[Graphic News] 6 in 10 office workers want 4-day workweek: survey

A recent survey shows that over 60 percent of South Korean office workers are in favor of introducing a four-day workweek. Commissioned by Rep. Park Hong-bae, a member of the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee, the survey was conducted by Global Research Aug. 1-9 and polled 1,000 office workers. The results indicate that 63.2 percent of respondents support introducing a 4-day workweek. Among the age groups, workers in their 20s showed the highest approval rate at 74.2 pe

Social AffairsOct. 1, 2024

Seoul mulls evacuation plan for S. Koreans in Lebanon as Mideast crisis deepens

The government discussed plans Monday for a potential emergency evacuation of South Korean nationals in Lebanon as the escalating conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is raising fears of a full-scale war in the region. The meeting, led by the Foreign Ministry, was the latest to be held to review contingency plans for South Korean citizens in Lebanon and nearby regions, following a serious of strikes by Israel on Lebanon that have killed dozens of people, including He

Foreign AffairsSept. 30, 2024

N. Korea removed as observer from Asia-Pacific anti-money laundering group

North Korea has been removed as an observer of a regional anti-money laundering group due to its lack of engagement and failure to fulfill obligations, South Korea's foreign ministry said Monday. The unanimous decision was made at the 26th general assembly of the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), held in the United Arab Emirates last Tuesday, the ministry said in a press release. The APG, formed in 1997, is an intergovernmental body committed to effectively implementing the inte

North KoreaSept. 30, 2024

Yoon calls for uncovering truth behind controversial appointment of natl. football coach

President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed the sports ministry to uncover the truth behind the appointment of the national football team's head coach and come up with measures to enhance transparency in the hiring process. Yoon made the call after Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yu In-chon briefed him on the ministry's probe into the Korea Football Association (KFA)'s controversial selection of Hong Myung-bo as the head coach of the South Korean men's squad in July, presidential

PoliticsSept. 30, 2024

Prosecutors demand 3-yr prison term for opposition leader over alleged perjury subornation

Prosecutors demanded Monday a three-year prison term for opposition leader Lee Jae-myung on charges of suborning a former mayoral secretary to make false court testimony in his favor in 2018. Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), was indicted last year on charges of demanding a secretary of former Seongnam Mayor Kim Byung-ryang to give false testimony in a 2018 election law violation case involving him. The court will deliver the verdict on Nov. 25. The case involves Lee'

PoliticsSept. 30, 2024

Court rules Itaewon tragedy was 'foreseeable'

A Seoul district court on Monday sentenced the former chief of the Yongsan Police Station to three years in prison without labor in a ruling that held, for the first time, the South Korean public office responsible for the deadly Halloween crowd crush on Oct. 29, 2022 in Itaewon, central Seoul. Delivering the ruling, the Seoul Western District Court said Lee Im-jae, the then-head of Yongsan Police Station, had failed to establish and implement a safety management plan to prevent the possibility

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2024

Man accused of faking subway theft to evade debt repayment

A man in his 20s was found to have made a false report claiming he was pickpocketed on the subway to delay repaying a debt, police said Sunday. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said they referred the case to the prosecution on Sept. 8, charging the man with obstruction of justice. On June 27, the man called police and falsely reported that his bag had been slashed on the subway and 7 million won ($5,365) in cash had been stolen. However, police later discovered through surveillance footage t

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2024

[Herald Interview] Thai envoy expects progress on immigration issues by year-end

The drop in Thai tourists to Korea as a result of tight screening and the large population of Thais working in Korea illegally should be addressed simultaneously, according to Tanee Sangrat, who began his mission as Thai ambassador to South Korea in April. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Sangrat said that for Korea to see a rebound in tourism from Thailand, some efforts were needed on his country’s part to reduce the number of Thais overstaying their visas. “We are doing our

Foreign AffairsSept. 30, 2024

Forum on Seoul income initiative to take place on Oct. 7

The Seoul city government will hold an international forum on its Stepping Stone Income welfare initiative at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Oct. 7, marking the program's third-year run. Under the theme, “Solutions for Alleviating Poverty and Income Disparity,” the city government said its forum would bring together experts in economics, social welfare and sociology to discuss the city’s income support system and its results. The city’s Stepping Stone Income, or Didimdol

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2024

Court upholds license suspension for doctor who reused needles

A doctor of traditional Korean medicine recently failed to overturn the suspension of his medical license for reusing disposable multineedles. The Seoul Administrative Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by the doctor, who sought to reverse the Health Ministry’s decision to suspend his license, according to media reports Monday. The doctor had his license suspended for one month by the ministry after it was discovered that he had reused sterilized disposable multineedles on 11 patients betwe

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2024

Twenty-somethings No. 1 in overdue phone bills: data

Of all age groups, those in their 20s have the highest total amount in overdue mobile bills, followed by those in their 30s, according to government data Monday. The Ministry of Science and ICT data, obtained by Rep. Park Chung-kwon of the ruling People Power Party, revealed that as of the end of July, overdue mobile phone payments for people in their 20s reached 5.82 billion won ($4,454,189), with 39,839 overdue cases. Twenty-somethings had the most cases and highest total overdue amount of all

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2024

Cabinet demands Assembly reconsider special counsel bill to probe first lady

The Cabinet passed a motion Monday demanding that the opposition-led National Assembly reconsider three contentious bills, including the one that mandates a special counsel investigation into several allegations against first lady Kim Keon Hee. The motion was passed during a morning Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, 11 days after the parliament passed the bills pushed through by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea amid a ruling party boycott. "We will d

PoliticsSept. 30, 2024

Seoul to hold grand military parade on Tuesday, disrupting major city routes

Seoul will host a large-scale military parade Tuesday in celebration of the 76th anniversary of the Korean Armed Forces, with tanks and infantry marching through some of the city’s busiest streets. The event is expected to cause significant traffic disruptions, as major roads will be closed throughout the day. People are advised to use public transportation and adjust travel plans to avoid delays. The march will begin at 1:40 p.m. from the Seoul Air Base, in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. In

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2024

At UN, South Korea ramps up bid to win over N. Korea's old friends

South Korea ramped up its diplomatic efforts to gain greater influence over North Korea’s traditional allies and old friends -- China, Cuba, and Iran -- with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul spearheading a series of high-level talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Central to the efforts was Cho's third face-to-face meeting of the year with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday, a meeting South Korea's Foreign Ministry described as part of &

Foreign AffairsSept. 30, 2024

South Korean portal selling sanctioned North Korean artwork: lawmaker

North Korean artwork subject to United Nations sanctions and restrictions under South Korean laws is being sold on a major South Korean portal site, according to Rep. Park Choong-kwon on Monday. Some dozen pieces of artwork produced by Mansudae, a North Korean state-sponsored art studio in Pyongyang, are on sale on Naver, the South Korean ruling party lawmaker said. He said the art studio, founded in the 1970s by then-North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, was placed under UN sanctions in 2017 for bei

PoliticsSept. 30, 2024

Stricter monitoring urged for physicians with mental illness

More than 6,000 physicians each year are diagnosed with mental illness, but the absence of oversight verifying whether the doctors are able to adequately provide treatment is stoking concerns. An average of 6,228 doctors per year were diagnosed with mental illnesses between 2019 and 2023 and performed an average of 27.99 million treatments and surgeries, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service's data on medical professionals diagnosed with mental illness, submitted to Rep. Choo

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2024

Strategic partnership inked with Slovakia

The leaders of South Korea and Slovakia agreed to elevate their ties by establishing the strategic partnership on Monday, at a summit held during the Slovak leader's visit to Seoul. Describing Slovakia as "an important European partner that shares common values in the face of the complex global crises," President Yoon Suk Yeol said during the summit in his office with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico in Seoul that the strengthened diplomatic engagement would allow the tw

PoliticsSept. 30, 2024

Lawmaker proposes ban on med school prep courses for young kids

In a move that highlights the seriousness of the country’s college admission competition, a South Korean lawmaker proposed Monday a ban on private academies tutoring elementary students for medical college admission. Announcing the submission to the National Assembly of the bill, Rep. Kang Kyung-sook said the law was failing to protect children from the unbridled growth of private tutoring academies, known as hagwon, that teach subjects like calculus as early as five years ahead of the pub

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2024

Telegram pledges zero tolerance for deepfake pornography: media regulator

South Korea's media regulator said Monday that Telegram has pledged to adopt a zero-tolerance policy and immediately remove deepfake pornography and other illegal content from its platform, in cooperation with local authorities. The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) said it had a face-to-face working-level meeting with Telegram on Friday, raising concerns over deepfake content involving doctored images of Korean women, which has surfaced on Telegram in recent months. In respo

Social AffairsSept. 30, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Real estate finance reform, industrial tech protection

Proposed bill: Real Estate Development Project Management Act Proposed by Rep. Kwon Young-jin (People Power Party) and Rep. Son Myoung-soo (Democratic Party of Korea) ● In the domestic market, real estate project financing is characterized by a low capital adequacy ratio and heavy reliance on third-party guarantees. As the volume of real estate PF increases, the need for systematic government management has become increasingly urgent. Therefore, this bill promotes the effective management of rea

PoliticsSept. 30, 2024