President of Taejae University Yeom Jae-ho on Wednesday underscored the profound impact Artificial Intelligence has been having and the essential attitudes individuals must cultivate to thrive in the evolving AI era. Speaking at The Korea Herald’s Global Business Forum in Seoul, the president of South Korea's first future innovation university, said this was an era of "VUCA" -- Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity. Despite this rapid transformation, Yeom highlighte

Social Affairs May 9, 2024

The Ministry of Education warned Wednesday of punitive measures, including the suspension of student admissions, as a potential consequence for Pusan National University if it persists in halting its medical school enrollment expansion plan. Expressing regret over the school's decision on Tuesday to suspend the increase of medical seats, the ministry emphasized that each university must adhere to the allocation of medical school seats as determined by the education minister in accordance wi

Social Affairs May 8, 2024

As the medical void prolongs in South Korea with doctors continuing their walkout against the government’s medical school expansion plan since February, the number of major general hospitals struggling financially is on the rise. Kyung Hee University Medical Center, which operates seven hospitals including two affiliated Kyung Hee University Hospitals, is considering suspending salary payments and implementing voluntary retirement from next month due to a daily deficit of hundreds of mil

Social Affairs May 6, 2024

Despite notable progress in the recognition of gender equality, women continue to face numerous socioeconomic disparities, including limited access to education, health care and economic opportunities across the world. Such discrimination leads to women suffering higher chances of danger and poverty. Combined with fewer resources and less power, women become the first victims and the last to recover, noted the UN Women Center of Excellence for Gender Equality. To put an end to the vicious cycle,

Social Affairs May 6, 2024

South Korea will see an increase of additional seats in medical school admission next year ranging from 1,489 to 1,509, said the Ministry of Education Thursday, less than the 2,000 slots the government had initially allocated. The Education Ministry and the Korean Council for University Education unveiled the finalized enrollment quota submitted by 31 out of 32 medical schools that have been allocated additional seats. Thirty-one medical schools handed in a total of 1,469 slots to increase by 20

Social Affairs May 2, 2024

The Ministry of Education unveiled measures Tuesday to strengthen support and education for parents, understanding that the capabilities of parents, who are in charge of educating children, should be reinforced for the healthy growth of students, according to officials. The fourth ministerial social affairs meeting introduced new comprehensive policies to offer parents more opportunities to participate in school activities, conduct active communication with teachers and learn how to be "goo

Social Affairs April 30, 2024

The debate over Seoul Metropolitan Government's abolition of its student human rights ordinance is set to expand to the National Assembly as the opposition Democratic Party of Korea plans to draft student rights legislation that would take precedence over regional offices’ decisions. The Democratic Party, which holds a parliamentary majority, on Monday criticized the People Power Party's removal of Seoul's student rights ordinance, calling it "political regression"

Social Affairs April 29, 2024

With concerns only deepening over the disruption of the health care system in South Korea, amid the standoff between doctors and the government continuing for 10 weeks over the government's plan to hike the medical school enrollment quota, medical professors at the country's "big five" hospitals decided on Friday to suspend treatment for one day a week. Professors at St. Mary's Hospital said they will join the suspension of treatment following professors at Seoul Nationa

Social Affairs April 26, 2024

More than 1,000 teenagers, including two elementary school children, were arrested during a six-month crackdown on online gambling among young people, officials said Thursday. The National Office of Investigation announced that it had apprehended 2,925 individuals, including 1,035 teenagers, in a bust initiated in September last year. Among them, 75 adults were formally arrested while 566 teens have been sent to counseling centers. During the crackdown, 61.9 billion won ($45 million) was confisc

Social Affairs April 25, 2024

South Korean government denied claims raised by the World Organization of Scout Movement, which said its status as "de-facto organizer" was partly to blame for the Korea Scout Association's disastrous hosting of the 25th World Scout Jamboree in North Jeolla Province in August last year. Appointed by the World Scout Committee after the event, an independent six-member review panel said that the hosts, the Korea Scout Association, was sidelined by the Korean government because of th

Social Affairs April 24, 2024

Low-income multicultural families with children aged 7 to 18 can apply for state funds starting from May through September at some 230 family centers across South Korea. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Monday that it will launch a pilot project to support educational activities for school-aged children from multicultural families who earn less than the median income in the country. Multicultural families are defined in the Multicultural Families Support Act as consisting of

Social Affairs April 22, 2024

Sejong University ranked 43rd in the top international university list for its hotel management education. Measured by Quacquarelli Symonds, a United Kingdom-based analytics firm that compiles college and university rankings, Sejong University placed 43rd in QS World University Rankings by Subject in the Hospitality & Leisure Management category. The hospitality and tourism management major at Sejong University ranked 48th in the same category in 2022 and 46th last year. It has grabbed the f

Foreign Affairs April 22, 2024

The heads of medical schools nationwide on Sunday urged the government to freeze the medical school enrollment quota for next year and start a new set of negotiations for the class of 2026 by forging a joint consultative body with the medical community. The Korean Association of Medical Colleges, consisting of 40 medical schools nationwide, released a proposal calling for the government to draw up a "more scientifically based number" for the enrollment quota hike plan. The proposal com

Social Affairs April 21, 2024

Starting this year, middle and high school students in Paraguay can learn Korean at schools as a second foreign language subject, according to the Ministry of Education on Saturday. The Education Ministry disclosed the signing of a memorandum of understanding with its Paraguayan counterpart, which officially added the Korean language to its second foreign language list for schools in Paraguay. Amid growing demand for Korean studies in Paraguay due to the popularity of Korean cultural content, th

Social Affairs April 21, 2024

Amid rapid aging and an increasing number of young people choosing to hold off on marriage, the proportion of one-person households in South Korea increased last year to 33.4 percent, data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed Wednesday. According to the ministry's factual survey of families based on 12,044 households in the country, the number of single-person households nearly doubled in 10 years. The group which accounted for 15.8 percent in 2010 grew to 30.4 percent i

Social Affairs April 17, 2024