Seoul city to beef up inspection in bedbug-prone residential areas

To tackle the hike in bedbug infestations in single-room residences, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that it would increase inspections of such homes as nearly half of all bedbug reports came from there. The plan comes after 39 reports out of 89 came from “goshiwon,” a type of budget accommodation consisting of one small studio room with no separate kitchen or bathroom. The city government will assign personnel dedicated to overseeing goshiwon in each autonomous distric

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2023

Disability rights group pauses subway protests in call for budget increase

A disability rights advocacy group said Friday it will temporarily halt subway protests, calling for budget increases to expand mobility rights for individuals with disabilities. The Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, one of South Korea's prominent disability rights groups, announced that instead of conducting its regular rush-hour subway protests, it will initiate daily silent protests at Line No. 4's Hyehwa Station starting from Monday. The temporary suspension will persis

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2023

S. Korea to expand telemedicine services in remote areas

South Korea is moving to permit telemedicine services for first-time patients residing in regions categorized as "medically vulnerable areas" during the nighttime and holidays, starting from mid-December, the Ministry of Welfare and Health announced Friday. The initiative aims to enhance patient accessibility to essential medical care, especially during emergencies. The temporary allowance of non-face-to-face medical services, commonly referred to as telemedicine, was first introduced

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2023

Two umbrella unions declare revenues for first time

South Korea’s two major umbrella labor organizations disclosed their revenues for the first time since their establishment, Thursday. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions announced an annual revenue of 39.25 billion won ($30.16 million) for 2022, according to the Labor Union Accounting Disclosure System administered by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. In detail, the FKTU revealed that 22.9 billion won was carried over from the previous year. They further said that 5.99 billion won ca

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2023

Yoon accepts broadcasting watchdog chief's resignation ahead of impeachment motion

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday granted his approval for the resignation offered by the state broadcasting watchdog chief, effectively derailing the main opposition party's plans to proceed with an impeachment motion originally scheduled for later in the day. Yoon's approval followed a surprising turn of events, when Korea Communications Commission Chairman Lee Dong-kwan reportedly submitted his resignation to Yoon late Thursday. "President Yoon has approved KCC Chairman Lee Don

PoliticsDec. 1, 2023

S. Korea, US, Japan, Australia jointly announce sanctions on NK

In an unprecedented move, South Korea, the United States, Australia and Japan collectively and consecutively declared the imposition of unilateral sanctions on North Korea on Thursday and Friday. The united front is a direct response to North Korea's launch of a purported "military reconnaissance satellite" on Nov. 21, highlighting the coordinated efforts of like-minded countries in the face of a notable absence of actions at the United Nations Security Council. South Korea has im

North KoreaDec. 1, 2023

Govt. rolls out measures to prevent public servants from livestreaming explicit content

Following back-to-back incidents of public servants illegally going on livestreaming platforms to create sexual content, the government has rolled out a set of guidelines for public officials’ duties to prevent such incidents from happening, according to reports on Friday. On Monday, the Ministry of Personnel Management reportedly distributed a document to all ministries on the ethical conduct of national public service officials and specified guidelines for public officials’ persona

Social AffairsDec. 1, 2023

Yoon sends condolences over Kissinger’s death

President Yoon Suk Yeol has conveyed a message of condolences following the passing of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the South Korean presidential office said on Friday. Yoon called Kissinger the "strategist and international political scholar who laid the foundation for US foreign policy, and I deeply appreciate his lifelong dedicated efforts toward global peace and freedom" in his message. "I cherish the memory of your unwavering support for the South Korea-US allia

Foreign AffairsDec. 1, 2023

N. Korean leader calls for increased combat posture

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called on the air force to enhance its combat posture to immediately respond to military threats by enemies, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday. Kim's remarks came amid fresh tension on the Korean Peninsula following the launch of a North Korean military spy satellite. South Korea partially suspended a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction deal in response to the satellite launch, condemned as a violation of U.N. Security Council resoluti

North KoreaDec. 1, 2023

US slaps additional sanctions against N. Korea in response to spy satellite launch

The United States on Thursday sanctioned a North Korean cyber espionage group and eight foreign-based agents of the reclusive regime in response to Pyongyang's spy satellite launch last week, the Department of Treasury said. The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control added to its sanctions list KIMSUKY, a cyber incursion group, and the individuals who facilitated sanctions evasion to support the North's weapons of mass destruction programs, the department said. OFAC enforce

North KoreaDec. 1, 2023

Extra Cabinet meeting set for Friday over veto against contentious bills

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will preside over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting this week over proposals requesting President Yoon Suk Yeol exercise his veto power against four contentious bills unilaterally passed by opposition parties earlier this month, his office said Thursday. The meeting, scheduled for Friday, is expected to handle the motions asking Yoon to reject a pro-labor bill, commonly known as the "yellow envelope bill," and three other bills on broadcasting laws. The &

PoliticsNov. 30, 2023

Disgraced Korean-American singer wins suit over visa denial

Korean American singer Steve Yoo, known here as Yoo Seung-jun, won the final trial that overturned the initial denial of his visa and passport issuance, according to legal professionals on Thursday. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the disgraced K-pop singer in his case against the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles, which turned down his request for an F-4 visa issuance, upholding an appellate court’s ruling. The Seoul High Court ruled in favor of Yoo in July. The court judg

Social AffairsNov. 30, 2023

S. Korea halts Panmunjom tour again over armed N. Korean troops in DMZ

A tour program to the truce village of Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border has been suspended again as safety concerns increased due to North Korean soldiers armed with pistols in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the unification ministry said Thursday. The government partially resumed the tour program on Nov. 22, after it had been halted since mid-July following US Army private Travis King crossing the border into North Korea. But the ministry said it has recently decid

North KoreaNov. 30, 2023

Adults arrested for proxy purchasing of cigarettes, receiving $3 from teens

A group of adults in their 20s and 30s have been arrested for purchasing cigarettes for teenagers for a commission. In South Korea, teenagers cannot purchase cigarettes under the Youth Protection Act, and the standard for teenagers under the Act is under the international age of 19. According to Jeju police, three suspects -- two in their 30s and one in his 20s -- have been referred to the prosecution. The three have no prior relationship and were caught committing the crime individually. They w

Social AffairsNov. 30, 2023

More elementary, middle school students want to be doctors because it 'pays well'

High income has become the top reason elementary and middle school students choose becoming a medical doctor as their desired career path, a study by a state-run research institute showed Thursday. The scholars at the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training analyzed government surveys on students across the country and compared the responses of students who said they hoped to become a doctor in the 2018 and 2022 reports. The data was from the joint annual survey conducte

Social AffairsNov. 30, 2023

Man stabs girlfriend while on trial for dating violence

A 30-something man currently on trial for physical abuse against his girlfriend has been nabbed for allegedly attacking the victim again, this time with a weapon. Ulsan Dongbu Police said Thursday that the suspect has been arrested after attacking the victim at around 12:30 a.m. at an apartment in Ulsan. The suspect fled the scene in a car after calling the police to report that he knocked her unconscious. Officials arrived on the scene to find the victim bleeding from her abdomen. She was taken

Social AffairsNov. 30, 2023

Labor Ministry to investigate alleged gender discrimination in hiring

South Korea's Labor Ministry will launch an investigation into workplaces suspected of screening out job applicants who graduated from women's universities, a ministry official said Thursday. The investigation plans have come after a post on anonymous online employee forum Blind went viral. “As a corporate recruiter, It's not like we exclude all women but if (the applicant) is from a women's college, we don't even read the resume," the author of the post, who

Social AffairsNov. 30, 2023

4.0 magnitude earthquake rattles Gyeongju, wakes Korea up

A 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit the southeastern city of Gyeongju at 4:55 a.m. on Thursday, the state weather agency said, prompting mobile phones across Korea to blare en masse from the emergency text alert. No damage has been reported as of Thursday afternoon. The second-strongest quake to hit Korea this year struck the historical city of Gyeongju, located 277 kilometers southeast of Seoul in the wee hours of the morning. The quake's depth was measured at a shallow 12 kilometers and it was

Social AffairsNov. 30, 2023

Pretty in Pink: Seoul chooses 'sky coral' as color of 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday chose “sky coral,” a color derived from the pink sky when the sun sets over the Han River, as the city's color next year, as part of its new annual initiative called “Color of Seoul.” Prior to developing the Color of Seoul, the city government analyzed places frequently visited by Seoul citizens and their key interests between 2022 and 2023 based on the 2022 Seoul Survey results and the 2022 Korea Tourism Data Lab resul

Social AffairsNov. 30, 2023

Man arrested for setting fire to co-worker's toe

A man in his 30s has been arrested for lighting fire to a piece of paper placed between the toes of a sleeping co-worker, as well as for filming and sharing about the action on social media, local news media reported Wednesday. The incident occurred on Oct. 12, when the suspect, who works at a bar located in Sangmu-Jigu in Gwangju, put a piece of tissue between his co-workers toes and lit it on fire. He then filmed the scene while sharing the video on his social media account, as well as in the

Social AffairsNov. 30, 2023