Number of deaths at emergency rooms falls despite doctors' walkout: gov't

The number of deaths at hospital emergency rooms declined during the first seven months of this year as fewer patients with mild cases visited ERs for treatment amid the prolonged walkout by trainee doctors, the health ministry said Wednesday. A total of 27,176 people died while receiving treatments at emergency care centers during the January-July period, down 3.4 percent from the previous year's 28,123, ministry official Jung Yoon-soon said in a press briefing. The decline was due to the

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

N. Korea appears to have discharged border dam water: environment ministry

North Korea appears to have discharged a "considerable" amount of water from the upstream of its dam near the inter-Korean border, Seoul's environment ministry said Wednesday. Satellite imagery taken at 3 p.m. showed the downstream of the Imjin River had significantly broadened in width, according to the ministry. The water level of South Korea's northernmost Pilseung Bridge on the Imjin River had reached 1 meter as of 5 p.m., up from 0.3 meter recorded three hours before. Th

North KoreaSept. 11, 2024

Paramedic scolded a patient for delaying ambulance with a shower. Here's what happened next.

A court on Wednesday overturned a reprimand issued to an Incheon firefighter paramedic for being “impolite” to a patient who kept an ambulance waiting to take a shower. The Incheon District Court ruled in favor of the firefighter, citing procedural irregularities in the disciplinary process. The court found that the employer had not given adequate notice or allowed the firefighter a proper opportunity to present his case. "Given the procedural irregularities, we are overturning

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Memorial ceremony for Sado miners to be held this year

The first-ever memorial ceremony for laborers in the Sado mines, a site associated with the forced labor of Koreans during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, will be held by the end of the year, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Wednesday. "The ceremony at the Sado mines will be held by the end of the year," Cho said during a parliamentary session held by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. "We are currently negotiating

PoliticsSept. 11, 2024

For Chuseok gifts, cash is king: survey

In preparation for the upcoming Chuseok holiday period, the autumnal break when South Koreans visit their parents, grandparents and hometowns bearing gifts, many are choosing the practical and direct option of giving money, according to a recent survey on Wednesday. A survey conducted by research firm PMI, which polled 3,000 Korean nationals aged 20 to 69 earlier this month, reveals that 53.9 percent of respondents prefer giving monetary gifts, either as cash or gift vouchers, to their family

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Ministry vows more green energy plans

Environment Minister Kim Wan-sup said Wednesday that the government would find more ways to switch to renewable energy sources instead of being content with a recent feat of reducing 4.4 percent of emissions last year. Kim’s recent remarks come after the Greenhouse Inventory and Research Center affiliated with the Environment Ministry announced Tuesday that Korea’s greenhouse gas emissions, calculated in CO2 equivalents, were estimated at 624.2 million tons in 2023, marking a second

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Harris and Trump spar over Kim Jong-un, alliances

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump traded sharp barbs on Tuesday, spotlighting their sharply contrasting views on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, treaty alliances and a host of pivotal foreign policy issues. The televised presidential debate, the first between these two candidates, continued past the original 90-minutes scheduled, notably sidestepping North Korea and rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, including Pyongyang's illicit nuclear buildup and it

Foreign AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Germany committed to security in Indo-pacific, says defense chief

German Chief of Defense Gen. Carsten Breuer, reaffirmed Germany’s military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, calling South Korea a crucial partner. “For four years now, we have increased our presence in the Indo-Pacific, and we will continue to consolidate our commitment," he said, adding that Germany’s naval and air forces were being deployed worldwide. “South Korea is once again part of our deployment,” he said appreciating South Korea as a crucial partner, an

Foreign AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Yoon touts S. Korea as cybersecurity drill hub

President Yoon Suk Yeol touted South Korea as an international hub for cybersecurity drill exercises, while attending the inaugural Cyber Summit Korea 2024 in Seoul on Wednesday. Yoon said in his congratulatory speech at the event held at Coex in Gangnam, southern Seoul, that South Korea's long exposure to constant cyberspace attacks by "hostile actors" including North Korea has allowed the country to hone its defense capabilities and cybersecurity system. "Totalitarian sta

PoliticsSept. 11, 2024

Professors uneasy about plan to share med school cadavers

The Korean government's plan to allow the transfer of donated cadavers between medical schools to cope with shortages and enhance the quality of education as it prepares for the first hike in medical school admissions in 27 years is facing ethical concerns. The Education Ministry on Tuesday said the government would push to make amendments to the law that would allow medical schools that are short of donated cadavers to receive them from other medical institutions if the donor or the bere

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

1,200 hospitals, 1,300 pharmacies to operate in Seoul during Chuseok

Amid concerns over medical staff shortages, the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday released a comprehensive plan to ensure emergency medical services remain fully operational during Chuseok holiday next week. During the holiday period from Sept. 14-18, an average of 1,184 clinics and 1,306 pharmacies will be operational each day in Seoul. The locations and medical services of these clinics have been carefully planned to ensure that they do not overlap across different areas of the city,

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Two Korean hikers die climbing Mont Blanc

The bodies of two South Korean hikers who had set out to climb the Alps' highest peak have been recovered, three days after they lost contact with the rest of their group, according to the Korean Embassy in France. French authorities found the bodies approximately 100 meters from the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe at 4,897 meters, around 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, local time. The bodies of two Italian hikers who had also gone missing were found alongside the deceased Ko

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Unseasonably hot weather continues; Seoul hit by latest tropical night on record

Summertime temperatures have persisted and likely will for some time, with the state-run weather agency projecting the current late heat wave to continue. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration's forecast, temperatures in Seoul may rise above 30 degrees Celsius into late September. The nation's capital also saw its first-ever heat wave advisory in September on Tuesday. Korea defines "heat wave days" as when the daily high is 33 degrees Celsius or higher. Seoul s

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

Defense chief says 'fundamental' solution to N. Korean threats lies on free, unified Korean Peninsula

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said Wednesday that the "fundamental" solution to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats lies in achieving a free and unified Korean Peninsula. He made the statement during the Seoul Defense Dialogue, an annual security forum in Seoul. Kim emphasized that "the fundamental solution to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and North Korean human rights issues lies in establishing a free and unified Korean Peninsula." He added that

North KoreaSept. 11, 2024

Prosecutors to finalize decision on first lady's luxury bag case after chief retires

Prosecutors are expected to finalize their decision on the luxury bag scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee after an independent investigation review panel examines the Korean American pastor who gifted the bag to her, sources said Wednesday. Legal sources said that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office has decided to finalize the results of its investigation into allegations that Kim illegally received a Dior handbag and other expensive gifts from the pastor in 2022 after the review

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

[Graphic News] Fruit leads as top Chuseok gift choice

A survey conducted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on "Chuseok Gift Purchase Intentions" among 1,000 consumers aged 20 and older revealed that 56.2 percent of respondents plan to spend a similar amount on gifts as last year, while 29.1 percent indicated they would spend more. Fruit emerged as the most preferred Chuseok gift, chosen by 43.8 percent of respondents across all age groups. Following fruit were health supplements (32.4 percent), meat (30.5 percent), processed

Social AffairsSept. 11, 2024

BTS' Suga summarily indicted over DUI offense

Prosecutors have summarily indicted Suga of K-pop superband BTS on charges of driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol, officials said Tuesday. Late at night on Aug. 6, police officers found Suga trying to get up after falling off his electric scooter under the influence of alcohol near his residence in the Hannam neighborhood of the Yongsan district. His blood alcohol concentration was measured at 0.227 percent, far exceeding the 0.08 percent threshold, which is subject to the

Social AffairsSept. 10, 2024

Korean teachers handling larger classes, but starting pay lags behind OECD average

South Korean teachers handle larger classes, but earn less compared with several of their counterparts in other members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Education Ministry said Tuesday. According to the latest edition of a government report analyzing the OECD's annual "Education at a Glance," the number of students per teacher in South Korea stood at 15.8 in elementary schools and 13.1 in middle schools, respectively, in 2022, which was higher than

Social AffairsSept. 10, 2024

Syphilis cases in S. Korea surge amid stricter reporting rules

Amid reports of a spike in syphilis infections in the US, Japan, and other countries, recent data shows that South Korea is also experiencing a similar rise in its own cases after reporting requirements were tightened. According to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, obtained and provided Tuesday by the Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Seo Mi-hwa, the country recorded 1,881 syphilis cases in the first eight months of this year. This figure represents a 4.5-fold increase

Social AffairsSept. 10, 2024

Battery factory safety measures proposed

The South Korean government announced a set of measures to prevent fires and explosions in battery production factories by proposing specific safety management standards for such factories on Tuesday. The recent set of measures comes after the fatal fire at a lithium battery plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, on June 24, which resulted in 23 deaths. Since the incident, a task force consisting of officials from the Ministry of Interior and Safety as well as other ministries and experts was for

Social AffairsSept. 10, 2024