South Korea Society & Public Affairs

In-depth coverage of South Korean society, including demographics, labor, education, housing, and social issues.

Second Special Counsel Drops Insurrection Aiding Charges Against Jeonbuk Governor Kim Kwan-young

Kim Kwan-young, independent candidate for Jeonbuk governor, received a non-prosecution disposition from the second special counsel on insurrection aiding charges tied to Yoon's December 2024 martial l...

Published 2026.05.07. 22:03:38 |

Newborn Found Dead in Seoul Motel, Mother Under Investigation

A newborn baby was found dead in a Seoul motel room, and police have booked the mother in her 20s on charges of child abuse resulting in death. Autops...

Published 2026.05.07. 21:55:01 |

Itaewon Disaster Committee Seeks Probe of Yongsan District Chief Park

The Itaewon Disaster Special Investigation Committee will request a probe of Yongsan District Chief Park Hee-young over alleged orders to remove anti-...

Published 2026.05.07. 21:03:07 |

Prosecutors Reject Arrest Warrant for HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk Again

South Korean prosecutors rejected a second police request for an arrest warrant against HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, citing unfulfilled supplementary i...

Published 2026.05.07. 19:10:48 |

Korean Police Expand Probe Into Syringe Hoarding to 10 More Firms

South Korean police have launched investigations into 10 additional companies suspected of syringe hoarding, bringing the total number of firms under ...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:31:53 |

Korean Workers Battle Mental Illness at Desk, Branded "Incompetent" in Return

Antidepressant prescriptions in Korea hit a 5-year high of 24.4 million in 2024, but workers' compensation approval for mental illness fell to 55.8%, ...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:22:04 |

Incheon Airport Conducts Comprehensive Inspection Ahead of Jeju Route Resumption

Incheon International Airport Corporation conducted a comprehensive operational inspection ahead of the Incheon-Jeju domestic route's resumption on Ja...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:14:07 |

Incheon Airport Readies Domestic Service Ahead of Jeju Route Resumption

Incheon International Airport Corporation inspected facility readiness ahead of the Incheon-Jeju domestic route resumption, which will operate twice w...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:12:53 |

Consumer Coupons Boost Small Business Sales by 43% of Face Value

Korea's 13.5 trillion won consumer coupon program in 2024 generated 5.86 trillion won in small business sales, with each 1 million won distributed boo...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:09:21 |

Incheon Airport Conducts Operational Review Ahead of Incheon-Jeju Domestic Route Resumption

Incheon International Airport Corporation's acting president Kim Beom-ho inspected major facilities on the 7th, preparing for the resumption of the In...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:09:08 |

Namyangju Hosts College Admissions Briefings With University Officers

Namyangju City will host four college admissions briefings in June and July at Jeong Yak-yong Library, with admissions officers from 15 universities p...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:05:00 |

Former PM Han Duck-soo Gets 15 Years on Appeal for Insurrection Role

Former Korean PM Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 15 years on appeal for his role in the December 2024 insurrection, reduced from the original 23-year se...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:04:18 |

Duo Data Breach Victims File Lawsuit Seeking 1 Million Won Each

Forty-six victims of the Duo matchmaking company data breach have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking 1 million won each, marking the first collectiv...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:02:42 |

Pokémon Cards Emerge as MZ Generation's Hot Investment Asset

Pokémon card collecting has become a popular investment strategy among Korea's MZ generation, with KREAM's transaction volume surging 57-fold year-on-...

Published 2026.05.07. 18:02:13 |

Seoul's Smokers Squeezed as No-Smoking Zones Outpace Booths 2,200-to-1

Seoul has 303,000 non-smoking zones but only 136 public smoking booths, leaving 1.3 million smokers with nowhere legal to smoke despite paying 12 tril...

Published 2026.05.07. 17:59:50 |

Choo Kyung-ho Vows to Attract Samsung Chip Plant to Daegu

Choo Kyung-ho, People Power Party candidate for Daegu mayor, pledges to attract a Samsung semiconductor plant and build a second chip complex to reviv...

Published 2026.05.07. 17:59:15 |

Kim Boo-kyum Pledges to Build Daegu into 'AI Robot Capital'

Kim Boo-kyum, Democratic Party preliminary candidate for Daegu mayor, pledges to transform Daegu into an 'AI Robot Capital' and create 100,000 quality...

Published 2026.05.07. 17:58:42 |

Korea's Education Ministry Pushes Legal Shield for Teachers on Field Trips

Korea's Education Ministry is pursuing legal reforms to protect teachers from liability during school field trips, following a 2022 fatal accident tha...

Published 2026.05.07. 17:36:41 |

Goyang City Expands Outdoor Libraries and Barrier-Free Access

Goyang City expands its "Books, Outside" outdoor library program and will upgrade 98 library devices by May, adding barrier-free features for wheelcha...

Published 2026.05.07. 17:09:17 |

Bok Soo-kyung Appointed 25th President of Chungnam National University Hospital

Professor Bok Soo-kyung has been appointed the 25th president of Chungnam National University Hospital, serving a three-year term from May 2026 to May...

Published 2026.05.07. 16:55:55 |