Category: Wacky Stuff

I didn’t even realize this website was still active for people to report every Sea of Japan labeling they see in foreign media:

This week, a decade-old government hotline built to correct the world’s mistakes about Korea marks a milestone: roughly 20,000 error reports logged and answered since it opened.

The service, called Facts: Korea, launched Sept. 1, 2016, under a prime ministerial directive, initially run by the ministry’s now-defunct Korean Culture and Information Service before the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism took it over directly in 2024. Anyone — Korean or foreign — can flag an error about the country through the website factsaboutkorea.go.kr or via the mobile app in Korean or 10 other languages: English, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic and Indonesian.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

Everyone complaining about this influencer gave him the attention he was seeking:

Japanese influencer Gamix (left) and K-pop band Ateez member San (Gamix’s Instagram account)

A Japanese influencer with more than 2 million followers on Instagram has come under fire online for making a racist eye gesture mocking Ateez member San’s performance at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Local media reported Friday that the influencer, who goes by the name Gamix, uploaded a video Thursday recreating the K-pop singer’s dance performance to the song “Bad.”

In the video, Gamix wore a shirt made to look like the Atletico Madrid jersey that San wore during a ceremonial kickoff before a match at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Aug. 9. A photo of San wearing the shirt was displayed at the bottom of the video.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

This is just a bizarre story. Apparently the diners knew they were eating ants, but the ants being served were not authorized to be sold in South Korea. Seems like a dumb reason to send a guy to possibly send a guy to jail over:

Prosecutors on Monday sought a one-year prison term for the owner of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant accused of serving ants that are not approved for use as food ingredients in South Korea.

The owner, whose identity has been withheld, is accused of violating the Food Sanitation Act. Prosecutors also sought a fine of 20 million won ($13,525) for the restaurant’s operating company.

The owner and the company were indicted for allegedly importing dried ant products from the US and Thailand and using them as garnishes on dishes served at the restaurant for about four years beginning in 2021.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

I would hope there would be some kind of paper trail to import a crocodile into South Korea. Fortunately the crocodile was spotted before winter came which would have assuredly killed the reptile:

Police in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, have launched an investigation into how a critically endangered Siamese crocodile ended up in a local stream and who previously owned it.

Yeoju Police Station is reviewing surveillance camera footage from around Soyang Stream, where the reptile was captured Saturday, and interviewing nearby residents. Investigators are also checking whether anyone in the area previously registered a Siamese crocodile or a similar wild animal.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

What was Starbucks thinking with this promotion? There is no way this guy could have been this clueless. I wonder if anyone on his staff tried to warn him this was not a good idea?:

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech during a ceremony on May 18, 2026, in Gwangju, commemorating the 1980 democratization movement in the city located some 270 kilometers south of Seoul. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

The head of Starbucks Korea was dismissed Monday after the coffee chain faced strong backlash over a promotional event that evoked painful memories of South Korea’s military rule on a pro-democracy movement anniversary, Shinsegae Group said. 

Son Jung-hyun, head of SCK Company, which operates Starbucks Korea under E-Mart, was fired hours after the coffee franchise launched its “Tank Day” online promotional event, which offered discounts on “Tank” tumbler sets along with the phrase, “Put it on the table with a sound of ‘Tak!'”

The event quickly drew criticism from civic groups and online users, who argued that the word “tank” recalled the military vehicles deployed by martial law troops during the uprising in the southwestern city of Gwangju on May 18, 1980, while the phrase “tak” was seen as evoking the 1987 torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol. 

Hours later, Starbucks Korea suspended the promotional event and issued an apology to those who were involved in the nation’s democracy movement, including victims of the Gwangju uprising and the bereaved family of Park.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is a new level of crazy:

The suspected arsonist behind a fatal fire that broke out Monday morning at an apartment in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, southern Seoul, was found dead at the site, police said Monday.

The scorched body of a 61-year-old man, the prime suspect, was found on the fourth floor of the 21-story apartment building, authorities said, after the fire was extinguished at around 10 a.m., leaving one dead and six injured.

The suspect, according to the police, lived on the third floor of the apartment building and frequently had fights with his upstairs neighbors due to noise complaints.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but the man started the fire with a pesticide sprayer he converted into a flamethrower. In his suicide note he thoughtfully left 50,000 won ($35) for his mother’s medical bills.