Son Heung-min set to join LAFC as one of MLS’ top earners: reports

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, who recently announced his decision to leave the club after a decade, is reportedly close to signing with Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC in a deal that would make him one of the US league’s top three highest-paid players. British outlet GiveMeSport reported Sunday that negotiations between the two sides are expected to proceed swiftly after Tottenham's Coupang Play Series match against fellow Premier League team Newcastle United, which is scheduled

Aug. 3, 2025

10 deaths a day as S. Korea’s suicide fight falls short among seniors

An average of nearly 10 older South Koreans died by suicide every day between 2019 and 2023, according to a sobering new report that underscores the growing mental health crisis among the country’s aging population. In total, 18,044 seniors aged 65 and older took their own lives during that five-year period, amounting to over 3,000 deaths each year, the report said. The findings, published in the Journal of the Korean Medical Association and authored by Dr. Oh Dae-jong of the Workplace Mental He

Aug. 3, 2025

Tailoring weddings for queer couples that law shuns

In South Korea, where marriage is legally defined as a union between a man and a woman, same-sex weddings have existed only in the stories of a few trailblazing couples. Among them are filmmaker Kim Jho Gwang-soo and his partner Kim Sung-hwan, the first openly gay couple known to have held a wedding ceremony in South Korea in 2013. A decade on, such weddings are no longer taboo or something only a few brave outliers dare to pursue. They've now become a viable option for many same-sex couples, al

July 30, 2025

How Koreans keep kids' heads fashionably round

In Korea, when a baby sleeps soundly, whether lying flat or with their head turned to one side, parents don’t just admire the peaceful sight. They have a task at hand: gently repositioning the baby’s head from side to side during sleep. It’s a small but deliberate effort to prevent flat head syndrome and encourage a well-rounded head shape. While flat head syndrome is a real condition caused by constant pressure on the back or side of a baby's head, South Korean parents often have additional con

July 29, 2025

Drunk driving streamer caught live on air

A woman in her 40s was caught driving under the influence Friday while livestreaming on a highway, police said Monday. After receiving a report from one of her viewers, the highway patrol tuned into her live broadcast to track her exact location and intercept her. According to the Busan Metropolitan Police, the livestreamer is currently under investigation for drunk driving but has not been detained. Her blood alcohol concentration at the time was within the range of 0.03 to 0.08 percent, a rang

July 28, 2025

Seoul's average apartment price tops $1m

Rising home prices in Seoul pushed the city’s average apartment price beyond 1.4 billion won ($1 million) for the first time, data showed Monday. KB Kookmin Bank’s monthly real estate report showed that the average price of apartment homes in Seoul reached 1.45 billion won in July, marking a 1.28 percent increase from the previous month. The figure climbed past the 1.4 billion won mark just three months after surpassing 1.3 billion in April. Apartment prices averaged 1.76 billion won in Seoul’s

July 28, 2025

Saluting the sacrifice of UNC veterans

Five foreign veterans of the United Nations Command who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War were greeted with a standing ovation from a crowd of over 1,000 at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where a ceremony was held to mark UN Forces Participation Day, observed annually on July 27. The national day of remembrance to honor the sacrifices and contributions of UN veterans also marks the date when the armistice agreement was signed to halt the Korean War in 1953. Throughout the three-year conflic

July 27, 2025

S. Korea's foreign population reaches all-time high of 2.73 million

South Korea’s foreign population has reached an all-time high of more than 2.73 million, data showed Sunday. The number of foreign nationals staying in the country for purposes including education, employment or tourism stood at just under 2,733,000 as of the end of June, marking a 1.5 percent increase (40,068 people) from the previous month, according to data from the Korea Immigration Service under the Ministry of Justice. Of the total, some 1.55 million were long-term foreign residents stayin

July 27, 2025

No purchase needed: Businesses offer heat relief to the public

Amid the sweltering summer heat, commercial spaces such as convenience stores and banks in South Korea are opening their doors as cooling stations for the public. BGF Retail, the operator of CU convenience stores, said Thursday that its more than 18,000 branches nationwide will welcome all passersby, especially children, the elderly and pregnant women, to cool off without requiring a purchase. CU stores across the country began putting up signs about the policy on the same day. The latest campai

July 26, 2025

Toddlers cramming for English tests: Time for a legal ban?

A legislative proposal seeking to ban intensive early English education for toddlers and cap lesson hours for young children was submitted to South Korea’s National Assembly on Wednesday, amid a continued frenzy over English-language preschools. The bill, introduced by Rep. Kang Kyung-sook of the minor Rebuilding Korea Party, proposes banning private English instruction for children under 36 months and limiting lessons for those aged 3 and older to 40 minutes per day. Violators could face penalt

July 23, 2025