President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday vowed to address a health care service shortage in remote areas by empowering state-funded university hospitals outside of Seoul to improve the health care delivery system. While addressing the need to increase the number of doctors, the presidential office, however, did not announce a plan to increase the medical school quota amid opposition from doctors' advocacy groups. The government's rationale for expanding the medical school quota is that the

Social Affairs Oct. 19, 2023

President Yoon Suk Yeol has named Lee Jong-seok as the nominee for the President of the Constitutional Court of South Korea on Wednesday, according to Yoon's office. Lee is currently one of the nine justices at the Constitutional Court. He started his role there in 2018 and now has one year left in his term. Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki told reporters Wednesday that it had not yet been decided if the nomination of Lee means that his term as a justice would be extended. Both Yoon a

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2023

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday expressed regret over Japanese leaders' visit to the Yasukuni shrine, which Seoul sees as a symbol of Japan's military aggression during its 1910-45 colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula. The government urged Japanese leaders to "squarely face history" to break with militarism, which would mark a crucial step to pursuing the advancement of Seoul-Tokyo ties in the face of growing geopolitical uncertainties surrounding North Korea. "The go

Foreign Affairs Oct. 18, 2023

A total of 187 fatal occupational incidents involving E-9 foreign workers occurred during the period from 2021 until June, and only one company was banned from foreign hiring, data showed Tuesday. The company that was punished -- a marine industry employer -- received a three-year hiring ban as a result of criminal penalties, according to Labor Ministry data gathered by Rep. Lee Joo-hwan, a member of the ruling People Power Party. Of all 187 cases involving E-9 visa holders' occupational de

Social Affairs Oct. 17, 2023

Sophisticated rental housing scams in South Korea incurred over 510 billion won ($376.5 million) in damages from January to July this year, with less than 25 percent of the damages retrieved, data showed Monday. According to police data compiled by Rep. Jeon Bong-min, a lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party, the financial loss that 4,481 rental housing fraud victims across the nation suffered amounted to 510.5 billion won during the January-July period. The number of victims rose eightfold,

Social Affairs Oct. 16, 2023

The ruling People Power Party's Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon is facing setbacks, following a significant by-election defeat in Gangseo-gu, western Seoul, amid internal party turmoil with less than six months to go until the general election. Kim did not express his intention to step down from his position as the party chairman as of Sunday. Instead, Kim presided over an emergency party meeting Sunday, a day after he accepted the resignation of eight officials. The party's announcement ov

Politics Oct. 15, 2023

Imports of processed Japanese seafood and rice from regions near the disposal of the treated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant to Korea are being overlooked, opposition lawmakers said Thursday, as Seoul only bans fresh seafood from the affected regions. Koreans could still unknowingly consume processed seafood from Fukushima and seven other nearby prefectures, as such products do not fall under the ban on fresh seafood from those areas, and are not labeled what prefecture they

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2023

Minister of Patriots Park Min-shik asked the Gwangju city government Wednesday to suspend its plan to build a park in memory of a Korean Chinese composer who fought against the South during the Korean War. Park said the ministry would issue a correction order to stop Gwangju authorities commemorating Zheng Lucheng if the city government fails to abide by its recommendation. Zheng, more commonly known as Jeong Yul-seong in South Korea, not only composed the anthem of the Chinese People's Lib

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2023

A series of flare-ups gave rise to a political blame game at the South Korean National Assembly's audit sessions that kicked off Tuesday. The ruling People Power Party and main opposition Democratic Party of Korea bickered over the fallout from President Yoon Suk Yeol's controversial approval of a new defense minister and a leadership void in the judiciary system for the first time in 35 years. Also topping the agenda was Seoul's stance over the release of treated wastewater in ea

Politics Oct. 10, 2023

South Korea's parliament on Friday passed a bill that will allow law enforcement to release the mugshots of suspects arrested for serious crimes without their consent. The National Assembly voted 215-0 in favor of the bill. Eight abstained. The passage of the law will create legal grounds for the disclosure of an alleged offender's photograph as long as the picture is taken within 30 days of the date it is released to the public. The Justice Ministry said in a statement that citizens' right to k

Social Affairs Oct. 6, 2023

South Korea's top judiciary post is vacant for the first time in 35 years as the National Assembly, where the opposition holds the majority, voted down the nomination of Lee Gyun-yong for chief justice on Friday. The assembly voted 175-118 against the nomination of Lee as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Korea. Two lawmakers abstained. Lee's approval would have required 148 votes in favor, as 295 lawmakers were present at the plenary session. All 168 lawmakers of the main opposition Democra

Social Affairs Oct. 6, 2023

Crowd control measures and road closures can be expected in Seoul over the weekend as the capital gets ready for the 2023 Seoul International Fireworks Festival. Ahead of the festival, which is set to take place in Yeouido on Saturday, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered the government to execute detailed crowd control and put emergency medical arrangements in place near the site. Han said Thursday authorities must work to designate entrances and exits at the venue, set up barriers to dema

Social Affairs Oct. 6, 2023

South Korea and Japan restored vice-ministerial diplomatic channels for dialogue in Seoul on Thursday for the first time in nine years, in one of Seoul's latest gestures toward improving ties with Tokyo. South Korea's First Vice Minister of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Chang Ho-jin met with Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano in a closed-door meeting at 10 a.m. to seek ways for strategic cooperation, as the bilateral relationship is thawing, the government said in a state

Foreign Affairs Oct. 5, 2023

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday ordered South Korea's Cabinet to set up a pan-governmental task force to prevent "fake news" from "manipulating public opinion." The government, based on an estimate by the state-run media watchdog, the Korea Communications Commission, suspects that two foreign internet users left 20 million reactions cheering for the Chinese soccer team within a few hours on an online forum dedicated to the men's soccer match between South K

Politics Oct. 4, 2023

The basic subway fare in the Seoul metropolitan area is poised to rise 12 percent to 1,400 won ($1.03) from the current 1,250 won, according to the capital city's municipal government on Tuesday. Seoul's public transit authorities define the basic subway fare as the charge to adult holders of a transportation card traveling up to 10 kilometers on a single ride. An additional 100 won is charged for each additional 5 kilometers of travel on the transit system, which allows for travel of up to 200

Social Affairs Oct. 3, 2023