Despite the government's offer of an olive branch to end the monthslong medical standoff, only 2.7 percent of medical students were in attendance, as others carried on protesting the drastic hike in medical school admissions, government data showed Sunday. With no signs of the government and medical community backing down from the gridlock that has persisted since February, attendance figures remain alarmingly low. Out of 19,345 students enrolled at 40 medical schools nationwide, only 495 w

Social Affairs Aug. 4, 2024

The Health Ministry on Thursday said it would have hospitals roll out additional recruitment notices later this month for striking trainees protesting the drastic hike in medical school quotas as South Korea's health care is once again left in a void. Only 104 junior doctors -- 13 interns and 91 residents -- had applied as 126 local training hospitals sought to recruit 7,645 candidates -- 2,525 interns and 5,120 residents -- from July 22 until Wednesday afternoon, according to the Health Mi

Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2024

About two-thirds of young job seekers in South Korea said they had obtained beauty care to land a job, with many of them believing that physical appearance plays a key role in increasing their chances of being employed, a survey showed Monday. Local job platform Catch revealed the results of a survey it conducted with 1,455 young job seekers belonging to Generation Z -- adults born after the mid-1990s. According to the survey, some 66 percent of the respondents said they received care for their

Social Affairs July 30, 2024

With the job opening for junior doctors' September training closing Wednesday, the government once again urged them to return to patient care, as many striking trainees remain lukewarm about resuming their duties. During Tuesday's government response meeting, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong made the final plea to trainee doctors to apply for the post, asking them to "take courage" for patients waiting for them. "The government took appeasement steps by providing special co

Social Affairs July 30, 2024

The National Assembly confirmation hearing for Cho Ji-ho, the nominee for chief of South Korea's National Police Agency, got off to a rough start Monday, with the main opposition party criticizing him over several allegations, including claims that he had assigned his conscripted son to work at his workplace. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers confronted Cho on reports that he had used his position and power to give his eldest son special treatment for military servic

Social Affairs July 29, 2024

진행자: 박준희, Chelsea Proctor Price of stardom? 기사 요약: 공항에 우르르 몰려 사진 찍는 등 케이팝 아이돌의 일거수일투족을 쫒는 극성팬들 논란 [1] Behind K-pop's rapid growth and immense popularity, there is a persistent, chronic problem that follows fame: Stalkers, often called "sasaeng" in Korea. "I am not sasaeng. I am just a genuine fan who really loves NCT," said an 18-year-old girl who wished to remain anonymous. * Immense: 엄청난, 어마어마한 * Chronic: 만성적인 * Fame: 명성 * Genuine: 진실한, 진심 어린 [2] She claims that

Podcast July 29, 2024

The annual tuition to a private South Korean university last year was lower than that of pet daycare and English kindergarten, according to research published Tuesday. A report analyzing private education costs at different levels of schooling published by the Korean Association of Private University Presidents found the average annual school fee for private four-year colleges in 2023 was 7.32 million won ($5,283.67), or an average of 610,000 won per month. The cost of daycare facilities for pe

Social Affairs July 26, 2024

As the stalemate in South Korea's medical circle enters its sixth month following the government's announcement of a drastic hike in the medical school admissions quota, doctors nationwide once again suspended services on Friday, calling on the government to drop the plan. In the early morning, the emergency committees of medical professors at Kangwon National University and Chungbuk National University Hospitals, joined by trainee doctors, medical students and their parents, held a ra

Social Affairs July 26, 2024

Children who consume sweetened beverages before the age of 2 are more likely to develop ADHD later in life, according to a recent study. The incidence rate of the highly prevalent condition was 29.6 per 10,000 persons, while the corresponding figure was 23.8 for those who consumed fewer sugary drinks, according to joint study conducted by pediatrics professors Han Man-yong at CHA Bundang Medical Center and Kim Ju-hee at Kyung Hee University Medical Center. The report defined sweetened beverages

Social Affairs July 26, 2024

진행자: 박준희, Chelsea Proctor Byeon Woo-seok embroiled in controversy for overzealous security team 기사 요약: 해외 일정차 인천국제공항으로 출국하는 과정에서 과잉 경호를 받아 논란이 훱싸인 변우석 [1] Byeon Woo-seok has become embroiled in controversy over excessive measures taken by his security team against fans and other travelers at Incheon Airport. Police have said they are considering an investigation into whether the measures undertaken by the actor's private security were violent or constituted obstruction of business. * E

Podcast July 25, 2024

South Korea's largest doctors' group said Wednesday that it has decided to pull the plug on a joint committee launched last month to take unified action against the government's planned medical school expansion, after other groups called on it to disband. The Korean Medical Association issued a statement stating that the committee would cease operations after Friday, when its forum to discuss how to salvage the country's health care is scheduled to take place. "The decis

Social Affairs July 24, 2024

The government said Tuesday that it would roll out a blueprint for medical reform in late August, renewing its commitment to overhauling health care despite strong resistance from the medical circle. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong made the remarks during a government response meeting, highlighting that the medical reform committee launched in April has made tangible progress in tackling the problems of the country's medical system that have remained unsolved after 31 committee meetings with

Social Affairs July 23, 2024

Starting from Aug. 1, police will launch an intensive crackdown on drugs for three months, with their main focus on targeting drug use in clubs to combat narcotics circulation via entertainment venues. The Korean National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation on Monday said the action comes amid concerns that drugs could be widely distributed and used in clubs at popular vacation spots across the nation. Under the scheme, officials plan to intensify their efforts in collecting de

Social Affairs July 22, 2024

The South Korean military announced Sunday it has switched from rotational anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts to full-scale broadcasting, simultaneously blaring from all border speakers as of Sunday afternoon. The action comes in response to North Korea's continued launch of trash-laden balloons into South Korea, despite repeated warnings to stop, especially during the monsoon season. "As previously warned multiple times, our military will begin full-scale loudspeaker broadcasting t

North Korea July 21, 2024

Starting Monday, local training hospitals will begin posting job openings for junior doctors who will begin training in the second half of the year, and the registration for the state-run medical license test will open in the government's latest steps to fill the months-long medical void. The recruitment comes after 110 out of 151 medical institutions that hired junior doctors last week completed processing the resignations of 7,648 junior doctors who left their worksites in mid-February to

Social Affairs July 21, 2024