Fearing extinction, this Korean county is looking to attract Myanmar refugees

Yeongyang in North Gyeongsang Province, which has one of the smallest populations of any Korean district, seeks to reverse decline Yeongyang County in North Gyeongsang Province is seeking to attract about 40 Myanmar refugees to live in the community as its population continues to decline, officials said Wednesday. The county government is in discussions with the Justice Ministry on whether refugees under United Nations protection could settle in Yeongyang. It is also reviewing various options fo

March 12, 2025

Survey shows high support for Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, party preference remains close

Rival parties' poll numbers fluctuate, but support for Yoon's impeachment remains consistently high As the Constitutional Court prepares to rule on the fate of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, a survey shows a majority of South Koreans support his removal from office, though party support remains nearly evenly split. The court is expected to decide in the coming days whether to uphold Yoon’s impeachment over his botched attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3. According to a Gallup Korea poll

March 10, 2025

[Breaking] Seven injured after shell falls on civilian village in suspected military training accident

South Korean authorities are investigating reports that an artillery shell landed on a civilian village in the northern city of Pocheon on Thursday. According to local media reports, an artillery shell struck a residential area in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday morning, injuring seven people and damaging multiple buildings. Emergency responders received a report at approximately 10 a.m. that a shell had fallen in Nogok-ri, Idong-myeon, a village in Pocheon. Seven individuals sustained mode

March 6, 2025

While in Korea, how about fortunetelling?

Modern saju cafes emerge as unique tourist experience for visitors seeking something special in Seoul Joy Bunch, a 26-year-old American artist, had a reading done by a professional fortuneteller for the first time in her life during a weeklong trip to South Korea while visiting a “saju cafe” in Seoul. “It seemed interesting, and I kind of wanted to try it. Since I was coming to Korea for a short time, I thought it would be a fun experience,” Bunch told The Korea Herald at the location in Hongdae

March 4, 2025

Polarized parliament fails to hold Yoon Suk Yeol responsible

South Korea’s parliament failed to vote on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment on Saturday, with rival political parties sharply divided over what to do with the besieged president. The ruling People Power Party boycotted the opposition-led impeachment motion, choosing to keep the president in office for now. The collective walkout by almost all of the conservative party’s 108 lawmakers contrasted with its participation in another parliamentary vote hours earlier, which eff

Dec. 8, 2024

The six-hour shambles that showed Korean democracy's strength

South Korea's extreme political polarization and acrimony put its democracy to the test when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday, in an apparent preemptive move to prevent opposition parties from stymieing his presidency with budget cuts and the impeachment of key officials. In such a crisis, democratic institutions demonstrated their resilience, a strength that has safeguarded the country’s young, but vibrant democracy, experts and observers said Wednesday. Po

Dec. 4, 2024

What you need to know about South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and political turmoil

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law on Tuesday, marking the first use of such powers since the country ended military rule in the 1980s. Here’s what you need to know about Yoon, his political opponents and the state of Korean politics. Yoon's low support rating Yoon, 63, a conservative leader, has passed the midpoint of his single, five-year term with approval ratings hovering around 25 percent, among the lowest for a South Korean president. His adm

Dec. 4, 2024

Assembly vote could revoke martial law

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a state of martial law late Tuesday night. However, it could be short-lived if the National Assembly, controlled by the opposition party, votes to revoke it. As soon as Yoon made the surprise move, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea swiftly mobilized to repeal the measure, although early reports said access to the National Assembly building was physically blocked under the emergency decree. Chairman Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party issued an emerg

Dec. 4, 2024

Running frenzy has orthopedic clinics smiling

When Yoo Ji-na, a novice runner, visited a local orthopedic clinic for knee pain after completing her first 10-kilometer race, she couldn’t shake the odd feeling of being warmly welcomed by the clinic’s doctor and staff. Even before she had a chance to explain in detail how the pain started and developed, the doctor was already pinpointing the likely cause: "A lack of muscle strength in your thighs and glutes, especially the gluteus medius." He was seeing a growing number

Dec. 3, 2024

1 in 4 born in early 1970s financially supports parents and children: survey

Koreans born in the early 1970s bear a “triple burden,” juggling financial support for their parents and children while worrying about their own retirement, a survey revealed Thursday. Among those born between 1970 and 1974, seven out of 10 financially support their children, and four out of 10 support their own parents or those of their spouses. One in four supports both generations, spending an average of 1.55 million won ($1,114) per month. They allocate 1.07 million won ($768

Nov. 28, 2024