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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 -
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 -
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 -
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
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Workplace fatality penalties, AI service disclosure
Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Yoon (Democratic Party of Korea) Proposed Bill: Partial Amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act Proposed by Rep. Lee Yong-woo (Democratic Party of Korea) Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Commercial Act Proposed by Rep. Kim Hyun-jung (Democratic Party of Korea) Promulgated Bill: Clean Air Conservation Act Competent Authority: Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment Administrative
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Seoul activates snow response as season’s first snowfall expected for evening commute
Seoul activated its level 1 snow response Thursday as the season’s first snowfall was forecast to hit the capital during the evening commute. Emergency operations will begin at 2 p.m., with district offices and related agencies placed on standby, the city said. The Korea Meteorological Administration predicted 1 to 5 centimeters of snow between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., marking the first accumulation expected in Seoul this winter. The city classifies its snow response in five stages — normal, reinforce
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Seoul Mayor to visit Vietnam, Malaysia to deepen city ties
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will travel to Vietnam and Malaysia this week for a six-day visit aimed at strengthening partnerships with Southeast Asian capitals and advancing the city’s goal of becoming a “global leading city,” the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday. The local authority said the visit comes as Koren cultural exports, including music, cuisine and television, continues to drive rapid growth in interest in the city. Seoul aims to use this momentum to strengthen its global brandi
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Website in Brazil selling dates with Korean ‘oppa’ under investigation for sexual exploitation
A matchmaking website in Brazil promoting dating with Korean men has come under fire for sexually exploiting female Hallyu fans, news reports said Thursday. Under the Portuguese phrase “Relive the magic of K-dramas with oppa,” the website displays photos that seem to depict Korean men and women touring popular sites in Seoul together. Korean words meaning “love,” “memory,” and “dream” are placed along one side of the webpage. The website says it offers various services for Brazilian women who en
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Women more willing to have kids if job return assured: survey
Women in Korea are more open to having children if they can be sure of their return to the workplace after giving birth, according to research by a state-funded think tank. Kim Eun-ji, a senior researcher at the Korean Women’s Development Institute, found that women who believed they could continue working after childbirth were significantly more willing to have children than those who did not expect such job security. Her findings were based on an analysis of survey responses from men and women
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Mugshot revealed of man who killed ex-girlfriend, discarded body
South Korean police on Thursday revealed the mugshot of 54-year-old Kim Yeong-woo, who confessed to killing his former girlfriend out of apparent jealousy and hiding her body in wastewater. The Chungbuk Provincial Police Agency said it decided to reveal the suspect's name, face, and age, based on the cruelty of the crime, the severity of the harm caused and the opinion of the victim's bereaved family. Kim did not challenge the decision, and his information will be posted on the police agency's h
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Presidential office confirms 6 citizens detained in N. Korea, vows efforts to release them
The presidential office on Thursday confirmed that six South Korean nationals have been detained in North Korea and vowed to make efforts to secure the release of them by swiftly resuming talks with Pyongyang. The six citizens, including three North Koreans who had defected to South Korea, have been held in the North on charges of espionage and others since between 2013 and 2016. They include three missionaries arrested by the North Korean authorities from 2013 and 2014, namely Kim Jung-wook, Ki
Dec. 4, 2025 -
Nominee for newly established media watchdog chief vows to promptly stabilize agency
Kim Jong-cheol, who was nominated last week to lead the newly launched Korea Media Communications Commission, on Thursday vowed to make efforts to promptly stabilize the agency's operation. "I will spare no efforts to stabilize the KMCC and make the organization contribute to people's everyday lives and the economy," Kim said as he arrived at his temporary office near the KMCC headquarters in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul. The nominee is set to prepare for his confirmation hearing at the Nationa
Dec. 4, 2025