The police sought an arrest warrant Wednesday for the driver behind the fatal car crash that killed nine pedestrians near Seoul city hall earlier this month, according to officials on Thursday. On July 1, a sedan crashed into pedestrians waiting for a traffic light at an intersection near Exit No. 7 of Seoul’s City Hall Station in Jung-gu, central Seoul. The car drove in the wrong direction and hit the pedestrians before colliding with two other vehicles. The crash resulted in nine fatalit

Social Affairs July 25, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it would spend 106.5 billion won ($76.9 million) over the next five years to help youth transitioning out of foster care or child care institutions to adjust to independent living, becoming the first local government to do so in South Korea. The city government’s plan includes providing job consultation services, raising independent living capabilities, subsidizing living costs and providing additional help in adjusting to society

Social Affairs July 24, 2024

Supreme Court justice nominee Lee Suk-yeon’s daughter was found to have made a profit 63 times higher than her original stock investment by selling her shares to her father, according to data released Tuesday. According to official documents Lee submitted to Rep. Huh Young of the Democratic Party, Lee’s daughter, identified by her last name Cho, sold 400 stock shares of a cosmetics R&D firm to her father for 385 million won ($277,636) in May 2023. The 400 shares were part of a to

Social Affairs July 23, 2024

While South Korea’s southern regions were hit with heat wave warnings, the Korea Meteorological Administration reported on Monday that the Greater Seoul region and Gangwon Province will see heavy rain showers on an occasional basis until Wednesday. On Monday, the Greater Seoul area, which consists of Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, expected to see 20 to 60 millimeters of rain, with heavily hit regions seeing up to 80 mm. Specifically, the KMA added that the Greater Seoul area will al

Social Affairs July 22, 2024

Former US President Donald Trump once again boasted of his friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his campaign rally in Michigan on Saturday, just two days after delivering similar remarks at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin. "You know, a lot of times the press would say, 'He gets along with Kim Jong-un. North Korea has a lot of nuclear weapons.' I got along with them great. You were never in danger with me as your president. It’s a good thing

Social Affairs July 21, 2024

Torrential rains swept through the central parts of South Korea on Thursday, leading to evacuations in landslide-prone and flood-prone areas, school closures and traffic disruptions, causing chaos for many. The northern parts of Gyeonggi Province were among the hardest hit, including Paju, which saw rain up to 75.1 millimeters per hour early Thursday morning. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the total amount of rain that fell in Paju from midnight to 6 a.m. reached 143.5 mm.

Social Affairs July 18, 2024

Starting Monday, the Climate Clock will show less than five years remaining until the Earth exceeds the 1.5 degrees Celcius global warming limit, highlighting the rapid global temperature rise due to carbon emissions. The Climate Clock counts down to the 1.5 C deadline according to data presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It is known for its 80-foot digital clock face in New York City’s Union Square, as well as its other clocks located worldwide in cities such as Se

Social Affairs July 17, 2024

Following the deadly car crash near central Seoul on July 1, debate has rekindled over whether seniors aged 65 and up should be eligible to drive, with some openly expressing hatred toward older drivers online. On July 1, a vehicle crashed into pedestrians waiting at traffic light at an intersection near Exit No. 7 of Seoul’s City Hall Station in Jung-gu, central Seoul, as it drove in the wrong direction and collided with two vehicles before hitting the pedestrians. In the end, this car cr

Social Affairs July 7, 2024

South Korea’s average June temperatures were recorded as the highest since weather records were first taken 52 years ago, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Thursday. According to an official report issued by the KMA, Korea saw average temperatures reaching up to 22.7 degrees Celsius, making it 1.3 C higher than in previous years. Korea also saw up to 2.8 heat wave days in June, which was 2.1 days more than the number of heat wave days in June recorded on average. Heat w

Social Affairs July 6, 2024

Kim Wan-sup, the Environment Minister nominee, is a bureaucrat who served as the second vice minister of the Finance Ministry last year. On nominating Kim, Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk said that Kim has a “better understanding of the Yoon administration’s state philosophy than anyone else.” “The current administration expects Kim will be able to carry out balanced policies, especially given the growing impact of environmental issues on the economy, such as co

Social Affairs July 4, 2024

Mobile identification cards for South Korean nationals with permanent residency overseas were to start being issued Wednesday to help them use domestic administrative services that require personal identification, the Ministry of Interior and Safety said the same day. The ministry hosted a meeting Wednesday regarding the new service with the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government, the Overseas Korean Agency and Korean nationals living overseas to officially launch the mobile

Social Affairs July 3, 2024

Gangnam-gu, a Seoul district famous for its luxury fashion, affluent neighborhoods, and Psy's "Gangnam Style," is now aiming to become a testbed for the robotics industry. The ward office said a robot cluster will be built in Suseo, in the southeastern part of the district, to provide testing grounds and nurture related industries. The robot testing grounds, known as Robot Plus Test Field, will span over 1,350 square meters and is set to open in July, according to the office. &ldq

Social Affairs July 3, 2024

Bouquets of white chrysanthemums were laid next to Exit No. 7 of Seoul's City Hall Station on Tuesday, the rainy morning after a car crash that resulted in nine deaths in the area. Though most of the crime scene had been cleared, remnants of the accident lingered in the morning. A temporary fence enclosed the destroyed guardrails from Monday’s car crash, and police officials remained stationed at the site. Pedestrians passing by paused to look at the flowers, with some laying down t

Social Affairs July 2, 2024

Following heavy rain nationwide over the weekend, the Korea Meteorological Administration stated Monday that rainy weather would continue on Tuesday and Wednesday, with some regions more heavily hit than others. Starting Tuesday morning, the Greater Seoul area -- Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province -- will see some 30 to 80 millimeters of rain, with heavily hit regions seeing up to 120 mm of rain. Other areas, including Gangwon Province and the South and North Chungcheong provinces will also se

Social Affairs July 1, 2024

On top of a grass field at Yeouido Park near Yeouido, western Seoul sits a large white balloon, with the city’s slogan “Seoul My Soul” written on it. However, this isn’t just any balloon. Also known as “Seouldal” -- “dal” meaning moon in Korean -- it is a tethered helium balloon ride that the Seoul Metropolitan Government hopes will become a new nightlife attraction offering views of the cityscape from high in the air. Seouldal is ready to take peo

Social Affairs June 28, 2024