The government on Sunday rejected the doctors' final proposal to abandon plans to increase medical school enrollment quotas, stating that it does not consider it appropriate for doctors to make such a demand. The Korean Medical Association -- the largest coalition of doctors' groups with approximately 140,000 members, mostly private practitioners -- sent a "final ultimatum" to the government Sunday saying its members will shut down their services and rally starting Tuesday if

Social Affairs June 16, 2024

Amid a relentless heat wave sweeping across South Korea, Seoul has seen a significant surge in mosquito populations over the past two weeks, turning a seasonal nuisance into a widespread concern. According to the Seoul Mosquito Forecast System, the average mosquito activity index in the capital city has increased to its highest level of 100, in its four-tier system, for two consecutive weeks from June 2. The highest level, "unpleasant," means outdoor mosquito larval habitats are formed

Social Affairs June 16, 2024

A Russian national who fled to South Korea to avoid military conscription amid his country’s invasion of Ukraine has become the first here to be granted refugee status. The Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the Russian against the commissioner of the Seoul Immigration Office on May 22 to cancel its decision to deny asylum, judicial officials said Wednesday. The case marks the first instance of a Russian fleeing forced conscription due to the c

Social Affairs June 13, 2024

In South Korea, the debate has intensified over indoor spaces attempting to bar certain groups from entry, notably sparked by a gym's recent decision to ban older women, creating a "No ajumma zone." According to a post on Blind, an online discussion platform for verified employees, on Monday, a gym in Incheon hung up a sign on its premises saying: "Ajumma not allowed to enter," with the additional explanation, "Only cultivated and elegant women allowed," below.

Social Affairs June 11, 2024

SEOUL/ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol was greeted with "special and respectful courtesy" Monday in Turkmenistan on the first leg of his weeklong trip to Central Asia on a mission to expand cooperation in critical minerals and other key sectors. Principal deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo said at a press briefing that South Korea "was welcomed with the highest courtesy befitting a state guest," describing Turkmenistan's welcome. Upon arrival i

Politics June 11, 2024

Calls for the truth behind the massacre of Koreans by the Japanese military on the Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands in 1945 resurfaced Friday, coming from a Japanese modern history researcher and an organization dedicated to uncovering the history behind forced labor victims during the Japanese occupation. Referring to the "Mili Atoll massacre," historical researcher Yasuto Takeuchi stressed the need for truth and accountability, describing the case as an act that "forcibly mobi

Social Affairs June 7, 2024

South Korea has announced plans to double the upper threshold for the number of vacation days eligible for infertility treatment from three to six, in a move to create an equal working environment for men and women. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Friday it reviewed basic plans for gender equality policies for 2023 and sought new measures to implement for 2024 at the 17th Gender Equality Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. As part of these initiatives, the min

Social Affairs June 7, 2024

“Why is it so hard to find someone to marry?” This pressing question torments 28-year-old Kim Jeong-sik (not his real name), who invests significant time and money into his search for a suitable partner. For Kim, it is not all about love or destiny but about finding someone with whom he can build a “decent family,“ ideally someone from a similar or higher economic and social status. “While I used to fall for romance and attraction based on instinct in the past, now

Social Affairs June 6, 2024

Despite efforts to wrap up the prolonged feud between doctors and the government over the implementation of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to increase the admissions quota for medical schools from next year, medical professors decided on Thursday to take collective action with an en masse walkout. Professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital announced that they would push through an all-out strike for an indefinite period of tim

Social Affairs June 6, 2024

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho met with Uganda's Vice President Jessica Epel Alupo on Wednesday during the South Korea-Africa summit, which kicked off Tuesday. During the meeting, the two discussed ways to invigorate cooperation and exchanges in the education sector between South Korea and Uganda, including international student exchanges and promoting official development assistance, according to the Education Ministry. They also addressed education in the digital t

Social Affairs June 5, 2024

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