With the upcoming general elections on April 10, controversies surrounding deepfake technology have escalated as more than a hundred electionrelated materials were reported to employ such methods. This resurgence of public concern echoes back to 2022, when a fabricated video of President Yoon Suk Ye
South Korea is well known as one of the most developed countries in the world regarding medical technology and health insurance policies. However, the South Korean government is pushing for the expansion of the medical school quota to address growing medical demands. This has caused ongoing conflict
Starting Jan. 27, Seoul Metropolitan Government’s new Climate Card allows unlimited access to public transportation after a monthly payment of 62,000 to 65,000 won. The project aims to facilitate the usage of public transportation by alleviating citizens’ burden of transportation fees, which in effe
On Nov. 7, the Ministry of Environment announced the retraction of its sanction on using disposable paper cups. This was brought in together with indefinitely extending the ban on using plastic straws at cafés and restaurants as well as plastic bags at convenience stores. First implemented in Novem
A short hair campaign encouraging women with short hair to post pictures of themselves is ongoing nationwide, following a late-night attack by a man on a female shop clerk on Nov. 4. The peculiar reason for the attack, which the offender thought of her as a feminist based on her short hairstyle and
28 cases of bedbugs in Seoul have frightened residents, bringing attention to the outbreak. Universities nationwide became especially worried after the reported cases of bedbugs in Keimyung University, realizing that South Korea is no longer bedbug free. In preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, F
Mixed opinions arose as the government announced on Oct. 19 a plan to lift the quota of medical schools starting from the academic year of 2025. 40 medical schools expressed hopes to matriculate 2000 additional students through a survey on Nov. 9. Moreover, as similar plans of lifting quota for nurs
On July 22, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced a 3.4 trillion won reduction in the research and development (R&D) budget. The budget has been slashed by more than 16 percent, while the overall national budget has seen a three percent increase. The Ministry of Science and ICT explained that th
The 25th World Scout Jamboree Competition was held in Saemangeum, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea from Aug. 1 to 12. 43,232 adolescents from 158 countries around the world gathered to experience the culture of South Korea. However, problems arised due to insufficient preparation and insufficient use of th
On Aug. 16, the Ministry of Education proposed the “Study Korea 300K Project,” a government-backed initiative to secure an additional number of international students and help them settle in South Korea with a guarantee of stable jobs. The project aims to increase the number of international student
The issue of plagiarism has been in the spotlight recently in Korea, shaking academia and the education environment. Educators have faced renewed challenges in preventing plagiarism as new technologies make it easier for students to generate plagiarized work. All the while, a series of high-profile
In order to encourage rice consumption and support healthy diets among college students, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairsinstated the 1,000 won breakfast policy. In this program, the cost of the breakfast is split three ways, with the government contributing 1,000 won, the studen
On May 11, 2023, a man in his 20s was arrested for locking his ex-girlfriend in his car and threatening to kill her with a seatbelt after a fight while driving in Changwon. The former lover ignored the woman’s demand to stop the car and kept driving until they were stopped by the police. It was the
With the “zero sugar” trend in the beverage industry gathering attention of the younger generation interested in health management and healthy diets, controversy over increased consumption of substitutes used in drinks have appeared. According to statistics provided by Euromonitor International, the
The South Korean government has had to rethink its plans to increase working hours after backlash from the younger generation who argued the plan would destroy their work-life balance. The government announced its intention to raise the maximum weekly working time to 69 hours on March 6. However, as
On March 21, Apple Pay, the contactless payment technology for Apple devices, was launched in South Korea. It took nine years for Apple Pay to enter the Korean market after its first release in the United States on Oct. 10, 2014. As there has been high demand for simple mobile payments amongst Korea
Over the past few decades, pseudoreligious groups invaded university campuses, abusing college activity clubs as a means of illegal propagation. Students were often tricked into signing up and engaging in pseudo-religious activities. After the airing of the Netflix documentary series “In the Name of
Transport cost has always been a fixed burden for regular commuters. The situation worsened after the government confirmed the inevitable rise in public transport cost this coming April. To ease the financial stress, an app has been introduced for commuters to save their fare fee to a maximum of 30
In January, the 3D virtual girl group MAVE:, developed by Netmarble F&C’s subsidiary Metaverse Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment gained attention from K-pop fans. MAVE:’s debut music video reached 10 million views on YouTube within two weeks of its release, proving its potential as a virtual K-p
People around the world are trying Korean gejang, or raw marinated crab, at home, and it has everything to do with recent social media trends. At-home recipe videos of traditional Korean foods like gejang and kalguksu have recently been taking the internet by storm. While Korean barbecue has made it