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1 in 3 South Koreans living alone in 'superaged' era
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Foreign residents in S. Korea top 2.8m for first time in Oct.
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From 'soft no's to hidden anger: Why Koreans communicate indirectly
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Teen dies after shop spreads images of her shoplifting
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Cold wave grips Korea; Seoul’s first snow likely Thursday
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Martial law’s animosity has outlived decree — and now defines political identity
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Lee discusses defense, nuclear energy cooperation with Romanian president over phone
President Lee Jae Myung spoke by phone for the first time with Romanian President Nicusor Dan on Thursday and discussed ways to boost cooperation in the defense industry, nuclear energy and other areas, Lee's office said. Lee said it is meaningful that South Korea's exports of the Shingung surface-to-air missile system and K9 self-propelled howitzers to Romania have contributed to strengthening Romania's defense capabilities, voicing hopes that South Korean companies will continue to play a role
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Court approves asset freeze of W156.8b on Hybe chairman amid investigation
A Seoul court has issued an order to freeze about 156.8 billion won ($106.4 million) worth of shares in K-pop powerhouse Hybe held by its chairman, who is under investigation over alleged unfair stock trading, court officials said Thursday. The Seoul Southern District Court last month approved a prosecution request for asset preservation against Bang Si-hyuk, filed to block him from disposing of his shares in Hybe while the investigation is under way, according to court officials. The asset pres
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Lee considering visit to Japan next month for talks with Takaichi: report
South Korea and Japan are in talks to arrange a visit to Japan by President Lee Jae Myung next month for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a report said Thursday. The two sides are looking to hold the summit in Nara Prefecture, Takaichi's home region, in mid-January, Kyodo News reported, citing diplomatic sources. The trip, if realized, will mark Lee's second visit to the neighboring country after he visited Tokyo in August and held summit talks with Takaichi's predecesso
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Korea to provide $1.5m in humanitarian aid to flood-hit Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka
South Korea will provide a total of $1.5 million worth of humanitarian aid to Vietnam, Thailand and Sri Lanka to support recovery efforts following deadly floods and landslides that struck the three countries, the foreign ministry said Thursday. The government will provide $500,000 to each country to help restore the affected areas and support local residents' early return to their daily lives, the ministry said in a release. The floods struck the three South and Southeast Asian countries late l
Dec. 4, 2025 -
First snowfall of the season
Seoul saw its first snowfall of the 2025 autumn-to-winter season on Thursday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The first snow arrived eight days later than last year and 14 days later than the 1991- 2020 average. Snowfall exceeded 5 centimeters per hour in parts of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, prompting authorities to issue heavy snow advisories. Snow is expected to continue through midnight Friday across the central regions of the Korean Peninsula. In response, the Central
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Social media abuzz over Samsung scion's near-perfect Suneung score
Online communities are buzzing after the son of Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin, a member of the Samsung Group family, reportedly missed just one question on this year's national college entrance exam, or Suneung. Park Sun-young, chair of the new Truth and Reconciliation Committee, wrote on Facebook: "Lee’s son, surnamed Lim and a third-year student at Whimoon High School, reportedly got only one question wrong on this year’s Suneung. People say he never lost the top spot in the entire school all t
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Suneung administrator expresses regret over difficulty of English questions
The English section of this year’s Suneung was found to be the most difficult ever, with the share of top-grade earners dropping to half of last year’s level, data showed Thursday. As the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation released the results for the exam held Nov. 13, only 15,154 of the total test-takers, or 3.11 percent, earned a first-grade score of 90 or higher, the lowest proportion since English shifted to an absolute grading system in 2018. This is lower than the 4 percent thr
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Presidential aide resigns over alleged influence-peddling in personnel recommendation
Kim Nam-kuk, the presidential office’s digital communication secretary, resigned Thursday over allegations of an improper request to influence a personnel recommendation involving the country's main auto industry body, the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. The presidential office said in a notice to reporters, “Secretary Kim submitted his resignation to the presidential secretariat today, and it has been accepted." The scandal erupted after local media reported on Telegram messages exc
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Seoul eases travel advisory for Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, keeps restrictions in high-risk regions
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday that it has adjusted some travel advisories for Cambodia, lowering the alert level for the capital Phnom Penh and further easing guidance for regions including Siem Reap. Effective from 4 p.m., the ministry lifted the special travel advisory for Phnom Penh, downgrading it to Level 2. Regions currently under Level 2, including Siem Reap, have been further lowered to Level 1. Authorities said the adjustment reflects improvements in publi
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Nearly half of teens regularly skip breakfast: data
Over 40 percent of Korean teenagers now skip breakfast at least five times a week, a steady rise since 2016, according to a report released Thursday by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The KDCA found that 44 percent of teens regularly miss breakfast, up from 42.4 percent in 2024. The rate reached 41.9 percent for boys and 45.3 percent for girls. The proportion has climbed every year from 28.2 percent in 2016. The findings are based on a nationwide survey conducted in June and Jul
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Thai murder of Korean tourist ends in life, 25, 30-year jail terms
The three men convicted of murdering a South Korean tourist in Thailand last year received confirmed sentences of 25 years, 30 years and life imprisonment, after the Supreme Court upheld their punishments on Thursday. South Korea’s top court affirmed the lower courts’ rulings, finding the defendants guilty of murder during a robbery, abandonment of a body, fraud and attempted extortion. Each defendant will also be required to wear an electronic monitoring anklet for 10 years upon release. The th
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Nazi, Hitler rhetoric back in Korean politics — and expats, experts are alarmed
References to Nazism and Adolf Hitler are appearing with increasing frequency in South Korea’s political discourse — raising concerns among foreign residents and scholars that such rhetoric must be used with far greater caution. On Thursday, Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, chair of the main opposition People Power Party, likened President Lee Jae Myung to Adolf Hitler during a party leadership meeting, accusing Lee of pursuing authoritarian rule. “He is threatening the public by invoking Nazi war criminal
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Seoul’s search for stability: political turmoil underscores need for a consistent North Korea policy
One year after South Korea witnessed its first declaration of martial law since 1979, the political aftershocks continue to reverberate — stretching far beyond constitutional law and deep into North Korea policy. On Dec. 3, 2024, then-President Yoon Suk Yeol stunned the country by declaring emergency martial law, claiming, among other things, that South Korea faced “pro-North Korea and anti-state forces” and accusing the opposition-controlled National Assembly of paralyzing the government. His d
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Koreans live longer, but years spent sick also rise
South Koreans are now expected to spend an average of 18.2 years of their later life living with illness, even as overall life expectancy hit a record high in 2024, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The ministry’s biennial report showed that the nation’s healthy life expectancy stood at 65.5 years in 2024, meaning people are expected to live that long without disease or disability. The figure is slightly down from 65.8 years in 2022 and 66.3 years in 2020. “The small fluctuation
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Lee to meet SoftBank CEO for talks on AI, semiconductor cooperation
President Lee Jae Myung is meeting with SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son on Friday to discuss cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and large-scale infrastructure investment, the presidential office said Thursday. The presidential office announced, “President Lee will meet Masayoshi Son and his delegation tomorrow to discuss cooperation in the AI and semiconductor sectors, as well as related infrastructure.” Other attendees are to include chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, presidenti
Dec. 4, 2025