Nearly one in four high school students said their classmates tend to sleep during class, according to an Education Ministry survey. The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Education from Jun. 28 to July 14, polled 4,340 high school first- and second-years. It was aimed at identifying ways to improve student engagement in the classroom. In response to the statement "My classmates tend to sleep during class," 27.3 percent of students agreed, with 20.2 percent choosing strongly true a

Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2024

Are your New Year's resolutions still on track? If so, you have at least passed the initial three-day hurdle of maintaining a new habit or commitment, which the Korean saying “jaksim samil” warns about. While the phrase underscores the tendency for ambitious plans to falter within three days, there are also a range of tips and apps out there to help people adhere to their goals. For Park Ji-yeon, a 36-year-old office worker in Seoul, mastering English was a recurring New Year

Hashtag Korea Jan. 16, 2024

Find the answer at the bottom. A movie that sells over 10 million tickets in South Korea is considered a box office smash hit. In contrast to the global cinema benchmark of 1 billion dollars in worldwide box office sales, the Korean standard for a film's commercial success focuses on the number of tickets sold here -- specifically the figure of 10 million. This threshold holds importance for Korea's filmmakers as it signifies that approximately 20 percent of the country's po

Hashtag Korea Jan. 10, 2024

The Korean government on Tuesday introduced guidelines to regulate the thickness of the fat in samgyeopsal, the popular pork belly cut widely enjoyed at barbeques. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affair guidelines, the fat in pork belly cuts should be less than 1 centimeter thick. This decision follows public criticism over excessively fatty pork belly sold at some local discount stores on March 3 last year, known as "Samgyeopsal Day" in Korea, a day when the

Industry Jan. 9, 2024

Air travel has become a common affair for many -- not just for grown-ups, but also for tiny tots. Yet, as more families travel with young children, the number of those who feel irritated by the presence of little ones on flights seems to have risen in recent years. In August 2022, a 46-year-old man on an Air Busan flight, enraged by a crying baby, hurled insults and threats at the child's parents. When the flight landed, he was arrested on charges of violating aviation security laws. Crying

Hashtag Korea Jan. 9, 2024

Despite the government's decision to raise the subsidy for parents having more than one child this year by 1 million won ($760), a survey suggests that the subsidy may not significantly influence parents' decisions to have another child. “Despite implementing the voucher subsidy, a recent decrease in the total fertility rate suggests there has been no direct impact (on having another child),” said Lee Yun-jin, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Child Care and E

Industry Jan. 5, 2024

Incheon International Airport and Starfield shopping malls were the top two destinations searched for on GPS app T Mobility, during the three-day New Year's holiday, the app’s operator said Wednesday. The big data analysis confirms a preference for either overseas vacations or shopping at mega malls during the holidays. From Dec. 30 to Jan. 1, T Map Mobility recorded 33,856 GPS-based routing requests from users heading to Incheon International Airport Terminal 1. Combined with reque

Industry Jan. 3, 2024

It is the pulsating heart of everything – from business and fashion trends to education and culture. Seoul's dynamic energy is infectious, drawing people from all corners of the country and beyond. Yet, the city is also a place where life is often consumed like a commodity, where the pace of life operates in overdrive. We asked nine people whose lives have intersected with the city what Seoul meant to them. A family’s ticket to wealth Kim Hee-yong’s move to Seoul 1 1/2

Hashtag Korea Jan. 2, 2024

French news outlet La Chaine Info sparked outrage among Koreans by broadcasting picture of the South Korean national flag with a red circle instead of the distinctive "taegeuk" mark at its center. The incorrect flag appeared in a visual aid used by the news presenter Sunday during a segment discussing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's provocative remarks about war against South Korea, made during a meeting with high-ranking officers. The error was particularly concerning to many

Industry Jan. 2, 2024

Nearly 1 in 4 South Korean workers beat the morning traffic rush by leaving home before 7 a.m., according to data released Thursday by Statistics Korea and SK Telecom. Analyzing data from 7.12 million commuters, the findings revealed that 24.6 percent hit the road before 7 a.m., with the figure swelling to 50.8 percent by 8 a.m. These early birds spend an average 34.7 minutes commuting one way, and those living in cities surrounding Seoul endure even longer journeys, averaging 40.3 minutes. That

Hashtag Korea Dec. 22, 2023

Korean ramyeon holds a special place in Koreans’ hearts, not just their stomachs. The iconic phrase, "Do you want to join me for some ramyeon (at my place)?" -- playfully employed in the 2001 film "One Fine Spring Day" to extend a late-night invitation to a romantic interest -- speaks volumes about its place in the Korean psyche. Affordable, simple to make and scrumptious, ramyeon is without doubt many Koreans' soul food. From its birth some 60 years ago to the lat

Hashtag Korea Dec. 19, 2023

A team led by Andrew, comprising James, Chris and Lisa, engages in lively conversations about work while addressing each other by their first names. This atmosphere is something that some Korean companies are trying to emulate by mandating all employees to use their preferred English name while at work. The rationale is that they need to move away from the Korean language’s emphasis on honorifics, position titles and other formalities, to facilitate horizontal communication. The thinking

Hashtag Korea Dec. 18, 2023

Nearly 30 percent of Korean couples who have been married for less than five years both work and have no children, according to a report released Monday by Statistics Korea. Among the 815,357 such couples, 28.7 percent were “dual-income, no kids” couples, or DINKs. It represented more than a 10 percentage point increase from 2015. The shift toward the DINK lifestyle is attributed to various factors, including the increased participation of women in the workforce, a growing societal

Foreign Affairs Dec. 18, 2023

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The Korea Herald and Indonesia's Kompas Daily have pledged to strengthen media cooperation, solidifying their commitment during the Korea-Indonesia Cooperation Forum in Jakarta on Thursday. Established in 1965, the Jakarta-based Kompas Daily enjoys a distinguished reputation in Indonesia's media landscape. The forum itself was a collaborative effort between Herald Corp., publisher of The Korea Herald and Herald Business, and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce

Industry Dec. 5, 2023

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Amid resounding cheers, South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Lee Sang-deok raised a spirited toast at the "Korea-Indonesia Friendship Night" event held on Thursday in Jakarta. The event took place following a business forum held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties at the Hotel Mulia Senayan earlier in the day. "Closer friendship, stronger partnership," Lee proposed, raising a toast. Following Lee, Indonesian girl group Star

Industry Dec. 3, 2023