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98 percent of Seoul residents back expanding e-scooter-free streets
Nearly all Seoul residents support expanding e-scooter-free streets across the city, a recent survey by the Seoul Metropolitan Government showed. According to the survey, 98.4 percent of respondents said they were in favor of the policy, which restricts the use of electric scooters in designated areas. In May, the city government designated the Hongdae Red Road in Mapo-gu and streets near after-school academies in Seocho-gu as “e-scooter-free streets,” banning their use between noon and 11 p.m.
Nov. 3, 2025 -
Cold snap hits across Korea, inland areas drop below freezing
A strong cold front gripped much of South Korea on Monday, temperatures in many inland regions dropping below freezing. Driven by a continental high-pressure system moving from northern China, morning temperatures fell by 5 to 10 degrees Celsius compared to Sunday. The Korea Meteorological Administration issued cold wave advisories for several inland areas, including parts of Seoul. Gyeonggi Province’s Paju recorded a low of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, while Cheorwon, Gangwon province dropped to
Nov. 3, 2025 -
Trial to begin for PPP lawmaker accused of taking illegal political funds from Unification Church
A prominent opposition lawmaker was set to stand his first trial proceeding Monday over allegations he accepted illegal political funds from a former official from the Unification Church in exchange for favors. Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party has been arrested and indicted on charges of receiving 100 million ($69,870) in violation of the political fund law from a former Unification Church official in January 2022. Kweon was allegedly asked to help the church gain
Nov. 3, 2025 -
On the threshold of winter
Residents of South Korea braced themselves for a sudden drop in temperature Sunday, as the state weather agency planned to issue the first cold wave advisory of the season. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, a cold wave advisory will take effect from Seoul, Incheon and the Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces, across regions in the North and South Chungcheong provinces, Daejeon and Sejong, all the way down to the North and South Gyeongsang provinces and North Jeolla Province. Temper
Nov. 2, 2025 -
Man jailed for attempted murder of friend who said 'I want to die'
The Seoul High Court said Sunday it has upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced a man to five years in prison for attempting to kill his friend, who had said he wanted to die while drunk. The defendant, a man in his 60s surnamed Park, has been found guilty of attempted murder of his friend of 15 years. Park and his friend had been drinking together on Feb. 28 at the defendant's home in Seoul. After hearing the victim say, "Why am I not dead? I want to die," Park suddenly attacked his friend.
Nov. 2, 2025 -
Four out of 10 patients at Seoul hospitals are from other regions: data
Over 40 percent of patients who were treated at Seoul-based hospitals last year were visitors from other regions, data showed Sunday -- another indication that the country's medical staff and infrastructure are concentrated in the greater Seoul area. A total of 15.03 million people received medical care at hospitals in Seoul in 2023, 6.23 million of whom (41.5 percent) were residents of other regions, according to data from the National Health Insurance Service. The percentage of hospital patien
Nov. 2, 2025 -
High school students least content: report
Older students in South Korea tend to be less content in school compared to their younger counterparts, a government report showed Sunday. On average, High school students gave a score of 7.02 out of 10 in the survey conducted for a report by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. This figure was lower than the 7.2 recorded for middle school students and 7.64 for elementary school students. In terms of age, those aged 12-17 scored 7.17, while th
Nov. 2, 2025 -
Koreans arrested in Thailand organized crime bust to be tried in Korea
The Seoul Southern District Court said Sunday it will hold a first hearing on Nov. 19 for three suspects accused of participating in voice phishing, violence and blackmail conducted by an international crime ring based in Thailand. The three defendants were part of the crime ring, several of whose members were arrested in Thai land by local police in September in a joint operation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The group is believed to have been led by a Chinese individual, with its
Nov. 2, 2025 -
Production staff in Korea work nearly 50 hours a week, with little job stability
A report from a state-affiliated agency recently indicated that production staff members of local media are routinely overworked, with a quarter of the employment contracts not in writing. According to the recent report on working environment for production staff in various media, they worked on average 49.9 hours a week between the surveyed period from January to August 2024. Some 56.9 percent said they worked between 40 and 52 hours, while 17.3 percent said 53 to 60 hours and 11.9 percent said
Nov. 2, 2025 -
Second drug package washes ashore on Jeju in October
Police said Friday that 1 kilogram of ketamine was found washed up on a beach on Jeju Island, the second such discovery on the island in October. According to the Jeju Regional Coast Guard, a white crystalline substance weighing about one kilogram was discovered at around 11 a.m. on Oct. 24 on a beach in Aewol-eup, Jeju. The substance was packaged in plastic and labeled with the Chinese character for "tea." Forensic tests later confirmed the substance to be ketamine. Ketamine is a dissociative a
Nov. 1, 2025 -
Soyou says Delta Air Lines apologized over alleged racial discrimination
South Korean singer Soyou said Friday that she has received a formal apology from Delta Air Lines in response to her complaint of racial discrimination on a flight from New York to Seoul last month. “I reflected on the series of events that occurred during the flight and filed a complaint with the cabin crew before landing,” Soyou wrote on social media. “This week, I received an apology email from Delta Air Lines.” The member of K-pop girl group Sistar had said on Oct. 19 that she was treated un
Nov. 1, 2025 -
Crowds gather in Itaewon, Hongdae as govt. warns of safety risks
Festive crowds packed Seoul's Itaewon, Hongdae and other nightlife districts across Seoul to celebrate Halloween on Friday, as authorities issued safety alerts and actively managed the crowds to ensure public safety. Police began restricting access to the alley behind the Hamilton Hotel, the site of South Korea's deadliest crowd crush during Halloween weekend on Oct. 29, 2022, while controlling the flow of people in nearby areas. The Yongsan district office announced that subways will skip stops
Nov. 1, 2025 -
Key figures in Seongnam development scandal sentenced to 8-year prison terms
Two key figures in a development corruption scandal linked to President Lee Jae Myung were sentenced to eight-year prison terms each on Friday. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentences to Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., and Kim Man-bae, major shareholder of asset management firm Hwacheon Daeyu, on charges including breach of duty. The scandal centers on allegations that a small number of unheard-of private asset management companies, includi
Oct. 31, 2025 -
S. Korea, Chile vow stronger partnership, broader economic ties
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday held a bilateral summit with Chilean President Gabriel Boric on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Lee first expressed gratitude for Boric’s visit to Korea, saying Chile’s participation adds significance to the APEC gathering and voicing hope for stronger bilateral cooperation. Boric responded that although the two countries are geographically distant, “we feel very close to Korea,”
Oct. 31, 2025 -
Teenage girl sentenced to jail for fatal e-scooter crash
A teenage girl has been sentenced to serve jail time for causing a fatal electric scooter accident that left one person dead and another injured in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, last year, local reports said Friday. The Uijeongbu District Court on Thursday sentenced the high school student to six to eight months in prison without labor and a fine of 200,000 won ($140). She was convicted of occupational negligence resulting in death or injury under the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling and dr
Oct. 31, 2025