In one of the world’s busiest metropolises, Seoul is home to over 9 million people and now, officially, at least 15 otters. Following a series of otter sightings along the Han River which cuts across the megacity, local authorities last week announced that 15 Eurasian otters are confirmed to be inhabiting there. The analysis, conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is based on footage of surveillance cameras installed along the Han River. Otters, which are most active at night, wer

Social Affairs Jan. 2, 2023

The following series is part of The Korea Herald’s “Hello Hangeul” project which consists of interviews, in-depth analyses, videos and various other forms of content that shed light on the stories of people who are learning the Korean language and the correlation between Korea’s soft power and the rise of its language within the league of world languages. – Ed. Korean has 81.7 million speakers around the globe, although most of them are found on the Korean Peninsula

Hashtag Korea Jan. 2, 2023

From work contracts to marriage with a Korean citizen and accidental breaking of local rules and laws, foreign residents can find themselves in complicated legal situations. Ask a Lawyer covers the most common legal issues faced by expats in South Korea through Q&A with lawyers practicing in the very field. -- Ed. Last year, an Indian man had to cut short his stay in South Korea, originally planned for two years. The reason? He was caught driving under the influence of alcohol. The man, age

Hashtag Korea Dec. 26, 2022

A Starbucks neon sign hanging on the wall of an old building emits a soft green glow in the midst of street vendors offering seasonal greens and traditional herbal medicines. Young couples and office workers walk past the food stalls surrounded mostly by elderly shoppers looking for a bargain as they head toward a hidden gem in the marketplace -- a new Starbucks store within Seoul’s Gyeongdong Market that just opened last week. Dubbed “Kyungdong 1960,” the new coffee shop is a

Culture Dec. 25, 2022

Bae, a 29-year-old jeonse tenant in Seoul is at risk of losing the 200 million won ($154,000) deposit she paid to the landlord surnamed Kim who was found dead in October. “My husband and I took out bank loans to rent the jeonse apartment after we got married. We thought it was a safe jeonse contract because there were no mortgage loans secured on this house. I never imagined that I may not get my deposit back because the landlord died,” said Bae, who tied the knot last year. Jeonse i

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2022

A slick and shiny mini bus moved smoothly toward the Cheonggye Plaza bus stop near Gwanghwamun Station, central Seoul. Four passengers, including this reporter, got on board. The vehicle with seven passenger seats had an airy, open feel, with an impressive panoramic glass roof and full-size windows on four sides. There was someone sitting in the driver’s seat, but his hands never touched the steering wheel even as the bus started moving. For much of the ride, which lasted 20 minutes or so,

Hashtag Korea Dec. 12, 2022

  The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories, a Korea Herald series exploring the subway stations and surrounding areas across the city. -- Ed.   In the ’70s and ’80s, before the proliferation of cafes and clubs in Seoul, the area near Sindang Station led a peculiar youth culture here -- hipsters hanging out at trendy tteokbokki restaurants where DJs play pop music. Nearly half a century later, the Sindang-dong neighborhood’s then-revolutionary tteokbokki scene may

Culture Dec. 12, 2022

On a late November afternoon, John Sichi was walking on a treadmill on a street in Seoul. The exercise equipment featured signs on both sides that read “I miss my children so much” in Korean. Next to it stood life-size photos of two toddlers -- a girl and a boy. It was the American father’s way of expressing his frustration with the South Korean authorities, whose inaction he said is preventing his children from returning to him, their custodial parent. “I had no more w

Social Affairs Dec. 7, 2022

5일 법무부에 따르면 미 국무부의 아동 문제 관련 특별보좌관인 미셸 버니어 토스 (Michelle Bernier-Toth)가 6일 정부 관계자들을 만나 헤이그 국제아동탈취협약에 근거한 국내 아동반환 사건의 집행 현황을 점검하는 시간을 갖는다. 법무부 관계자는 “국내 헤이그 아동탈취 협약 관련 사건 처리 장기화에 관해 제도적 개선방안에 대해 의견을 교환할 예정이다”고 밝혔다. 헤이그 국제아동탈취협약은 국제결혼이 증가하면서 배우자 한쪽이 다른 한쪽의 동의없이 해외로 불법 이동시킨 16세 미만 아동을 보호하고 신속히 양육권자에게 되돌릴 수 있도록 맺은 국제협약이다. 1980년 10월 만들어져 미국·영국 등 93개국이 가입했고, 한국은 지난 2012년 12월 89번째로 가입해 2013년 협약 이행을 위해 헤이그아동탈취법을 마련해 시행했다. 하지만 지난 9월 한국은 미국에 의해 ‘국제적 아동탈취의 민사적 측면에 관한 협약(헤이그 아동탈취 협약)&r

한국어판 Dec. 5, 2022

Special adviser on children’s issue to the US State Department, Michelle Bernier-Toth, is currently in South Korea to discuss the issue of cross-over child abduction, officials in Seoul told The Korea Herald. A meeting between Bernier-Toth, who arrived over the weekend, and officials from S. Korea’s Ministry of Justice is to be held Tuesday, a ministry official said, with unresolved cases involving children of Korean-American couples taken to Korea by the Korean parent without the

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2022

Karin Jensen, a 47-year-old Swedish police officer, had no clue that her business trip to Korea in 2018 would be the beginning of a long journey to discover her biological roots. Born in Daegu, she grew up in Uppsala, Sweden after being adopted by a Swedish couple when she was 4 months old. Having led a happy life with supportive parents and a younger sister, Jensen never felt a need to find her birth parents until she became a mother of two children -- a 13-year-old son and a 10-year-old daught

Hashtag Korea Nov. 29, 2022

To enter “Haribo World,” you'll pass through multiple gates shaped like the brand's famous gummy bears. Inside a room at the end of the passage, the signature Goldbears come alive via media art that covers the entire wall, ceiling to floor. At this exhibition, currently underway at Annyeong Insa-dong's Insa Central Museum in central Seoul, the inspiration obviously is children’s and many adults’ favorite gummy -- Haribo Goldbears. Opened in October this yea

Consumer Nov. 22, 2022

The ruling People Power Party, doing little to hide its hostility toward local broadcaster MBC which reported President Yoon Suk-yeol’s profanity-laced hot-mic incident, has called out one of its reporters as being “rude” to wear slippers during a question-and-answer session with the president. “Freedom of the press must be respected, but reporters should think about the responsibility of the media and the basic courtesy required for human beings,” said Kim Jong-h

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2022

A 25-year-old Korean flight attendant on a layover was critically injured in a stabbing at a Target store in downtown Los Angeles, California, according to US news media reports. The incident occurred at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to eye witnesses, the suspect -- a homeless man -- walked into the store, grabbed a large butcher knife off of a store shelf and attacked the Korean woman and a 9-year-old boy. He also punched another woman who tried to intervene in the situation. The 40-year-

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2022

For those commuting to Seoul from cities in Gyeonggi Province, rush hour means standing on the aisle of a packed bus running on an expressway. It is unsafe and against the law, but widely considered just part of life. Starting from Friday, 44 percent of intercity buses in Gyeonggi Province will no longer accept passengers when there are no seats left. Gyeonggi Provincial Government confirmed the no standing policy on Tuesday, saying it is for the safety of passengers. The move comes amid a natio

Social Affairs Nov. 16, 2022