Tears, tributes at Lee Soon-jae's funeral as actors remember beloved national actor

A funeral service was held Thursday for late actor Lee Soon-jae as fellow actors remembered in tears Lee's lifelong passion for acting and his enduring legacy. "I wish this was just a scene from a drama where he would get up upon hearing 'cut' and say, 'Good job everyone; that was great,'" Kim Yeong-cheol said, his voice breaking during the funeral service at Seoul Asan Medical Center. "We all knew where we stood when we were near him. Every look he gave us was a sign of support," he said. "We w

Nov. 27, 2025

Lee hails successful launch of 4th space rocket

President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday hailed the successful launch of Nuri, South Korea's fourth homegrown space rocket, calling it "a moment that opens a new chapter" in the country's space exploration history. Lee posted the congratulatory message hours after the rocket successfully lifted off and placed 13 satellites into orbit, marking the country's first launch jointly conducted with a private company. Hanwha Aerospace led the manufacturing and assembly of the rocket, using technology transfe

Nov. 27, 2025

UNESCO chief voices concern over high-rise plan near Jongmyo Shrine: KHS head

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany has voiced deep concern over Seoul's high-rise development plan near Seoul's Jongmyo Shrine when he met with Huh Min, director of the Korea Heritage Service, Huh said. "He brought up the issue and expressed deep concern over the plan," Huh said Wednesday while briefing reporters about his meeting with the UNESCO director-general earlier in the day. "He asked us to promise not to build high-rises until a heritage impact assessment is complete," Huh said. Pr

Nov. 27, 2025

[Graphic News] 4 in 10 Koreans say they are lonely

A new government survey shows that 4 in 10 South Koreans frequently feel lonely. Among people aged 13 and older, 38.2 percent reported experiencing loneliness, with 4.7 percent saying they feel lonely “often” and 33.5 percent saying “sometimes.” Loneliness tended to increase with age, reaching 42.2 percent among those over 60, 41.7 percent among those in their 50s and 52.1 percent among people aged 80 and above. About 3.3 percent, or roughly 1.5 million people, said they feel lonely and have no

Nov. 27, 2025

15-year term sought for ex-PM Han over martial law plot

A special counsel team investigating last year’s illegal attempt to impose martial law requested a 15-year prison sentence for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, setting the stage for what will likely be the court’s first ruling on whether the emergency decree constitutes insurrection. Prosecutors accused Han of aiding former President Yoon Suk Yeol in an unconstitutional bid to impose emergency military rule. During a closing hearing Wednesday at the Seoul Central District Court, the special c

Nov. 26, 2025

Viral YouTube video triggers online discussions over pushy sales tactics at Korea’s traditional markets

In an era where digital convenience and self-checkout kiosks dominate daily life, traditional markets are often romanticized as the last refuge of human warmth — places filled with haggling, banter, handwritten price tags, and friendly aunties and uncles who insist on adding “one more piece” out of affection. But a viral YouTube video is challenging that nostalgic image, opening a public debate over pushy sales tactics and uncomfortable customer experiences that some say have driven consumers aw

Nov. 26, 2025

More vocational high school grads choose college over immediate jobs

Fewer South Korean vocational high school graduates are heading straight into the workforce, as more turn to college in hopes of improving their long-term job prospects. According to a national survey released Tuesday by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute, a record 49.2 percent of vocational high school graduates went on to tertiary education, continuing a five-year rise from 45 percent in 2021. Of those who did not pursue further studies and sought employ

Nov. 26, 2025

Athlete says she felt intense pain from coach’s forceful grab at finish line

Marathoner Lee Su-min, whose finish line moment went viral after she was seen grimacing and pushing away her coach, said Tuesday that his forceful physical contact caused pain. “At the time, I was gasping for air and mentally overwhelmed, but soon someone suddenly grabbed me forcefully from the side. I felt intense pain in my chest and solar plexus. Even as I tried to pull away, his arm pressed so hard that I felt restrained,” she wrote on Instagram. The 33-year-old marathoner from Samcheok City

Nov. 26, 2025

S. Korean man found in a bag in Vietnam tied to Cambodian phishing ring: police

A 31-year-old South Korean man whose body was found stuffed in a large bag in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday is believed to be the ringleader of a voice phishing organization operating in Cambodia, according to Korean media reports citing police, Wednesday. Vietnamese police have also identified two South Korean men — aged 25 and 24 — as suspects in the killing. The pair are reported to be members of a criminal gang based in Daegu, South Korea, both with previous criminal records. The suspects are a

Nov. 26, 2025

Korea rolls out malpractice insurance support for high-risk surgeons

South Korea has launched a new malpractice insurance support program for doctors in essential but high-risk medical fields, the Health Ministry said Wednesday, aiming to build a stronger safety net for both physicians and patients in the event of medical accidents. The initiative is designed to reduce the financial burden on medical professionals in the event of malpractice lawsuits and to help patients receive timely compensation. It is also part of broader efforts to address shortages in essen

Nov. 26, 2025

Mr. Kim's story is not just a drama

The Netflix hit drama “The Dream Life of Mr. Kim” is not pure fiction; it is a grim mirror of the reality faced by older Koreans who are pushed out of work years before retirement. Kim Nak-su, the protagonist, embodies the checklist of middle-class success that many Koreans strive for: a general manager position at a major conglomerate, owning an apartment in Seoul and a son studying at a prestigious university. Yet he is also the face of a system in which workers are encouraged — and in practic

Nov. 26, 2025

Korea sees largest increase in births in 18 years

The number of babies born between January and September surpassed 190,000, marking the largest year-on-year increase in 18 years, government data showed Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics, 190,140 babies were born in the first nine months of the year, up 12,488 from the same period last year. The last time births increased by a larger margin was in 2007, when the figure rose by 31,258 during the same period. With the recent rise in marriage and fertility rates, officials

Nov. 26, 2025

Lawmakers’ YouTube spending more than doubled

South Korean lawmakers’ spending on YouTube-related political activities increased by more than 40 percent last year compared with 2023, according to a report released Wednesday. The report, jointly compiled by Kyunghyang Shinmun, Newstapa and OhmyNews, found that average spending per lawmaker rose from 2.09 million won ($1,400) in 2023 to 3 million won in 2024, a 43.5 percent increase. Total expenditures surged from 285.4 million won in 2023 to 646 million won in 2024, marking a 126 percent ris

Nov. 26, 2025

Seoul Express Bus Terminal to get full redevelopment

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is pushing ahead with plans to transform the aging Seoul Express Bus Terminal in Seocho-gu into a 60-story multipurpose complex integrating transportation, business, residential and cultural functions. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday, the city government officially launched preliminary negotiations with Shinsegae Central Inc. and Seoul Express Bus Terminal Co., two private sector operators of the 146,260-square-meter site selected for

Nov. 26, 2025

75% of South Koreans say migrants who pay taxes should get equal access to welfare: survey

A majority of South Koreans believe that migrants who pay taxes should be included in the country’s social welfare system, according to new national survey data released this week. The 2025 Human Rights Awareness Survey, published by Korea’s National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday, found that nearly 75 percent (74.7 percent) of respondents supported allowing taxpaying migrants to access the same social benefits as Korean citizens, a level of support that has remained largely unchanged from p

Nov. 26, 2025