South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality

Eleven gay and lesbian couples will attempt to register their marriages in South Korea on Friday, expecting to launch a legal process they hope will get the country to recognize marriage equality. The couples expect the local authorities will decline to register their marriages because South Korea does not currently recognize same-sex unions. They plan to file a lawsuit if they cannot register and, eventually, to force the constitutional court to give a ruling. One of the women planning to regis

Oct. 10, 2024

Global voices celebrate Hangeul at 1st Sejong Hangeul Olympiad

SEJONG -- Two events kicked off a new campaign this week to celebrate and elevate Hangeul, the Korean writing system and cornerstone of the nation’s culture, by cultivating legions of Hangeul ambassadors around the world. On Tuesday, the day before Hangeul Day, the inaugural Sejong Hangeul Olympiad brought together 105 contestants from 24 countries to showcase their Korean language skills. Designed to encourage Korean learning and reward exceptional learners, the competition, held in the

Oct. 10, 2024

Gyeonggi starts temperament tests on 'dangerous' dogs for ownership

Gyeonggi Province has initiated temperament tests for dogs with aggressive traits on Thursday, as part of the new ownership approval process aimed at enhancing public safety and promoting responsible ownership. According to provincial government officials, the province's initial evaluation Thursday includes only three dogs, but a total of 549 registered dangerous dogs must be assessed within the next two weeks, as the six-month deadline for obtaining ownership permission approaches on Oct

Oct. 10, 2024

Seoul unveils new perks for pregnant women

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday rolled out a package of benefits for pregnant women, a move to provide support for expectant mothers amid the city's record-low fertility rate. Effective immediately, pregnant women in the capital will enjoy priority access and discounts at various municipal facilities. The Gocheok Sky Dome and Jamsil Indoor Swimming Pool are offering a 50-percent discount on usage fees and sports lessons. The Seoul World Cup Stadium is waiving entrance fees fo

Oct. 10, 2024

‘Speak with confidence. Nobody laughs at your mistakes’

A trio of young language enthusiasts from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Morocco who met through a chat group, triumphed at the first Sejong Hangeul Olympiad on Tuesday where they demonstrated their exceptional Korean language skills. United as the team "Stars of Sejong," they won the grand prize in a competition that brought together 105 participants from 24 countries to celebrate Hangeul ahead of Hangeul Day. A total of 35 teams, each comprising three members, participated in the Hange

Oct. 10, 2024

Korean proficiency test to expand to more countries

The Ministry of Education on Thursday announced plans to double the number of internet-based sessions for the Test of Proficiency in Korean next year. Starting in 2025, 15 TOPIK sessions will be held annually. The new schedule will include six internet-based tests and six paper-based tests focusing on the listening, reading and writing sections, while the speaking section will be administered through three additional internet-based tests. This marks a significant increase in the frequency of int

Oct. 10, 2024

Side effects of growth hormone injections surge

The side effects of growth hormone injections, which are being used to increase the height of children, are on the rise, according to government data Thursday, in line with the increase in the number of adolescents receiving the injections. A total of 124,997 individuals aged 19 and under received growth hormone shots in the first half of this year, following 247,541 in the full year of 2023 and 190,001 in 2022, reflecting parents' passion for making their children grow taller. The figures

Oct. 10, 2024

Busan police part traffic to help pregnant woman to hospital

Police officers in Busan recently escorted a pregnant woman to a hospital to receive urgent medical care, officials revealed in a video posted Monday. In a video posted on the official YouTube page of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, a woman in her 30s parked her car in front of a patrol car and ran toward the officers at around 7:20 p.m. on Sept. 12. Senior Patrolman Gwon Jeong-hwan -- who was at the scene -- said the woman was in her 13th week of pregnancy, and that she told him she was

Oct. 10, 2024

Paju blaze kills woman, 6-year-old son rescued by neighbor

A blaze that occurred late Wednesday in a multiunit residential building in Paju, Gyeonggi Province left a woman in her 30s dead, while her six-year-old son was rescued by their neighbor. According to the Paju Police Station, the fire is believed to have started at around 11:30 p.m. at a unit on the first floor of the building. A neighbor saw smoke and helped bring the boy who was inside to safety, but was unable to rescue his mother. The child is currently being looked after by another family i

Oct. 10, 2024

Court to deliberate on issuing arrest warrants for Qoo10 CEO over massive payment delays

Qoo10 CEO Ku Young-bae attended a court hearing held on Thursday to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant on fraud and embezzlement charges related to his e-commerce group's large-scale payment delays to vendors. Ku appeared at the Seoul Central District Court for his hearing, which will be shortly followed by arrest warrant hearings for Ryu Kwang-jin and Ryu Hwa-hyun, CEOs of Qoo10's e-commerce subsidiaries TMON and WeMakePrice, over the massive insolvency incident Ku denied sp

Oct. 10, 2024

[Graphic News] First marriage age rises to 34 for men, 31.5 for women

The average age for first marriages in South Korea in 2023 reached 34.0 years for men and 31.5 years for women, marking increases of 0.3 years for men and 0.2 years for women compared to the previous year. According to a report from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, there were 149,000 first marriages last year, a significant 41.2 percent drop from the 254,600 recorded in 2010. The number of first marriages also fell by 1,300 compared to the 148,300 in 2022. Since 2010, the average ag

Oct. 10, 2024

More deaths in ICU following doctors' mass walkout: lawmaker

The number of intensive care unit patients who died between February and March, the month after medical residents and interns began to resign en masse, rose by 375 from a year earlier, a new report found. According to an analysis by Rep. Kim Yoon of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee based on data from the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a total of 3,548 ICU patients died in February 2024. That was equal to 12.4 percent of the 28,665 admitted. The m

Oct. 9, 2024

Patients opting to die with dignity on steady rise

The number of terminally ill patients in South Korea choosing to discontinue life-sustaining medical treatment has been steadily rising, surpassing 70,000 cases last year alone. According to data provided by Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, 77,720 patients chose to withdraw from life-prolonging medical interventions in 2023, reflecting a 46.6 percent increase over the past five years. The trend has shown consistent growth, with the number of patients o

Oct. 9, 2024

Bucheon hotel fire started from faulty AC unit wiring: police

The fatal hotel fire from August was found to be a man-made disaster, caused by the negligent management of firefighting equipment and poor electrical wiring, according to police officials on Tuesday. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency stated during its press briefing Tuesday that they have applied for a preliminary arrest warrant for four hotel authorities -- including the hotel owner, his daughter, the hotel operator and the hotel manager -- on charges of failing to fulfill their mana

Oct. 8, 2024

Taking away phones during school hours not a human rights violation: watchdog

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea ruled that taking away students’ mobile phones at high schools during school hours is not a violation of human rights, reversing its stance after 10 years. The decision was made Monday at a meeting where all 10 commissioners were present to deliberate on a petition filed by a high school student last year, according to local media. Eight commissioners voted to reject the petition, which claimed that the school’s policy on collecting mobil

Oct. 8, 2024

Less than 1% of illegal lottery websites blocked this year

Over 2,000 websites running illegal lotteries were reported to authorities this year, but only 0.9 percent of them have been blocked by the government, Ministry of Economy and Finance data showed Tuesday. Of the 2,838 websites reported, only 26 had blocked as of July, according to ministry data submitted to Rep. Jung Sung-ho of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Most of the reported cases -- 2,666 -- were still under deliberation by the Korea Communications Standards Commission. The

Oct. 8, 2024

Glass ceiling for women persists among top prosecutors: data

Despite a slight increase in the number of female prosecutors over the last four years, only one in 10 chief prosecutor-level officials in South Korea is a woman, data from the Ministry of Justice showed Tuesday. Of the 46 officials at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office level or higher as of September, just five were women, according to the data submitted to Rep. Park Jie-won of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. SPO-level prosecutors are the second highest rank in Korea's pro

Oct. 8, 2024

S. Korea sees hottest September on record: KMA

It’s official: South Korea recorded its hottest September on record this year, with the state weather agency recording the highest average temperature, the most heat wave days and most tropical nights last month. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea saw average temperatures reaching up to 24.7 degrees Celsius last month, the highest September average since weather records were first tracked nationwide in 1973. The previous highest September average was just last year

Oct. 8, 2024

Conscripting women to lead to 'more babies,' claims military think tank

The chief of a military think tank in South Korea has sparked controversy after suggesting that conscripting women into the military could boost marriage and fertility rates. Kim Hyung-chul, president of the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, a nonprofit public interest foundation under the Ministry of National Defense, talked about whether women should go to the military in an interview on the local YouTube channel, “Pen and Mike” on Sept. 23. “We have reached a point whe

Oct. 8, 2024

Surge in military enlistment among medical students

The number of medical students opting for military enlistment instead of continuing their medical studies has surged, surpassing 1,000, in response to the government's decision to expand medical school quotas, government data showed Tuesday. Data obtained by Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea from the Ministry of Education reveals that as of Aug. 23, military leave had been granted to 1,059 students from 37 of the nation's 40 medical schools. This exclude

Oct. 8, 2024