S. Korean teachers at high risk of mental health issues, survey finds

Nearly 4 in 10 teachers in South Korea are at high risk of depression, a recent survey by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) showed. The survey also showed that 1 in 6 experience suicidal thoughts, highlighting serious concerns about mental health among educators in the wake of recent suicides in the teaching community. Conducted jointly with Green Hospital in Seoul, the online survey ran Aug. 16-23 and involved 3,505 teaching staff across different grade levels. The survey in

Sept. 5, 2023

Is providing menstrual pads to female students unfair?

Controversy has erupted over an anonymous local university's welfare program that provides menstrual pads to female students with student association fees. On Monday, a user of the online forum wrote a post complaining, "At the university my friend attends, they provide menstrual pads to all female students once a month using student association fees." The user stated, "It's not limited to those in financial need; it's provided to all female students unconditionally

Sept. 5, 2023

'Unsecured CCTV Cameras' post fans privacy concerns

An account named "Unsecured CCTV Cameras" on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is raising concerns about the security of Internet Protocol cameras -- cameras that send image data via an IP network -- which have been sharing footage from security cameras. The "Unsecured CCTV Camera" account, active since 2021, posts screenshots from security camera footage worldwide, revealing the location of the camera based on its IP address. The spaces captured by the came

Sept. 5, 2023

Hidden underground space in Seoul unveiled after 40 years

An underground space located 13 meters below Seoul Plaza will be open to the public for the first time in 40 years, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday. The 335-meter-long underground space is located right above the tracks of the Line No. 2 subway and right below CitiStar Mall, the first underground mall built in 1967. It also lies in between City Hall Station on Lines No. 1 and 2, and Euljiro 1-ga Station on Line No. 2. For what purpose the underground space was built is still unkno

Sept. 5, 2023

At least 1 in 4 nurses exposed to workplace violence from doctors: survey

One in four nurses suffered physical or verbal violence from doctors in the last six months, a study showed Tuesday. The research team, led by Park Eun-jun, a nursing professor at Korea National Open University, recently published a paper on the theme of nurses’ experience of violence at work in the journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education. In the study, 71.1 percent of the 1,000 nurses who voluntarily participated in the study at 40 hospitals nationwide from Nov. 14 to Dec.

Sept. 5, 2023

Education minister withdraws discipline warning over strike

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said Tuesday that teachers who participated in a rally on Monday wouldn’t be punished, officially withdrawing his warning that such collective action “constitutes an illegal strike.” During his meeting with the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations and the Korean Federation of Teachers Unions, the minister announced that there wouldn’t be any disciplinary action taken against teachers and that he would listen to their voices rega

Sept. 5, 2023

S. Korea hit by unusual September tropical night

Seoul and Incheon were hit by an unusual "September tropical night" from late Monday to early Tuesday. It was the first such tropical night in September in 88 years, according to the weather agency, citing data. Tropical nights refer to hot evenings with the lowest temperature at over 25 degrees Celsius from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, temperatures remained above 25 degrees not only in Seoul and Incheon

Sept. 5, 2023

1 in 4 children in S. Korea unhappy: survey

One in every four children in South Korea said in a survey that they are unhappy, citing pressure to do well at school and family problems as the most prominent reasons. According to the poll conducted by the health ministry and the National Center for the Rights of the Child in 2022, 72.7 percent of those surveyed said they are either "somewhat happy" or "very happy," while 27.3 percent said they are "not very happy" or "not at all happy." The proportion

Sept. 5, 2023

Incumbent judge summarily indicted for sex trafficking

Prosecutors have summarily indicted an incumbent judge on charges of buying sex in broad daylight while on an official trip to Seoul, sources said Tuesday. The 42-year-old judge, identified by his surname Lee and serving at the district court in Ulsan, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is accused of paying 150,000 won ($113) to a woman he met through a dating app in exchange for sex at a hotel in Seoul's southern Gangnam district on June 22. In a disciplinary action, the Supreme Court had

Sept. 5, 2023

[Graphic News] 7 out of 10 S. Koreans oppose Fukushima water release

More than 7 out of every 10 South Koreans are opposed to Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, a public opinion poll showed. The survey conducted on 1,000 South Korean adults on Aug. 22-23 by Research View showed 72.4 percent objecting to the discharge, while 20.4 percent were in support. Two civic groups, the Asian Citizen's Center for Environment and Health and the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, commissioned and r

Sept. 5, 2023

1 patient dies in stabbing incident at hospital in southeastern county

CHILGOK -- A man reportedly suffering from mental illness stabbed another patient to death at a hospital in the southeastern county of Chilgok on Monday, police and fire authorities said. The 56-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene after attacking the victim in his 50s at the general hospital in Chilgok, near Daegu, around 3:41 p.m., they said. The suspect, who was also admitted at the hospital, reportedly suffers from mental illness. Police said they are investigating the exact cause behi

Sept. 4, 2023

Seoul to launch Han River water-bus service in 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Monday the inception of a new Han River water-bus service, slated to commence operations in September 2024. The city government signed a cooperation agreement with E-Land Group to operate the business, called "Hangang River Bus." According to the agreement, the water-bus service will operate a 30-minute water route from the Ara Han River Gabmun dock in Gaehwa-dong in Seoul's Gangseo-gu to Yeouido in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu. The s

Sept. 4, 2023

Rural S. Korea faces stark health care inequality: report

South Koreans living in rural areas have double the risk of delayed access to emergency health care compared to urban residents, highlighting the country's significant urban-rural disparity in crucial healthcare infrastructure, the National Medical Center reported on Sunday. The center’s 2022 public health report used four time frames to measure medical care access: 30, 60, 90 and 180 minutes. The shortest -- 30 minutes -- is associated with the time needed to access urgent care units

Sept. 4, 2023

Two men swept away in swimming accident, 1 dead, 1 missing

The authorities are searching for a man apparently swept away by the current in a fatal swimming accident in which another man drowned in North Chungcheong Province. According to the police and fire authorities, two men of Thai nationality in their 30s seem to have been swept away by the current in Cheongmicheon Stream, Jucheon-ri, Gamgok-myeon, Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province on Sunday at approximately 3:44 p.m. Police and fire authorities were dispatched to the scene after receiving a

Sept. 4, 2023

Classrooms close as teachers rally to demand more protection at work

Unleashing a wave of anger over a series of suicides, teachers took to the streets across the nation Monday in an unprecedented move, demanding immediate legal protections to reinstate their authority when dealing with unruly students and pushy parents. Holding pickets reading “A Day to Pause Public Education,” tens of thousands of teachers participated in rallies held in different locations across the country, leaving their classrooms behind despite governmental warnings of discipli

Sept. 4, 2023

Jeju loses grip on domestic visitors, hopes for Chinese return

Jeju, South Korea's southern resort island, saw a 16 percent drop in domestic tourist arrivals in the peak vacation season of July and August, data showed Monday. According to statistics provided by the Jeju Tourism Association, the volcanic island received some 2.13 million domestic tourists in the two-month period. That is about 397,000 less visits, compared to the previous year's figure of 2.53 million. Total tourist arrivals encompassing both domestic and foreign visitors came in a

Sept. 4, 2023

Man run over, dies after getting out of police vehicle

The death of a man in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, has sparked a row over police response, with the man having been killed after being brought under police custody. According to reports, the deceased, a man in his 20s, was killed after he was run over by a bus while lying on the road in the early hours of Aug. 13. According to Osan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on Monday, officers were dispatched to a restaurant in response to a report by the restaurant owner at 1:59 a.m. on Aug. 13. When two

Sept. 4, 2023

South Korean YouTubers' revenue surges, top earners dominate share

Revenue from South Korean YouTubers surged to 860 billion won ($650 million) in 2021, a tenfold increase compared to 2019, data from the National Tax Service showed on Sunday. The top 1 percent of YouTubers accounted for 25 percent of this total revenue, earning an average annual income of 713 million won, according to data. In the same year, the top 1 percent of all workers in South Korea had an average income of 417 million won. Apart from YouTube's expanding influence in the country, the

Sept. 4, 2023

Residents protest Seoul’s new waste incinerator site

With the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s final decision on Sangam-dong in western Seoul as the site of a new waste incineration plant, protests have been sparked among nearby residents for the second time since the city government’s initial announcement in August 2022. According to Yonhap News Agency, residents of Sangam-dong have been requesting the city government to release the full minutes of the meeting held regarding the decision to build the plant in the area since April. The

Sept. 3, 2023

What summer of stabbings means for South Korea

"Less-lethal" guns to be distributed to law enforcement. More security cameras to be installed in parks, streets and public spaces. More frequent police patrols. These are just some of the measures South Korea has recently announced, as it scrambles for solutions to respond to a spate of apparently unprovoked attacks on members of the public. “In order to deal with ‘don’t-ask-why crimes’ on the fundamental level, (the government) will restructure police (forces)

Sept. 3, 2023