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Why S. Korean mothers are opting for C-sections at record rates
When 33-year-old Lee, who is due to give birth in four weeks, made her birth plan, she had no medical complications, no known risks and no family history of difficult pregnancies. But she had already decided: her first child would be delivered by cesarean section. “Soon-to-be mothers around me choose C-section as natural birth comes with a lot of pain,” she said. “People say it’s a matter of choice. If you go with natural birth, you recover faster. But with C-section, it’s less painful at the mo
May 3, 2025 -
When YouTube replaces TV, news and politics: what South Korea learned the hard way in 20 years
When YouTube launched its Korean-language service on Jan. 23, 2008, it entered a nation ready to embrace it — and be transformed. Seventeen years later, South Korea has become one of the most YouTube-centric societies in the world, using the platform not just for entertainment, but to wage political battles, reshape pop culture, and redefine the public square. Now, as YouTube marks its 20th anniversary globally, the scale of its influence in South Korea is almost unmatched. According to a 2024 g
May 3, 2025 -
Why do so many Korean Gen Z still live with their parents?
Despite social pressure to leave home and “grow up,” a vast majority of Koreans in their 20s still live with their parents. A 2022 survey found that 81 percent of South Koreans in their 20s lived with their parents — the highest rate among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In Korea, these young adults, many of whom remain financially dependent on parents as well, are often labeled the “kangaroo tribe,” likened to baby kangaroos living in their mothers’
May 3, 2025 -
Ex-PM Han blocked from entering Gwangju cemetery amid protests
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited a national cemetery honoring victims of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising Friday as the first stop of his election campaign for the June election but was met with protests. Han traveled to the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, 357 kilometers south of Seoul, hours after formally announcing his bid for the June 3 election. Upon arrival, he was confronted by demonstrators expressing opposition to his presence. On Thursday, Han resigned from his roles as a
May 2, 2025 -
DP pushes bill halting criminal trials for president-elect
The Democratic Party proposed a bill Friday that suspends an ongoing criminal trial for a president-elect, a day after the Supreme Court overturned a not-guilty verdict of DP presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung over election law violation. The move came after the top court struck down a lower court's acquittal of Lee on charges of election law violation, sending the case back to the appeals court and raising questions over Lee's candidacy in the June 3 presidential election. The DP unilaterally
May 2, 2025 -
Appeals court to hold 1st hearing of DP presidential candidate's retrial on May 15
An appellate court will hold the first hearing of a retrial in an election law violation case involving Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung on May 15, just weeks before the June election. The Seoul High Court set the date just one day after the Supreme Court struck down the lower court's acquittal of Lee on charges of election law violation in March and remanded the case for a retrial. The Supreme Court ruled that Lee should be retried on allegations of making false statements
May 2, 2025 -
Seoul reels from unprecedented leadership vacuum with top 3 posts empty
With just one month left before South Korea’s early presidential election amid critical US tariff talks that have been racing forward, Seoul has been rocked by an unprecedented leadership vacuum: the president, prime minister and top economic chief are all absent due to impeachment or resignation. Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, fourth in the Cabinet hierarchy, assumed the role of acting president on Friday, marking the fourth leadership change in six m
May 2, 2025 -
As China, Russia escalate cognitive warfare, experts say Seoul needs counterstrategy
As China and Russia ramp up sophisticated cognitive warfare targeting the Korean Peninsula, experts at a Seoul forum urged the South Korean government to craft a counterstrategy grounded in objective, professional assessments of both countries’ capabilities. The Korean Association of Area Studies co-hosted the seminar themed, “Security Threats of Cognitive Warfare and Trump’s Second-term Strategy on China,” on Friday with the Institute for National Security Strategy and the Sejong Institute at t
May 2, 2025 -
South Korea sees extreme temperature fluctuations in April
Temperatures fluctuated drastically within short periods during April in South Korea, with unusually cold and hot temperatures being observed in the middle of the month, according to a monthly meteorological report issued by the Korea Meteorological Administration, Friday. According to the KMA, the average nationwide temperature for April reached up to 13.1 degrees Celsius in Korea, an increase of 1 C compared to the average previous temperatures. However, as cold and warm spells occurred one af
May 2, 2025 -
Will Cabinet work with just 14 members?
After the resignation of Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok late Thursday, the number of incumbent Cabinet members dropped to 14, raising concerns of the Cabinet being paralyzed. Earlier in the day on Thursday, acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo had already announced his resignation to launch his own presidential bid. His immediate successor, Choi, stepped down hours later as he faced possible impeachment by the National Assembly, ultimately handing the burden
May 2, 2025 -
What were Lee Jae-myung's 'lies'?
South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Rep. Lee Jae-myung, the former chair of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea and front-runner for the presidency, made two knowingly false statements during the 2022 election campaign — which the court said must be judged by a higher standard given his candidacy. The court concluded that Lee’s denial of personal ties with the late Kim Moon-ki, a key figure in the Seongnam land development scandal, amounted to the offense of “publicly announcing
May 2, 2025 -
Who in conservative bloc will embrace Han Duck-soo candidacy?
The entry of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in South Korea’s June 3 presidential race is emerging as a pivotal development for the conservative bloc, potentially redrawing the People Power Party’s strategy in its bid to defeat liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung. Han, who declared his candidacy Friday, is widely viewed as a credible conservative figure and a potential unifying alternative. But his late entrance has complicated the ongoing primary for the biggest conservative party, which has
May 2, 2025 -
Stripped of immunity, Yoon Suk Yeol now faces 7 criminal offenses
All of South Korea’s law enforcement agencies are now investigating former President Yoon Suk Yeol, with seven criminal cases underway following the loss of his presidential immunity after his April 4 ouster. While controversies surrounding Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, drew attention during his presidency, investigations had stalled due to Article 84 of the Constitution, which shields sitting presidents from prosecution except for insurrection or treason. Yoon also vetoed multiple bills call
May 2, 2025 -
New acting president vows fair election, firm security from Day 1
Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, the deputy prime minister who is now acting prime minister and acting president, on Friday pledged to ensure a fair presidential election and maintain firm national security, as South Korea grapples with yet another transfer of leadership just a month before a snap presidential vote. Lee presided over the extraordinary Cabinet meeting on his first day as acting president at the government complex in Seoul, taking the helm of South Korea’s unprecedented interim gover
May 2, 2025 -
Daegu fire calls for stronger urban fire prevention
Fire prevention experts are urging the government to establish specific measures for blazes near densely populated areas, following a recent wildfire in Daegu that took four days to fully extinguish. At around 2 p.m. on Monday, a large-scale fire broke out at Hamjisan, a mountain near central Daegu. Due to dry weather conditions and strong winds, the fire grew to burn up to 260 hectares in about 23 hours, until the main blaze was declared to have been extinguished Tuesday. However, as some remai
May 2, 2025