Buhay Korea

11/09/2025

KOREAN MAN MARRIED TO A FILIPINO SAVES LIVES

On July 6, Mr. Lee Yong-ho (male, 48), head of a sewage pipe inspection company, collapsed in a manhole in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon while trying to rescue an employee who fell ill due to toxic gas poisoning. He was rescued a day later and never regained consciousness.

According to the Korea Organ Donation Agency on September 11, Mr. Lee donated his liver and both his kidneys to three people at Inha University on July 14.

Mr. Lee was visually impaired. After learning water and sewage inspection, he opened a business and diligently ran it. He married a Filipino woman through an acquaintance and has five children. The youngest is four months old.

The bereaved family recalled that Mr. Lee was always a warm and caring father to his family, and that he was always willing to help those around him who were sick. Even in his final moments, he continued to do good deeds for others.

His family hopes that his five children would remember him as someone they could be proud of.

Lee's wife, Lee Shin-a, said her final goodbye to her husband, saying, "Don't worry, I will do my best for my parents and children."



Source: Munhwa Ilbo

11/09/2025

FILIPINO MAN'S SENTENCE FOR DRUG SMUGGLING TO KOREA REDUCED

A Filipino national who was sentenced to a heavy sentence in the first trial for smuggling a large amount of methamphetamine hidden in coffee mix had his sentence reduced in the appeal trial.

On September 10, the Jeju Criminal Division 1 held an appeal trial for Filipino national A (20s), who was indicted and arrested on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes (drug use), and overturned the original (first trial) verdict, sentencing him to 8 years in prison instead of 10.

Mr. A was brought to trial on charges of smuggling approximately 2.9 kg of methamphetamine into the country by disguising it as a stick-type coffee mix while entering the country from Cambodia on a flight to Jeju on February 24.

09/09/2025

PRESIDENT LEE JAE MYUNG SUSPENDS 700 BILLION WON LOAN PROJECT TO THE PHILIPPINES

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung orders the suspension of a 700 billion won loan project to the Philippines, citing concerns of corruption and insolvency.

Excerpt from the Hankyoreh report:

The Philippine Department of Finance submitted an application to the Korean government in November 2023 requesting an Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) loan. This $510 million (approximately KRW 710 billion) construction project will build 350 modular bridges across the Philippines, and the Philippine government has requested a loan of $439 million (approximately KRW 611.7 billion) from the Korean government.

The project aims to improve access to agricultural roads for farmers and their agricultural products by constructing steel modular bridges in 350 rural areas in the Philippines. The plan is to build 210 bridges in Luzon, 88 in the Visayas, and 53 in Mindanao by 2028.

A month after applying for the loan, in December 2023, the Philippine government officials met with Korean officials and expressed its desire for Korean companies to participate in the project. It is also known that the Philippine conglomerate LCS Group will participate in the project. LCS Group is controlled by Luis Chavit Singson, a political and business magnate who served as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives and nine-term governor. He accompanied the Philippine government to Korea during its visit.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance has decided not to support the project due to potential corruption and mismanagement and officially notified the Philippines in April 2024.

Due to pressure from Representative Kwon Seong D**g and then-Minister Choi Sang Mok, the project was to be resumed.

Finally, South Korean president Lee Jae Myung announced the suspension of the project. He said "the fortunate thing is that the project had not yet begun, meaning no funds from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund have been spent”.

09/09/2025

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING

A teenage boy was arrested by police for following a girl up an elevator in an apartment building in Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi Province, and then dragging her away.

The Gwangmyeong Police Department arrested and are investigating high school student A on charges of attempted kidnapping of a minor.

A is accused of following elementary school student B out of an elevator at an apartment building in Gwangmyeong City around 4:20 PM the previous day, covering her mouth, and attempting to drag her away. He fled when B cried loudly and resisted.

B later reported the incident to her parents, who, after reviewing the elevator CCTV footage, reported the incident to the police around 6:55 PM that same day. Police, dispatched to the scene, confirmed A's identity and arrested him at his home around 9:45 PM.

Police will question A about his motive and collect a statement from B through the Sunflower Center.

From Munhwa Ilbo

08/09/2025

CHIPOTLE IN KOREA? YESSSSSS!!!

Chipotle Mexican Grill, a popular Mexican franchise in the United States, will open its first Korean store in the first half of next year, becoming Chipotle's first store in Asia.

08/09/2025

BEFORE AND AFTER THE RAIN PHOTOS OF JEONJU

On September 6 and 7, it rained so hard in the southern area of South Korea. As much as 152.2 mm of rain per hour was recorded.

07/09/2025

HEAVY RAIN on September 7 caused floods in the southern provinces

07/09/2025

Aheheh... (from Reddit)

07/09/2025

FOREIGN HOUSEKEEPER PROGRAM - OFFICIALLY DISCONTINUED BY THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

The "Foreign Housekeeper Pilot Program" is officially discontinued by the Ministry of Justice.

“Considering criticism from women’s groups, labor groups, and the media due to the non-application of the minimum wage, low participation of foreigners, and the operational status of local governments, we have decided to discontinue the current domestic worker system.”

Photo: Jasmine Erika speaks at the Foreign Housekeepers Meeting

07/09/2025

75th Anniversary of the Philippines' participation in the Korean War

About 300 people including 200 Korean War veterans and their families attended a ceremony commemorating the Philippines participation in the Korean War.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang Hwa were in attendance.

The Philippines was the first Asian country to organize a combat unit during the Korean War, sending 7,420 brave Filipino soldiers. They departed Manila on September 15, 1950, and arrived in Busan on September 19.

They achieved success in several battles, including repelling the Chinese army's spring offensive in the Battle of Yuldong, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do in April 1951, preventing the collapse of the entire UN defense line.

Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa said in his commemorative speech, "The Korean government and people always cherish their gratitude toward the Philippines, which fought alongside them in the Korean War."

07/09/2025

KOREAN CON AIR - 49 FUGITIVES REPATRIATED TO SOUTH KOREA

On September 3, 2025 at around 5:48pm, 49 Korean criminal suspects (43 male, 6 female) arrested in the Philippines arrived in South Korea via a chartered flight.

This repatriation represents the largest number since 47 suspects were repatriated from the Philippines in 2017.

Among those repatriated were a man in his 60s who embezzled approximately 20 billion won while running a business and had been on the run for 16 years, and 10 members of a criminal organization that had operated an illegal online gambling site worth approximately 5.3 trillion won since 2018. There were 45 people for whom Interpol issued red notices.

The Korean government paid approximately 100 million won for the chartered flight that was also staffed by 20 support police officers and 12 Philippine Immigration Bureau officers, equipped with tasers and ropes. All flight attendants were male, and medical staff from the National Police Hospital were also on board. For safety reasons, sandwiches were served without forks or knives. The flight was reportedly tense and quiet throughout.

*Reading the comments from Korean netizens, they wondered why the government had to bring them back to the country calling them trash and sewage water😅



Photos from various news portal sites in Korea.

07/09/2025

DAE DOSAGWAN (THE GREAT LIBRARY)

Na D**g-hyun (47), who operated the YouTube channel "Great Library" and boasted 1.44 million subscribers, was found dead on the 6th.

According to the Gwangjin Police Station in Seoul, firefighters were dispatched to Na's Gwangjin-gu home around 8:40 AM that day after receiving a report from an acquaintance that he had not shown up for appointments and could not be contacted, and found him dead. No su***de note or any signs of foul play were found at the scene. Police presumes he died from a chronic illness and an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

Na, who began broadcasting on Sayclub in 2002, is considered a first-generation internet broadcaster. He first gained recognition in 2011 when he joined AfreecaTV. He has been creating content centered around popular games such as Starcraft, Warcraft, and League of Legends (LoL).

He married Yum Daeng in 2015, and welcomed her son from her previous relationship. However, they divorced in 2023, eight years after their marriage. At the time, the "Great Library" explained, "We're not breaking up for bad reasons. As we lived together, we both wanted to focus more on our work, and while living as a family could have been better as friends, we clashed on some issues, which is why we divorced."

His funeral is set up at Konkuk University Hospital.