Young men and women are politically drifting apart across the developed world. The growing political gender divide in South Korea is making experts worried about the country's future.

South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, who played a rich entrepreneur in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, was found dead on Wednesday. Police suspect he died by suicide.

Experts point to economic difficulties from prolonged international sanctions, but the closures may signal a possible change in North Korea's foreign policy that is more focused on Moscow and Beijing.

At the recently concluded Games, South Korean athletes and journalists said North Koreans refused to engage with them. Some even avoided customary handshakes or photo sessions atop the podium.

Many South Korean teachers say they have suffered from parents' harassment and excessive demands. This summer, they came out to the streets voicing anger and demanding protection for their rights.

Just 67 North Korean defectors arrived last year. Inter-Korean dialogue and exchange have ground to a halt. Seoul's Unification Ministry has a new, hawkish head who wants to change the agency's role.

As Japan plans to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea this summer, concerned South Koreans are stocking up on sea salt.

Kim Hyun-woo used to work for North Korea's top intelligence agency. He defected to South Korea in 2014 and is now on his first-ever visit to the United States.

The tensions are a test of the nation's tolerance of increasing diversity, when South Korea is looking to immigration to bolster its aging and shrinking workforce.

The chief producer behind BTS says K-pop is in crisis as global sales slow or decline — and BTS' taking a break is a big factor. But the industry is trying to pick itself back up.

Questions about the dynastic ruler's children and possible succession scenario arose with the apparent second child's repeated appearances in public in public in recent months.

South Korea announced on Monday a plan to compensate victims of forced labor under Japan's colonization through a government foundation with funds from South Korean companies.

The appeals court ruled Tuesday that So Seong-uk can't be denied spousal benefits by the National Health Insurance Service just because his partner is the same gender as him.

The man was convicted of killing a female colleague in a Seoul subway station last year, a day before he was to be sentenced on stalking charges. This has led to calls for better protection for women.

"It looks like people will be squashed to death," said a person who called police nearly three hours before the first fatality. On Wednesday, the team investigating the incident raided Seoul police.

As the police launch an investigation, the country is mourning the victims of Saturday night's deadly stampede in Itaewon. Eyewitnesses are lamenting the lack of crowd control measures.

These are the first adjustments to social measures since the country began a long-awaited transition to a new phase in pandemic response in early November and lifted most of the restrictions.

South Korea is seeking a degree of normalcy by gradually easing restrictions. "We have to find a way to safely coexist with COVID-19 even if that means taking some risks," an official said.

The country's ruling Democratic Party suffered a devastating defeat in Wednesday's mayoral by-elections, widely considered a bellwether for Moon Jae-in's chances for reelection next year.

Beginning Christmas Eve and through Jan. 3, South Korea will limit public and private gatherings to four people. Many tourist sites popular during the holiday period will be closed.