A four-day workweek is a hot topic now globally, with thousands of workers in the UK partaking in the largest experiment to date of a shortened work schedule. In South Korea, a law that caps weekly working hours at 52 is facing scrutiny for the opposite reason. Last week, Labor Minister Lee Jeong-sik said that the government would consider revising the current 52-hour workweek system to a monthly basis, allowing employers and workers to exercise more flexibility. In other words, longer worki

As a cruise ferry on Han River was about to leave the dock on a Tuesday afternoon in June, dozens of seagulls began to gather around. Some sat on the top rails of the ship while others began to fly around as passengers started to come out to the deck. Once the engine starts, you get the sense what they are here for. People were holding snacks with their fingers or throwing them for the birds to eat. Laughter and joyful scream filled the ship as people of all age groups -- from elderly peopl

When navigating through Seoul’s subway system, you will see that some stations have two names. Euljiro 3-ga Station, located in central Seoul with Line 2 and Line 3 running through, is also called “Shinhan Card station” after a credit card company whose headquarters is 10 minutes away on foot. English teacher David Stewart, 31, said displaying two names, which is designed to generate additional income for the city’s railway system, is understandable. “I barely p

On a weekday evening, one cafe in western Seoul is about to close for the day while customers are still chatting away and enjoying their coffee. Repurposed from a shoe factory, this cafe is one of several trendy spots across the city that attract coffee drinkers and cafe enthusiasts alike, as numerous Instagram posts tagging the location show. “Industrial interior designs display the appeal of raw materials. Since it can give off a vintage or clean feel depending on the finish, demand i

Seoul’s citizen-led council decided on Wednesday to allow the Seoul Queer Culture Festival to take place at Seoul Plaza next month, but only for one day. The decision comes two months after the organizing committee of the event filed a request in April to use the central plaza located in front of Seoul City Hall for six days from July 12-17. The event will go ahead on July 16, marking the first time the LGBTQ event will take place in person in three years. The festival took place onlin

"Fandom politics” is the latest buzzword in South Korean politics. It made headlines after Park Ji-hyun, a former co-head of the Democratic Party of Korea’s interim leadership committee, said last month that she would change her party to become a party “for the public, not for fandoms.” Park made the remarks as she criticized the culture that “defended the faults of their own while chastising political opponents for smaller problems” in politics. She h

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s name can be pronounced in more than one way. Some pronounce his name in Korea as “Yoon Seo-kyol” while others call him “Yoon Sung-nyeol.” Neither is technically incorrect, according to the National Institute of Korean Language. But his name is not alone in having more than one pronunciation. Olympic gold medalist Kim Yuna also can be pronounced as both “Kim Nyeo-na” and “Ki Myeo-na.” Take Jongno 3-ga

The winners of Wednesday’s local elections will likely emerge around midnight, some four hours after the polls close, according to the National Election Commission. The vote count begins at around 8 p.m. after ballot boxes are moved to the local election commissions’ ballot counting stations across the country. One hour later, the vote count is expected to start being revealed to the public in real time. Early signs of the outcome of the elections for the heads of the 17 metropol

South Korean voters are heading to the polls again on Wednesday for local elections, just three months after the 20th presidential election in early March. Occurring every four years, the local elections will determine the new heads of autonomous local government units and members of local councils, including the two high-profile posts of Seoul mayor and Gyeonggi Province governor. The total number of public offices up for grabs are nearly 4,000. The stake, however, goes beyond the control of

At a megachurch in the affluent Seocho district in southern Seoul, a poster near the entrance calls on churchgoers to oppose Seoul’s ordinance of student rights by signing a petition. “We are against the Student Human Rights Ordinance which tells kids that homosexuality, transgenderism and pregnancy are a right,” the poster at SaRang Community Church reads. “By not teaching the scientific fact that people aren’t born with their sexual orientation, gay and transgen

From BTS to Squid Game, to its internationally heralded handling of COVID-19, South Korea is enjoying the spotlight on the global stage. Yet, books on Korea out there often feel stale and outdated. If not tunnel-visioned on the country’s economic success, South Korea is a nation heavily seen through the lens of geopolitics, or a country technically still at war. In his book “Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop,” Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a professor of i

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Tuesday he would try to create “bold opportunities” for women when appointing public officials, amid growing criticism over a lack of women serving in his government. “I will work hard to give bold opportunities to women when it comes to public personnel appointments,” Yoon was quoted as saying during a meeting with outgoing leaders of the National Assembly at his office in Seoul, according to presidential spokesperson Kang In-sun. The remar

When “Henri Matisse: Life and Joy” -- a retrospective exhibition of Matisse held in Seoul -- was drawing to an end in April, thousands of visitors came to see original works by the pioneering French painter and sculptor. “People continued to come to the exhibition despite the spread of the omicron variant, which began in February. Some 5,000 visitors were coming on a single day toward the end. It received a great deal of attention and love,” said director Seo Hyung-won a

“Where did all the posts about Luna go? Have you guys all gone to Han River?” This anonymous comment on the Bitcoin section of online community DCinside captures the depressing mood of online cryptocurrency communities in recent days. The crash of Korean-made cryptocurrency terraUSD, also known as UST, and its sister token luna, has made headlines around the world as its impact was felt in the global cryptocurrency market. “Going to Han River” – a rather dark p

A viral TikTok showing a physical altercation outside a Seoul club has sparked a debate over racism and xenophobia that some foreign nationals experience at nightlife venues in Korea. In the clip filmed and uploaded Sunday, Patrick Ramos -- an influencer also known as The Expat Pat -- is seen arguing with a bouncer outside the OWL Lounge club in Itaewon before the situation turned physical. “I was walking around looking for a snack and showing my TikTok audience. Then I passed an infamou

How many high school students have their papers published in academic journals? The question has prompted headlines in the South Korean media in recent days, following a political scandal. At the center of the controversy is the daughter of Justice Minister nominee Han Dong-hoon who published five academic papers and four e-books within the space of two months as a high school student. Reminiscent of a case years ago involving the daughter of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk and the family&

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories -- a newly launched Korea Herald series exploring subway stations and their surrounding areas across the city. – Ed. Jongno 3-ga has 16 exits with three subway lines running through the station. The sheer number speaks volumes for the significance of Jongno-gu, which is central to the lives of people in Seoul. Meaning Bell Street, with the bell in the name referring to Bosingak that sits at Jonggak intersection, Jongno is one of the busiest

Attention travel-starved Koreans. The cost of air travel is rising, with more upward pressure building from high jet fuel prices and soaring tourism demand. If you are fixed on an overseas vacation, don’t wait too long to book it, experts say. “Airlines are selling their flight tickets well and there is a supply shortage. We are in a situation where prices are forced to go up,” an Asiana Airlines official told The Korea Herald. “The number of flights in operation has

After debuting with the single “Into the New World” in 2007, Girls’ Generation was soon propelled to stardom and went on to become one of the biggest acts in the K-pop industry. Written by SM Entertainment’s in-house songwriter Kenzie and her husband and lyrist Kim Jung-bae, the cheerful song’s joyful melody is accompanied by resolute lyrics. “With the unknowable future and obstacles, I won’t change, I can’t give up,” the then nine-member g

Gyeonggi governor hopeful Kim Eun-hye of the People Power Party has said that voting rights of Chinese nationals with permanent residence here should be restricted on the grounds of reciprocity. “Over 120,000 foreigners, among which are nearly 100,000 Chinese people, will have voting rights in the upcoming local election,” the politician said in a Facebook post on Thursday. “If our citizens cannot vote in a certain country, it makes sense for us to restrict the same rights. I