"Pansori" was the most difficult art form to master, says Choi Su-in, a 23-year-old student with experience in piano, flute, drawing and ballet. The complexity of pansori only instilled her with grit and determination, and eventually led her to major in pansori at Seoul National University. “I found myself improving more when training in pansori than when compared to other arts. Perhaps that is what attracted me to it,” Choi said. Originating from the southwestern part of K

weekender July 1, 2023

A man in his 60s was nabbed by the police for shooting and killing a cat for standing in his way in Jeju. The police were investigating the man for violating laws on gun safety and animal protection, Jeju Seogwipo Police Station said on Thursday. The suspect allegedly shot and killed the cat at 7 a.m. on June 19 on a road in Seogwipo, southern Jeju Island. A bullet from a five-millimeter air rifle was found in the cat’s neck. After the shooting, he fled the scene but was caught by police w

Social Affairs June 30, 2023

Jeong Ah-young, an infant who had been comatose as a result of abuse, died Wednesday at the age of 3. Her organs were donated to four other infants. She died from a sudden cardiac arrest after having been on a respirator for over three years. Jeong had been in a coma after sustaining a head trauma in October 2019 at a newborn nursery in Dongrae-gu, eastern Busan. Jeong was a victim of serial infant abuse by a nurse in her 30s, who is alleged to have abused 14 babies for 15 days since Oct. 5, 201

Social Affairs June 30, 2023

Footage of a motorcyclist attempting to performing a trick on a public road, leading to an accident and an explosion, is drawing criticism online. Several posts in the anonymous motorcycle forum, “Bike Gallery,” on Monday showed footage of an exploding motorcycle taken on Sunday, near US Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. In video footage taken from both the back and front of the explosion, three motorcycles are being ridden when one skids and crashes, sending

Social Affairs June 28, 2023

A post on a secondhand market platform has gone viral for selling a Five Guys burger set for 100,000 won ($77). The popular US burger chain's first store in South Korea officially opened its doors on Monday. The post was uploaded on Monday afternoon to Danggeun Market and read: “Two basic cheeseburgers and all-topping fries large size.” The set was bought at 2 p.m. The price marked on the post was more than double the regular price of the set (40,700 won), drawing criticism amon

Social Affairs June 27, 2023

Ten major English-language education societies based in South Korea will hold a joint academic conference to discuss issues arising in English language teaching amid the ongoing digital transformation. The 2023 Joint International Conference on ELT in Korea will begin its three-day session on July 6 at Konkuk University in Seoul, with the theme “English Language Education in the Era of Digital Transformation: Opportunities, Connectivity and Sustainability,” the Korea Association of T

People June 26, 2023

“The taepyeongso and piri are both heroes in Korea’s traditional music ensemble. But they are tricky to play,” said Park Seong-bin, a student majoring in the Korean traditional wind instruments at Seoul National University. The taepyeongso has a funneled metal end which produces a high-pitched sound widely loved by people during the Joseon era (1392-1910) and starred in a diverse array of events from royal ceremonies to performances by peasants. The piri, on the other hand, has

weekender June 17, 2023

“Korean pop music, dramas and films are popular overseas. But there are also other ‘hip’ cultures in Korea waiting to be discovered,” Gangnyeong Talchum performer Park In-sun said. Gangnyeong Talchum is a type of Korean traditional mask play, performed around the Dano holiday, May 5 in the lunar calendar, falling on June 22 of the solar calendar this year. As its name signifies, Gangnyeong Talchum originates from Gangnyeong in Hwanghae Province, in the southwest of North

weekender June 3, 2023

A drunk driver was caught after he drove into a police station during his attempt to evade arrest. Incheon Police shared on Thursday a video showing a drunk driver in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, on March 25, saying they were investigating the driver in his 20s for breaching traffic rules and obstructing justice. The footage shows an SUV driving away from police in a business area after being ordered to stop by police investigating a report of suspected drunk driving. While police tried to block the fug

Social Affairs June 2, 2023

A rocket launch detected from North Korea early Wednesday may have failed and Seoul is analyzing the issue, the South Korean military said. According to reports the rocket disappeared from South Korean authorities' radar before reaching a point in the trajectory the North had earlier announced. Seoul's military is currently analyzing the data for all possibilities including the projectile exploding and possible debris.

North Korea May 31, 2023

North Korea fired a projectile at about 6:32 a.m., South Korea’s military said Wednesday. The projectile, which the North claims is a space launch vehicle, was launched in the southwesterly direction, setting off warnings across regions in the South, including Seoul. President Yoon Suk Yeol called an emergency National Security Council meeting. The North had earlier announced that a space launch vehicle carrying a military satellite will be launched between May 31 and June 11. At about 6:5

North Korea May 31, 2023

“Managing fire and time is the essence of my major,” said Choi Hyo-ryeong, who majors in metal craft at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage in Buyeo-gun, South Chungcheong Province. Choi demonstrated how she creates Korea’s traditional decorative metal works called "chilbo," an enameling technique similar to cloisonne, in which metal is coated with various powders and subjected to high temperatures of 600 degrees or above. Often worn as accessories, the

weekender May 20, 2023

  A firefighter rescued a woman as she was attempting to jump from a bridge in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. Kim Chan-soo with the Gimhae Seobu Fire Station pulled the woman to safety from Samrangjin Bridge as she was trying to jump after taking sleeping pills. Kim was driving over the bridge to go to work in another city and came across the woman sitting at the side of the bridge. She was taking pills and bleeding from her arms and legs. Kim approached the woman and found she

Social Affairs May 18, 2023

Twin brothers are under investigation, with one twin allegedly taking an employment exam for a public financial institution on behalf of the other in 2022. The Bank of Korea and Financial Supervisory Service on Wednesday reported the twin brothers to the police for cheating on their entrance exams, which took place simultaneously on Sept. 24, 2022. While the younger of the twins took the exam for the BOK, the elder twin took the exam for the FSS, which was taking place in another part of Seoul a

Social Affairs May 18, 2023

Luxury brand Gucci is facing a backlash over a loud party held late into the night after the brand's fashion show Tuesday at Seoul's Gyeongbokgung. Residents of the area near the party's venue in central Seoul claim that the party generated excessive noise and light pollution late into the night, and more than 50 complaints were filed with the police. Gucci held the party after the 2024 Cruise Collection Fashion Show at Seoul’s Joseon-era main palace, Gyeongbokgung. The afte

Social Affairs May 17, 2023