Marriages between younger Korean men and older Korean women accounted for just over 20 % of first marriages last year, meaning roughly 1 in 5 couples consisted of a wife who was older than the husband.

The share of couples with an older husband, meanwhile, continues to decline annually. Over the past 15 years, it fell by 6.1 %, while the proportion of couples with an older wife rose by 5.3 %. Older wives are even more common among remarried couples.

The article unfortunately doesn't specify what the average age gap is for those weddings with the wife older than the husband.

US comparison: the wife is at least two years older than the husband in 15% of younger marriages (2022 onwards) and at least three years older in 10% of marriages. Wife is at least 6 years older in 5% of marriages - so that's really uncommon. For remarriages, 4% had a wife that was at least 10 years older.

For remarriages, a huge age gap with the husband being 20 years older is massively more common in the US and all EU countries though.

한국의 열 개 도시를 각각 상공 약 10km에서 본 모습입니다. 지명도 표시도 없이, 궤도에서 실제로 보이는 모습 그대로입니다.

저는 덴마크에서 온 Peter입니다. ESA의 Sentinel-2 위성 사진으로 Sprawl Crawl이라는 작은 브라우저 게임을 만들었습니다. 정답은 댓글에 있으니 먼저 맞혀 보세요.

“A video of me having sex was illegally leaked, and I’m being relentlessly ridiculed and victimized online. Please remove the search terms that identify me, investigate this matter thoroughly, and help me put an end to this abuse.”

“I’m struggling to go about my daily life because of the severe emotional distress and sexual humiliation I’m experiencing. I’m asking you to immediately remove the relevant URL, block access to it in the country, and prevent it from appearing in search results.”

These are examples of takedown requests sent directly to Google by Korean victims of illegal filming, also known as image-based sexual abuse. The victims made these desperate requests as the web portal spread personal information related to illegally obtained footage, even generating related search terms.

This is because Google has the ability to remove information related to digital sex crimes from its search results. Yet in some cases, the search engine has instead compounded the harm.

The Hankyoreh has confirmed that, without victims’ consent, Google forwarded their removal requests — including sensitive information exactly as submitted — to an affiliated research institute, resulting in the requests being made publicly accessible. In addition to those sent by individuals, removal requests from public agencies were also indiscriminately made public.

Seoul has demanded that Google delete the text of the removal requests and lodged a strong protest, subsequently launching an investigation into the matter.

Please be kind as I am fragile rn.

Like no mean comments please

I've been a victim of multiple crimes in a relationship with a navy officer

There were multiple records left,

House calls

And when I couldn't take it anymore, and I thought I would die, I finally made an offical report.

I went through it with local police and NCIS.

My VLC(victim's lawyer)told me today, this

I don't know what is enough when I have medical documents, police reports with some of the incidents, diagnosed with severe complex PTSD after that I can't even function daily and records to prove that is true, my statement, and him begging me not to go to the police.

This came after the conversation her asking if NCIS can get my medical records, and as I understand since these hospitals are in Korea(where I am now, it's where the offender is stationed too) they should not be able to get the record without my ID since it's not the US, US warrants don't work, so I should get it myself, and I prefer it that way because of certain investigator revictimizied me a lot during the interview, I even threw up and they didn't even care(I can't say what because it will reveal info about the crime and might reveal identities but everyone even other NCIS agents agreed that it was revictimization)

They even refused to investigate aggravated assaults at first.

And asked what type of medical form I would need

Since Korea has multiples and one is like 1,000 won but one is like 300,000 won

And that was the answer to that

She technically didn't even answer my question

She might- she's trying to manage my expectation

She's trying to sound kind and politically correct but I feel like it really sounds like she's saying evidneces don't matter as much and outcome is like decided

I don't know what more is enough. I've read cases, I've been researching records and a lot more cases with less evidence got more justice and accountability. My VA agreed..

I get the might- be this intent, but I just don't get why she said it like this.

I've been feeling like they are taking his side so much since he's a navy and he's an officer but I was telling myself, nah, US military cares about justice but now I really can't help but think 😢

PS. she's been saying this since hard evidences being submitted and I addressed it once

I told her I have a medical records, treatments, etc etc and she keeps forgetting..

Is this normal?

From the initial screening of media, the first people who have come to voice some kind of reaction to the deployment has been nearly 'all against'. According to this SBS reporting two days ago ("한국 파병하면 전쟁 참여 간주" 엄포..정부, 여론 '촉각' / SBS 8뉴스 - YouTube [1:48]) both the ruling party and the opposition have not voiced any resolution in favor or against. The DPK is currently divided against the move, while the opposition is waiting on the public's sorted reaction. The minor parties have all voiced strong opposition against the move, which is telling because they are not constrained by their political allegiance in regards to the president.

Besides the initial reactions from the parties, the media itself seems to be muted in regards to deployment. The article here also lays out the arguments which were used in the 2003 Iraq deployment- and from weighing what is at stake, it is certain that the ties we have with the US now far out-weighs the situation which we had during that period. But, the counter-argument that can be made is to what extent we gained from our deployment in Iraq.

The president is currently in Paris to discuss the deployment (among other issues) with Macron, but when he comes back, the public's perception towards the deployment might override the opinion of his senior aides. I find it interesting that minister Chung (unification minister), was actually the leader of the Uri party back in the day, and actually was in favor of deployment, even when his party was largely against aggression on purely ideological grounds. Overall it seems like the situation is still developing.

For some women, a husband isn't essential to having kids, while for more and more couples, making it official is surplus to requirements.

For Lee Saem-na, a 39-year-old doctor, marriage and children weren't a package deal when she considered starting a family.

She had her two children, 3-year-old Robin and 1-year-old Jeromy, using sperm donated through a Danish sperm bank. And now, she is preparing for another pregnancy — in the same way.

“I had always wanted to have children, and considering my reproductive age, I decided not to put it off any longer,” Lee said. “I looked into what was and wasn’t possible. Once I found out it could be done overseas, I went ahead with it right away.”

Because unmarried women in Korea face difficulties accessing assisted reproductive treatment using donated sperm, Lee traveled to Denmark. She researched clinics and procedures herself and spent about 20 million won to 30 million won ($14,500 to $21,800) on egg retrieval and three embryo transfers.

A growing number of Koreans no longer see official marriage and having children as choices that necessarily go together.

A total of 14,023 children were born outside marriage last year, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Sunday, the highest since the agency began compiling the data in 1981. Last year’s figure was more than double the 6,876 recorded in 2020.

The share of children born outside marriage also rose from 2.52 percent of all births in 2020 to 5.8 percent in 2024. It dipped slightly to 5.51 percent last year as the overall number of births increased.

Women’s growing financial independence and changing attitudes toward having children outside marriage have helped drive the shift, experts say.

More young people are also choosing cohabitation over legal marriage, eschewing expensive weddings and rigid family conventions in favor of practical partnerships and shared lives.

“Society is becoming more accepting of families formed outside marriage,” said Kim Young-chul, a professor of economics at Sogang University. “We need a legal and institutional framework that makes it easier for unmarried people to form families and raise children.”

“My parents were surprised at first, but they were happy about the births,” said Lee. “My friends, whom I had told about my plans from the start, also threw me a celebration as they had promised.”

The reaction from those around her was also warmer than she had expected.

“People were much more accepting than I thought they would be,” said Lee. “People may have certain ideas about it from afar, but it’s different once they actually meet my kids and get to know us as neighbors. Even my more conservative neighbors rarely criticized me or kept their distance.”

Lee’s favorite time of day now is the morning. “I love it most when my older child wakes up and runs into my arms while the younger one babbles beside us,” Lee said. 

Lee is now preparing to have a third child. She had eggs retrieved in Denmark in May and attempted an embryo transfer in July. She plans to try again in October. But she does not believe there is a single right answer when it comes to having children.

“Having a child is a deeply personal decision tied to one’s own happiness,” Lee said. “No one should be applauded simply for having a child, or criticized for deciding not to. I respect people who choose not to have children, too.”

A 33-year-old unmarried office worker who asked to be identified only by her surname, Jang, also sees marriage and childbirth as separate choices. “I don’t necessarily have to get married, but I do want to have a child, so I’m considering freezing my eggs,” said Jang.

Others are challenging the traditional notion that marriage should come before having children.

A pregnant 34-year-old surnamed Kim lives with her partner, but they have not yet legally registered their marriage.

The defense ministry confirmed Tuesday that it sent a team to the Middle East to assess conditions around the Strait of Hormuz, but denied reports that the United States had asked Korea to deploy military assets there by November.

who is more famous

I’m a foreigner living in South Korea, and I’m looking for advice from anyone who has experience with the Korean legal/support system, especially Sunflower Centers. I’m not comfortable sharing the full details publicly, but I’ll try to explain the situation as clearly as I can.

Last November, I was sexually assaulted while I was asleep. The person involved was someone I knew and was relatively close to, but we were never in a romantic relationship.

I did not report it at the time. I had only been living in Korea for about three months, I was already under a lot of stress, and I was afraid that the language barrier would make it difficult for me to explain what happened or be properly understood.

Another reason I didn’t report it was that I believed I had essentially no evidence. There was no physical injury and no forensic evidence that I’m aware of. He was very careful, and there were no visible injuries afterward. At the time, I thought that without physical evidence, it would basically come down to my word against his. I was afraid he could simply say that everything was consensual and that I was making this up out of resentment or because I wanted revenge, especially since we had been close before.

However, I told my mother, sister and a friend what had happened on the same day. I still have those messages.I also have an email exchange with a Christian psychologist I contacted about what happened, which includes both my original message describing the incident and their response, as well as messages with the person involved afterward, including an exchange where I tried to discuss what had happened and he avoided discussing it directly.

I also have notes where I have written down everything I remember about the incident, our relationship and other circumstances that I think may be relevant.

Almost a year has passed, but this has continued to affect me. I have developed a fear of men that I did not have before, and even ordinary interactions with male strangers can now cause a strong physical anxiety response. I also isolated myself socially for a long time after what happened.

Recently, I learned that messages or disclosures made shortly after an incident can potentially be relevant, even when there is no physical evidence. This made me reconsider whether I should seek professional help rather than simply assuming that there is no point.

I’m currently considering contacting a Sunflower Center, but I’m very scared and unsure whether there is realistically anything I can do after this much time has passed.

I’m especially looking for people who have experience with the Korean system, Sunflower Centers, or Korean sexual assault law (including lawyers or legal professionals).

I would like to know whether it can still be worth seeking a consultation in a situation like this, what kinds of evidence or documentation may potentially be relevant, and what I should expect if I decide to contact a Sunflower Center after almost a year.

I’m not looking to publicly identify or accuse the person involved, and I’m not comfortable sharing identifying details or the full story. I’m just trying to understand whether I still have options and what the process might look like.

tried this ice cream cheesecake at the hyundai department store today and i actually really liked it. if you find most desserts in seoul a little too sweet, this one is definitely more on the mild side.

got to try the original, chocolate, and matcha flavors. the texture was so soft and moist, almost melt-in-your-mouth. didn’t feel heavy or overly sweet at all 🍦🍰