A record number of South Koreans in their 50s took exams last year for government-issued occupational certifications, with forklift licenses topping the list. The trend reflects a surge in interest in pursuing second careers and highlights the significant difficulty many face in finding new employment related to one's previous experience. According to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, the number of test-takers in their 50s exceeded 218,000 in 2023, accounting for 12.2 percen

Social Affairs April 29, 2024

DAEGU-- Han Si-nae, 36, is no ordinary tutor. Her students, totaling 10 and ranging from primary to high school, come to her house after school for supplementary math lessons. After challenging their brains with math quizzes, the students fill their stomachs with an ample amount of snacks and dinner whipped up by Han. The best part? None of them pay a single penny. So, is Han an altruistic benefactor for future generations with deep pockets? Listening to her speak for a brief moment, it becomes

Hashtag Korea April 24, 2024

The question of whether leggings are suitable for everyday public wear has been a globally debated issue, transcending national borders. Since the "athleisure" trend took off around 2016, merging athletic wear with everyday fashion, particularly gaining traction among young Koreans, the appropriateness of wearing leggings outside the gym has been a recurring topic of debate in various online forums here. On one side are those who perceive leggings as a provocative garment that clashe

Hashtag Korea April 23, 2024

In a bid to bolster abysmal birth rates, South Korea is exploring what would be its most generous incentive ever -- 100 million won ($72,500) in cash per baby born. The state-run Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission on Wednesday commenced a survey to gauge public opinion on the idea. "Through this survey, we plan to re-evaluate the country’s birth promotion policies to determine whether direct financial subsidies could be an effective solution,” the commission said in a

Social Affairs April 23, 2024

K-beauty is trending globally. Many Korean celebrities, particularly K-pop stars, command vast, devoted fan bases, influencing fashion and beauty trends. Combine the two and one might naturally assume there would be numerous cosmetic brands launched by Korean stars, similar to Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics or Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty in the US. The reality, however, is quite different. Korean stars might be the faces of top beauty brands, but they rar

Hashtag Korea April 20, 2024

The number of farming households in South Korea fell below 1 million for the first time last year, while over half of the country's farming population was aged 65 or older, latest data showed Thursday. According to Statistics Korea, there were an estimated 999,000 farming households as of Dec. 1, a decrease of 24,000, or 2.3 percent, compared with 2022. This is the first time since the survey began in 1949 that the number has dipped below 1 million. However, Statistics Korea cautioned that

Social Affairs April 18, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would deal sternly with a festival planned for this weekend featuring Japanese adult film stars, including cutting off electricity to the venue. The warning message came after the city formally issued a ban Sunday on the adult industry exposition advertised as “2024 KXF The Fashion,” organized by Play Joker and to be held on the Han River. The city government also sent a formal letter to the operator of the venue, Us Cruise, located at Jamwon

Social Affairs April 16, 2024

A Seoul police officer in his 20s is accused of stealing money from a lost wallet, according to the Seoul Seodaemun Station on Monday. The officer is alleged to have pocketed 200,000 won ($145) from a lost wallet that had contained 203,000 won, in December last year. The officer documented the wallet as only having 3,000 won in a lost property report. He has been referred to prosecutors on charges of embezzlement in the line of duty. The police officer’s alleged crime came to light when th

Social Affairs April 15, 2024

This year’s spikes in apple prices have prompted South Korean officials to explore long-term strategies to stabilize fruit harvests. While the latest price trends are influenced by various factors, including short-term weather events, officials are concerned about a troubling underlying trend: Declining harvests due to shrinking cultivation areas in the country attributed to climate change, a decreasing and aging farming population, among other reasons. Data released Thursday by the Korea

Consumer April 11, 2024

A few years ago, Julia Bellaflores' life started to fall apart. Bellaflores, a teacher in Texas, had been doing her classes online during the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked to return to the classroom in person, she decided not to, out of concern for her mother, whom she lived with at the time, but who has now passed away. Bellaflores was too concerned about the health risks her return to the school could pose to her ailing mother. Her teaching license was suspended. On top of that, her hus

Hashtag Korea April 10, 2024

Wednesday’s general election was to pick the 300 members for the next four-year session of the National Assembly, but voters who spoke with The Korea Herald said their ballots extend beyond the next parliament, embodying their hopes and expectations for Korean politics as a whole, with President Yoon Suk Yeol included. Here are their voices. ‘It's all a mess’ says 87-year-old voter leaning on cane Cherry blossoms had burst into full bloom just outside a Hangangno-dong

Politics April 10, 2024

South Korea has the highest percentage of "skinny fat” women in their 20s out of 17 countries surveyed, according to a report. According to InBody, a South Korean maker of body composition analyzers, a person is described as "skinny fat" when they have a low body weight but are high in their body fat percentage and low in their muscle mass. Data collected between January 2018 and December 2022 showed 15.8 percent of South Korean women in their 20s fall within this category

Social Affairs April 4, 2024

Fu Bao, a giant panda that enjoyed rock star status in South Korea, returned to China on Wednesday, according to officials at the Everland zoo. The female panda, born in 2020 to a panda pair China loaned to Korea in 2016, was the first cub born in Korea through natural breeding. According to officials at Everland, located in Yongin Gyeonggi Province, the giant panda departed Panda World, its home for the past 1,354 days in Everland as well as in Korea, after a special 20-minute farewell event he

Culture April 3, 2024

Are you considering raising a pit bull terrier? Then you will soon need to get approval from the local authorities, according to a government plan unveiled Wednesday. Starting April 27, government approval will be required to own certain dog breeds considered dangerous under the Animal Protection Act, which specifies five dangerous breeds including tosa inu, pit bull terriers and rottweilers, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. The decision comes in response to a s

Social Affairs April 3, 2024

As seen on popular YouTube channels featuring happy couples as well as heartwarming drama series like "Eye Love You," Korean men and Japanese women are increasingly finding love. In 2023, there were 840 marriages registered here between Korean men and Japanese women, marking a 40.1 percent surge from the 599 recorded in 2022, according to Statistics Korea. While such marriages still only constitute a small portion of the total number of marriages of Korean nationals to a spouse of fo

Social Affairs March 26, 2024