Author: Jae young
July 22, 2025SEOUL – The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday that it has taken administrative action against three foreign nationals who acquired real estate in land transaction permit zones but failed to use the properties for their approved purposes.According to the city government, the violations were discovered in late June as part of a broader inspection campaign of 8,000 properties launched by the city government and its district offices to inspect land use compliance.The initiative focused on 99 foreign acquisitions of domestic real estate, following previous cases of permit violations by foreign buyers.Two of the three cases involved purchasers who…
July 22, 2025SEOUL – South Korea launched its stimulus coupon program on Monday, opening applications for the cash grants aimed at boosting domestic spending and reviving the sluggish economy.The Ministry of the Interior and Safety opened the first round of applications for the so-called “consumption coupons for livelihood recovery,” the total budget for which weighs in at 13.9 trillion won ($10 billion).President Lee Jae Myung expressed confidence that the government’s stimulus coupon initiative would prove effective.“The economy is heavily driven by sentiment. The number of people who believe the economy will improve next year is the highest in eight years.…
July 21, 2025SEOUL – Amid intensifying climate shifts, geopolitical tensions and a scramble for new trade corridors, the Arctic shipping route is quickly emerging as a key part of South Korea’s maritime strategy — touted as both a paradigm-shifting opportunity and a logistical gamble.Once effectively impassable, climate change has melted the sea ice enough for the Arctic passage to be a prospective sea-route between Europe and Asia. President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea have made it a pillar of Korea’s long-term logistics agenda, hoping to leverage Busan’s location to pit it at the forefront of…
July 21, 2025SEOUL – Lee Min-ho needs no introduction in Korea’s entertainment world. Since his breakout as the imperious, poodle-permed Gu Jun-pyo in “Boys Over Flowers” at 22, he’s cornered the market on romantic leads: the tortured chaebol in “The Heirs,” the morally ambiguous mogul in “Pachinko,” the starry-eyed astronaut in the recent flop “When the Stars Gossip.” Always the hero, always front and center.But for a star who’s built his career on main character energy, this latest role marks a left turn.In “Omniscient Reader: The Prophet,” a genre-blending fantasy epic hitting theaters Wednesday, Lee plays Yoo Joong-hyuk — a…
July 21, 2025SEOUL – As South Korea reels from days of record-breaking rains that unleashed deadly floods and disrupted daily life across the country, the government launched sweeping recovery efforts Sunday, amid mounting casualties and ongoing rescue operations.At least 16 people were confirmed dead and 10 remained missing as of 4 p.m. Sunday, according to fire authorities. Authorities warned that the toll could rise as search and rescue efforts continue in flood- and landslide-stricken areas.The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has activated a pangovernmental recovery support headquarters to ensure a seamless transition from emergency response to recovery, starting Sunday.“President…
July 21, 2025SEOUL – South Korea is to officially repeal its decade-old handset subsidy law on Tuesday, opening the door to bigger discounts and potentially cheaper smartphones — just in time for the launch of Samsung Electronics’ new Galaxy Z Flip7 and Fold7 later this month and Apple’s iPhone 17 in the fall.Industry insiders say a “subsidy war” is likely to break out, as mobile carriers rush to regain market share with aggressive pricing and subsidies. SK Telecom, in particular, is expected to take bold action after losing over 800,000 subscribers in a major April data breach.The repeal marks a…
July 18, 2025SEOUL – Summer in South Korea brings a peculiar cultural tradition: Everyone heads to the cinema for a good scare. It’s a seasonal ritual where horror films provide an icy jolt to counter the sweltering heat, trading a cool breeze for shivers down the spine.With scorching heat waves expected, it’s the perfect time to explore some home-grown horror that will make you forget just how unbearably muggy it is outside.Korean horror has carved out a distinctive niche in the genre, favoring psychological dread over jump scares and social commentary over simple frights. These three films showcase the breadth…
July 18, 2025SEOUL – Jungkook of BTS proved his global influence once again, amassing millions of new followers in a single day with the launch of his new Instagram account.Though the personal account created on Tuesday had no posts yet, it had already surpassed 6.5 million followers by Wednesday morning.Jungkook confirmed that the Instagram profile was indeed his during a livestream on the new account. He also explained via a follow-up Weverse Live broadcast that the name of the account, “mnijungkook,” is short for “my name is Jungkook.”He first launched a personal Instagram account in December 2021, which gained over…
July 18, 2025SEOUL – The World Congress of the International Political Science Association in Seoul, often dubbed the “Olympics of Politics,” could not have been more timely. With over 3,500 scholars from around 80 countries in attendance, the congress revolved around the theme “Resisting Autocratization in Polarized Societies.”This theme captured the world’s most pressing concern: the global erosion of democracy. South Korea — regarded as a democratic success story — experienced a severe political crisis from late last year as the former president led an insurrection. Yet the country managed to restore democratic order in a peaceful and sophisticated manner,…
July 18, 2025SEOUL – Embryos produced via in vitro fertilization have surged by 83.2 percent in South Korea over the past five years, according to government data released Thursday, signaling the growing use of assisted reproductive technology in a country grappling with low birth rates.A total of 783,860 embryos were created through IVF in 2024, up from 427,818 in 2019, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare data submitted to Rep. Kim Yoon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The number has been steadily climbing since 2016, when 334,687 embryos were created, and surpassed 500,000 for the first…