Korean husbands visited marriage counseling centers to consult on divorce more often than foreign wives last year, a report on multicultural couples showed. Of more than 1,000 cases of divorce counseling for international couples, 20 percent more Korean men visited the center than foreign women, according to statistics released by the Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations. Korean husband-foreign wife couples took 80 percent of the total counseling for multicultural couples last year. "

Social Affairs June 4, 2024

A state-run research organization in South Korea has sparked debate after its analysis suggesting that sending girls to school a year earlier could help boost fertility rates last week. The Korea Institute of Public Finance, a government-funded center dedicated to evaluating the country's tax system and public spending, proposed sending girls to school early, assessing that it could make men and women more attracted to each other when they reach marriageable age because men develop more slo

Social Affairs June 3, 2024

Amid the ongoing dispute between doctors and the South Korean government despite the increased medical school quota for 2025 being finalized, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Monday voiced concerns regarding a planned strike vote by community doctors and warned that such actions could exacerbate the ongoing standoff with trainee doctors over the government's medical reform. "If the medical community proceeds with a vote on a collective strike and files lawsuits against university presi

Social Affairs June 3, 2024

A man in his 60s who was participating in a triathlon event held in Saemangeum -- reclaimed land in North Jeolla Province -- drowned to death during the swimming portion of the event, police said Sunday. The 62-year-old man surnamed Kim was spotted floating in the sea by a lifeguard at 7:45 a.m. during the Challenge Gunsan Saemangeum International Triathlon competition. He was pulled out of the water by an emergency rescue boat and taken immediately to a hospital where he received CPR before bei

Social Affairs June 2, 2024

The Seoul High Court on Thursday ruled in favor of Roh Soh-yeong, the estranged wife of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, in their ongoing divorce settlement, saying that the settlement decided by the lower court was insufficient. The appellate court overturned the initial ruling and ordered Chey to pay 1.38 trillion won ($942 million) in property division and 2 billion won in a one-off alimony payment. It said that the previously ordered alimony of 100 million won was insufficient and should be i

Social Affairs May 30, 2024

More than 150 balloons distributed by North Korea carrying apparent propaganda leaflets as well as trash and excrement were detected across South Korea, Seoul's military said Wednesday. Earlier this week, North Korea vowed "tit for tat action" after human rights activists launched balloons carrying anti-Pyongang pamphlets and USB flash drives filled with South Korean pop culture content into the North. The balloons crossed the border since Tuesday night, landing in locations acros

North Korea May 29, 2024

Working women or dual-income households in South Korea have fewer children on average than households with a single breadwinner, as child care is disproportionately also done by women, reports showed Monday. Based on household surveys of partners aged 25 to 44, dual-income households had an average of 1.36 children while single-income households had 1.46 children last year, according to Statistics Korea's study of fertility disparities based on economic and social factors. Elite families with a

Social Affairs May 27, 2024

Shifting trends have emerged in international marriages arranged by brokers, reflecting a rise in the educational background and income of individuals seeking foreign spouses through marriage agencies. According to the report released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on marriage agencies in 2023, over 50 percent of Korean users held a bachelor's degree, a 20.8 percentage point increase from a survey conducted in 2014. The education level for foreign partners also increased, wit

Social Affairs May 24, 2024

South Korea took a step toward realizing its plan to increase the number medical school places for 2025 Friday, with the approval of university plans to boost admissions. The Korean Council for University Education held a university admissions committee meeting Friday to review the revised plans of each university on how much they will raise their medical school enrollment quotas for the 2025 academic year. Specific details are yet to be revealed, but plans submitted by each university have been

Social Affairs May 24, 2024

Growing up in what he described as the "small town" of Umea, Sweden, Jakob Sandberg has rarely felt like an outsider, despite his Asian features setting him apart from the majority of his friends. Rather, it was actually South Korea, his motherland before being adopted to Sweden, where he encountered situations that led him to feel like an alien or “someone weird.” Though he looked different than most of his friends, he recalled his carefree childhood in Sweden. “I ha

Social Affairs May 22, 2024

The Overseas Korean Agency hosted the "2024 Overseas Korean Adoptees Gathering" by cordially inviting overseas Korean adoptees to South Korea for a four-day event that kicked off Tuesday. Inviting 96 adoptees from 15 countries, the gathering aims to allow the participants to have a chance to feel more attached to their motherland while having them fully engaged in hands-on programs, such as "Talk-show" and "Info-session." Under the tagline of "Power of Connecti

Social Affairs May 22, 2024

Having a driver's license for those aged 65 and over could be made conditional, as the South Korean government is reviewing measures to decrease the number of traffic accidents in the country. According to the measures announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korean National Police Agency to reduce traffic fatalities, introducing a conditional license for senior citizens is under consideration. Under the measures, senior drivers will have different driving per

Social Affairs May 21, 2024

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho urged medical universities in South Korea Monday to swiftly adopt the government revision of the academic plan for 2025, which would finalize the remaining procedures to augment the medical enrollment quota. At an online briefing held with the presidents of 40 medical schools nationwide, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that "revising the university regulations due to the government's decision to increase the medical admission

Social Affairs May 20, 2024

South Korea is set to finalize the implementation of plans for university medical school admissions for the upcoming year, anticipated this week, integrating the government's proposal to augment the annual medical school enrollment quota. The finalization follows the Seoul High Court's rejection Thursday of an injunction sought by the medical community to halt the plan's implementation. The ruling paves the way for an expansion of enrollment at medical schools, despite vehement op

Social Affairs May 19, 2024

A memorial for the victims of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, currently installed in front of the main City Hall building in central Seoul, could be relocated as a special bill that mandates an investigation into the tragedy took effect Tuesday. The Seoul city government on Wednesday said the bereaved families and civic groups related to the incident, which claimed 159 lives, would begin discussions on an alternative location for the altar that was installed near Gwanghwamun in February last year.

Social Affairs May 15, 2024