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Sex workers in Miari Texas end weekly rallies after reaching relocation support agreement

The Miari Texas Sex Worker Relocation Committee held its 69th and final regular weekly rally on March 5 in front of Seongbuk District Office, after achieving a hard-fought relocation support agreement with the redevelopment association for the Sinwolgok District 1 urban renewal project in northeastern Seoul. Miari Texas is the name given to Seoul’s last remaining large-scale red-light district, which operated for nearly seven decades in the Hawolgok-dong neighborhood near Gireum Station on Seoul Metro Line 4. Now that it faces redevelopment, its evicted residents face the challenge of relocating elsewhere. Committee members, activists and citizen supporters had staged weekly rallies since November 2023 in front of the district office, demanding relocation compensation and defending their right to a livelihood. Ultimately, the agreement had to be made with the redevelopment association, as only landlords and brothel owners were legally eligible for government support. For the workers and residents of Miari Texas, largely middle-aged and elderly women, their most desperate need is stabl

Mar 7, 2026By Anastasia Traynin
Sex workers in Miari Texas end weekly rallies after reaching relocation support agreement

Chartered plane to bring home Koreans from UAE on Sunday: ministry

A chartered plane to evacuate South Koreans from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will take off this weekend amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the foreign ministry said Saturday. The ministry said it is arranging a 290-seat Etihad Airways chartered flight, set to depart from Abu Dhabi at noon on Sunday (local time). Starting early Saturday, the South Korean Embassy in the UAE will receive applications from South Korean nationals wishing to board the plane, with priority given to critically ill patients, people with severe disabilities, pregnant women, the elderly and infants. The planned departure comes as Seoul seeks to bring home some 3,000 nationals stranded in the UAE due to flight disruptions amid the escalating conflict between Iran and the United States. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun vowed all-out efforts to ensure that every South Korean who wishes to return home can do so safely as he held a joint meeting with overseas diplomatic missions based in the Middle East. He also instructed officials to "prepare thoroughly for any possible challenges and uncertainties" to ensure the

Mar 7, 2026By Yonhap
Chartered plane to bring home Koreans from UAE on Sunday: ministry

Incheon airport weighs parking fee hike to curb congestion

For Lee, a 45-year-old resident of Seoul's Gangbuk District, deciding how to travel to Incheon International Airport with his family is a matter of simple math. A round-trip bus ride for two adults and one elementary school child costs 96,000 won ($66), or 18,000 won per adult and 12,000 won per child. Driving, however, costs only 6,400 won in round-trip tolls and 9,000 won per day for parking. For Lee, it is significantly cheaper and easier to use a private car than to haul luggage on public transit. This economic reality is pushing families away from buses and driving extreme congestion at the nation's primary gateway, prompting Incheon International Airport to consider raising its parking fees for the first time in a decade. The Incheon International Airport Corporation announced Wednesday it plans to carefully review a fee hike in consultation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, alongside a potential expansion of parking facilities. The move is in response to gridlocked lots caused by shifting traveler habits. The share of passengers driving private cars to the a

Mar 7, 2026By Hankookilbo
Incheon airport weighs parking fee hike to curb congestion

Viral ex-civil servant known as Chungju Man earns YouTube gold button in 3 days

Former municipal worker Kim Seon-tae amassed 1 million subscribers on his newly launched independent YouTube channel in just three days, drawing a flood of sponsorship offers from major corporations and state-run agencies. Kim, who revolutionized local government public relations under the moniker Chungju Man, surpassed 1 million subscribers Thursday evening. Reaching this number qualifies the channel for a YouTube Gold Button. He launched the channel Monday following his departure from the Chungju municipal government. Kim joined the city as an entry-level worker in 2016. He turned the official Chungju City YouTube channel into a nationwide success model using bold, self-deprecating humor, earning a fast-track promotion to a midlevel official in just seven years. He resigned on Feb. 13 after posting a video titled "Farewell" on the city's official channel. "After leaving public service, I received direct and indirect offers from various places, but I wanted to try it freely," Kim said. "I also had a desire to earn more money. I am 40 now, but I wanted to realize my full potential befor

Mar 6, 2026By Hankookilbo
Viral ex-civil servant known as Chungju Man earns YouTube gold button in 3 days

Suspected Seoul serial killer ordered $90 worth of food after drugging victim

A suspect accused of killing two men in a series of attacks at a Seoul motel made a large food delivery order shortly after drugging one of the victims and later took the food home, according to police and investigative records. Kim, a woman in her 20s identified only by her surname, is accused of administering beverages containing a benzodiazepine-based sedative to three men between December and February. Two of the victims died and another survived with injuries. Interviews and investigative records reviewed by the Hankook Ilbo show that the suspect ordered 22 food items delivered immediately after the second killing. She briefly left the crime scene with food, leading police to suspect that one of her motives for luring men into the motel had been obtaining food. According to order records from a local fried chicken restaurant, a large delivery order was placed at 9:23 p.m. on Feb. 9. The order, totaling 22 items, included two fried chickens in four flavors along with chewy rice cakes, cheese balls, cheese sticks, spicy simmered rice cakes, rice, fries, bottles of cola and extra sauce

Mar 6, 2026By Hankookilbo
Suspected Seoul serial killer ordered $90 worth of food after drugging victim

Illegal employment of foreign workers surges in delivery sector

Korea’s delivery sector is rapidly becoming a major channel for the illegal employment of foreign workers, according to the Ministry of Justice. The trend has also raised concerns about safety because of inadequate checks on licenses and insurance, while domestic delivery riders say the growing competition is making it harder to secure delivery calls. The ministry reported that the number of foreigners caught working illegally in the delivery and courier sector surged from 117 in 2023 to 486 last year. Under current regulations, delivery work is permitted only for foreigners holding certain residency statuses, including the F-2 resident visa, F-5 permanent resident visa and F-6 marriage visa. However, cases continue to emerge of foreigners working as delivery riders while on nonprofessional employment visas like E-9 or student visas like D-2. Many foreign riders circumvent restrictions by using accounts registered under Korean citizens’ names. Delivery agencies reportedly secure multiple accounts under Korean identities and rent them to foreign riders for monthly fees of 200,000 to 3

Mar 6, 2026By Jung Da-hyun
Illegal employment of foreign workers surges in delivery sector

South Korea court convicts woman of murder in abortion case

A South Korean court has given a suspended prison sentence to a woman convicted in connection with a 36-week abortion case that resulted in the death of a viable fetus. The court also noted that the outcome might have been different if the state had made greater efforts to improve the economic and social conditions that hinder pregnancy, childbirth and child-rearing. Court finds evidence of intent The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday found the woman, identified only by her surname Kwon, guilty of murder and sentenced her to three years in prison, suspended for five years. Two doctors involved in the procedure were also convicted of murder. The fetus was delivered by cesarean section when the pregnancy was between 34 and 36 weeks, after which it was placed in a freezer. They were also accused of falsifying a stillbirth certificate after a video posted by Kwon showing the procedure drew widespread public attention. The hospital director was sentenced to six years in prison, along with a fine of 1.5 million won ($1,000) and a forfeiture order of 1.15 billion won, while the operating

Mar 5, 2026By Hankookilbo
South Korea court convicts woman of murder in abortion case

Human rights body approves foundation supporting transgender people after nearly 2 years

Korea's human rights watchdog on Thursday approved the establishment of a foundation advocating for the rights of transgender people following nearly two years of deliberations. The National Human Rights Commission gave the nod to the non-profit Byun Hee-soo Foundation, named after a late transgender soldier who was forcibly discharged from service, after a civic group filed the application in May 2024. While decisions on such matters are typically made within 20 days, proceedings were delayed as the move faced opposition from a conservative member of the watchdog's three standing commissioners. The delay prompted the foundation's preparatory committee to take legal action against the watchdog, with the Seoul Administrative Court ruling last December that the delayed proceedings were illegal. Along with the ruling, the standing commissioner who had voiced opposition to the envisioned foundation left office last month, leading to Thursday's decision. "I apologize to the preparatory committee for the approval's delay due to unreasonable reasons, such as a certain member's continued oppositi

Mar 5, 2026By Yonhap
Human rights body approves foundation supporting transgender people after nearly 2 years

Koreans' life satisfaction unchanged in 2024; suicide rate up: report

Koreans' average satisfaction with life remained unchanged from a year earlier in 2024, while the suicide rate went up, a government report showed Thursday. The level of life satisfaction came to 6.4 points on a 10-point scale in 2024, remaining unchanged from 2023, according to the annual report on Koreans' quality of life by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Income appeared to have affected life satisfaction, as the life satisfaction score was the lowest among households in the lowest income bracket with a monthly income of less than 1 million won ($681.7), at 5.8 points. In contrast, life satisfaction levels in households that earned 3 million won or more per month ranged from 6.4 to 6.5 points, nearly on par with the average for the entire population, the ministry said. In the report, the ministry cited a separate report published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network to compare Koreans' level of life satisfaction with other member countries of the Organization of Economic Cooperation (OECD). Korea ranked 33rd among the 38 OECD countries in terms of a thre

Mar 5, 2026By Yonhap
Koreans' life satisfaction unchanged in 2024; suicide rate up: report

Korea exhibits 2nd-largest gender divide over perceived progress in equality: survey

A new global survey released Thursday found that Korea exhibits the world’s second-widest gap between men and women in their perception of sufficient progress in gender equality. The 2026 International Women’s Day survey, conducted by Ipsos and King’s College London’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, found that 65 percent of Korean men believe gender equality has gone far enough, compared to 42 percent of women — the second-widest gap among 29 countries represented in the survey and more than twice the global average of 11 percentage points. Overall endorsement in Korea of gender equality having “gone far enough” rose to 53 percent from 39 percent in 2019, with increases seen among both men and women. The poll, conducted online from Dec. 24, 2025, to Jan. 9, covered 23,268 adults in 29 countries. Korean men were the least likely in the survey to identify as feminists, with just 13 percent using the label, compared to 28 percent of Korean women; both figures sit well below global averages. Support for women’s leadership among Korean men was the lowest measured: On

Mar 5, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Korea exhibits 2nd-largest gender divide over perceived progress in equality: survey
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