Nearly 4 out of 10 young unemployed Koreans have been jobless for the last three years, highlighting an emerging issue in Korean society: a growing number of young people are giving up on job searching. According to data Statistics Korea released Sunday, 218,000 Koreans aged from 15 to 29 had not been employed for more than three years as of May 2023. Among them, 80,000 were those who spent time mostly at home without seeking employment or training and education for hiring opportunities, the age

Social Affairs Oct. 23, 2023

Protestors calling for the freedom of Palestine held rally in Seoul, Friday, urging Israel to stop bombing the Gaza strip and free the region. Progressive civic group Workers’ Solidarity and local Muslim group Kore de Islam denounced the Israeli attack on Gaza Strip. About 700 Civic group members, Palestinians and other supporters gathered around Itaewon Mosque and marched to Itaewon Station, chanting slogans "No to ground invasion," "Stop Israel bombing of Gaza," and &

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2023

An offline pitching contest for Southeast Asian startups, organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center to bolster early-stage startups in the region, came to an end Friday. Startups from Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Vietnam were recognized as winners. Thirty startups from a variety of sectors including artificial intelligence, e-commerce platforms, fintech, education and tourism were nominated by the 10 embassies from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Korea and the ASEAN Coordinating Commi

Social Affairs Oct. 20, 2023

Save the Children, an international children's rights non-governmental organization, launched a campaign urging South Korean politicians to require the birth registration of babies born to foreign nationals here. The campaign, titled “Here I Am: The Right to Be Registered, The Right to Exist,” is designed to raise awareness on the current status of foreign children who have not been formally registered in South Korea and the problems they face, according to the organization. Sin

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2023

A debate about the legality of disclosing the names of victims who perished in a crowd crush in Itaewon, a commercial district in central Seoul, has persisted for a year following the tragic incident, with authorities yet to reach a conclusion. The Personal Information Protection Commission has been looking into complaints that two online news outlets breached the law on personal information protection by disclosing the list of victims. On Nov. 14 last year, the progressive news sites Mindlenews

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2023

Supporters of Israel took to the streets in Seoul on Tuesday, urging Hamas militants to stop their killing of civilians, as war continues to escalate between the two sides. The Solidarity with Israel rally, hosted by the Korea-Israel Friendship Association and the Israel Forum civic groups, took place near the Gwanghwamun Station, in central Seoul, following two pro-Palestinian rallies last week. The rally was attended by Israeli Ambassador to Korea Akiva Tor, Korea-Israel Friendship Association

Social Affairs Oct. 17, 2023

The possibility of a strike became reality, as a majority of Seoul Metro union members voted for a strike plan to counter staff cuts, the collective negotiation team announced Monday. As Seoul Metro operates Seoul Subway Line Nos. 1 to 8 and a portion of Line No. 9, tensions are rising over the possible inconvenience to commuters. The collective negotiation team -- comprising representatives of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade U

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2023

Tensions are rising over the potential for a strike by Seoul Metro workers, as labor and management negotiations remain at an impasse. Voting on a November strike began Thursday, with results to be announced Monday. Earlier, Seoul Metro, which operates Seoul Subway Line Nos. 1 to 8 and partially operates Line No. 9, conducted 10 rounds of negotiations with a collective negotiating team representing workers, since the first meeting on July 11, but all discussions eventually collapsed. On Oct. 4,

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2023

Busan is hoping to use the momentum of the 2030 World Expo to become a key cultural hub in the region, touting many of its major cultural attractions. Busan has made steady efforts to develop the city's cultural appeal, moving away from the past when it focused more on the development of the logistics and shipbuilding industry. The city is one of Korea's most popular tourist destinations, attracting throngs of visitors with its beaches, skyscrapers and traditional markets. It also host

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2023

Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city and largest port city, which is competing to host the 2030 World Expo, is seeking innovative eco-friendly solutions against climate change. With the theme of the potential 2030 Busan World Expo set to be "Sustainable living with nature," the central government and Busan Metropolitan Government have expressed the ambition for a plastic-free, eco-friendly event. The venue of the 2030 Busan World Expo will be composed of eco-friendly elements

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2023

With only 48 days left before the vote to determine the venue for the 2030 World Expo, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo embarked on another last-minute trip to Europe last week to bolster South Korea's bid. According to his office, government and business leaders have traveled a total of 16,408,822 kilometers as of September -- equivalent to circling the globe 409 times -- in their efforts to promote the Busan Expo. The total number is the sum of the distance traveled by President

Politics Oct. 10, 2023

First lady Kim Keon Hee met with a small group of haenyeo -- female divers from Jeju Island who have traditionally harvested by hand mollusks and seaweed from the sea for a living – in Jongdal-li, Gujwa-eup, Jeju Island, Friday, and expressed respect and gratitude to them for maintaining the tradition despite difficult conditions. About 10 people attended the meeting, including some who have been diving in Jeju for decades and others who recently came to Jeju from Seoul to learn how to bec

Politics Oct. 6, 2023

Temperatures dropped sharply Friday, bringing frost for the first time this fall. Although temperatures have been colder than average for several days, the national weather agency predicted that warmer weather will continue over the weekend and next week. On Friday morning, colder air flowed from the northwest, lowering the morning temperature across the temperature to between 4 and 14 degrees Celsius, anywhere from 2 to 5 C lower than on the previous day. In particular, morning temperatures w

Social Affairs Oct. 6, 2023

With less than two months remaining before the final vote to decide the host city of the 2030 World Expo, the South Korean government, along with private and civic organizations, is making an last push to secure the global event for the city of Busan. During the United Nation's General Assembly last month, President Yoon Suk Yeol met over 30 leaders around the world to ask for their support in the upcoming final vote, at a summit room filled with brochures and hangers written "Busan Is

Politics Oct. 5, 2023

The number of patients with depression in Korea has increased by more than 30 percent over the past five years, exceeding the milestone of 1 million for 2022, data showed Tuesday. According to data that Rep. Nam In-soon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and the Health and Welfare Committee received from the National Health Insurance Service, the number of patients treated for depression has increased every year since 2018. From 752,976 in 2018, there were 799,011 in 2019, 832,378

Social Affairs Oct. 3, 2023