Gender minister issues apology to former sex work victims near US bases

Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong issued Saturday an apology to former sex workers whose rights were violated in now-defunct brothels built around American military bases, marking the government's first official apology. "As the gender minister dealing with gender equality and women's rights, I offer my sincere apologies to the victims for the state's actions that violated their human rights at the Gijichon," Won said in a message marking International Women's Day, which falls on Sunday. "W

March 7, 2026

The women behind Korea’s fight for equality

Alongside South Korea’s rapid modernization, women's lives have been profoundly transformed. Korean women continue to face structural barriers, including one of the widest gender pay gaps among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and persistent gender-based violence. The push for equality has also fueled intense debates over feminism and gender relations in Korean society. Yet there have been major gains in education, employment and political participation. Acros

March 7, 2026

372 S. Koreans return from Dubai on 1st direct flight since Middle East crisis

More than 370 South Koreans returned home Friday aboard the first direct flight from Dubai since last week's US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, according to airport officials. The Emirates flight arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around 8:25 p.m., carrying 422 passengers, including 372 South Koreans, the officials said. It was the first direct commercial flight to head for Incheon from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates since the war on Iran began last weekend. The government

March 6, 2026

Justice ministry vows stern measures against gas price gouging

The justice ministry said Friday it would take stern measures against those who collude to raise gas prices amid concerns over increasing fuel prices due to the U.S.-Iran conflict. Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho gave instructions for such measures to the prosecution after President Lee Jae Myung warned against possible collusion to hike gas prices, calling it a "serious" crime against the public. "As the Middle East situation has become increasingly unstable, there is a growing possibility of mar

March 6, 2026

Drivers panic over daily fuel price hikes amid Middle East tensions

Volatile fuel prices stemming from the ongoing Middle East tensions are sending South Korean drivers scrambling in search of the cheapest gasoline. More than 100 cars lined up at a gas station in Anyoung-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon, on Thursday afternoon, with the queue stretching about 500 meters The station offered gasoline at 1,628 won ($1.10) per liter, more than 200 won cheaper than the national average of 1,834 won per liter and far below the average price in Daejeon, which stood at 1,862 won.

March 6, 2026

Late snow in Seoul as cold returns for weekend

Cold weather will return over the weekend, following snow and rain on Friday morning in Seoul. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Friday that temperatures are expected to drop sharply Saturday as cold air moves in from the north. Morning lows are expected to fall to between minus 8 and 1 degree Celsius nationwide, with strong winds making it feel even colder. Sunday will remain chilly but mostly sunny, with morning lows ranging from minus 7 to 1 degree and daytime highs of 6 to 12 degr

March 6, 2026

YouTuber accused of spreading false claims about ‘dismembered bodies’ in Korea

The National Police Agency said Friday it had referred a case involving the spread of misleading information to prosecutors, targeting a YouTuber surnamed Jo who allegedly made unsubstantiated claims disparaging South Korea. Jo, who has nearly 1 million subscribers and is based in Japan, claimed in an October video posted in Japanese that 37 unidentified bodies with their upper bodies severed had been discovered in South Korea. He also alleged that 80,000 people were missing and that Korean auth

March 6, 2026

Men lure teen girls to remote location, abandon them on mountain

A man in his 30s has been indicted with physical detention for abducting and sexually harassing two 14-year-old girls last year, leaving the victims on a mountain in the middle of the night. The Uiijeongbu District Prosecutors accused the suspect and two accomplices of abduction of a minor and violating the Child Welfare Act. The two accomplices, one in his 20s and the other a teen, were indicted without arrest. The three met the victims online and suggested they visit an abandoned house, going

March 6, 2026

[Graphic News] 3 in 10 households in S. Korea have pets, mostly dogs

Nearly 3 out of 10 households in South Korea have pets, mostly dogs, government data showed. A Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs survey showed that 29.2 percent of households kept pets in 2025. Of those households, 80.5 percent raised dogs, 14.4 percent raised cats and 4.1 percent raised fish. Pet owners spent an average of 121,000 won per month on their pets. The survey marked South Korea's first nationally approved statistical survey on pet ownership. In a separate survey on anim

March 6, 2026

S. Korean tourists in Middle East returning home amid regional tensions

South Korean tourists in the Middle East are gradually returning home amid escalating regional tensions, travel industry sources said Thursday. According to industry officials, more than 400 tourists from major travel agencies had been staying in Dubai as of Wednesday. They included about 150 customers from Hana Tour, around 190 from Mode Tour and about 70 from Yellow Balloon Tour. Among them, 36 Hana Tour customers arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at around 3:40 p.m. Thu

March 5, 2026

Navy officer, triplet daughters donate hair for children with cancer

A South Korean Navy service member and her triplet daughters donated their hair together to help children with cancer, the Navy said Thursday. Chief Petty Officer Lee Eun-ju, 37, and her five-year-old triplet daughters — Jang Eun-jin, You-jin and So-jin — took part in a local charity campaign that provides wigs for children who lose their hair during cancer treatment. Each donated about 25 centimeters of hair grown over roughly a year and a half, bringing the total length donated by the family t

March 5, 2026

Pastor accused of bribing police officer to dig up dirt on rival pastor in church leadership dispute

A pastor has been referred to prosecutors for allegedly bribing a senior police officer with hundreds of millions of won to use his connections to prompt a police investigation into a rival pastor for embezzlement, local media reported Thursday. The investigation eventually led to the conviction of the accused pastor, who received a suspended prison sentence in December. According to the Segye Ilbo, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s anticorruption investigation unit last month referred nine

March 5, 2026

Koreans in Middle East reveal fear, anxiety, and why they stay

Gal Young-hea, a 70-year-old Korean resident of Be’er Sheva, Israel, now spends her day counting how many times she heads to the bomb shelter as air raid sirens warn of incoming missiles. “When the sirens sound now, I just think about how long it will take me to reach the shelter,” she said. Missile alerts have become a regular part of daily life as tensions escalate following US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Tehran has retaliated by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and nearby count

March 5, 2026

79 Korean tourists set to return; 330 still strained in Dubai

Seventy-nine South Korean tourists stranded in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, were set to return home Thursday afternoon, but more than 300 others remain unable to secure flights out of the region, according to industry sources and reports. Some of the tourists have begun returning through alternative routes. Forty travelers from a Hanatour package group departed Dubai earlier and are scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Thursday afternoon via Ta

March 5, 2026

Hope, fear among Iranians in Seoul

In Seoul, Iranians gathered in two very different crowds — some singing and dancing in a Seongdong-gu bar to mark the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, others chanting outside the US Embassy to protest the bombing of Tehran. Their split captures a broader dilemma running through the Iranian diaspora over whether the war can end the dictatorship and whether it can ever deliver democracy. More than 100 Iranians gathered at a bar in Seongdong-gu on Sunday after the downfall of Iran’s supreme le

March 5, 2026