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Korean scout chief awarded Sakura Gold Medal

Lee Chan-hee, president of the Korea Scout Association and senior legal advisor at Yulchon LLC, was awarded the Sakura Gold Medal at the national jamboree of the Scout Association of Japan in Fukuoka on Saturday. The medal is the highest honor given by the Japanese Scouts to foreign leaders for exceptional contributions to international scouting. The Scout Association of Japan said it recognized Lee for revitalizing international exchange programs that had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and for actively supporting youth engagement on the global stage since taking office in February 2024. A former Scout throughout his early school years, Lee graduated from Yongmoon High School and earned a law degree from Yonsei University. He passed Korea’s national bar exam in 1998, completed the Judicial Research and Training Institute in 1999 and began practicing law in 2001. Lee has held several prominent positions, including arbitrator at the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board, president of the Seoul Bar Association and president of the Korean Bar Association. He previously served as

May 27, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
Korean scout chief awarded Sakura Gold Medal

Seoul's city bus union set to begin general strike Wednesday

Unionized intracity bus workers in Seoul are set to go on a general strike on Wednesday, as previously warned, as their wage increase negotiations with the management have shown little signs of a compromise. The intracity bus union and management have held rounds of negotiation over a wage hike but failed to narrow their differences, heightening the possibility of a walkout for the second consecutive year. Without a last-minute agreement during their final talks expected on Tuesday, the strike will affect 61 of the capital's 64 intracity bus companies that run about 7,000 buses on 389 routes, causing severe inconvenience to citizens as well as commuters. Unionized bus workers have demanded an 8.2 percent hike in their base pay. But the management has insisted that the labor's proposal will have the effect of raising wages by 25 percent, if regular bonuses are included in the ordinary wage in accordance with the Supreme Court's recent ruling. The union has threatened to stage the general strike from the first buses on Wednesday if no agreement is reached by the previous day. Last year, th

May 27, 2025By Yonhap
Seoul's city bus union set to begin general strike Wednesday

Migrant issues left off agenda in presidential race

Despite Korea’s efforts to attract more foreign workers amid a deepening demographic crisis, immigration issues have been largely absent from the presidential campaign platforms. So far, only one candidate has introduced official policies addressing the needs of foreign residents and migrant populations. Experts warn that immigration can no longer be treated as a peripheral issue, emphasizing the need for serious discussions and long-term policy planning. The number of foreign residents in Korea exceeded 2.65 million last year, making up 5.2 percent of the total population, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. Among them, long-term residents — including permanent residents and foreign spouses — now make up more than 36 percent, highlighting a shift toward increasingly settled immigrant communities. Migrant workers continue to play a vital role in manufacturing hubs across rural areas and in Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul — underscoring the urgent need for inclusive and sustainable immigration policies. As the reliance on migrant workers increases, some politi

May 27, 2025By Jung Da-hyun
Migrant issues left off agenda in presidential race

Independence fighter's bust to remain at military academy after relocation row

The Korea Military Academy has decided to retain the bust of a revered Korean independence fighter on its campus, a lawmaker said Monday, reversing an earlier relocation plan that had sparked a heated public debate. The bust of Gen. Hong Beom-do, a leader of Korean independence forces from the time of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, will stay at the Chungmu education facility inside the institution, the academy said in response to a query by Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea. In 2023, the defense ministry announced plans to relocate Hong's bust to the Independence Hall of Korea in the country's central region and the busts of four other independence fighters erected at the academy to a third location. The ministry had cited Hong's controversial ties to Soviet communist forces. The move sparked fierce debate over its legitimacy and drew strong protests from liberal political groups and advocates for independence fighters. The busts of the five independence fighters were originally installed in 2018 at the academy under the previous liberal Moon Jae-in government.

May 26, 2025By Yonhap
Independence fighter's bust to remain at military academy after relocation row

Korea's prehistoric petroglyphs likely to win UNESCO World Heritage status

A set of prehistoric petroglyphs located in southeastern South Korea is likely to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, people familiar with the matter said Monday. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO, has recommended the inclusion of the Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream on the UNESCO World Heritage list, following its review of the nomination, they said. A recommendation by ICOMOS is deemed a preliminary approval for UNESCO World Heritage status. The final decision will be made at the upcoming World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris in July. The engravings on the rock face of Bangudae, located on the lower part of a cliff on a tributary of a river in Ulsan, were first discovered in 1971 and were designated as the country's National Treasure No. 285. Bangudae was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2011. Korea applied for the UNESCO listing of the petroglyphs, located in Ulsan, in January last year. If registered, the petroglyphs will become Korea's 17th UNESCO World Heritage site. The petroglyphs site is a s

May 26, 2025By Yonhap
Korea's prehistoric petroglyphs likely to win UNESCO World Heritage status

Acting president offers condolences over death of Jeju teacher

Acting President and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho on Monday expressed his condolences over the death of a Jeju Island middle school teacher last week, vowing to devise measures to protect teachers' educational activities. Lee made the remarks during a lunch meeting with senior figures in the educational community in Seoul. The teacher in his 40s was found dead on the campus of a middle school on the southern island of Jeju on May 22, prompting a police investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. A suicide note was found in his office, and it reportedly says that he had suffered from conflict with a student's family. The bereaved family reportedly testified that the teacher had recently been under extreme stress due to continuous complaints from the student's family to the point where he could not even eat properly. Lee said at the meeting that the nation's education sector still faces many problems and it is time to actively respond to the new, rapidly changing environment. "Many of the challenges we face today will eventually be resolved through the power of education,"

May 26, 2025By Yonhap
Acting president offers condolences over death of Jeju teacher

Police access security camera footage from safe house in probe of martial law plot

In an unprecedented move, police investigators are reviewing security camera footage from a secret residence in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged efforts by former President Yoon Suk Yeol to impose martial law. According to sources contacted by the Hankook Ilbo on Sunday, the special investigative unit on martial law under the National Office of Investigation has begun examining surveillance footage from the classified facility, often referred to as a “safe house,” following a voluntary submission by the Presidential Security Service. The facility, which does not appear on public maps, was previously off-limits to investigative authorities. The last time any such safe house was involved in a criminal investigation was following the short-lived Dec. 3 martial law imposition. The footage is expected to shed light on who entered and exited the location around the time of the martial law order. Yoon is accused of having summoned then-National Police Chief Cho Ji-ho and former Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong-sik to the safe house on the evening of

May 26, 2025By Hankookilbo
Police access security camera footage from safe house in probe of martial law plot

Landscaping rocks worth $1.3 mil. rattle residents at new Seoul apartment complex

A large new apartment complex in Imun-dong, Dongdaemun District, Seoul, has become the center of controversy after massive landscaping stones were installed without prior notice to or consensus from many residents. The installations, which began on Friday, sparked a wave of online backlash, with critics questioning both the aesthetic value and the decision-making process behind the project. The apartment complex, home to over 3,000 households and newly occupied earlier this year, began removing trees and grass to make way for the decorative stones. Photos circulating online show boulders larger than an average adult, with the name of the apartment inscribed in a large, old-style Korean font. Trucks and excavators were used to transport and position the stones. A post on the professional community app Blind, written by someone claiming to be a resident, drew widespread attention. The post included multiple images of the stone installation and accused the apartment redevelopment association’s leadership of acting unilaterally. “Without any notification or consent from residents, the hea

May 26, 2025By Hankookilbo
Landscaping rocks worth $1.3 mil. rattle residents at new Seoul apartment complex

Jeju teacher's death intensifies scrutiny of school complaint systems

Concerns are growing over the effectiveness of school complaint response systems following the death of a middle school teacher on Jeju Island, who was reportedly the target of repeated complaints from a student’s family. The incident highlights a growing national debate over safeguarding educators and the emotional strain of an increasingly litigious environment, as more teachers report feeling vulnerable amid rising demands and confrontational encounters with parents. The teacher was found dead at the school on Thursday. According to education officials, the teacher had expressed emotional distress due to persistent complaints, reportedly receiving more than 10 phone calls a day from the student’s family. The case in Jeju closely resembles a widely reported incident from 2023, when a young elementary school teacher died by suicide at Seoi Elementary School in southern Seoul. That tragedy sparked nationwide calls for the creation of a separate communication channel to handle parental complaints, with the goal of shielding teachers from the emotional toll of managing a barrage of dir

May 25, 2025By Jung Da-hyun
Jeju teacher's death intensifies scrutiny of school complaint systems
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