The South Korean government has turned a blind eye towards a joint request by a group of a hundred children and teens here calling for the elimination of restaurants and cafes banning the entrance of children, a local news report revealed Thursday. A joint resolution calling for the riddance of so-called "no-kids zones," drafted last year by a hundred students aged 10 to 17 from across the country -- elected by their peers to represent them at a government-organized 20th National Child

Social Affairs Aug. 8, 2024

Seoul Cyber University, South Korea's first online university, is recruiting new students for the second half of the 2024 academic year in 43 majors across 11 colleges. Providing education tailored to social demands and trends by establishing and reorganizing departments and majors for the 2024 academic year, the university has created an artificial intelligence convergence college that includes majors such as AI service marketing, AI real estate big data, AI smart farm, AI creators and o

Social Affairs Aug. 7, 2024

Prosecutors recently arrested dozens of university students for the mass use and trafficking of illegal drugs within a social club comprising hundreds of members from 13 universities in the Seoul metropolitan area, raising a red flag in what was once known as a "drug-free country." The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office arrested four university students, including the club's president, and charged two others with violating drug laws on Monday. Eight college students

Social Affairs Aug. 6, 2024

진행자: 최정윤, Chelsea Proctor Internet drives K-pop stars to overwork [1] The punishing schedule and little rest that K-pop stars endure are not new. Big-name K-pop agencies have been consistently criticized for operating like factories in producing and managing artists. endure: 견디다 big-name: 일류의, 유명한 [2] Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of Hybe, the largest K-pop agency globally, acknowledged this issue in a CNN interview in March 2023. "It’s not a total urban legend. Of course, there was some

Podcast Aug. 5, 2024

Amid South Korea's growing demand for private education, the Ministry of Education said Monday it will conduct a special inspection on agencies that arrange or help students study abroad. The Ministry of Education will focus on false and exaggerated advertisements of such centers to put the brakes on sales methods that prompt advanced learning and promote private education from August to September, with the cooperation of the 17 provincial offices of education nationwide. The ministry will

Social Affairs Aug. 5, 2024

The number of schools with more than 30 percent of students from international backgrounds has sharply surged in the past five years, a recent study showed Friday. Research conducted by the Korean Educational Development Institute revealed Friday that multicultural students accounted for more than 30 percent of the student population at 350 elementary, middle and high schools in the country. This is equivalent to 2.96 percent of all such schools in Korea. The number of schools has increased by 4

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2024

South Korea is poised to announce compensation plans for dog meat sellers in September, in a follow-up to its passage of a bill in January banning the eating and selling of dog meat. The country seeks to end the centuries-old yet controversial practice amid growing support for animal welfare. "We will announce the basic plan in September after consulting with financial authorities," the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement Friday. "Nothing specific h

Social Affairs Aug. 2, 2024

South Korea's planned shutdown of coal-fired power plants to achieve carbon neutrality could exacerbate regional disparities, according to a new study by a national research institute on Thursday. In a report on the paradox of carbon neutrality, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlement, a think tank in the country, claimed that South Korea's coal phaseout will increase the Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, from the current level and widen economic disparities b

Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2024

진행자: 최정윤, Chelsea Proctor Korea to tackle wedding charges, housing regulations to boost birth rate 기사요약: 저출산 대응 방안으로 저출산고령사회위원회는 출산가구를 공공임대 우선공급 1순위로 지정하고 일명 "스드메" 거뿜도 빼는 방안 발표 [1] The government announced new measures to boost marriages for young people and support housing for families with children, as a follow-up measure after a "demographic national emergency" was declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol last month. boost: 신장시키다 declare: 선언하다 [2] Facing dire warnings that S

Podcast Aug. 1, 2024

Deepfake sex crimes using artificial intelligence are increasing on school grounds in South Korea, raising concerns over insufficient education and measures to prevent further damage. A student at an international school in Jeju English education city has been handed over to prosecutors for allegedly making sexually exploitative videos of his female student peers, according to the Seogwipo Police Department on Tuesday. The police also sent three of his classmates who watched the videos with him

Social Affairs July 31, 2024

The government announced new measures to boost marriages for young people and support housing for families with children, as a follow-up measure after a "demographic national emergency" was declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol last month. The Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy held its second meeting since its launch in June on Monday to review and accelerate the implementation of over 150 challenges and measures designated to address the aging society and low

Social Affairs July 29, 2024

Internet and smartphone use interferes with the lives of almost one out of five students in South Korea, recent data showed. A diagnostic survey on youth media use and habits conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed that over 221,000 youths have difficulty managing their daily lives due to uncontrolled use of the internet and smartphones in 2024, accounting for 18 percent of the total survey group. More than 1.2 million youths in the school transition period, such as those

Politics July 28, 2024

As the deadlock within South Korea's medical community extends into its sixth month, with no sign of trainee doctors returning to hospitals, the government is set to finalize a structural transformation plan by next month that will allow advanced general hospitals to operate without junior doctors. The government plans to transform advanced general hospitals, which have traditionally depended heavily on trainee doctors, into physician-centered institutions focused on critical and emergency

Social Affairs July 28, 2024

David Rew, a UK surgeon and academic publishing adviser, recently shared his journey from his school days at Christ College Brecon, to his esteemed career in medicine. In an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul, Rew recounted how his experiences at the historic Welsh school were instrumental in shaping his determination, compassion and leadership skills. David Rew has built his career as a surgeon in the UK since 1981. Despite partially retiring from surgery in 2023, Rew remains active in th

People July 15, 2024

One year after the mistreatment of teachers and the protection of their rights became a major social issue in the wake of the death of a young teacher in July last year, waves of tributes to the deceased have risen across South Korea this week, with many coming from other education workers. The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, one of the country's two major teachers' unions, set Monday to July 23 as a period of remembrance, bringing together online and offline spaces t

Social Affairs July 15, 2024