle restaurant in central Seoul closed down after 37 years. The closure of Eulji Myeonok came after a court ruled that a redevelopment project in the area should be allowed to go ahead following a yearslong legal battle, forcing the restaurant to leave the building it used to occupy. Founded by the daughter of Korean War refugees, the restaurant was loved by customers across generations. People waited in line on its last day for a final taste

Every summer, local district governments in Korea are tasked with tackling heat waves in resourceful ways. But while mist-spraying and parasols can cool down the heat, street trees are more effective at keeping temperatures down, according to a new study. Street trees create shade where temperatures are 15.4 degrees Celsius lower than their surrounding areas, according to a study published by the city-funded Seoul Institute of Technology earlier this month. Outdoor shade canopies, a popular an

As COVID-19 travel restrictions start to ease further across Asia, more S. Korean travelers are eyeing Vietnam and Japan. South Koreans topped foreign tourist arrivals in Vietnam in August, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam. Some 486,000 foreigners traveled to the Southeast Asian country, of which 173,000 were from South Korea, followed by the US and Cambodia. With nearly 1 in 3 visitors to Vietnam last month being South Koreans, the figure marks the country’s growing d

When there is a risk of flash flooding, avoid underground areas. This is the lesson that a series of recent floods have highlighted after they caused multiple casualties. As powerful Typhoon Hinnamnor hit the southern city of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, early Tuesday morning, several people went missing in a flooded underground parking lot of an apartment complex. Two were found alive while seven were pronounced dead on Wednesday. Residents said there were several announcements from th

The Ministry of Economy and Finance is facing criticism over social media posts pitting consumers who go for regular burgers against those who prefer premium burgers. “Burgers versus handmade burgers. What is your consumer trend?” the post which was uploaded last week read. The post went on to describe two different consumers, one who waited for three hours in line in Gangnam for a gourmet burger and the other who spent less than 30,000 won grocery shopping. On Twitter, users hav

In recent months, a severe taxi shortage saw people hailing a taxi on the streets of Seoul to no avail while ride-hailing apps like Kakao T failing to dispatch a driver, especially during nighttime peak hours. Between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., only one 1 of 4 attempts to call for a taxi succeeds, according to Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong last month. The taxi crisis is blamed on a number of factors, including a sudden post-pandemic spike in demand and a reduced driver pool after many switched o

Seoul-based illustrator and animator Seo In-ji has worked for the likes of Girls’ Generation, Red Velvet and NCT Dream. Her works also include the covers of Rina Sawayama’s singles and a Peggy Gou music video. Having studied animation at university, the 31-year-old dreamt of seeing her work featured on the cover of a book or a billboard. “If you ask me if this is a dream come true, I would say it is,” she said, laughing, during an interview with The Korea Herald. One

“Disgruntled young men” were one of the main forces behind the rise of a political novice named Yoon Suk-yeol to the highest office in South Korea earlier this year. Yoon, whose career had been entirely focused on rounding up bad guys as a state prosecutor, was hoped to restore justice in a society that they say was tilted in favor of feminists, labor unions and North Korean sympathizers. A few months after his election, however, the mood among younger conservative men appears t

Record-breaking torrential downpours swamped many parts of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province on Monday. But the hardest hit area in the region was Gangnam, the capital’s affluent residential district, and its surrounding neighborhoods. Images and videos of people wading through knee-high water near Gangnam Station and cars submerged underwater and left stranded in the middle of the road in nearby Daechi-dong went viral. This is not the first time that neighborhoods in southern Seoul have suf

“Neck fans” are a popular item in the summer which can be worn around the neck and help fight off heat. Without having to be handheld, the gadget is praised as a clever invention by those who want a cooling breeze just for themselves while on the go, such as joggers, delivery workers or just outdoor lovers. According to Shinsegae International’s lifestyle brand Jaju, sales of summer home appliances including portable fans saw a 144 percent jump between June 27 and July 10 c

K-pop cover dance videos rack up tens of thousands of views on YouTube. They are filmed in places all around the world, from a shopping mall in China to a park in Spain. In the clips, young dancers, typically dressed in colorful and coordinated outfits, show off their moves to an intrigued audience, as the latest K-pop hits play through the speakers. Exuding confidence, the dancers look almost as if they are in their own music video. In her book “K-pop Dance: Fandoming Yourself on Social

Earlier this year, South Korea had two young figures sitting atop rival political parties as the living embodiment of their commitment to introducing new blood. A few months and two major elections later, their place in the country‘s partisan politics seems increasingly tempestuous. Lee Jun-seok, the chairman of the ruling People Power Party, saw his membership suspended by the party’s ethics committee earlier this month after allegations surrounding sexual bribery emerged. Ove

Thousands of people gathered in front of City Hall in Seoul to attend the Seoul Queer Culture Festival on Saturday, marking the event’s return after two years of a pandemic-induced hiatus. With rainbow flags, colorful outfits, face paint and glitter, participants celebrated their identities and diverse sexual orientations, and joined the march for LGBT rights.  This year’s event took place with the slogan “Let’s live, unite and go forward.” In the early eveni

The annual Seoul Queer Culture Festival returned to the streets of Seoul on Saturday after a two-year pandemic hiatus. This year’s event took place but not without controversy as it took more than two months for the city government to grant it’s approval, drawing criticism from activists and event organizers. Though the main event, including a march through central Seoul, took place Saturday, the festival, which also includes an LGBT film event, runs until the end of July.

From traffic and weather to music, current South Korean affairs and the latest COVID-19 case counts, Seoul’s mostly English-language radio station TBS eFM has kept expat listeners updated on issues and matters that impact their life in Seoul. Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the station has struggled financially since its 2008 launch, but has managed to continue serving the expat population thanks to city funding. Now, its future looks uncertain. “As the foreign popul

Ever wondered how fried chicken would pair up with mint and chocolate? For those who have, the South Korean unit of fried chicken chain KFC has released a mint chocolate-flavored dipping sauce. The sauce, which is part of a seasonal collaboration with local food delivery app Baemin, will be available until Aug. 8 at locations across the country, excluding a select few. The mixture of “rich and sweet chocolate” and a “fresh mint flavor” has created the new sauce, the

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, famously known as the Unification Church, has come under scrutiny following the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Japanese media have reported that Tetsuya Yamagami, the man behind the fatal attack, mentioned a religious group as his motive to the investigators. He believed the former PM was linked to the religious group, which he said brought financial problems to the family after his mother donated huge sums to t

From Japan to India, the US and countries in Europe, summer has arrived early this year with stifling heat domes and deadly temperatures. South Korea is no exception to the global heat crisis, and city and district officials are introducing novel measures to help residents stay cool and healthy. Yongsan District, one of the 25 districts in the capital city, has recently opened seven air-conditioned rooms in a local hotel to single and low-income seniors aged 65 and above to stay for free durin

Whether it’s soju and beer with colleagues or wine with friends, drinking is an important part of socializing in South Korea. South Koreans drank an average of 8.3 liters of alcohol in 2019, according to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, citing OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Health Statistics 2021. Though the average amount of alcohol consumed by South Koreans is below the OECD average, 2014 data from market research firm Euromonitor foun