A man in his 20s who set fire to the face of a female exchange student in December was found dead, closing the police investigation into the case, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on Wednesday. The suspect had sprayed volatile material into the face of a British woman and ignited it with a cigarette lighter on Dec. 15 near the dormitory building of a university in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. His whereabouts were unknown after fleeing the scene of the crime, until his body was found on th

Social Affairs Feb. 14, 2024

The new quote "Seoul's biggest blessing is you" is seen on the signboard on the front side of the Seoul Metropolitan Library building in central Seoul. Seoul Metropolitan Government put up the quote in celebration of Seollal, Korea’s traditional New Year's day, which falls on Saturday, the city announced Monday. The city government has displayed quotes collected from citizens since 2013 on the signboard hung at the former Seoul City Hall main building.

Social Affairs Feb. 5, 2024

Seoul Metropolitan Government recently unveiled the new design for its mascot Haechi, the character's first design change since its designation as the capital city’s official symbol in 2009. The new design of Haechi, whose design is based on the mythical haetae from Korean folklore, has a pink body with blue-green stripes. Seoul City Hall said it took the colors from Korea’s traditional colorwork for wooden buildings, known as “dancheong,” The colors replace the prev

Social Affairs Feb. 4, 2024

Kakao Friend emojis will gradually be discontinued on KakaoTalk, South Korea’s No.1 messaging app. The app’s operator Kakao decided to end all free Kakao Friends emoji services, but details of the plan are under consideration, according to local media reports Wednesday. The emojis are 34 non-moving images showing various expressions by the five initial member characters of Kakao Friends -- animal or fruit-based characters licensed by Kakao. The emojis have received broad love from

Technology Jan. 31, 2024

Efforts to remove fishing nets entangled on the tail of a dolphin calf are ongoing at Jeju Island, with the rescue team already successfully cutting off a part of the net. The bottlenose dolphin, which has been named Jongdal, was spotted off the island’s southwestern coast more than two months ago with its body entangled in the net from beak to tail. Seaweed attached to the net has been hampering Jongdal's movements, while the net itself is cutting into the body, according to the Jeju

Social Affairs Jan. 30, 2024

A 58-year-old woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday for the murder of her husband and the attempted murder of his extramarital partner. The trial was presided over by Judge Eo Jae-won in the 12th division of the Daegu District Court. The convict was found guilty of the premeditated murder of her husband (58), whom she stabbed several times as he was sitting in a massage chair at 10:45 p.m. on July 8. At 9:50 a.m. the next day, the woman stabbed her husband’s mistress (53),

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2024

When hanji is put into epoxy resin, the paper soaks up the fluid and solidifies in the form of a panel. The panels are carved and connected into furniture, while hanji’s unique patterns can be seen through its transparent surface. This is how Son Sang-woo, a furniture designer, makes his works. Hanji is traditional Korean paper made from mulberry bark. As the bark’s texture is visible on the paper, Son’s works display unique patterns and gloss. “Many people are curious wh

Culture Jan. 6, 2024

A New Year countdown drone show slated to be held at Gwangalli beach in Busan on Sunday was abruptly canceled due to technical error, sparking complaints among the tens of thousands gathered at the port city to witness the event. Online community platforms and social media were abuzz Monday with complaints over the sudden cancellation of the Gwangalli Marvelous Drone Light Show, a New Year event that was to be held over the Gwangandaegyo bridge around midnight for the countdown. It was was delay

Social Affairs Jan. 1, 2024

“The 'sangmo' can be called the ‘wings for gugak,’ as it enriches gugak performances,” says nongak performer Kim Ji-won. The "sangmo" is a Joseon-era military hat with ornaments. The ornaments -- attached to the top of the hat -- come in diverse shapes, such as ribbons, feathers or flowers. Performers wearing the sangmo spin their heads while playing an instrument alongside other band members in nongak, a type of traditional music and dance created by

Culture Dec. 23, 2023

Korea's traditional dish bibimbap was the most-searched recipe on Google in 2023, while several other Korean content-related keywords, including K-dramas and K-pop song titles, were included in the global search engine’s top search list for this year. Google announced its “Year in Search 2023,” a roundup of words most frequently searched by its users across the globe. Search words were sorted into 18 categories that included news, recipes and songs. Topping the list for re

Culture Dec. 13, 2023

The victim of a high-profile car crash involving a driver suspected of being under the influence of illicitly prescribed drugs has died, after four months in a coma. The victim, a woman in her 20s identified by the surname of Bae, had been on life support since August, when she was hit by a vehicle driven by the suspect while walking along a sidewalk in Apgujeong, southern Seoul. The suspect, a 28-year old man identified by the surname of Shin, is believed to have been under the influence of nar

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2023

South Koreans’ English proficiency in 2022 worsened from the previous year, descending 13 spots in an annual report by the Swedish education corporation Education First. South Korea stood in 49th place in the “2023 English Proficiency Index,” based on the test results of 2.2 million adults from 113 countries who took EF’s English certification test “EF Standard English Test” in 2022. The previous year, the country ranked in 36th place among non-English speakin

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2023

An American in his 30s was caught by the police for writing “igari,” which means bruxism -- more commonly known as teeth grinding -- on at least 155 public facilities and properties in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. The Yongsan police said Monday it was investigating what it called the “igari graffitist,” who wrote "igari" in both Hangeul and English on tunnels, power poles, roads and buses among others, after nabbing him on Oct 25. He is also suspected of writing t

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2023

A 34-year-old man will be presented with a letter of appreciation for rescuing a driver in his 70s from a burning electric vehicle in Busan, Busan Yeonje Police Station said Thursday. Yoo Se-rim was passing by in Yeonje-gu when he saw an electric taxi on fire at around 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday. The taxi had burst into flames after it crashed into a shop. Yoo helped extract the driver who was stuck inside the car. The driver sustained severe burns on his face, arms and legs, but is conscious, accor

Social Affairs Nov. 25, 2023

As a staff of Haegeum Laboratory Moogung, Kim Da-rae draws traditional Korean paintings on haegeum, a traditional Korean instrument that consists of a wooden body with two strings and a bow. “I am a haegeum creator who imbues a fresh wave into haegeum,” Kim said. Kim majored in Korean art both in college and graduate school. She says it was lucky that she was able to become a designer after a long journey to find the right career for her. “I had a dream to be an artisan who pro

Culture Nov. 25, 2023