-
Power plant collapse renews calls to ban multilayered subcontracting
Eight of the nine workers killed or injured in last week's boiler tower collapse in Ulsan were found to be employed by subcontractors, reigniting outrage over South Korea’s practice of outsourcing dangerous work as the search for two missing workers continues. According to local media reports, the demolition of the tower at the Korea East-West Power Co. site, which was already underway before the deadly collapse, was carried out through multiple layers of subcontracting. The state-run facility h
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Seoul signs deal with France’s Quandela for quantum tech center
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with French quantum computing firm Quandela to help establish a quantum technology development center in the South Korean capital through a $57 million (80 billion won) investment. According to the city government, Seoul plans to leverage its new partnership to build a quantum industry ecosystem within the city that will “position the city as a global quantum technology hub.” Planned initiatives, i
Nov. 12, 2025 -
4 in 10 Koreans are lonely: data
Four in 10 Koreans say they usually feel lonely, and the proportion rises with age, a government survey showed Tuesday. According to a survey of about 34,000 people conducted by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, 38.2 percent of respondents said they feel lonely. That includes 4.7 percent who said they “frequently” feel lonely, along with 33.5 percent who said they “sometimes” do. Respondents replying they do not feel lonely accounted for the other 61.8 percent. The survey found that lonelines
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Kim Dae-jung’s Nobel medal and 1987 protester’s bloodstained clothes recognized as heritage
South Korea will formally preserve two of its most powerful symbols of democracy — the late President Kim Dae-jung’s Nobel Peace Prize and the bloodstained clothes of student protester Lee Han-yeol — as part of the nation’s first-ever “preliminary cultural heritage.” The Korea Heritage Service announced Wednesday that the two items, representing Korea’s struggles and triumphs in modern history, are among 10 selected for the new designation, which was created to protect significant cultural items
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Martial law probe arrests ex-spy chief Cho, ex-PM Hwang a month before deadline
The former spy chief Cho Tae-yong, a key figure in the special counsel’s investigation into ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law declaration, was arrested Wednesday — just a month before the probe’s mandate expires. Later in the day, the special counsel also took into custody former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who served under the Park Geun-hye administration, on charges of inciting insurrection by posting a message on Facebook in support of martial law on Dec. 3. The deten
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Man and woman caught defecating on the walls of Gyeongbokgung
A man and a woman were caught on camera defecating on the stone walls of Gyeongbokgung in central Seoul, local broadcaster JTBC reported Tuesday. Footage showed the man crouching in the bushes while holding toilet paper on Monday, with a woman next to him pulling down her white pants to relieve herself. After a few moments, the woman stood up and walked away, leaving visible stains on her clothing. Shortly after, the man emerged from the bushes. According to the TV program, the incident occurred
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Cafe owner’s sign language greeting warms hearts online
There are countless ways to promote a cafe. But sometimes, all it takes is kindness. On Oct. 19, a short video posted to the official Instagram account of Ediya Coffee’s Ansan Wolpi Hyundai branch captured a small but powerful interaction: a cafe owner serving their drinks to two deaf customers. Noticing that the customers were deaf, the owner greeted them in sign language, saying, “Enjoy your drinks,” when serving. Surprised and touched, one of the customers responded with a smile and a thumbs-
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Chaebol marriages shift: Young scions marry within business circles, not politics
Gone is the era of political marriages, when the ultra-rich forged ties with the powerful through matrimony. Recent data shows nearly half of the marriages of younger generations of South Korea’s conglomerate-controlling families are now with heirs of other chaebol families, a departure from the past trend of marrying into the political elite. Local corporate tracker CEO Score analyzed the marriages of 380 people from 81 chaebol families, and found that 46.5 percent of the fourth and fifth gener
Nov. 12, 2025 -
College entrance exam set for Thursday with number of applicants at 7-year high
The annual College Scholastic Ability Test, seen as one of the nation's most important academic events, will be held nationwide this week, with the number of applicants rising to a seven-year high of over 550,000. The education ministry said that this year's CSAT will be held at 1,310 test centers across the country from 8:40 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Thursday. A total of 554,174 people applied for this year's CSAT, marking an on-year increase of 31,504, or 6 percent, and the highest total number of app
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Sticker shock no more: FTC forces Korean wedding vendors to name their price
Couples in South Korea preparing to marry have long faced a stressful and costly guessing game: How much will their wedding venue really cost? Now the government is stepping in to stop it. Starting Wednesday, wedding service providers in South Korea are legally required to disclose complete pricing information before signing any contracts, according to the Fair Trade Commission. The new rule aims to eliminate hidden fees and vague terms in a notoriously opaque industry that bundles photography,
Nov. 12, 2025 -
S. Korea adds 193,000 jobs in October; youth employment remains weak
South Korea added more than 190,000 jobs in October, continuing an upward trend in employment this year, but employment losses continued in the manufacturing and construction sectors, as well as among the younger population, government data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people stood at 29.04 million last month, up 193,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The increase underscores a continued upward trend in employment following
Nov. 12, 2025 -
5th body recovered at Ulsan power plant
A fifth body was recovered from under a collapsed boiler tower at a thermal power plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Wednesday, leaving two workers still trapped, firefighting authorities said. The body belonged to one of two workers who could not be located in the rubble of the 63-meter tower that collapsed last Thursday. The discovery came after authorities blew up two other boiler towers near the debris Tuesday to help speed up the search and rescue efforts. Towers 4 and 6, which flan
Nov. 12, 2025 -
Korean police officers say APEC summit left them 'sleeping like the homeless'
When world leaders gathered in South Korea for last month's APEC summit, thousands of the police officers protecting them were sleeping on cardboard and eating cold rice. Their union now says the government treated them “worse than the homeless.” The National Police Union on Tuesday held a protest in front of the National Police Agency headquarters in Seoul, displaying photographs taken by officers deployed to the global diplomatic event that took place in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, be
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Engines stop, markets wait: Korea stands still for Suneung day
The big day is just a few sleeps away — the day for which every Korean student has been preparing for years, sacrificing weekends and fun: Suneung, the College Scholastic Ability Test. With just some 24 hours to go to Thursday’s nationwide exam, experts are urging students to set aside their books and instead focus on sleep, nutrition and calm preparation. Medical experts warn that last-minute cramming does little good and can even hurt performance. “Many students have been studying long hours w
Nov. 11, 2025 -
Seoul to bolster response system, sentencing for kidnapping attempts
The South Korean government announced a set of measures on Tuesday to strengthen its response to kidnapping and child luring crimes, including prioritizing dispatch to reports of such incidents, strengthening laws and tightening sentences. The plan, jointly released by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the Korean National Police Agency, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, was announced following a string of recent kidnapping attempts targeting elementary school s
Nov. 11, 2025