Parts of the Greater Seoul area, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, have once again come under attack this year by swarms of the newly emerging summer nuisance referred to as "lovebugs," stoking a significant surge in complaints from residents in the area. First spotted in northwestern Seoul and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in 2022, swarms of lovebugs have spread to appear from eastern Seoul, such as Dongdaemun-gu and Seongdong-gu, to Gangseo-gu in the far southwestern area of

Social Affairs June 19, 2024

Sejong University signed a bilateral agreement with the Republic of Korea Army Headquarters to collaborate in online fields. The agreement aims to improve the acquisition rate of cyber specialists within the Army. This initiative follows the Ministry of National Defense's "Decision to Expand the Contracted Department of Military" in December 2023 to recruit experts in online fields. Sejong University's Department of Information Security was selected in March 2024 through an o

Politics June 19, 2024

Sejong University announced the successful completion of the ISF Spring 2024 career fair, held on May 9 at its campus in Gwangjin-gu, northern Seoul. This event, designed to aid international students seeking jobs in the country, will return in November. A total of 30 prominent companies, including Hanwha Foodtech, Hyosung Goodspring, and FG Korea, the operator of Five Guys in Korea, took part in the fair to conduct job interviews with international students. Additionally, the fair welcomed st

Social Affairs June 19, 2024

South Korean students showed a high level of creative thinking, outperforming on tests that compare the capability of generating original ideas among 15-year-olds around the world, a survey showed Tuesday. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released the Program for International Student Assessment results Tuesday, in which South Korea ranked first to third among 28 OECD countries and second to fourth among 64 countries in "creative thinking." PISA is a study of 1

Social Affairs June 18, 2024

Despite overall growth in the number of foreigners visiting South Korea this year, the number from Thailand fell significantly, largely in relation to the country's electronic travel authorization system, K-ETA. South Korea saw some 119,000 Thai visitors from January to April 2024, down 21.1 percent from the same period last year, data from the Korea Tourism Organization showed Monday, as the country struggled to balance attracting tourists with keeping a check on its biggest source of ille

Social Affairs June 17, 2024

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