A decade lost: Sewol survivors on life after tragedy

ANSAN, Gyeonggi Province -- On April 16, 2014, 325 students and 14 teachers from Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province were aboard the Sewol ferry heading to Jeju Island for a field trip. Cho Mun-jeong was one of the students on the trip and was hoping to enjoy a brief reprieve from preparing for college entrance exams. After a loud "bang" echoed through the ferry, an announcement was made over the intercom, urging passengers not to move and to wait patiently for rescue. But C

Social AffairsApril 15, 2024

World reactions to Iran strikes on Israel

Countries around the world condemned Iran's strikes on Israel late Saturday, warning the attack threatened to further destabilise the Middle East. Here are some of the main reactions so far: US - US President Joe Biden promised "ironclad" support for Israel after holding an urgent meeting with top security officials. "I just met with my national security team for an update on Iran's attacks against Israel. Our commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its

World NewsApril 14, 2024

Korea to cut no. of teachers amid diminishing student numbers

Amid administrative efforts to increase the annual enrollment quota for medical schools that sparked the mass walk-out of doctors across the country, the government said it would reduce the number of school teachers going forward, citing a decline in student numbers. The enrollment quota for teachers' colleges, which has remained unchanged for 13 years, will be reduced by 12 percent, the Education Ministry said. Currently, 13 universities that train aspiring elementary school teachers take

Social AffairsApril 12, 2024

Despite landslide win, opposition party chief not yet home-free

  Wednesday’s general election concluded in a resounding victory for the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, which took 175 seats of the National Assembly's 300 seats while the ruling People Power Party scraped up 108. While Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung celebrates what he called "a great victory of the people," the prospect of him becoming a front-runner for the next presidency is murkier than what the landslide victory may suggest. With Lee winning his own c

PoliticsApril 11, 2024

Yoon likely to face post-election political attacks

President Yoon Suk Yeol's fate was hanging in the balance as Koreans went to the polls Wednesday, The exit poll and the early ballot counting of the legislative general election suggested a gloomy outlook for the ruling bloc, which could send the conservative president into an early lame-duck phase, with three years remaining in his term. The exit poll suggested that opposition parties could secure two-thirds or more of the seats in the 300-member National Assembly, which would grant them enough

PoliticsApril 10, 2024

Ex-presidents break silence in rare election move

Former South Korean presidents have traditionally maintained a reserved stance regarding elections held after their tenure, but some have been making rather different moves in this general election. Showing active support for his party, the Democratic Party of Korea, Moon Jae-in, the predecessor of incumbent President Yoon Suk Yeol, has been the most vigorous among the past three presidents, directly joining rallies of individual candidates from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Dre

PoliticsApril 9, 2024

Political satire strikes back ahead of election

Watching "Saturday Night Live Korea" on his laptop with a bowl of popcorn is how 33-year-old office worker Im Tae-ho unwinds after work. "I love that political satire sketches on 'SNL Korea' have returned stronger than ever this season," Im told The Korea Herald. "I feel like 'SNL Korea' is the only comedy show that dares to poke fun at politicians so brazenly in Korea. It's the only show that does political satire the right way," he added.

PoliticsApril 8, 2024

No shirt, no shoes or dressed for mourning: Candidates' campaign gimmicks

As South Koreans go to the polls to elect the 300 members of the National Assembly on Wednesday, political candidates have fully ramped up efforts to court voters. Walking down practically any main street at the moment, one will easily spot rallies of candidates and supporters singing theme songs with politically tweaked lyrics and flamboyant dance routines. Others have taken more unconventional turns in the outreach. One candidate was seen barefoot greeting visitors at the red clay road in Gumi

PoliticsApril 7, 2024

Hopes for breakthrough fade as talks yield no change in stance

Hopes for a breakthrough in the protracted medical standoff are fading after the meeting between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Park Dan, the head of the Korean Intern Resident Association, ended without agreement Thursday, with the two sides still far apart. Amid the impasse, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during Friday’s government response meeting that the government would continue to “communicate flexibility” with junior doctors but “based on principles.” “

Social AffairsApril 5, 2024

9 dead, over 1,000 injured in Taiwan’s quake

HUALIEN, Taiwan -- A helicopter plucked six miners to safety from a Taiwan quarry Thursday as rescuers worked to free scores of people trapped in highway tunnels after the island's biggest earthquake in a quarter of a century. Nine people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in Wednesday's magnitude-7.4 quake, but strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe on the island. Dozens of residents of the worst-hit city

World NewsApril 4, 2024

Who will get it right?

South Korean broadcasters will be leveraging advanced artificial intelligence technology, upgraded election outcome prediction systems and personalized services in their coverage of the general election on April 10. SBS will introduce an AI character as a commentator for its general election broadcasts, a first in Korean broadcasting history. Named "Toopyoro" and taking the form of a teddy bear, the AI character will provide real-time commentary on the general election using generative

TelevisionApril 3, 2024

North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea

North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile into the East Sea on Tuesday morning. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, an intermediate-range ballistic missile was launched from the Pyongyang area at around 6:53 a.m. The missile flew for about 600 kilometers before landing in the water. The missile was detected from the moment of its launch, and the related information was shared with the US and Japan, the JCS said. The JCS condemned North Korea’s missile firing as a

DefenseApril 2, 2024

[Election Battlefield] ‘Mini presidential election’ unfolds in Incheon

INCHEON -- In a district in Incheon, two potential presidential candidates are in a neck-and-neck race to secure a National Assembly seat on April 10. The ruling People Power Party candidate is Won Hee-ryong, previously the minister of land and transport under President Yoon Suk Yeol. The 60-year-old was a candidate in the party’s presidential primary in 2021, and boasts a winning track record against Democratic Party of Korea rivals so far in all of the five elections he has run in. He is

PoliticsApril 1, 2024

How Lockheed Martin, CNN and Yale became fashion brands in Korea

On Seoul’s streets today, seeing someone clad in a CNN hoodie, Kodak pants, Yale socks, a Discovery jacket, a National Geographic backpack and a BBC Earth baseball cap may not seem out of the ordinary. The presence of logos from global non-fashion brands, spanning academia, media and sports, in Korean everyday wear seems to be only growing, now including unexpected entrants like arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin. As for Yale, the US university now ranks third among the top 100 fashion br

Hashtag KoreaMarch 31, 2024

Nearly 30% of Korean students overweight, more binge drinking than before

The percentage of South Korean students who are overweight or obese inched down in 2023 compared to the year before, but a growing percentage of students were categorized as heavy drinkers, a government report showed Thursday. Some 29.6 percent of elementary, middle and high school students across the country fell into the overweight or obese categories, according to the joint report by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. This figure marked a slight dec

NewsmakerMarch 30, 2024

New GTX line connecting Dongtan, Suseo in 20 min. to launch Saturday

The new high-frequency suburban rail service for commuters named Great Train Express (GTX) is set to begin operation on Saturday, marking a watershed moment in the evolution of Seoul's public transportation. President Yoon Suk Yeol said Friday the GTX network will grow to become the South Korean equivalent of the Crossrail of London and its suburbs in the United Kingdom, and the RER centering around Paris. Those using the commuter rail network to travel from Suseo Station in southern Seoul to Do

PoliticsMarch 29, 2024

783m people face chronic hunger. Yet the world wastes 19% of its food, UN says

The world wasted an estimated 19% of the food produced globally in 2022, or about 1.05 billion metric tons, according to a new United Nations report. The UN Environment Programme's Food Waste Index Report, published Wednesday, tracks the progress of countries to halve food waste by 2030. The UN said the number of countries reporting for the index nearly doubled from the first report in 2021. The 2021 report estimated that 17% of the food produced globally in 2019, or 931 million metric tons

World NewsMarch 28, 2024

Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027

South Korean e-commerce firm Coupang on Wednesday pledged to invest 3 trillion won ($2.23 billion) over the next three years to expand its signature Rocket Delivery service nationwide by 2027. The company's logistics network is expected to be drastically expanded, with eight new fulfillment centers being built by 2026. The centers also will feature more advanced automation technology to improve operational efficiency overall. Following the expansion, Coupang said that its overnight Rocket D

IndustryMarch 27, 2024

Major Baltimore bridge collapses; six presumed dead

A major bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed early Tuesday after a Singapore-flagged container ship struck a pillar of the decades-old bridge, leaving six people presumed dead, according to state authorities. The 289-meter-long freighter, named Dali, struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge at around 1:30 a.m., resulting in its collapse into the Patapsco River. US officials reported no indication of a terrorist attack. At the time of the collapse, there were at least eight construction workers co

World NewsMarch 27, 2024

Han visits ex-President Park to woo conservative voters

DAEGU -- Leaders of the ruling People Power Party on Tuesday visited the home of former President Park Geun-hye in Daegu, in an apparent move to woo conservative voters amid polls that hit worrying lows in the past week. “She spoke about affairs and issues affecting the country, and I have thanked her for her warm words of support,” Han Dong-hoon, the interim chief of the People Power Party, told reporters following his meeting with the former president. Park was impeached and remove

NewsmakerMarch 26, 2024