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Subway car breaks down at Boramae Station; operation resumed after 2 p.m.
Seoul Subway Line No. 7 became fully operational after 2 p.m. on Sunday, after a train breaking down at Boramae Station caused delays. Seoul Metro, the main operator for Line No. 7, said in a statement that operations had resumed for all sections. A north-bound train malfunctioned at Boramae Station in Donjak-gu, Seoul, at around 12:23 p.m. This caused temporary delays for all northbound trains, but southbound trains remained operational. Officials believe the train may have malfunctioned due to
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Middle-class hit hardest in 2024 after COVID-19: data
Nearly 4 in 10 South Koreans in the middle income bracket saw their income decrease in 2024 compared to 2023, government data showed Sunday, the highest rate since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The income level for 38.9 percent of those in the third income quintile decreased between 2023 and 2024, according to the data by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. About 12.8 percent saw their income drop by at least 50 percent. The proportion of people in the middle income bracket with decreased inco
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Finding peace, one click at a time: AI-made virtual sanctuaries draw young Koreans
At this temple, there is no need to kneel, stand or bow. Visitors can perform 108 bows, turn prayer beads and offer prayers, all from their beds. The temple, called Sansa, exists entirely online. It was created by a 26-year-old job seeker surnamed Park, using vibe coding, an artificial intelligence-assisted programming method that allows users to build software through natural-language instructions, according to news reports Sunday. Visitors entering the website are greeted by a Buddhist temple
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Snowfall greets November
Rain fell across much of South Korea on Sunday, the first day of November, while snow was reported in the mountainous areas of Gangwon Province amid chilly temperatures nationwide. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, rain began falling across central regions early in the morning, while rain or snow was reported in mountainous areas of Gangwon Province at elevations of 1,200 meters or higher, including around Balwangsan in Pyeongchang, which rises to 1,459 meters above sea level
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Inmate gets added term for false accusation out of spite
An inmate convicted of sex crimes has been sentenced to an additional year in prison for a false accusation, apparently in retaliation for submitting evidence against him, as well as for threatening fellow inmates. The Chuncheon District Court sentenced the 25-year-old inmate, charged with false accusation and aggravated intimidation, to an additional year in prison, according to legal sources Sunday. The inmate was accused of conspiring with another inmate, also 25, to file a false complaint wi
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Costumes, drug scare and tributes to victims mark Halloween weekend in Seoul
Nearly 160,000 people gathered in the Seoul party districts of Itaewon and Hongdae over Halloween weekend, with no major safety incidents reported as of Sunday morning. Halloween falling on a weekend this year prompted safety authorities to heighten their alert, as larger crowds were expected to gather than in previous years. The occasion came four years after a crowd crush in Itaewon on Oct. 29, 2022, which killed 159 people. According to Seoul Real-time City Data, an estimated 120,000-125,000
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Package thief condemned for 'breaking unspoken rule' in Korea
A man who stole an unguarded package at an apartment complex has been slapped with a 1 million won ($750) fine, as the court reprimanded the defendant for violating an unspoken societal rule in Korea to not take other people's delivered objects. The Gwangju District Court on Oct. 15 convicted the defendant for stealing a package carrying about 100,000 won of items. The package was placed at a designated spot for the residents of the apartment in Gwangju. The punishment was higher than the 700,00
Nov. 1, 2026 -
FBI says N. Korea responsible for over $6b crypto theft from Binance
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation said Saturday that North Korea was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, earlier this week. "The FBI is releasing information advising the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange Binance, on or about October 29, 2026," the agency said in a cyber alert, referring to North K
Nov. 1, 2026 -
Fall in full bloom with silver grass
A group of hikers walks through fields of silver grass in full bloom near the summit of Mount Mindungsan in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, on Saturday, enjoying the picturesque scenery of late autumn. Tourist destinations across South Korea drew visitors seeking to enjoy the fall foliage and crisp weather, as temperatures dipped from the previous day. On Saturday, Seoul reached around 15 degrees Celsius, while southern cities remained relatively mild at around 20 degrees. Colder weather is forecas
Oct. 31, 2026 -
Lee calls for review of multicultural family benefits over reverse discrimination concerns
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Saturday that the country should continue supporting multicultural families but must correct policies that are unreasonable or result in reverse discrimination. “Support for multicultural families is necessary, but that does not justify specific policies that are unreasonable or lead to reverse discrimination,” Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Just because a general principle is right does not mean every specific policy based on it is also right,” he a
Oct. 31, 2026 -
No drug-related violations found in special crackdown on eve of Halloween
Police said Saturday they have found no drug-related violations during a joint crackdown the previous night on nightlife districts in Seoul on the eve of Halloween. Police carried out inspections at eight clubs in nightlife districts in Gangnam, Seocho and Yongsan on Friday night as part of a special drug crackdown that has been under way since August in cooperation with fire and municipality authorities. "Ahead of Halloween, we conducted crackdowns focusing on clubs, entertainment venues, and a
Oct. 31, 2026 -
Where’s the restroom? In Busan, social media has the answer
Foreign tourists in Busan are turning to social media to find restrooms, swapping locations and access codes for toilets in shops and cafes. A search for “Busan restroom passwords” on Xiaohongshu — China's leading lifestyle and social commerce platform — returned dozens of posts as of Wednesday. In some posts, users share restroom locations and entry codes, while others checked whether the information was still accurate. The posts highlight a basic inconvenience for visitors at a time when the s
Oct. 31, 2026 -
When dementia makes aging dangerous
How a society dies can reveal how it lives. From childbirth to suicide and cancer, this series examines what mortality trends tell us about South Korea today. This is the third installment of Behind the Numbers, exploring dementia’s shadow over the final days of life. — Ed. Hardly a day passes without a missing person alert popping up on South Koreans' phones. The police-run system sends emergency-style alerts with details about missing individuals, including their age, gender, last known locat
Oct. 31, 2026 -
Curious about your future? This exhibition offers a buffet of fortune readings
From traditional Korean saju and face reading to tarot cards and even pet fortune-telling, an exhibition in Seoul is offering visitors a chance to explore a wide range of ways to glimpse their future. The second edition of Fortune Adventure opened Thursday at the aT Center in Yangjae, southern Seoul, bringing together more than 200 consultation booths covering at least 13 types of fortune-telling. The four-day event runs through Sunday. For 12,000 won ($8.40), visitors can book a 10-minute readi
Oct. 30, 2026 -
Lee says ‘fairness’ must guide support for multicultural families
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday stressed that fairness must guide policies supporting multicultural families, calling for a review of preferential benefits while emphasizing the need to strengthen support that addresses their specific disadvantages. It is the third consecutive day Lee has publicly raised concerns about preferential treatment for multicultural families, drawing criticism from political opponents who warn that questioning such benefits could fuel discrimination. "Fairness is a c
Oct. 30, 2026