Only one of the 10 surveyed predicted verdict reinstating Yoon Reporters who covered all 11 hearings of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment trial overwhelmingly predict a unanimous decision to remove the suspended president, the country's journalist association reported Wednesday. According to the Journalists Association of Korea’s survey of 10 reporters who covered the Constitutional Court throughout Yoon’s trial, nine expect the ruling to uphold his impeachment, removing him from the top off

An American YouTuber known as Johnny Somali, who is currently on trial for offensive behavior, could be deported and banned from reentering South Korea if convicted, a local lawyer said. The 24-year-old whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael faces three charges, which include obstruction of business and violations of the Minor Offenses Act. He is not physically detained, although he is banned from leaving the country. Kim Ju-hyeong, a senior attorney at the law firm Majung, who specializes in i

The new owner of a high-end apartment unit in Seoul’s Banpo district, which was sold for a record 7.4 billion won ($5.09 million) late last year, has been identified as a 41-year-old Uzbek national, data showed Monday. A real estate register, seen by Herald Business, a sister paper of The Korea Herald, revealed that the owner acquired the 244-square-meter unit on the 26th floor of Banpo Xi, a landmark apartment complex in Seocho-gu's Banpo-dong, in November last year. That is 300 million won mor

The YouTuber who calls himself Johnny Somali, who faced public backlash last year in South Korea for his videos showing him kissing a "comfort woman" statue ― representing victims of wartime sexual slavery ― and doing other controversial actions, admitted to all three charges against him during the first hearing in his trial last week, according to local reports Monday. According to Yonhap, the 24-year-old American streamer, whose real name is Ramsay Khalid Ismael, arrived an hour late for the h

About 1 in 6 South Korean students are obese and nearly half of those have at least one risk factor for a metabolic disorder, a study showed Sunday. According to the Health Insurance Research Institute under the National Health Insurance Service, the obesity rate among elementary, middle and high school students was 16.7 percent, while the figure for preschool children aged 1-6 years old stood at 8.3 percent, as of 2023. Overweight children and students made up 17.7 percent and 27.3 percent, res

After sightings of a person suspected to be Chris Hemsworth in the streets of Seoul over the past few days, the Hollywood actor confirmed he was in the city for a shoot. Hemsworth, known for his role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, revealed his recent trip to Seoul through an Instagram post Thursday, writing, “A little behind the scenes from our recent Limitless 2 shoot! South Korea exceeded expectations.” The post includes a series of photos, including some featuring Hemsworth wearing

Income significantly affects happiness, national pride high before martial law crisis More South Koreans expressed feelings of anxiety and depression in 2024, with their happiness levels varying across income groups, a survey showed Thursday. According to a survey conducted by the Korea Institute of Public Administration on 8,251 Korean nationals aged 19 and over, between August and September last year, the average anxiety level of respondents stood at 4.1 points out of 10 in 2024, up from 3.4 p

After sunset, an empty road near Everland theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, became a training ground for drivers practicing dangerous tricks. The noise and commotion from their gatherings, which persisted throughout 2024, led to over 40 complaints filed with authorities. On Wednesday, the police in Yongin announced they were sending 10 suspects — all in their 20s — to the prosecution after months of investigation. They were not physically detained. The drivers are accused of practicing da

In Netflix's latest hit medical drama series "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call," an air ambulance often turns into a high-stakes operating room. Trauma surgeons making bold incisions mid-flight in a race against time keep viewers on the edge of their seats. However, there's an important element missing: The presence of trauma nurses. According to Kim Dong-ju, a 33-year-old nurse at a trauma center at the Catholic University of Korea Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, it is generally a team of two — a

Participants at the anti-President Yoon Suk Yeol rallies near the National Assembly in Yeouido on Saturday were provided with coffee, snacks and meals paid for by supporters. Some restaurants and cafes near the protest sites were flooded with preorders from citizens who paid in advance for food and drinks for unknown protesters. Pictures showing proof of prepayments made at restaurants, cafes and bakeries near the parliament building, as well as Gwanghwamun Square, where tens of thousands

A researcher at the V-Dem Institute, an independent research organization that monitors trends in democracy, has slammed President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declaration of martial law and warned it could strain ties with the US. Fabio Angiolillo, a researcher at the institute, based at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, told The Korea Herald Saturday that Yoon's declaration was “an outright attempt to curb liberal, electoral, and participatory principles of democracy.&rdquo

More than 70 percent of South Koreans want President Yook Suk Yeol removed from office over the martial law fiasco, a survey showed Thursday. According to the poll conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by a local news outlet, 73.6 percent of 504 Koreans aged 18 and older nationwide supported the president's impeachment, while 24 percent opposed the idea, and 2.4 percent said they were unsure. Yoon, in a move that plunged the nation into turmoil, declared emergency martial law late Tuesday

As political turmoil unraveled from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, following President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, local teachers prepared for their students' questions at school. "My knowledge of martial law is limited, from some books and films. I felt I didn’t know it well enough to teach students about it. I did some quick research on the internet before going to work,” said Kang, 31, an elementary school teacher in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province

Who planted the ill-advised idea of martial law in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s mind? As of noon Wednesday, roughly 8 hours after military rule was officially dropped following a parliamentary motion to revoke it, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun appears to have been the key figure. The Defense Ministry confirmed Wednesday that Kim, who assumed his role in September this year, had proposed the declaration of emergency martial law to the president through the prime minister. By law, either the

A man has been arrested and referred to the prosecution on charges of killing a stranger and using the victim’s fingerprints to obtain a loan via smartphone, Korean police revealed Tuesday. The victim in his 30s was killed on Nov. 12 at his studio flat, in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. According to authorities, the suspect, also in his 30s, had no prior connection to the victim. The suspect confessed to the police that he had been wandering around the multipurpose building where the