For Kim, a retired teacher in her late 60s, teaching was one of the greatest gifts of her life. Recalling students’ laughter and small parties in classrooms celebrating Teachers’ Day every year, she was a teacher who was revered and appreciated by both students and parents. However, when Kim visited a memorial altar for a Seoul elementary school teacher who took her own life on Sept. 4, she lamented at how different schools have become and how the teaching profession -- widely revere

Social Affairs Sept. 19, 2023

Prosecutors filed a request for an arrest warrant on Monday for actor Yoo Ah-in on charges of illegal drug use, four months after the court rejected the police’s request an initial warrant against him. The department investigating violent crimes under the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said it has requested the court issue an arrest warrant for the 37-year-old actor. Yoo, whose real name is Uhm Hong-sick, is suspected of breaching the country’s Narcotics Control Act

Social Affairs Sept. 18, 2023

Concerns are growing over the excessive consumption of caffeine among adolescents, according to a report on Sunday, citing a teen health study. According to last year’s “Youth Health Behavior Survey” conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on some 60,000 middle and high school students in 800 schools nationwide, 22.3 percent of the respondents answered “yes” when asked if they drink high-caffeine beverages more than three times a week. Some 26 p

Social Affairs Sept. 17, 2023

Private education spending among households with preschoolers or kindergarteners has increased by 38 percent in the last five years, a report showed Sunday. According to a report published by Kim Hye-ja, a researcher at the Korean Educational Development Institute, on the relationship between social awareness and educational expenses, the average spending on private education for preschoolers and kindergarteners jumped from 162,000 won ($121.71) in 2018 to 224,000 won in 2022, up 38.3 percent th

Social Affairs Sept. 17, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that it would update its subway map design to give riders a more comprehensive overview of the system. The city government claimed that foreigners in Korea often find the current map challenging to use and understand. The new subway map design will use a new layout that the city says will help riders understand multiple routes and transfer stations. The colors and patterns differentiating routes will also be upgraded, allowing travelers to navigat

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2023

South Korean entry-level public school teachers earn less money than their counterparts in most member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Education Ministry said Tuesday. According to the latest edition of the OECD report “Education at a Glance,” released and analyzed by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute, the average gross salary of entry-level teachers was $33,615 for elementary teachers and $33,67

Social Affairs Sept. 12, 2023

The Ministry of Education has set the goal of reducing household spending on private education by 6.9 percent to 24.2 trillion won ($18.15 billion) this year, from last year’s record high of 26 trillion won, according to a plan submitted to the National Assembly. “(The ministry) is currently making efforts to reduce (households’) expenses on private education, and such initiatives will be pushed ahead in the latter half of this year and the first half of this year. … The

Social Affairs Sept. 11, 2023

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon on Friday ordered the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office to ensure that teachers’ rights are “truly guaranteed” when the prosecution investigates cases related to teachers' guidance of students. The minister said the prosecution should “reflect the distinct characteristics of a school environment” and the “role of teachers in schools,” adding that the enforcement of criminal laws related to teachers and child abuse should be

Social Affairs Sept. 8, 2023

The incidence of depression in South Korean children has doubled in five years, and more than 800 elementary, middle and high school students here took their lives over the same period, data showed Thursday. According to data submitted to Rep. Kim Woni of the Democratic Party of Korea by the Education Ministry and the National Health Insurance Service, the number of children aged between 6 and 11 who were treated for depression surged 91.5 percent, from 1,849 in 2018 to 3,541 in 2022. Some 24,58

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2023

진행자: 박준희, Beth Eunhee Hong 1. Surveillance cameras in operating rooms to be mandatory from this month 기사 요약: 의료계 반발에 불구하고 수술실 CCTV 설치 의무화 됐다   [1] Hospitals will be required to install cameras in operating rooms and to video-record surgical procedures upon the request of patients or guardians from later this month, despite adamant opposition from doctors. * Install: (장비·가구를) 설치[설비]하다 * Surgical: 외과의, 수술의 * Surgical procedure: 수술 절차 * Upon the request of: ~의 요청으로 * Adamant: 단호한 [2]

Podcast Sept. 7, 2023

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said Tuesday that teachers who participated in a rally on Monday wouldn’t be punished, officially withdrawing his warning that such collective action “constitutes an illegal strike.” During his meeting with the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations and the Korean Federation of Teachers Unions, the minister announced that there wouldn’t be any disciplinary action taken against teachers and that he would listen to their voices rega

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2023

Unleashing a wave of anger over a series of suicides, teachers took to the streets across the nation Monday in an unprecedented move, demanding immediate legal protections to reinstate their authority when dealing with unruly students and pushy parents. Holding pickets reading “A Day to Pause Public Education,” tens of thousands of teachers participated in rallies held in different locations across the country, leaving their classrooms behind despite governmental warnings of discipli

Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2023

Teachers across the country are set to hold a de facto protest Monday to commemorate a 23-year-old teacher who took her own life in July, despite the government’s warnings of disciplinary actions. About 70,000 teachers are expected to participate in the “Sept. 4 Rally,” according to an online community of teachers, to demand better rights for teachers in the classroom. In contrast, the government has announced that 30 schools nationwide -- with Seoul having the highest number a

Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2023

Korea International School in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, said Sunday that it had tapped Cameron Fox, a seasoned educator with nearly 30 years of experience, as the school’s new director. According to the announcement, Fox will play a big role in pushing for better outstanding academic excellence of students and co-curricular programs that support high levels of student learning. “The KIS community will remain open and nimble to respond and adapt to the needs and growth of our school

Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2023

Youn Bit-na, CEO of Et demain, was surprised to see first lady Kim Keon Hee wearing a 280,000 won jacket from her brand for a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday. In a phone interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday, the designer said the first lady had purchased the garment in March this year when she visited a Korean fashion showroom at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul. The event was held to help promote and encourage budding designers and brands to expand their presence

Politics Aug. 31, 2023