Articles by Lee Jung-Youn
Lee Jung-Youn
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Gender Ministry back in firing line after Jamboree fiasco
The fate of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family appears uncertain, as it faces a state probe into its management of the World Scout Jamboree event, which concluded last week amid significant issues. The investigation could hold the ministry responsible for the inadequate preparation for the event, in which some participants left the campsite early, before an approaching typhoon cleared it entirely. The ministry's exposure to the debacle has already led to a revival in calls for its d
Politics Aug. 15, 2023
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Yoon pardons business tycoons to spur 'economic recovery'
President Yoon Suk Yeol carried out special presidential pardons on Monday for 2,176 individuals, including 12 prominent business tycoons, ahead of the Liberation Day holiday that falls on Aug. 15, on the premise of reviving the economy. The Ministry of Justice announced the special presidential pardons for recipients including businesspersons from smaller enterprises, business tycoons, politicians, corporate executives and prisoners who committed minor offenses out of economic distress. A total
Politics Aug. 14, 2023
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Aftermath of Jamboree: Political tug-of-war
As the curtains fell on the 25th World Scout Jamboree on Friday in Seoul, ending with a grand K-pop concert, the controversies surrounding the event are far from over. Mired in issues including a persistent heat wave, inadequate preparation and typhoon-related disruptions, the recently concluded Jamboree is now at the center of the political blame game. While politicians argue over who holds the responsibility, efforts from companies, religious organizations and local governments across the nati
Social Affairs Aug. 13, 2023
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Typhoon Khanun rampages through Korea
Typhoon Khanun made landfall on the Korean Peninsula Thursday morning, bringing heavy rain and strong winds across the country, leaving a trail of damage. A 67-year-old man was found dead in a stream in Daegu at around 12:33 p.m. Thursday, according to the Daegu Fire Department. Separately, at around 1:45 p.m., a man in his 60s in an electric wheelchair in Dalseong-gun, Daegu, was swept away by the current and reported missing. Police and fire authorities deployed 100 personnel to track down the
Social Affairs Aug. 10, 2023
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Typhoon Khanun to hit S. Korea; flights canceled, evacuations ordered
Fast-approaching Typhoon Khanun has thrown flights and ships into disarray on Wednesday as the national weather agency forecast a powerful storm that could become the first to traverse the entire Korean Peninsula from south to north since records began. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration on Wednesday, Typhoon Khanun had passed the sea southwest of Kyushu, Japan, and was 360 kilometers southeast of Seogwipo on Jeju Island at 9 a.m. Khanun was expected to move northward after pas
Social Affairs Aug. 9, 2023
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S. Korea on high alert as Typhoon Khanun approaches
South Korea was on high alert on Tuesday as a strong typhoon with heavy rain and wind gusts strong enough to derail a train are set to hit the country's southern region starting on Thursday, raising concerns over possible flooding, landslides and other damage. According to a briefing by the Korea Meteorological Administration on Tuesday morning, Typhoon Khanun will hit South Korean waters 30 kilometers west of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province at 9 a.m. on Thursday. About 24 hours later, at 9
Social Affairs Aug. 8, 2023
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[From the Scene] 'Things are improving, we're just enjoying the moment'
SAEMANGEUM, North Jeolla Province -- The heat has been troublesome for 15-year-old Swedish Scout David Yao and his teammates when they first entered the World Scout Jamboree in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, last week. But things are improving enough to continue their adventure, make friends with Scouts from global contingents and learn about different cultures, he said. “At first (the heat) was a shock to us because we are from Sweden. But we are getting used to it,” said Yao. &
Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2023
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Amid continued woes, Korea struggles to salvage Jamboree
Amid the consecutive withdrawals of several countries' delegations, the Jamboree Organizing Committee and the Korean government said they were urgently seeking to salvage the ongoing World Scout Jamboree, which has been plagued by weather-related safety and health issues, hygiene woes and the spread of COVID-19. A day after deciding to continue the 12-day event, the government said it mobilized all necessary forces to provide a better environment for participants still facing the scorching
Social Affairs Aug. 6, 2023
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80 Korean scouts to leave Jamboree over alleged sex crime
A group of 80 South Korean scouts and leaders said Sunday they were leaving the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree, claiming proper measures were not taken to protect teens after a man had walked into the women's showers. North Jeolla Province Scout Association with 80 participants at the jamboree, including 72 teenagers, announced that they would withdraw from the camp Sunday, after "a Thai scout leader came into the women's shower room on Wednesday." He said there were ab
Social Affairs Aug. 6, 2023
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Jamboree hit by heat, hygiene problems
The accumulated number of participants suffering from heat-related illnesses has reached over 1,000 since the World Scout Jamboree -- dubbed the “cultural Olympics for youth” -- kicked off on the reclaimed land of Saemangeum near Buan County, North Jeolla Province on Tuesday amid scorching weather, fire authorities said Thursday. While refusing to disclose the exact number, organizer of the Saemangeum Jamboree said there were over 108 scouts who suffered from heat-related illnesses a
Social Affairs Aug. 3, 2023
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Organizers say Jamboree is on safe track, despite complaints
Organizers of the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea said Wednesday the event that kicked off on Wednesday is on the safe track, as it resolved a flooding problem and improved the facility management after facing complaints over the matters. There were reports of international participants spending the night at the airport and temporary indoor facilities at the Jamboree site, as they were not able to set up tents on puddles of muddy water. The Jamboree venue is located on the reclaimed area of
Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2023
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Heat waves to last 12 times longer if emissions continue unabated
As scorching heat and tropical nights pose growing threats to public health and economic activities, a report suggested Wednesday that the number of days on which Korea suffered extreme heat stress would surge 12-fold if climate change continues. According to a report on the thermal stress index released by the the Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea's summer heat stress index from 1979 to 2014 averaged 28.1 degrees Celsius. But under a climate change scenario of extensive fossil fue
Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2023
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World Scout Jamboree kicks off in Saemangeum
World Scout Jamboree, the world's largest youth camping festival hosted by South Korea this year, on Tuesday brought together young adventurers from 159 countries to the reclaimed Saemangeum in North Jeolla Province. The World Scout Jamboree runs until Aug. 12 on the reclaimed area, which is three times the area of Yeouido, at 8.84 square kilometers. The event is attended by more than 30,000 teens aged 14 to 17, 3,496 adult leaders and 9,709 staffers. This is the first global scouting event
Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2023
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Civic groups say foreign nanny plan is ‘exploitation’
The Korean government said Monday that it will have about 100 foreign domestic helpers working in housework and child care at home in Seoul on a trial basis from as early as this year. The plan was immediately met with opposition from civic groups here, who called it “exploitation.” The Labor Ministry said at a public hearing that it would launch a pilot project to test out the foreign domestic helper system in Korean society, in order to respond to the demand for domestic care labor
Social Affairs July 31, 2023
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COVID-19 cases surge for 4 weeks in row amid eased restrictions
As the government gears up to lift the last of its COVID-19 restrictions, the nation is grappling with a surge of cases, recording the highest number of daily infections since half a year ago. According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on Sunday, the nation saw a 35.8 percent on-week increase in confirmed cases in the third week of July, the fourth such jump in as many weeks. In particular, the number of patients over 60 rose significantly, showing a 44 percent increase. On July 19,
Social Affairs July 30, 2023
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