At least 23 workers lost their lives and eight others sustained injuries in a fire that ravaged the Aricell lithium battery plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. The blaze, which broke out on the second floor of the plant, claimed the lives of all the deceased victims as they were inspecting and packaging finished battery products. According to police reports, among the victims were 17 Chinese nationals, five South Koreans, and one Laotian. Following are the major fire and related inci

Social Affairs June 27, 2024

Samgyeopsal, or grilled pork belly, has long been a beloved staple of South Korean cuisine, cherished by locals for its affordability and pairing with soju. However, this popular after-work favorite is growing increasingly out of reach as average prices in Seoul surpassed 20,000 won ($14.39) per serving for the first time, according to data from the Korea Consumer Agency. This price increase represents a more than 20 percent increase from three years ago, when one serving — 200 grams &md

Social Affairs June 26, 2024

A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that 39 percent of Israelis believe the country's military response against Hamas in Gaza has been appropriate, while 34 percent feel it has not gone far enough. Conversely, 19 percent think the response has been excessive. The survey also revealed that approximately two-thirds of Israelis are confident that Israel will likely achieve its goals in the war against Hamas, with 27 percent saying it will "probably" succeed and 40 perc

World News June 25, 2024

Users of Naver Papago, the South Korean online portal operator's artificial intelligence-powered translation service, have steadily increased, topping 20 million last month on overseas demand, industry sources said. The number of Papago's monthly active users, both for app and web versions, reached 20.74 million in May, up 18 percent from a year ago, according to the sources, which cited a report by Naver Cloud Corp. Papago's MAUs first surpassed the 20 million threshold in Marc

Social Affairs June 24, 2024

According to an evaluation by the Korea TOEIC Committee, the average TOEIC score of South Korean nationals was 677 out of 990 points last year. This ranks Korea 16th among the 44 countries surveyed and fifth among the Asian countries surveyed. Overall, Lebanon had the highest average TOEIC score, with an average of 834 points, followed by Germany (819), Belgium (784), Costa Rica (777) and India (776). Among the Asian countries surveyed, Lebanon led with an average score of 834, followed by Ind

World News June 21, 2024

Five Korean universities have secured spots in the top 100 of the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings for 2025, showcasing the country's growing academic excellence. Leading the pack is Seoul National University, which ranked 31st globally, surpassing Japan's Tokyo University for the first time since 2015. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology followed at 53rd, moving up from 56th last year. Yonsei University and Korea University secured the 56th and 67th spot

World News June 20, 2024

Jamsil Station on Seoul’s Subway Line No. 2 has replaced Gangnam Station of the same line as the capital’s busiest station, with over 150,000 passengers using the station per day, Seoul Metro said. Jamsil Station in southeastern Seoul served a daily average of 155,229 passengers in the first four months of this year, compared with Gangnam Station with a daily average of 151,607 passengers, according to Seoul Metro’s analysis of traffic at all stations on Line Nos. 1-9. Gangna

Social Affairs June 19, 2024

According to Statistics Korea, 1 in 10 Korean households purchased lottery tickets in the second quarter of this year, marking the highest proportional increase in the past five years. These households spent an average of 7,321 won ($5.30) per month on lottery purchases. Approximately 2.2 million households bought such tickets, encompassing the scope of Lotto, the pension lottery, horse racing and bicycle racing, in the last quarter. This accounts for 10.1 percent of the surveyed households. T

Social Affairs June 18, 2024

ESPN’s FC 100 has ranked Son Heung-min among the world’s top soccer players, placing him 10th in the forwards category. The FC 100 list features the world’s top 100 soccer players, with selections divided into 10 goalkeepers, 30 defenders, 30 midfielders and 30 forwards. Son, ranked 10th among forwards, received praise from ESPN: “One of the most steadily successful players — and best finishers — in the Premier League kept right on going at age 31 this seaso

Soccer June 17, 2024

The city of Seoul has installed a total of 3,444 shade canopies at crosswalks across its 25 districts as of late April, according to data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The top three districts with the most shade canopies are Songpa-gu (268), Gangnam-gu (239) and Seocho-gu (232), which are collectively referred to as the Gangnam area. In contrast, the districts with the fewest shade canopies are Seodaemun-gu (78), Mapo-gu (71) and Jongno-gu (57), all north of the Han River. Seoul rout

Social Affairs June 14, 2024

Close to 30 percent of Americans said a college degree isn’t worth it, according to a survey from Pew Research Center that highlights the drag soaring costs have had on views about higher education in recent decades in the country. Almost half of US adults in the report think college is worth the cost — but only as long as they don’t need to take out a loan. Only 22 percent of respondents said a college degree is worth it even with student debt. Four in 10 Americans said havi

World News June 13, 2024

A recent report by the Seoul Digital Foundation, an organization affiliated with the Seoul city government, revealed that the number of registered pet dogs in Seoul has reached 612,000, accounting for 17.5 percent of the country’s total. This data, based on the March 2024 database of registered pets, indicated that approximately 1 in 10 households in the South Korean capital now own at least one dog, with a ratio of 14.9 dogs per 100 households. The report also provided a detailed breakd

Social Affairs June 12, 2024

South Korean workers’ average yearly salary has surpassed 90 percent of the OECD average, according to a recent report. The country’s salary has also consistently exceeded that of Japan for the past decade. The report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reveals that the average annual salary for South Korean workers in 2022 was $48,922, which is 91.6 percent of the OECD average. This marks significant growth since 1992, when the ratio was just 63.8 percen

Social Affairs June 11, 2024

The 2023 Seoul Survey revealed that the city’s Korean residents consider the Han River to be the capital’s most iconic landmark, while its foreign residents consider Gwanghwamun Square to be Seoul's most representative site. The survey polled 35,881 Korean national residents aged 15 and up about Seoul’s top landmarks. Results showed 48.3 percent selected the Han River, followed by Gwanghwamun Square, the palaces and N Seoul Tower. The survey asked 2,500 foreign residents

Social Affairs June 7, 2024

Billions of cicadas will appear this year in a rare occurrence that hasn’t been seen in the United States since Thomas Jefferson was president and won’t be seen again until 2245, entomologists say. According to scientists, 2024 will see a rare event called “double brood emergence,” in which two different broods of cicadas — one that appears every 13 years and another every 17 years — emerge simultaneously. The 13-year group, known as Brood XIX or the “

World News June 6, 2024