South Korea is poised to announce compensation plans for dog meat sellers in September, in a follow-up to its passage of a bill in January banning the eating and selling of dog meat. The country seeks to end the centuries-old yet controversial practice amid growing support for animal welfare. "We will announce the basic plan in September after consulting with financial authorities," the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement Friday. "Nothing specific h

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2024

South Korea's planned shutdown of coal-fired power plants to achieve carbon neutrality could exacerbate regional disparities, according to a new study by a national research institute on Thursday. In a report on the paradox of carbon neutrality, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlement, a think tank in the country, claimed that South Korea's coal phaseout will increase the Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, from the current level and widen economic disparities b

Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2024

진행자: 최정윤, Chelsea Proctor Korea to tackle wedding charges, housing regulations to boost birth rate 기사요약: 저출산 대응 방안으로 저출산고령사회위원회는 출산가구를 공공임대 우선공급 1순위로 지정하고 일명 "스드메" 거뿜도 빼는 방안 발표 [1] The government announced new measures to boost marriages for young people and support housing for families with children, as a follow-up measure after a "demographic national emergency" was declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol last month. boost: 신장시키다 declare: 선언하다 [2] Facing dire warnings that S

Podcast Aug. 1, 2024

Deepfake sex crimes using artificial intelligence are increasing on school grounds in South Korea, raising concerns over insufficient education and measures to prevent further damage. A student at an international school in Jeju English education city has been handed over to prosecutors for allegedly making sexually exploitative videos of his female student peers, according to the Seogwipo Police Department on Tuesday. The police also sent three of his classmates who watched the videos with him

Social Affairs July 31, 2024

The government announced new measures to boost marriages for young people and support housing for families with children, as a follow-up measure after a "demographic national emergency" was declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol last month. The Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy held its second meeting since its launch in June on Monday to review and accelerate the implementation of over 150 challenges and measures designated to address the aging society and low

Social Affairs July 29, 2024

Internet and smartphone use interferes with the lives of almost one out of five students in South Korea, recent data showed. A diagnostic survey on youth media use and habits conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed that over 221,000 youths have difficulty managing their daily lives due to uncontrolled use of the internet and smartphones in 2024, accounting for 18 percent of the total survey group. More than 1.2 million youths in the school transition period, such as those

Politics July 28, 2024

As the deadlock within South Korea's medical community extends into its sixth month, with no sign of trainee doctors returning to hospitals, the government is set to finalize a structural transformation plan by next month that will allow advanced general hospitals to operate without junior doctors. The government plans to transform advanced general hospitals, which have traditionally depended heavily on trainee doctors, into physician-centered institutions focused on critical and emergency

Social Affairs July 28, 2024

David Rew, a UK surgeon and academic publishing adviser, recently shared his journey from his school days at Christ College Brecon, to his esteemed career in medicine. In an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul, Rew recounted how his experiences at the historic Welsh school were instrumental in shaping his determination, compassion and leadership skills. David Rew has built his career as a surgeon in the UK since 1981. Despite partially retiring from surgery in 2023, Rew remains active in th

People July 15, 2024

One year after the mistreatment of teachers and the protection of their rights became a major social issue in the wake of the death of a young teacher in July last year, waves of tributes to the deceased have risen across South Korea this week, with many coming from other education workers. The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, one of the country's two major teachers' unions, set Monday to July 23 as a period of remembrance, bringing together online and offline spaces t

Social Affairs July 15, 2024

Wheelchair lifts, also known as platform lifts will be removed in subway stations across Seoul after some 30 years since their implementation over continuously raised safety issues. Seoul Metro, an operator of the city's subway service from Line Nos. 1 to 8, said Sunday it will demolish lifts, once thought as a mobility support for the physically impaired, issuing a tender notice for the removal of 23 wheelchair lifts in 17 subway stations, including Seoul Station, Sinseoldong Station, Yong

Social Affairs July 14, 2024

A total of six educators have been awarded for their dedication to the spread of Korean language education and localization, at a celebration event for the 22nd International Conference of Korean Educators Abroad on Thursday at Hana Global Campus in Incheon. Among the winners was Tran Thi Huong, a professor at Hanoi National University in charge of Korean language education in Vietnam. He was awarded for his contribution to the adoption of Korean as a second language in primary and secondary c

People July 12, 2024

Dozens of students gathered in Busan to participate in the first US-ROK-Japan Trilateral Global Leadership Youth Summit that kicked off Thursday, as the program aims to nurture potential leaders from three countries. Under the agenda of trilateral security, economic and technological cooperation, Indo-Pacific strategy and expanded civilian exchanges, 50 youths -- 15 each from the US, Korea and Japan, and five from Indo-Pacific island countries -- gathered at APEC House in Busan for a three-day s

Social Affairs July 11, 2024

Five months into medical students' boycott of classes in protest over the government's decision to increase the quota for students at the schools, the Ministry of Education announced guidelines Wednesday to grant universities the flexibility needed to prevent these students from failing out due to their prolonged absence. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho said at the Government Complex Seoul that schools can individually apply different timing, criteria and stan

Social Affairs July 10, 2024

Kim Beom-su, the founder of tech giant Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's top mobile messenger, was summoned by prosecutors Tuesday to address allegations of stock price manipulation related to Kakao's acquisition of K-pop megacorp SM Entertainment last year. The Financial Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office called in Kim earlier in the day and said it was investigating him for alleged violations of the Financial Investment Services

Industry July 9, 2024

Unionized workers of Samsung Electronics launched their first-ever strike Monday, demanding higher pay and warning of potential further action if the country's largest conglomerate does not meet their demands. The National Samsung Electronics Union, the biggest labor union of the conglomerate with over 30,000 members, making up some 25 percent of the workforce, said it kicked off the three-day strike starting with a rally at 11:00 a.m. in front of the main entrance of the company's pla

Companies July 8, 2024