People with higher incomes are likely to live longer and healthier lives than those with lower incomes, government data showed Tuesday. The "healthy life expectancy" -- defined as the period of years one is expected to live with no major health issues -- was 73.4 years in 2021 for South Koreans in the top 20 percent of incomes, according to Ministry of Health and Welfare data submitted to Rep. Kim Nam-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. But for those in the bottom 20

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2024

Octogenarian rapper Seo Mu-seok, who inspired many by pursuing her musical dreams into her late 80s, passed away Tuesday at the age of 87. Seo died Tuesday morning at a hospital in Daegu, according to North Gyeongseong Province's Chilgok-gun officials. She had been diagnosed with stage three lymphoma in January, and doctors had told her that she had three months to live. Seo made her musical debut last year as a member of the seven-member musical act, Suni and the Seven Princesses, made up

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2024

Government data showed Wednesday that the top 0.1 percent of earners in South Korea made an average of 1.8 billion won in 2022, and that 126 of them paid no tax due to various deductions and exemptions. The combined income of a total of 26.2 million South Koreans came to 1.59 quadrillion won ($1.17 trillion) in 2022, while the combined income of the top 0.1 percent -- a group consisting of 26,231 individuals -- amounted to 47.1 trillion won, according to National Tax Service data submitted to Re

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2024

Former officials from the judiciary and finance-related branches of the government appear to be popular recruits for conglomerates across the country, as industry data showed Tuesday that over 20 percent of former civil servants working as directors at companies used to be prosecutors. Of the 11,208 directors at the 30 biggest conglomerates in South Korea by assets, 337 of them -- or 3 percent -- were ex-civil servants, according to a corporate analysis firm Leaders Index. Of these, 75 were fo

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2024

A 39-year-old construction worker replacing an elevator at a five-star hotel in Yeongjongdo, Incheon sustained a critical injury on Monday, after he fell 12 stories from the building. According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, he was working to remove an old elevator when he fell around 5:36 p.m., all the way to the sub-level floor of the hotel. He died despite the medical treatment he received at a nearby hospital. Police will request the National Forensic Service to perform an autops

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2024

A young man who enlisted to serve another man's mandatory military service on condition of sharing the soldier's salary has been caught by the authorities, marking the first time such an incident has occurred since the establishment of the Military Manpower Administration in 1970. The man in his late 20s surnamed Jo has been arrested and indicted for violating the Resident Registration Act, the Military Service Act, and for obstructing the performance of official duties through fraud b

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2024

Finding the right person to marry is a tall order anywhere, but South Koreans in particular say that their high standards for potential partners or lack of opportunities to meet them are their main reasons for remaining single. Local match-making application Noon Date recently revealed the results of a survey of 12,060 unmarried men and women across the country, and asked why respondents remain single. For women, 28 percent said it is because their standards for a potential romantic partner ar

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2024

A survey showed Monday that nearly 90 percent of South Korean adults are willing to work after retirement, mostly due to financial reasons. An online job-seeking portal Saramin surveyed 4,056 adults across the country from Oct.7 to 10, asking them if they were willing to work after retirement. Some 87.3 percent of the respondents said they would, with 95.8 percent of those in their 50s saying so. They were followed by 81.9 percent of those in their 40s, 74.4. percent of those in their 30s and

Social Affairs Oct. 14, 2024

The average price of bibimbap rose above 11,000 won ($8.10) in September, despite slowing inflation in food products in recent months, government data showed Monday. According to data from the Korea Consumer Agency, a bowl of bibimbap in Seoul cost 11,038 won on average in September, up slightly from 10,962 won the previous month. The bibimbap price has been on the upward trend since first surpassing the 10,000-won mark in January last year. Bibimbap and samgyetang were the only two dishes tha

Consumer Oct. 14, 2024

An 82-year-old man who served a seven-year prison term after being wrongly accused of being a North Korean spy will receive compensation from the state, over 50 years after the conviction. Seoul High Court on Oct. 4 ruled that Kim Sin-geun should get compensation worth 901.2 million won ($664,000) as "criminal compensation," after he was exonerated from the charges back in July. Kim, who was a Korea University graduate student in the 1960s, was accused of conducting espionage activit

Social Affairs Oct. 14, 2024

The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently gave awards to two Korean mothers who gave birth to 13 children, including the mother of actress Nam Bo-ra, who is well-known for being the oldest of her 13 siblings. Eom Gye-suk, 60, was given the Seongnyu Medal, the fifth grade of the Order of Civil Merit given to those to recognize contributions to the country and welfare of the people with their outstanding accomplishments in the field of politics, economics, society, education or academics. She ga

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2024

A government report showed Sunday that a local group of citizen-journalists has been fined in connection with its decision to publish the names of those who lost their lives in the October 2022 crowd crush in Itaewon without getting consent from the victims' bereaved families. Mindle News, an independent media outlet founded in 2022, was fined 3 million won ($2,200) in late July by the Personal Information Protection Commission for violating the Personal Information Act, according to PIPC

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2024

A local court said Sunday it ruled against a company that fired an employee for taking without permission five mugs and one calendar intended as promotional gifts for customers. Seoul Administrative Court has ruled against Porsche Korea's official dealer, Autostadt, who challenged the National Labor Relations Commission's ruling on its firing of the employee. The company had dismissed the employee -- who had worked there nine years -- in February last year, arguing that he had taken th

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2024

Local rescue authorities said passengers of a bus managed to rescue a person from a burning car, with one sustaining an injury in the process. According to the Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters, a sedan caught fire after colliding with a truck while backing up at the Goryeong junction in Goryeong-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, on the Gwangju-Daegu Expressway at around 9:13 a.m. on Oct.10. Passengers on a passing tour bus came over and pulled the driver out of the burning car, and one passenge

Social Affairs Oct. 13, 2024

As South Korea struggles with increasing reports of abuse against teachers, government data showed that a growing number of homeroom teachers are requesting to be replaced. In 2023, 124 homeroom teachers were replaced at their own request, which is more than double compared the 54 who were in 2020, according to Ministry of Education data submitted to Rep. Jeong Sung-kook of the ruling People Power Party. The figure has been rising for three years. It was 90 in 2021 and 118 in 2022, and 55 have

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2024