SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — A string of attempted child abductions in recent weeks has triggered a surge in demand for self-defense products among South Korean parents, with online marketplaces reporting sharp increases in sales. According to e-commerce platform 11st, purchases of key personal safety items between September 2 and 11 jumped 2.5 times compared [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — Naver’s livestreaming platform Chzzk has permanently suspended the channel of a 12-year-old elementary school “Vtuber,” citing a violation of its rule barring anyone under 14 from joining. The decision has reignited debate over child safety and regulation in the fast-growing world of virtual broadcasting. The girl, born in 2013, [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The sun had just dipped behind the skyline of Gwanghwamun when demonstrators began to gather, clutching banners, candles, and hastily printed placards. By nightfall, the streets outside the U.S. Embassy had become a stage for simmering outrage. Hundreds marched through central Seoul on Saturday evening, their chants ricocheting off the [...]
BUSAN, Sept. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — On a spring evening in 1964, an 18-year-old farm girl fought back against a man who tried to assault her in a desolate field near her home. She was small, he was strong, and escape seemed impossible. Desperate, she did the only thing she could: when he forced a [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Monday it will expand its distribution of emergency beacons designed to protect small business owners who often work alone and face heightened risks of harassment or intrusion. The device, known as the “Safe Beacon,” activates flashing lights and a siren outside a shop when [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Illegal private lending and debt collection crimes in South Korea have more than doubled in the past three years, with authorities warning that exploitative lenders are increasingly preying on financially vulnerable groups such as young job seekers. According to data released Thursday by Rep. Han Byung-do, violations of lending [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s flagship carmakers and shipbuilders are facing waves of strikes as labor negotiations falter, highlighting rising tensions over wages, retirement policies and corporate restructuring at a time of global economic uncertainty. At Hyundai Motor, the company’s union staged its first walkout in seven years, launching a series of partial [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly three years after the deadly crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district, the toll on firefighters who rushed to the scene continues to reverberate. A growing number of first responders have died by suicide, prompting urgent calls for stronger measures to address post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among emergency personnel. [...]
GANGNEUNG, South Korea, Aug. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — For residents of Gangneung, disaster is a familiar rhythm of life. Over the past quarter century, the coastal city on South Korea’s east coast has endured some of the nation’s worst natural calamities: typhoons, catastrophic wildfires, record-breaking snowfalls. Now, it faces what officials call the worst drought in [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s police are intensifying efforts to combat a surge in voice phishing scams, which authorities now describe as a “social disaster” threatening every generation. The National Police Agency on Thursday unveiled five public service videos on YouTube — including one in which a senior police official receives a [...]