The parents of a university student who died last year have donated 100 million won ($74,000) to their son's school, university officials said Monday. According to Changwon National University, the parents of Son Seong-hyeok made the contribution in memory of their son, who died in December due to an acute heart failure. "Our son did not get to realize his dreams at the university, but my wife and I decided to make the donation for the students of CNU who are trying their best, with th

A South Korean court recently ordered the state to pay 209 million won ($154,000) as compensation to a US national who police mistakenly injured with a gun while trying to take down a dog on a rampage. The civil case division of the Seoul District Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the 68-year-old American, who demanded compensation for injuries he sustained in the unintended attack. "The accident occurred as a result of a police officer's illegal actions, which is beyond the degree o

A South Korean who gave instructions to a teen concerning suicide has been given a 10-month prison term, suspended for two years, after the teen died using the information, a local media outlet reported Sunday. The Uijeongbu District Court recently found the defendant guilty of violating the Act for the Prevention of Suicide and the Creation of Culture of Respect for Life, according to a report by the Seoul Economic Daily. It bans distribution of information that shows specific methods of suicid

A Busan district office on Saturday announced the death of an 86-year-old woman who had recently donated 50 million won ($37,000) that she saved up while working as a housekeeper. Gweon Ok-seon donated her life savings in January to three welfare organizations in the southern port city -- the regional branch of the Red Cross, the Community Chest of Korea and the welfare center of her local Mandeok 3-dong -- according to the Buk-gu Office in Busan. She passed away alone at a hospital in Mandeok-d

The Ministry of Education said Sunday it has ordered a study on private education spending of those taking state-administered college entrance exam multiple times, in a bid to figure out a more accurate estimate of the private education sector in South Korea. According to the ministry, 31.7 percent of college entrance exam takers in 2023 had already graduated from high school, an increase from 23.2 percent in 2017. South Korean students take the annual exam, known as Suneung, in the last Novembe

Over 10,000 cases of workplace abuse were reported to authorities last year, the Labor Ministry said Sunday, marking a steep increase every year since the government first started compiling such reports in 2019. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, it received 10,028 reports of workplace abuse in 2023, up 12 percent from 8,961 the year before. South Korea in 2019 revised the Labor Standards Act to stipulate in Articles 76-2 and 76-3 the prohibition against workplace harassment and

The home of the late Jin A-young sits overlooking the rocky shores at Weolryeong-ri 381, Hanrib-eup in Jeju City, in the west of Jeju Island. The unassuming house, preserved in almost the exact state as it was when Jin died on Sept. 8, 2004, at the age of 90, is about the only earthly remnant of her life, torn apart by the massacres that took place there over half a century ago. On a table in her home was a dust-covered pack of antacids, one of her daily necessities. Jin had suffered from chro

South Korean children and teens used smartphones for longer periods of time in 2023 than the year before, a report by a state-run think-tank showed Thursday. Children under the age of 10 used smartphones for an average of 1 hour and 15 minutes a day last year, marking an increase of 17.2 percent or 11 minutes, according to the report by the Korea Information Society Development Institute. The report surveyed 9,757 individuals from 4,077 households across the country. While not as prominent as in

A Gwangju police officer was caught drunk driving Wednesday evening, local police said Thursday, marking the fourth such case in the southwestern city this year. The officer of Seobu Police Station in Gwangju was found to have been driving under the influence of alcohol at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency. He had driven his car into another vehicle. The officer has been removed from duties. The incident occurred after the National Police Agency and the

Actor Hwang Jung-eum posted an official apology Thursday for her earlier Instagram post about a woman she mistakenly accused of having a relationship with her now-estranged husband. "There has been a misunderstanding as I sorted out my personal affairs. I apologize for inflicting harm on the person and those around her for posting about her," she wrote on her Instagram page, adding that she has apologized to the victim in person. The 39-year-old singer-turned-actor is currently going t

South Korean actor Jeon Jong-seo's agency on Thursday denied recent accusations of school bullying against the star of the critically acclaimed film, "Burning," vowing to take legal action against what it said were groundless rumors. "We have checked with (Jeon) and her acquaintances and have found that the (rumors) in the online posts are not true at all. ... We will pursue legal action to protect the actor," Jeon's agency Endmark said in an official statement. J

A South Korean man and his wife lost an administrative case related to their refusal to pay inheritance tax on money given to them by the man's now-deceased brother, with the court overruling their claim that the money was in exchange for the financial help they provided him. According to officials, the Seoul Administrative court ruled against the plaintiffs, saying the state's tax authorities are justified in taxing 65 million won ($47,500) for the 260 million won the deceased transfe

The head of an adult products company in South Korea was recently arrested on charges related to the alleged sexual exploitation of employees at the company, according to local media outlets. JTBC reported Sunday that the suspect, surnamed Yang, had been detained by police after complaints were lodged against him for fraud, sexual misconduct and filming sexual content without consent. Police arrested the suspect as part of the ongoing investigation into these charges. Some of the claims made by

A South Korean shaman who charged two people over 100 million won ($74,000) combined for exorcisms has been cleared of fraud charges by a local court, which said the defendant's action was a "religious action of some type" that does not necessarily warrant a desired result. In March last year, the 50-year-old defendant surnamed Kim told a person surnamed Hong that Hong's illness was due to a ghost possession. Kim was paid around 79.3 million won to perform exorcism rituals ov

The percentage of South Korean students who are overweight or obese inched down in 2023 compared to the year before, but a growing percentage of students were categorized as heavy drinkers, a government report showed Thursday. Some 29.6 percent of elementary, middle and high school students across the country fell into the overweight or obese categories, according to the joint report by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. This figure marked a slight dec

The Great Train Express commuter rail line connecting Seoul and surrounding cities will begin operating its first leg Saturday, with the eventual goal of bringing several cities in Gyeonggi and Gangwon Province within commuting range of the nation's capital. The first leg of the GTX-A will run between Suseo Station in southern Seoul and Dongtan Station in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. The 34.9-kilometer route will open when the 5:30 a.m. train en route to Dongta

South Korean authorities have found illegal spycams at polling stations across the country for the upcoming parliamentary election, with a local YouTuber under investigation on charges of installing some of them. Nonhyeon Police Station in Incheon said Friday that the suspect in his 40s is believed to have installed the cameras inside nine polling stations in Incheon and the South Gyeongsang Province city of Yangsan. Police apprehended the suspect on Thursday, based on the surveillance footage a

South Korean police on Friday said it is investigating five people on the suspicion of abducting a man, who was rescued by police after jumping out of their car to escape. The suspects kidnapped the victim at around 1 a.m. on March 20 in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, according to Jungwon Police Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The leader of the kidnapping ring got acquainted with the victim, who possesses substantial wealth, and lured him out for a drink with the intent to abduct him. After

A crosswalk with devices for child safety has been implemented in front of an elementary school Nam-gu, Busan, in a bid to reduce traffic accidents involving children. The Nam-gu district office installed what it calls a "smart crosswalk" on the road in front of Yeonpo Elementary School, which had been infamous for frequent car accidents due to its narrow sidewalk and an adjacent downhill slope that led to cars speeding across it. The main feature of the crosswalk is a device that deac

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for the assault and attempted murder of his former girlfriend, who broke up with him before the attack. The defendant in his 30s was found guilty of attempted murder, special bodily injury on another, special intimidation, stalking and intrusion upon habitation, and was also ordered to complete 40 hours in a stalking treatment program. The court dismissed the appeals made by the defendant, who cl