One of the soldiers mobilized during the martial law declared on Tuesday was seen apologizing to citizens, in a YouTube video posted by a local journalist early Wednesday. Heo Jae-hyeon, an investigative reporter, posted a video of the South Korean troops leaving the National Assembly in the early hours of Wednesday. One of the soldiers who crossed paths with Heo and others gathered at the building -- most of whom were there to protest President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law -- bowed his he

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2024

A photo of soldiers mobilized during martial law suggests that the military armed them with live ammunition, a local media outlet reported Wednesday. Kyunghang Shinmun revealed a photo, which it received from one of its readers, that showed Army soldiers sitting next to what appear to be boxes of live bullets at the National Assembly sometime between late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Another photo showed a soldier carrying what is believed to be a box of ammunition while entering the legislature

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2024

The notion that a democratic-era South Korean president would declare martial law in a non-combat situation would’ve appeared far-fetched even a day ago. But what had been dismissed by the presidential office as a cock-and-bull story to "shake the administration" became reality Tuesday night, as the country saw emergency martial law declared for the first time since the days of military dictatorship. Now some people are questioning whether members of the main opposition Democrati

Politics Dec. 4, 2024

Here are what some of South Korea’s prominent political figures had to say about Tuesday night’s martial law drama initiated by President Yoon Suk Yeol and ended by the National Assembly, controlled by Yoon's political foes. Han Dong-hoon, chair of the ruling People Power Party - "(Yoon) should immediately sack the minister of national defense, and hold liable anyone who is responsible." * The defense minister was identified as the key person who advised Yoon

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2024

A 16-year-old suffering from a brain hemorrhage stemming from a rare medical condition has died, after his surgery was delayed due to trouble finding an emergency room with the proper medical staff. Local broadcaster YTN reported Tuesday that the boy passed away recently, one week after he was hospitalized on Nov. 15. The boy had what is known as moyamoya disease, a chronic and progressive condition of the arteries in the brain which can lead to narrowing of blood vessels that can eventually cau

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2024

The state-run health insurance will fully subsidize the cost of Caesarean sections starting next year, the South Korean government said Tuesday. The revision of the Enforcement Decree of the National Health Insurance Act on full-coverage of the C-sections has been passed at the Cabinet meeting, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. At present the state insurance covers 95 percent of C-section costs, compared to 100 percent of natural births. With the final process of the legislation c

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2024

The National Assembly will review an open petition calling for the release of uncensored images of those suspected of violent crimes, after the petition received over 50,000 signatures on the online parliamentary petition page, making it eligible for official deliberation. According to the Assembly, the petition was forwarded to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Monday after it was signed by 54,244 people online from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1. A petition with over 50,000 signatures must be delib

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2024

An overwhelming majority of the suspects in sex crimes using deepfake technologies are teenagers, police data showed Tuesday. According to the National Police Agency, 80.8 percent of the 573 suspects caught this year were in their teens, as of Nov. 30. Of those, 94 were under the age of 14, who are immune from criminal punishment under the Article 9 of the Criminal Act. Eighty-seven suspects were in their 20s, 17 in their 30s, three in their 40s and three in their 50s. South Korean police on A

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2024

A late-night drive between two friends in a northern suburb of Seoul on Nov. 29 took a sinister turn, leaving one man hospitalized and the other under investigation for attempted murder. According to the Ilsan Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on Monday, an Uzbekistani man in his 20s is under investigation for allegedly attempting to murder a Kyrgyzstani man of the same age group. The two men were friends, both working in South Korea under valid work permits. According to investigators,

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2024

Chung Mong-gyu, the scandal-ridden president of the Korea Football Association, officially threw his hat into the ring Monday for a fourth term. The KFA said the 62-year-old on Monday morning registered as a candidate for the election slated for Jan. 8 of next year. This effectively suspended his duty as chief of the nation's highest soccer governing body, with the vice chair, Kim Jung-bae, becoming the acting chief until the election. Chung’s re-election bid is subject to an external

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2024

Government officials, fellow firefighters and the bereaved family of Im Seong-cheol attended a memorial for the late firefighter held on Jeju Island on Sunday, commemorating the one-year anniversary of his passing while rescuing an elderly couple in a fire. Im, who was 29, was dispatched with a firefighting crew to a fire at a factory in Pyoseon-myeon in Seogwipo city on the island on Dec. 1, 2023. After helping the elderly couple to safety, he was extinguishing the fire when the building coll

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2024

An 85-year-old former Army serviceman has sent a letter, along with an ax he used during his time in the military, to thank firefighters for their efforts in a fire last month in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Local media outlets reported Monday that Ansan Fire Station recently received the gifts from Heo Hyeong-rae, who had served as a noncommissioned officer of the South Korean Army for 35 years until being discharged as a sergeant major in 1996. "I'd like to thank the firefighters who pr

Social Affairs Dec. 2, 2024

Extending the legal retirement age from the current 60 to 65 could result in additional labor costs of over 30 trillion won ($21.39 billion) per year for local businesses, according to a report released Monday by a lobby group of local entrepreneurs. The Federation of Korean Industries' report estimated that in the first year of the new retirement age, companies across South Korea would have an additional 58,214 workers aged 60 to 64 on their payroll. This number of employees, who, under th

Economy Dec. 2, 2024

An increasing number of those working at elementary schools across the country are suffering from depression, as government data showed Thursday that 9,468 elementary school employees were treated for depression in 2023. According to the National Health Insurance Service data submitted to Rep. Jin Sun-mi of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the depression treatment rate for elementary school workers has been on the upward trend since 16.4 per 1,000 people in 2018, to 37.2 per 1,00

Social Affairs Nov. 30, 2024

An emergency rescue worker saved a truck driver from an 11-meter fall by holding onto the driver for 45 minutes with his bare hands, officials of the Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters said Thursday. The accident occurred Wednesday at around 9:29 a.m. on a bridge on a section of the Joongang Expressway in Poongsang-eup, Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. A truck slid on the snow-covered road and collided with the railings, the impact of which almost threw the driver in his 60s out of his seat a

Social Affairs Nov. 28, 2024