Record heavy rains hit South Korea's southern regions Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, leaving at least four dead and one missing, with weather authorities saying it was the most intense downpour in 200 years. Heavy rains battered parts of North Jeolla Province starting early Wednesday. Gunsan received 131.7 millimeters of rain within one hour to 2:24 a.m., the heaviest hourly downpour recorded nationwide. The hourly precipitation accounted for over 10 percent of the city's avera

Social Affairs July 10, 2024

Starting on Friday, suicide prevention education in schools, workplaces, public institutions and hospitals will be made mandatory once a year as part of the country's efforts to tackle the devastating suicide rates and increase help-seeking behaviors for those struggling, the Health Ministry said Tuesday. The strengthened suicide awareness and prevention training comes after the Cabinet on Tuesday approved a partial amendment to the Act on the Prevention of Suicide and the Creation of Cultu

Social Affairs July 9, 2024

The Seoul High Court recently turned down an injunction filed by professors and students at South Korea's only university teaching Go, calling for the suspension of the decision to shut down the department, according to legal professionals on Tuesday. The court ruled that students planning or preparing to enroll in the major faced an unexpected situation following the department's decision to close. However, the court also pointed out that upholding the injunction to halt the closure w

Social Affairs July 9, 2024

Five months after protesting junior doctors tendered their resignations en masse despite stern legal warnings from the government, the Health Ministry said Monday it would scrap all administrative actions imposed on intern and resident doctors, in a move seen as an effort to convince protesting doctors to resume their training and end disruptions to the nation's medical service. Describing the appeasement step as a "last resort" for the government to address the medical standoff a

Social Affairs July 8, 2024

진행자: 박준희, Elise Youn US troops in S. Korea could be reduced, but not withdrawn, Trump allies tell Seoul lawmaker 기사 요약: 위성락 더불어민주당 의원, “트럼프 당선 시 주한미군 철수 가능성 배제 못 해” [1] Rep. Wi Sung-lac, Seoul’s former ambassador to Russia and a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, said Thursday some key Donald Trump allies have told him they think US troops in South Korea could be reduced -- although not completely withdrawn -- if the former president wins in November. * Former: 과저, 이전의 / Pr

Podcast July 8, 2024

진행자: 박준희, Elise Youn [Weekender] VIB treatment: Luxury market surges for ‘very important babies’ 기사 요약: 저출산 시대지만 유아동룩 시장은 프리미엄 아동룩 엎고 호황 중이다. [1] Despite South Korea’s notoriously low birth rate, its childrenswear market shows no sign of abating, especially led by the binge spending of young parents. * Notoriously: ~을 못하기로 악명 높다 * Abating: [강도가] 약해지다, [강도를 약화시키다, 줄이다 * Binge: 한동안 흥청망청하기 [2] “Most parents that I know think that putting a luxury onesie that costs hundr

Podcast July 7, 2024

The race to enter medical schools here for the 2025 academic year will kick off this week, starting with the admissions process for international students and South Korean nationals residing overseas, officials said Sunday. The announcement comes despite continued protests from the medical circle calling on the government to scrap its planned hike, including medical students' boycott of their medical school classes and junior doctors' walkout since February. Twelve medical schools will

Social Affairs July 7, 2024

A district court on Thursday turned down police's request for an arrest warrant against the driver of the deadly car accident in central Seoul late Monday that killed nine people and left seven injured. Namdaemun Police Station investigating the car crash said Thursday that the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the request to arrest the 68-year-old driver surnamed Cha, citing the low risk for the man not appearing for police questioning. It was also difficult to assert the necessity of

Social Affairs July 4, 2024

Namdaemun police investigating the deadly car crash that killed nine people on Monday evening said Wednesday that the vehicle began speeding from a hotel entrance after exiting its underground parking lot. In an initial analysis of an event data recorder -- a device installed in vehicles that records technical vehicle and occupant information for a brief period before, during and after a crash -- the police were said to have found that the driver was driving at high speed after leaving a hotel n

Social Affairs July 3, 2024

In search of solutions to achieve healthy aging as countries around the globe are set to join the "super-aged" club, the 2024 Health Ageing Forum on Tuesday shed light on the value of disease prevention to increase the number of years lived in good health. The forum, hosted by the British Embassy in Seoul and GSK Korea, was attended by health care experts, scholars and business representatives from Korea and overseas. In his opening remarks, British Ambassador Colin Crooks underscored

Social Affairs July 3, 2024

Police on Tuesday opened an investigation into a 68-year-old man for a car accident late Monday that claimed the lives of nine people and left four injured in central Seoul. They said they had mobilized forensic scientists and investigators to determine the cause of the crash, which the driver says was caused by a vehicle fault, a claim experts have cast doubt on. Police are seeking a warrant to arrest the driver on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in death, according to Chung Yong-woo,

Social Affairs July 2, 2024

More medical professors announced Monday plans to go on an indefinite walkout starting later this month to protest the government's medical school expansion plan. The emergency committee of medical professors at Korea University, who also serve as senior doctors at Korea University Asan Hospital, said they would go on strike beginning July 12, demanding that the government back off from pressuring medical students and trainee doctors and engage in dialogue. "The medical sector sought a

Social Affairs July 1, 2024

Local government authorities and LGBTQ+ campaigners are at odds over hosting the first pride festival in the Chungcheong region on July 6, with the two sides showing little signs of backing off. The organizing committee for this year's queer culture festival in Daejeon said Friday that it would host the event "as planned" under the theme "Love is you, we are here (unofficial translation)," noting that it has already reported to the Daejeon Metropolitan Police of its plan

Social Affairs June 28, 2024

The 23 deaths in the battery plant fire this week were found to have been caused by asphyxiation, according to officials on Thursday. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police's investigation team for the accident at local battery manufacturer Aricell, the operator of the lithium battery plant, said that they received a verbal autopsy opinion from the National Forensic Service that it believed the victims had died of asphyxiation due to the fire. Asphyxiation happens when a substance such as car

Social Affairs June 27, 2024

Hangeul Party, an event aimed at promoting the beauty of Hangeul, which has played a crucial role in shaping Korean culture, was held in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City from June 21 to 24. The event was hosted and organized by the nongovernmental organization Hangeul Planet and The Korea Herald and sponsored by HiteJinro, South Korea's dominant soju and beer seller. At the Hangeul Party, students who major in Korean language at two Vietnamese universities -- the University of Economics and

Social Affairs June 26, 2024