Twenty-eight-year-old Janell Ng from New Zealand, who is visiting Korea with her family, knows her priority. Their first stop is a hair salon in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where each family member hopes to experience a trendy Korean-style makeover. "It's our first time visiting Korea. We are here for a week, and the first thing on the itinerary is to get our hair done at a Korean hair salon," she said while having her hair permed at Suin Style Hair and Spa in Samseongdong, southern Seoul. The

weekender Sept. 14, 2024

Ahead of the massive exodus expected ahead of Chuseok, one of the biggest traditional holidays in South Korea, the amount of trash dumped on highways per day during the autumn holiday is found to be more than twice the average per day during the rest of the year, new research showed. According to data released by Democratic Party Rep. Min Hong-chul on Friday obtained from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, a total of 47,737 metric tons of garbage was collected from private and

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2024

South Korean military demolished more than 1,300 closed-circuit TV cameras that were installed in frontline barracks, after an inspection revealed that they were Chinese-made, and not domestic devices as previously thought. According to military authorities on Friday, a joint inspection with intelligence agencies in late July over the equipment delivered to the military confirmed that the cameras were made in China and had security issues. The cameras were revealed to be designed to send the cap

Defense Sept. 13, 2024

Amid a monthslong stalemate between the government and medical communities over the state's decision to increase the medical school enrollment quota, South Korea said it will inject about 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) by 2030 to improve medical education conditions. In line with the expansion of medical schools, the Ministry of Education and related ministries announced an investment plan Tuesday, including increasing the number of professors at national universities by 1,000 over three yea

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2024

South Korea and Kazakhstan launched the Global Education and Innovation Alliance to foster international partnerships in education and research. Lee Ju-ho, South Korea's deputy prime minister and minister of education, and Sayasat Nurbek, Kazakstan's minister of science and higher education, discussed possible educational cooperation while emphasizing Korkyt Ata University and SeoulTech's successful collaboration on the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Institute as a mo

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2024

Funding education is crucial in developing countries, particularly for those vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change. According to Charles North, Deputy CEO of the Global Partnership for Education, a World Bank-supported initiative focused on enhancing education in low-income nations, investing in education not only builds a future workforce but also strengthens communities' resilience and ability to recover and progress in the face of adversity, as evidenced by the experience

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2024

South Korea's science and technology university KAIST and New York University signed an agreement in Seoul to introduce a joint degree program in artificial intelligence on Monday. The agreement came after both universities shared a consensus that strengthening capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence and fostering global talent is an essential element that can contribute to the future development of society as a whole, beyond mere technical education, KAIST explained. The two u

Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2024

With families becoming increasingly diverse in South Korea, support for single-parent households will be expanded, including the introduction of a new budget to increase housing provisions and the amount of the advance payment system for child support. Next year's budget to support single-parent families will be 590.1 billion won ($440 million), an increase of 46 billion won or 8.5 percent from this year's budget, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Monday. To ea

Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2024

Patriarchal values lose hold: Korean fathers want to change but lack role models 진행자: 최정윤, Chelsea Proctor 기사요약: 한국 남성들이 “아빠”보다 “아버지”라 호칭하는 걸 선호하는 이유는? 엄마와는 둘이 시간을 보내도 아들과 아빠와 단 둘의 시간을 불편해하는 이유를 살펴봅니다 [1] Oh Yoon-suk, a 43-year-old office worker in Busan, addresses his father -- but not his mom -- using honorifics. “I call my mother ‘eomma,’ but with my father, it’s always been ‘abeoji,’” he explained. “Eomma” is a le

Podcast Sept. 9, 2024

The gender pay gap in South Korea among companies required to disclose such information -- those with total assets of more than 5 trillion won ($5 billion) in affiliated companies -- narrowed slightly to 26.3 percent last year, a report showed Friday. According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's gender pay gap research, the average pay of all 2,647 companies subject to disclosure, including listed companies and companies subject to external audit, was 98.57 million won for men

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2024

Amid growing concerns over Korea's low birth rate with the government grappling to tackle the demographic crisis, the proportion of men who took parental leave last year increased by fivefold from eight years ago, recent numbers show. According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's "Life of Men and Women through 2024 Statistics" on Thursday, men accounted for 28 percent of the 126,000 people accessing parental leave benefits last year, showing a significant improvem

Social Affairs Sept. 5, 2024

K-pop groups face dilemmas when confronted with political issues 진행자: 최정윤, Chelsea Proctor 기사 요약: JYP 엔터테인먼트 그룹 소속 Nmixx가 "독도는 우리땅" 노래를 불렀다가 일본 팬들에게 비난을 받고 있는데, 과연 아이돌들에 지리 정치학적 발언을 문제 삼는게 맞을까? [1] K-pop idols continue to grapple with navigating geopolitical controversies, as highlighted by a recent incident involving JYP Entertainment's K-pop group Nmixx. The group performed part of the “Dokdo is Our Land” song in a YouTube video on Aug. 22, sparking a heated dispute

Podcast Sept. 5, 2024

The number of foreign students enrolled in South Korean universities exceeded 200,000 this year, stepping closer to the government's goal of attracting 300,000 by 2028. The number of international students enrolled at colleges in 2024 is 208,962, a 25 percent increase from 2022, the year before the plan was implemented, according to the education ministry at a briefing on its Study Korea 300K Project. It follows separate Justice Ministry data, which measures by visa rather than enrollment,

Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2024

In a shift towards digitization, the traditional method of submitting a child's absence report by paper, a process familiar to countless South Korean parents, is soon to become a thing of the past. No longer will parents need to fold an absence note, and slip it into their child's backpack. Instead, parents will be able to submit these reports online, according to the Ministry of Education on Monday. Starting Monday, parents of elementary, middle and high school students across South K

Social Affairs Sept. 2, 2024

Contention over Korean history textbooks with the political left and right divided over perspectives on the past has sparked again, as the Education Ministry on Friday announced the results of a review of new textbooks to be used in schools next year under the new curriculum. A total of 681 textbooks have been approved to be introduced to schools in March next year. Among the history books, seven middle school and nine high school publishers received the government's seal of approval. Every

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2024