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The time is now to put an end to the controversy around eating dog meat, party members have said, adding there was broad support from the opposition party, which currently controls parliament, and from the public. A Gallup Korea poll last year showed almost two-thirds of respondents opposed eating dog meat, with only 8% saying they had eaten dog within the past year, down from 27% in 2015. The farmers scuffled with police who outnumbered them and set up barricades to stop them from crossing the street to move closer to the presidential office. While the practice of eating dog meat has declined in popularity, the farmers and restaurant owners who serve the meat have been fighting to keep it legal. The farmers have accused First Lady Kim, a vocal critic of dog meat consumption, of exercising what they call improper pressure on the government and the ruling party to bring in the ban.

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Kim Keon Hee, Ju, Lady Kim, Jimin Jung, Dogyun Kim, Hongji Kim, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Jamie Freed Organizations: Korean Association, Edible, Presidential, Gallup, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, SEOUL, Gallup Korea

[1/5] G-dragon of K-pop group BIGBANG arrives at a police station to appear for questioning regarding his alleged illegal drug use in Incheon, South Korea, November 6, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji Acquire Licensing RightsINCHEON, South Korea, Nov 6 (Reuters) - The former frontman for the K-pop band BIGBANG, known as G-Dragon, appeared for police questioning on Monday over allegations of illegal drug use, the latest in a string of South Korean artists embroiled in high-profile narcotics cases. Kwon, 35, stood briefly for the media before entering a police station in Incheon where the star of the Oscar-winning film "Parasite", Lee Sun-kyun, was also questioned over the weekend on a separate allegation of illegal drug use. South Korea has tough drug laws, and crimes are typically punishable by at least six months in prison or up to 14 years for repeat offenders and dealers. Social media and foreign travel have made illegal drugs much more accessible, drug rehab advocates say.

Persons: BIGBANG, Kim Hong, Kwon Ji, Yoon Suk Yeol, Kwon, Oscar, Lee Sun, Lee, Choi Seung, Lee Seung, Dogyun Kim, Jimin Jung, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, YG Entertainment, Social, Thomson Locations: Incheon, South Korea, Rights INCHEON, Korean, Korea, T.O.P

This year, officials in the South Korean capital said they would work with police, emergency services and local officials to ensure "not a single person gets hurt" during Halloween celebrations. The plan unveiled this week covers just Seoul, rather than the entire nation, he added. The Seoul anniversary has unnerved authorities elsewhere in the run-up to this year’s celebrations. "Officials have grown fearful of a disastrous crowd crush similar to the one in the Itaewon district in Seoul, South Korea," Shibuya city officials said in a statement. The safety campaign has involved a ban on street drinking over the Halloween weekend, while videos posted on social media urge: "On Halloween night, everyone should stay away from Shibuya."

Persons: Ahn, Paek Seung, Dogyun Kim, Jihyun Jeon, Jack Kim, John Geddie, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Seoul City Hall, Cyber University of Korea, Thomson Locations: Gangnam district, Seoul City, Seoul, South Korea, SEOUL, Tokyo, Itaewon, Shibuya

[1/5] South Korean people chant slogans during a protest against Japan’s discharge of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, in Seoul, South Korea, August 26, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Protesters gathered in the capital of South Korea on Saturday to demand that the government take steps to avoid what they fear is a looming disaster from Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The utility responsible for the plant, Tokyo Electric Power (9501.T) has been filtering the water to remove isotopes, leaving only tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is hard to separate. South Korea has said it sees no scientific problems with the water release but environmental activists argue that all possible impacts have not been studied. The first discharge of 7,800 cubic metres - equivalent to about three Olympic pools - will take place over about 17 days.

Persons: Kim Hong, Choi Kyoungsook, Choi, Gyun Kim, Jimin Jung, Heekyong Yang, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Korea Radiation Watch, Tokyo Electric Power, Kyodo, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Japan, Tokyo, Korea

☆ South Korean activists protest against Fukushima water discharge
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] South Korean activists take part in a protest against Japan's plan to release treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, in central Seoul, South Korea, August 12, 2023. The signs read "Nuclear power plant is the problem". REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiCompanies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc FollowSEOUL, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Hundreds of South Korean activists gathered in central Seoul on Saturday to protest against Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a trilateral summit on Aug. 18. The governments of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan should view it an environmental disaster, rather than a political issue, and agree to block it... for future generations," Choi said.

Persons: Kim Hong, Choi Kyoungsook, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk, Choi, Gyun Kim, Joyce Lee, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: South, Ji Companies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Korean, Asahi Shimbun, Korea Radiation Watch, Tokyo Electric Power, International Atomic Energy Agency, Japanese, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, Japan, U.S

[1/3] Foreign tourists participating in DMZ tour walk past a military fence near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiPAJU, South Korea, July 19 (Reuters) - Only hours after U.S. Most infamously, axe-wielding North Korean soldiers in the DMZ in 1976 murdered two U.S. soldiers who were cutting down a tree to secure a clear view. In 2017, a North Korean soldier was riddled with bullets by his comrades, but ultimately survived as he made a dash into the South. He must have done it not knowing exactly what North Korea is like," Lee told Reuters at the observation point.

Persons: Kim Hong, Ji PAJU, Travis T, King, Felicia, Lee Sang, Lee, Soo, hyang Choi, Gyun Kim, Hongji Kim, Ed Davies, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Joint Security Area, South Korean, United Nations Command, UNC, ITC, North, American, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paju, South Korea, North Korea, Korea, U.S, North Korean, Seoul, Minwoo

☆ Rescuers retrieve six bodies from flooded South Korea underpass
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/9] Rescue workers are seen near a recovered electric bus during a search and rescue operation near an underpass that has been submerged by a flooded river caused by torrential rain in Cheongju, South Korea, July 16, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-jiCHEONGJU, South Korea, July 16 (Reuters) - The bodies of six people trapped in a tunnel submerged by heavy rains in central South Korea were retrieved on Sunday, firefighting authorities said, taking the death toll from days of torrential rains that have pounded the country to 33. Seo Jeong-il, head of the west Cheongju fire station, said some 15 vehicles, including a bus, are estimated to have been submerged in the flooded underpass in the city. The ministry data does not include those in the flooded tunnel as it was not immediately clear how many people were trapped underwater. Reporting by Do Gyun Kim, Daewoung Kim and Hongji Kim in Cheongju, Soo-hyang Choi in Seoul; Editing by Diane Craft and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kim Hong, Seo Jeong, Seo, Yoon Suk Yeol, Han Duck, Gyun Kim, Daewoung Kim, Hongji Kim, Cheongju, hyang Choi, Diane Craft, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, of Interior, Safety, Korea Railroad Corp, Thomson Locations: Cheongju, South Korea, Seoul

SEOUL/CHEONGJU, South Korea, July 16 (Reuters) - The bodies of eight people trapped in a tunnel flooded by heavy rain in central South Korea were retrieved on Sunday, authorities said, with the death toll from days of torrential downpours that have pounded the country rising to 37. Kong Seong-pyo, a 60-year-old Cheongju resident who frequently uses the underpass, said the government should have restricted access to the tunnel when flooding was expected. The Ministry of Interior and Safety said nine people were missing across the country as of 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) as heavy downpours caused landslides and floods, with evacuation orders covering 8,852 people. [1/9]Rescue workers are seen near a recovered electric bus during a search and rescue operation near an underpass that has been submerged by a flooded river caused by torrential rain in Cheongju, South Korea, July 16, 2023. While South Korea often experiences heavy rains in summer, it has witnessed a sharp increase in torrential rains in recent years.

Persons: Seo Jeong, Seo, Kong, Kim Hong, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Han Duck, Gyun Kim, Daewoung Kim, Hongji Kim, Cheongju, hyang Choi, Diane Craft, Michael Perry, Jamie Freed, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: MBC, Reuters, The, of Interior, Safety, REUTERS, Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea Railroad Corp, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, CHEONGJU, South Korea, Cheongju, Seoul, Gangnam, Chungcheong

[1/5] Choi Jin-mook, 48, Chief Director of Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Centre (DARC) and visiting professor of Department of Addiction Rehabilitation and Social Welfare at Eulji University, listens to a recovering drug addict during a group counselling for drug addicts in Incheon, South Korea, April 1, 2023. South Korea has only six drug rehabilitation centres, according to Choi, including just two run by the food and drug safety ministry. In comparison, Japan - with 126 million people to South Korea's 52 million - has about 90 rehab centres. PRISON NOT REHABOne of the biggest problems is that South Korea's corrections system focuses mostly on punitive detention and lacks rehabilitation support, Choi said. Some drug crimes are also punishable by death although South Korea has not carried out any executions since 1997.

☆ South Korean romance reality shows boom, but marriage no longer the end game
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Jihoon Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Choi Seo-eun, a participant in Single's Inferno 2 takes a selfie with her fans during a fan meeting event in Seoul, South Korea, February 11, 2023. While official statistics on their numbers are not kept, unmarried couples living together no longer raise eyebrows in South Korea. And while romance reality shows may be all the rage, a substantial number of Koreans also appear prepared to eschew relationships altogether. Even on dating shows like Netflix's (NFLX.O) hit "Single's Inferno" which transports young people to a deserted island, most of the shows' content revolves around long conversations between participants. The conversations in and around dating and relationship shows are good for South Korea, says Lim Myung-ho, a professor of psychology at Dankook University.

Hours later, 30-year-old Jung Joo-hee was among 156 people, most of them in their teens and twenties, killed in the South Korean capital while celebrating Halloween free of COVID restrictions for the first time in three years. Mum and dad will come see you," Jung Hae-moon said as the family stood by, together with his daughter's pet poodle. It was impossible, I couldn't believe it," Lim's father said at a funeral home as he and his family observed funeral rites. "She was so creative and pretty," the man said, adding that he had often strolled with his daughter through Itaewon. They wonder why their children were celebrating Halloween in the first place, a totally foreign concept for older Koreans.

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