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'Monster heat wave' leaves 1,146 people suffering heat-related illnesses in 1 week

The recent “monster heat wave,” which has given people little time to adapt to the soaring temperatures, has caused a record number of heat-related illnesses over the past week, with 1,146 people seeking emergency medical treatment. The figure is the highest since the country began keeping records in 2011, surpassing the level recorded during the notorious 2018 heat wave. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Thursday, 2,872 people had been diagnosed with heat-related illnesses between May 15, when the agency began operating its heat-related illness surveillance system, and Wednesday. That was about 86 percent of the 3,321 cases recorded during the same period last year. However, the number of heat-related deaths this year stood at 23, two more than last year. The KDCA counts the daily number of people who visit 516 emergency rooms nationwide with conditions such as heatstroke and heat exhaustion. The lower cumulative number of heat-related illnesses this year is attributable to relatively mild weather through early July. According to the Korea Meteo

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Football association apologizes amid claims it provided sexual entertainment for foreign referees

The national football association apologized Saturday over allegations that it provided sexual entertainment to foreign referees before and after international matches held in the country between 2011 and 2012. The apology came after a 2016 government audit showed that the Korea Football Association (KFA) used corporate credit cards to pay for sexual entertainment for visiting referees at massage parlors and other adult establishments in Seoul and other cities that hosted international matches between March 2011 and March 2012. "We are deeply sorry for the disappointment and concern caused by the various issues and controversies surrounding the association since the 2026 FIFA World Cup," the KFA said. "We express our sincere apologies for causing concerns over a range of issues, from a parliamentary hearing and an unprecedented police raid to media reports about incidents from more than a decade ago that even members within the federation were unaware of," it added. The KFA vowed sweeping reforms and pledged to strengthen transparency and restore integrity within the organization to meet

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Top US home retailer's 'Taste of Korea' collection looks anything but Korean

SEATTLE — Williams Sonoma, one of America’s best-known upscale kitchenware and home retailers, has turned its attention to Korean cuisine with a new “Taste of Korea” collection. But Koreans in the U.S. are taking one look at the tableware and wondering exactly where the Korea is. The retailer’s collection features more than 100 items, from Korean sauces and seasonings to cookware and dinnerware. Front and center is the Lotus Bloom collection, an ornate line of plates and bowls in pinkish-red and gold, alongside similarly elaborate table linens. For a retailer that has spent decades cultivating an image as an upscale American tastemaker, the decidedly un-Korean look has struck a nerve online, particularly as brands increasingly seek to capitalize on the global popularity of Korean food and culture. “I saw this huge sign outside the store that said ‘Taste of Korea,’ and as a Korean, I felt so flattered,” Korean creator Bambigirl said in a YouTube video. “K-culture is everywhere now.” But her excitement quickly faded when she saw the collection. “What is going on here

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Who is 1st sitting lawmaker to enter military boot camp as trainee soldier?

Rep. Chun Ha-ram, floor leader of minor opposition Reform Party, will become the first sitting member of the National Assembly to undergo basic military training as a trainee soldier. According to Chun’s office on Saturday, the lawmaker, who serves on the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, will enter the Army’s 27th Recruit Training Regiment in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, on Aug. 12 for a two-night, three-day training session. On the first day, Chun will be issued a combat uniform, military gear and other supplies and will live under the same conditions as the other recruits. The following day, he will take part in comprehensive individual combat training and a 20-kilometer night march, as well as stand guard duty overnight. The training is normally conducted during the fourth or fifth week of basic military training, according to reports. The visit came after Chun’s office first proposed the idea to the military. During his stay, Chun plans to live alongside the recruits and listen to their concerns and difficulties. “Although it is only a two-night, three

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K-beauty has moved beyond the skin care aisle

During a recent five-week visit to Korea, one thing became immediately apparent: While consumers overseas continue embracing K-beauty products, many Koreans have already moved on to the next step. For years, Korea's beauty industry has been synonymous with sheet masks, BB creams and the famed 10-step skin care routine. Those products helped turn K-beauty into a global phenomenon and cemented the country's reputation as a beauty powerhouse. Today, however, the conversation has shifted from cosmetics counters to the country's ubiquitous dermatology clinics, where aesthetic treatments have become part of everyday beauty routines. Scheduling a laser treatment or skin booster has become almost as routine as booking a haircut or nail appointment. Beauty in Korea is increasingly treated less like a luxury and more like maintenance. Instead of asking which moisturizer someone uses, friends compare lifting treatments, collagen-boosting procedures, skin booster injections and pore treatments. Recommendations for clinics are exchanged as casually as restaurant tips, while discussions about the lat

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BMW, Mercedes-Benz turn to super luxury to fend off Tesla, Chinese EV challenge

BMW Korea and Mercedes-Benz Korea can better fend off the rapid rise of Tesla and Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) makers by pivoting toward Korea’s growing ultra-luxury vehicle segment — an arena where newcomers are unlikely to match their brand heritage and exclusivity anytime soon, industry officials said Friday. Rather than competing head-on in the increasingly crowded premium market, the German automakers are expanding their highest-end offerings, betting that their longstanding brand heritage and premium positioning will remain difficult for newer rivals to replicate. The strategy comes as Tesla and Chinese brands, such as BYD, continue to gain traction in Korea, eroding the dominance long enjoyed by established premium automakers. For instance, Tesla’s price-competitive Model Y won a title as the nation’s top-selling vehicle in the first half, accounting for more than 30 percent of all newly-registered vehicles here. While German brands still remain strong in the luxury segment, competition is becoming increasingly intense in mainstream premium models, prompting them to fo

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MORNING CALM TALES Fan death, a cautionary breeze

My first summer in Korea, I thought I was going to die. The heat and the humidity were unbearable. I’d naively assumed that living near the Han River in southeastern Seoul might offer some cooling nighttime breeze. It didn’t. Not even a whisper. Fortunately, I had a fan — an old, rattling workhorse that labored through the night, valiantly pushing hot air from one side of my room to the other. It didn’t cool me, but it gave the illusion of doing something, which was better than nothing. The next morning, bleary-eyed after another sleepless night, I trudged off to school. At least the classrooms were air-conditioned, which felt like a miracle. “It was so hot last night, I slept with the fan on all night,” I said casually while taking attendance. A collective gasp sucked the air out of the room. I looked up. The entire class was frozen in horror, eyes wide, mouths agape, as if I had just confessed to something unspeakable. “What’s wrong?” I asked. A long pause. Then one brave student slowly raised her hand. “Yes?” “Teacher,” she said carefully, “you cannot sleep with

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American son's quest to find 'Kim,' local child saved in shadow of Korean War

In the winter of 1951, amid the frozen, battered hills of Changdori, a young Korean boy found refuge alongside an American combat correspondent. The boy was known simply as “Kim.” He was roughly 15 years old, displaced by relentless bombings and navigating a war-ravaged nation with the quiet resilience of a generation forced to grow up overnight. For nearly two years, Kim walked alongside the American journalist, serving as an assistant, a guide and a living testament to humanity surviving in the crosshairs of history. Now, seven decades after they were separated by the troop withdrawals of July 1952, a son is picking up the thread of a memory his father carried for a lifetime. Robert P. Mosier has turned to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in Korea to locate the Korean boy who once shared food, shelter and hardship with his late father, Robert H. Mosier. The elder Mosier, born in 1923, served as a U.S. Marine Corps combat correspondent during the Korean War from 1951 to 1952. His searing firsthand accounts and poignant photography brought the human toll of the conflic

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70-year-old Sinchon bookstore defies decline with staff bond

Seven people gathered around a small table for a lively discussion of Albert Camus' "The Stranger" in the fifth-floor lounge of Hongik Mungo in Seoul's Seodaemun District on July 29. The staff reading club calls itself Odok Odok, a pun combining the number five of the fifth-floor and reading in Korean. "Just as light casts shadows, truth comes with discomfort," one member said. "Isn't the sun in the novel a device that reveals the truth?" "The sun cannot be avoided and keeps following him around. So I thought it was the inescapable fact of his mother's death," another member said. "Even while sunbathing or on a date, his mother's death keeps weighing on his mind." The participants first met as co-workers. Five of the bookstore's eight current employees participate in the club, gathering before their afternoon shifts to talk. Two former employees pursued other book-related careers, but they still return to their former workplace every month. The club has forged a bond extending beyond the store. Hongik Mungo, located just outside Sinchon Station on Seoul Subway Line 2, has been a fixture

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Pastor Son Hyun-bo discloses July meeting with Trump, US officials

Pastor Son Hyun-bo, head pastor of Segyero Church who led rallies opposing the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 7 (local time), the church disclosed on Saturday. According to Segyero Church, Son met with Trump at the White House while visiting the United States with his family. The church did not disclose details of the conversation between Son and Trump. In a video posted on the church's YouTube channel the same day, Son said, "I have been visiting the United States for a month ... and I just visited the White House and met with President Trump." "I sincerely thank the White House for inviting my family," he added. Son has been meeting with U.S. government officials to raise concerns over religious issues in Korea, including a proposed legislation that would allow the dissolution of religious organizations and a comprehensive anti-discrimination bill. In June, U.S. government officials, including Riley Band, deputy assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rig

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US unlikely to send tactical nuclear weapons back to Korean Peninsula

The Pentagon’s push to give tactical nuclear weapons a greater role in defending U.S. allies in regional conflicts with China or Russia is raising questions in Seoul over whether U.S. nuclear weapons could return to South Korea more than three decades after their withdrawal. According to media reports, the Pentagon is drafting a new nuclear strategy that would place greater emphasis on shorter-range tactical nuclear weapons in such conflicts. South Korean experts, however, say the shift would not necessarily lead to the redeployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons here. They say a more likely consequence would be closer coordination between U.S. nuclear forces and South Korea’s conventional military capabilities, while warning that making nuclear weapons more usable could also increase the risk of escalation on the Korean Peninsula. The United States withdrew all of its tactical nuclear weapons from South Korea in 1991, when former President George H.W. Bush ordered a global pullback of U.S. ground- and sea-based tactical nuclear arms. Then-South Korean President Roh Tae-woo respon

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'Silver ARMY' reshapes BTS fandom

Vicki Ronn, a professor of English at Friends University and a BTS fan in her 60s, gave her adult son a vinyl copy of BTS member J-Hope's solo album "Jack in the Box," turning him into a dedicated fan. Ronn discovered the group in 2020. Watching BTS perform "On" in front of New York's Grand Central Terminal on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" sparked her interest. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was captivated by their dynamic stage performance and soon fell in love with their lyrics. "'Black Swan' is a song about the fear of losing your passion for what you love," Ronn told the Hankook Ilbo at Jeonbuk National University on Sunday. "Listening to it made me reflect on how I had been losing my passion as a scholar." 89-year-old American sparks fandom shift Ronn was among many who traveled to Korea to attend a BTS conference at Jeonbuk National University. Her presentation explored ideas of aging, participatory culture and the reimagining of women, examining how BTS has transformed the lives of older fans abroad and the new social relationships they are building through fan

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US polysilicon tariff offers boost to Korean solar makers

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday (local time) imposing a 15 percent tariff on polysilicon derivative products and minimum import prices (MIPs) on polysilicon, ingots and wafers, creating both opportunities and risks for Korean solar-material and panel makers by potentially narrowing the price gap with Chinese suppliers in the U.S. market. The measures, which will take effect on Dec. 4, are aimed at strengthening U.S. production of polysilicon and its derivatives, a key material for both the solar and semiconductor industries. “Polysilicon is the base material underpinning the security of America’s semiconductor and solar-power supply chains,” Trump wrote in the proclamation. “These tariffs — combined with the MIP program — will promote United States production of polysilicon derivatives by ensuring a commercially viable market for them.” The proclamation sets minimum prices at $21 per kilogram for polysilicon, $100 per kilogram for polysilicon ingots and wafers, 22 cents per watt for solar cells and 38 cents per watt for solar modules. For Korean s

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Itaewon Film Festival finds its footing and puts down roots

It's one thing to plant a seed. It's another to nurture it and watch it grow. The Itaewon Film Festival is heading into its second year with clear signs of growth and maturity, demonstrating its widening impact on the neighborhood and the city around it. Running in Haebangchon and Itaewon, two central Seoul neighborhoods that have long housed artists, expats and people operating outside the mainstream of Korean culture, the lively outsider character of the festival's home runs through every programming decision. This year's edition will be held from Sept. 10 to 13 as part of Haebang Week, a weeklong program of events affiliated with Block Party Music & Arts Festival. The festival's slogan, "Home of Liberation," is a nod to the neighborhood's name — "Haebangchon" translates directly to "Liberation Village." Co-founder Simon Chong has been open about how much the neighborhood shapes the festival's direction. "Itaewon and HBC (Haebangchon) have been home for people with different backgrounds for a long time," Chong said. "When I think about the word 'home', I think of a place where you can

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Private schools push back against Korea's free tuition plan for nat'l universities

A government proposal to make tuition free for some 64,000 incoming students at national universities next year is facing mounting opposition from private universities. Critics warn the policy could put private institutions at a further disadvantage in attracting students and deepen their financial struggles. The concerns are particularly acute among private universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area, which are already struggling with declining enrollment and financial pressures while facing continued restrictions on tuition hikes. During a policy briefing at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Wednesday, the Ministry of Education said it is considering providing full tuition scholarships to some 64,000 freshmen at 30 national universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area beginning in the 2027 academic year. Under the plan, it would gradually expand to cover all undergraduate students at those universities within the current administration's term. International students are not included in the plan, at least for now. Since they are admitted outside the standard enrollment quota and are su

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Time for won to catch up with Korea's economic role: Deutsche Bank

Korea accounts for roughly 2 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP), ranks among the world's largest exporters of advanced manufactured goods and is home to strategically important industries. Yet its currency plays a modest financial role relative to the country's economic and industrial weight, according to Deutsche Bank, Friday. In two recent Asia thematic strategy notes, the investment bank said Korea sits at the intersection of three key structural forces: ally-shoring, artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment and diversification away from China-related supply risks. These forces are likely to persist for years, directing capital toward industries where Korea already possesses scale, technological leadership and established industrial ecosystems, including semiconductors, batteries, shipbuilding, defense and robotics, the bank said. "The world is increasingly investing in the industries where Korea already leads," said Perry Kojodjojo, an Asian FX strategist at Deutsche Bank. "Manufacturing value added, high-tech exports and current account balances compare fa

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Korea denies 'fake news' law discriminates against US tech firms

The Korean government rejected concerns raised by U.S. Republican lawmakers over the country’s revised Information and Communication Network Act, Friday, pushing back against accusations that the law threatens online speech and discriminates against American companies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the legislation was introduced to address problems arising from changes in the digital environment and strengthen protections for users. “The legislation does not contain any provisions that discriminate against U.S. companies,” the ministry said. The government will work with relevant ministries to “actively explain the purpose and effects of the legislation” to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, it added. The response came after four Republican members of the committee — Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio and Reps. Scot Fitzgerald of Wisconsin, Darrel Issa of California and Michael Baumgartner of Washington — sent a letter Thursday to Kim Jong-cheol, head of the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC), raising concerns about the revised law and requesting a briefing o

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Base Group faces scrutiny over Trump ties as aluminum affiliate fights US tariffs

U.S. Democratic senators are probing a $2 million payment made last year by Korean company Base Group to a Trump family business, raising concerns that it may have been intended to influence a trade dispute involving the company’s aluminum affiliate. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal and Andy Kim sent a letter to Base Group Chairman Kim Sung-jip seeking an explanation of the payment, according to the letter released by the lawmakers. The payment was disclosed in U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2025 financial disclosure, released in late June. It was described as being related to a “letter of intent” and a “nonrefundable development fee.” The senators said the “secretive nature and timing” of the payment raised concerns about “pay-to-play politics and bribery.” “The secretive nature and timing of this massive payment raises questions about whether Base Group is making direct payments to President Trump’s companies in an attempt to influence Commerce Department proceedings or otherwise secure lucrative tariff exemptions,” the lawmakers wrote. Base Group has

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Love with deadlines, digital hearts: Korea's dating reality boom tests ethics of romance TV

Korea’s dating reality boom has entered a new, uneasy chapter — one where terminal illness and artificial intelligence (AI) join ex-lovers, divorced couples, shamans and LGBTQ+ participants on television, raising fresh questions about how far romance entertainment should go. SBS’s “Love Against Time,” which premiered Monday, follows young adults in their 20s and 30s who have received terminal diagnoses or survived life-threatening illness as they search for “the remaining love” in their lives. In its first episode, eight contestants exchanged small talk and shy smiles, then carefully unfolded their “treatment diaries” — recounting stage 4 cancer, total gastrectomy and nights when they felt death approaching. The show’s matching device, a “room of time,” gamifies scarcity. Each evening, participants receive 100 minutes, divided into 10 segments lasting 10 minutes each, to allocate to potential dates. If two people send at least a combined 100 minutes to each other, they can earn a date lasting between 100 and 200 minutes. Time — once a private reminder of limit

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RESCENE's rise exposes price of media spotlight

“Miracle” seems a fitting word to describe what RESCENE and its leader, Woni, have experienced over the past few months. Member Minami's innocent cry of “Geoje yah-ho” in a YouTube video became a viral meme, while the group’s song “Love Attack,” released two years earlier, began climbing the charts. Almost overnight, RESCENE became one of Korea’s most talked-about K-pop groups, its music heard across the country. For Woni and the other members, such attention was a first since their debut. Soon, however, they came to realize the dark side of fame and life in the spotlight. Not long after the group began taking center stage, a series of rumors and allegations targeting Woni began circulating online. The first was a claim that she had used language associated with Ilbe, a controversial far-right online community, in a YouTube video. Her passing remark in dialect — “museupno” — was called out by a producer at a regional broadcaster based in the area where the dialect is spoken. The accusation sparked a fierce online dispute over whether Woni’s remark was an authent

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Editor's Pick

Why young women, once Lee's strongest base, are turning away

Why young women, once Lee's strongest base, are turning away

Lee, a 32-year-old office worker in Seoul, spent years working and saving toward a single goal: buying her own apartment with a mortgage. She had just reached that point when the government cut the loan cap in half, from 600 million to 300 million won. "I've been working hard and saving up money and now that I was finally about to buy my own home with a mortgage, getting the loan cap cut in half is a huge blow to me," she said. She had voted for President Lee Jae Myung, drawn by his hands-on administrative background as mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province and later Gyeonggi Governor. "I had high hopes for President Lee Jae Myung because he became president with hands-on administrative experience, unlike past leaders with a judiciary or legislative background," she said. "Watching the news about how he sold his own apartment in Seongnam makes it feel like double standards." She no longer supports him. Her story is not an outlier. Many young women in their 20s and 30s — a demographic that played a pivotal role in electing Lee — are withdrawing their support for him and the ruling Demo

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Life in Korea

From busking to water parks, Seoul Facilities Corp. launches summer festivities

From busking to water parks, Seoul Facilities Corp. launches summer festivities

The Seoul Facilities Corp. said Friday it will run a series of summer events for residents from Aug. 8-23, ranging from underground busking performances to a movie night at Gocheok Sky Dome and free water play for children. At the Jamsil underground shopping center, artists from independent label Fever Lab will perform Aug. 8 starting at 1 p.m., with another lineup taking the stage from 4 p.m. Performance spaces at the Jamsil and Hoehyeon underground shopping centers can be booked free of charge on the second Saturday of each month through the city's public reservation site. Nearby, two gallery spaces near Euljiro will also host public-interest exhibitions, including one featuring art therapy works by dementia patients from Seoul Seobuk Hospital. On Aug. 14, the corporation will hold its fourth annual outdoor movie night at Gocheok Sky Dome, Korea's first domed baseball stadium, themed "Dome on a Summer Night." Held in partnership with the Seoul Art Book Repository, the free event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. and will open up the stadium's field and locker rooms to visitors, along with a pop-up

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Lifestyle

Mariinsky Ballet's Korean soloist to take on 'Swan Lake' prince on local stage

Ballet dancer Jeon Min-chul, who has completed his first season as a first soloist with Russia’s Mariinsky Ballet, will return to his home country for his first full-length leading role since joining the prestigious company. Jeon will perform the role of Prince Siegfried as a guest artist in the Universal Ballet’s production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” jointly presented by the Seoul Arts Center and Universal Ballet. The production will run from Aug. 14-23 at the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater and will feature 11 performances. Jeon and Julia Moon, general director of Universal Ballet, attended a press conference for the production at the Seoul Arts Center’s In-Chun Art Hall in southern Seoul on Friday. “I want to show the results of my first season at the Mariinsky,” Jeon said, expressing his determination ahead of his return to the Korean stage. “Swan Lake,” combining Tchaikovsky’s music with choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, is one of the defining works of classical ballet. The ballet was premiered by the Mariinsky Ballet in 1895. This production

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Mariinsky Ballet's Korean soloist to take on 'Swan Lake' prince on local stage

K-Culture

Why K-dramas turn classic hit films into series

A romance with a woman who sees ghosts, a Joseon-era libertine’s dangerous romantic wager and a criminal who vanishes by turning into gas. Television and streaming platforms are increasingly reviving the premises of classic films and reworking them for contemporary audiences. Driven by a streaming boom, the Korean entertainment industry is expanding its focus beyond webtoons and web novels to revisit past cinematic hits for their built-in audiences. The tvN weekend series "Spooky in Love," a television remake of the 2011 film "Spellbound," premiered July 18. The original film, starring Son Ye-jin as the ghost-seeing Yeo-ri and Lee Min-ki as horror magician Jo-goo, became a rare box-office hit for a romantic comedy. The new series retains the central premise of the female protagonist being able to see ghosts but reimagines the story by changing the characters' occupations, focusing on a romance between Cheon Yeo-ri (Park Eun-bin), an heiress to a family-run conglomerate, and a prosecutor who fears ghosts (Yang Se-jong). Speaking at a press event for the series, Park highlighted the ex

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Why K-dramas turn classic hit films into series

Celebrities

IU sparks fresh buzz after choosing ex Jang Ki-ha's song for social media post

Singer and actress IU has found herself at the center of online discussion once again after using a song by ex-boyfriend Jang Ki-ha as the background music for a recent social media update, prompting speculation and mixed reactions from fans. On Thursday, IU uploaded dozens of photos to her social media account, giving fans a rare glimpse into her recent life. The collection ranged from makeup-free selfies and behind-the-scenes moments from a fashion shoot to a birthday meal featuring traditional seaweed soup. While the images drew attention, the soundtrack attached to the post quickly became the biggest talking point. IU selected “Living The Carefree Life” by Kiha and the Faces, the closing track from the band's 2009 debut studio album. The choice immediately fueled online speculation because Jang and IU were once one of Korea's most high-profile celebrity couples. The two confirmed their relationship in 2015 after reportedly dating since 2013 before announcing their breakup in 2017. Some online users questioned why IU would publicly share music by a former partner, particularly as J

2 MIN READ
IU sparks fresh buzz after choosing ex Jang Ki-ha's song for social media post

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Opinion

Top 10 Stories

  1. Top US home retailer's 'Taste of Korea' collection looks anything but Korean

  2. Football association apologizes amid claims it provided sexual entertainment for foreign referees

  3. 'Monster heat wave' leaves 1,146 people suffering heat-related illnesses in 1 week

  4. MORNING CALM TALES Fan death, a cautionary breeze

  5. K-beauty has moved beyond the skin care aisle

  6. Who is 1st sitting lawmaker to enter military boot camp as trainee soldier?

  7. American son's quest to find 'Kim,' local child saved in shadow of Korean War

  8. Scorching heat continues across nation; heavy rains forecast on eastern coast

  9. BMW, Mercedes-Benz turn to super luxury to fend off Tesla, Chinese EV challenge

  10. The first lady Korea watched die

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