Government should expand definition of family as Korea faces plummeting fertility rate

A fresh round of disputes is erupting over the legal definition of family in South Korea, as the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has suddenly ditched its plan to allow for more diverse forms of families. The ministry recently decided to withdraw its support for revising the Framework Act on Healthy Families aimed at expanding the legal definition of the family to include cohabiting couples, Rep. Chung Kyung-hee from the ruling People Power Party said Friday. It is regrettable that the min

Democratic Party pushes costly bill to return half of public transportation fees

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is pushing a bill to return half of bus and subway fares that the people will pay for five months from Aug. 1 to Dec. 31 this year. In a bid to ease the economic burden on the working class, the government and ruling People Power Party are considering increasing income tax deductions for public transportation expenses. Then the Democratic Party upped the ante by coming up with the cash handout bill Proposed by Kim Sung-whan, chief policymaker of the