S. Korea to inject W10tr by 2027 to reorganize tertiary hospitals

South Korea will use 10 trillion won ($7.6 billion) of health insurance financial reserves by 2027 to reorganize tertiary hospitals to reduce nonessential medical care functions and enhance their critical care, the government unveiled Friday. Tertiary hospitals operate as general hospitals that provide highly specialized medical services for treating serious diseases under the Medical Services Act. The government will increase the proportion of severe medical treatment in tertiary hospitals from

Sept. 27, 2024

Four individuals face charges over illegal surrogacy 13 years ago

A surrogate mother, an infertile couple and a broker, have been sent to prosecution for indictment over an illegal surrogacy arrangement involving a payment of 50 million won ($37,890) from 13 years ago. The Gwangju Bukbu Police said Thursday that the surrogate mother, who is in her 30s, the couple in their 50s, and the surrogacy broker were referred to the prosecution without detention. The four are accused of violating South Korea’s Child Welfare Act. According to police, the surrogate m

Sept. 27, 2024

Man sentenced to 1 year, 8 months for stealing from elementary school classrooms

A man in his 50s was sentenced on Friday to one year and eight months in prison for breaking into elementary school classrooms and stealing cash and gift cards. The Daejeon District Court found the 56-year-old man guilty of theft, citing two separate incidents. The first occurred on April 17, when the man entered a classroom for first and second graders at an elementary school in Ulsan at approximately 2:15 p.m. He searched through lockers and wallets, stealing about 450,000 won ($340) in cash a

Sept. 27, 2024

Sales of ADHD medication disguised as 'smart drugs' skyrocket during test period

Illegal sales of prescription ADHD medication to students have been on the rise in South Korea recently, and government data Friday showed that such distribution soared before the crucial Suneung mock test. The local authorities spotted 669 cases of illegal sales of such medications to students from Aug. 4-14 in a special illegal drug distribution inspection targeting college applicants, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety data submitted to Rep. Han Ji-ah of the ruling People Pow

Sept. 27, 2024

More foreign nationals victim to occupational accidents

Government data showed Friday that the number of foreign workers victim to occupational accidents has increased every year since 2019, indicating that this year's figure could exceed the 10,000 mark for the first time ever. From January to August of this year, there were 6,715 reported cases of occupational accidents with foreign national victims here, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor data submitted to Rep. Kim Ui-sang of the ruling People Power Party. The figure rose eve

Sept. 27, 2024

7 out of 10 Korean children are short-sighted: data

Seven out of ten Korean children are found to be short-sighted as myopia among children is rising at an alarming rate worldwide, according to a recent study cited by the BBC. In the study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, a research team from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China, reviewed government data on over 5 million children and teenagers until June 2023 from 50 countries across Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Oceania. According to the researc

Sept. 27, 2024

Same-sex couple denied insurance clearance despite landmark ruling

A July ruling by the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are eligible to apply for spousal coverage under the state insurance program, but recent reports have shown that state insurance authorities are still refusing to accept such couples as eligible for spousal coverage. Multiple media outlets reported this week that the National Health Insurance Service has turned down requests from same-sex couples to receive spousal coverage. A notification on such rejection was revealed recently, dat

Sept. 27, 2024

'Forced shopping' present in tourist packages: Seoul

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday it has conducted secret inspections into recent allegations of forced shopping, with findings confirming that such practices exist on some level among tourism packages here. The city hired several foreign nationals to pose as tourists in seven low-priced package tours -- three that were sold in China and four sold in Vietnam -- to check the programs' quality. Most of the packages focused more on shopping than tourism, which the city government&#

Sept. 27, 2024

Only 143 juvenile sex offenders sent to youth correction centers in 2023: data

Only 143 out of about 3,000 juvenile offenders found guilty of sexual crimes last year were sent to youth correction facilities, with a majority of them getting lighter punishment, Supreme Court data showed Friday. According to the Supreme Court's 2024 judicial almanac, a total of 3,701 teenagers were tried for sexual offenses last year and 2,963 of them were found liable for their crimes and given "protective dispositions" designed for reformation. Of those found guilty, only 4.8

Sept. 27, 2024

Assembly passes bills to toughen punishment for deepfake sex crimes

The National Assembly on Thursday passed a total of 70 bipartisan bills, including legislation that imposes stricter punishments on people who possess and view deepfake pornography knowingly. The revision to the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, Etc. of Sexual Crimes, seeks to penalize those who possess, purchase, store or view deepfake porn content with up to three years in jail or a fine of up to 30 million won ($22,500). After debate, lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party

Sept. 26, 2024

Host of Miss Korea apologizes for 'inappropriate question' about deepfake

The host company of the 68th annual Miss Korea competition issued an official apology Thursday, concerning a question for the finalists about videos using deepfake technology. During this year's event in Seoul on Tuesday, 15 finalists had to answer various pre-prepared questions. One of the questions was, "If the image of myself in a deepfake video looks more attractive (than myself), how could I reduce the gap (between the image) and my actual self?" "It was wrong for us as

Sept. 26, 2024

Boy's emergency medical treatment delayed 2 hours due to staff shortage

Emergency rescue operators in Busan said Thursday that an ambulance carrying a middle school student had been turned away from multiple hospitals due to a lack of medical staff, causing a delay of treatment for the boy. The mother of the 15-year-old living in Busan called the 119 emergency service when her son suffered what turned out to be acute appendicitis at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, according to the Busan Metropolitan City Fire and Disaster Headquarters. But the university hospital that

Sept. 26, 2024

'Shaman says president will die,' caller warns

The South Korean police said Thursday it is investigating a man who called a ruling party lawmaker's office to say President Yoon Suk Yeol will die on Oct. 26. It was revealed that the man had said so based on a prophecy made by a local shaman. The man called the office of Rep. Ihn Yo-han of the ruling People Power Party Wednesday afternoon, saying, "The president will pass away on Oct. 26, so they should reinforce protection for him," according to Seoul Yeongdeungpo Police Stat

Sept. 26, 2024

Seoul wins WHO award for age-friendly policies

Seoul has received an award from the World Health Organization for its policies dedicated to improving the management of senior health in the city, the city government said Thursday. Presented at the 10th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul from Wednesday to Friday, the Healthy Cities Recognition Award for Age-Friendly Cities highlights Seoul's commitment to promoting the health and well-being of its aging population, according to city of

Sept. 26, 2024

Bus driver helps wheelchair user stranded in crosswalk

South Korean internet circles have been buzzing over a heartwarming tale of a bus driver who rushed to help a man in a wheelchair stranded in the middle of a crosswalk on a rainy night. Several citizens during the Chuseok holidays posted online compliments about the driver of Seoul bus No. 470 for his actions in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, at around 9:40 p.m. on Sept.13. A man on a self-propelled wheelchair was wheeling himself across the crosswalk when the light changed and he was barely halfw

Sept. 26, 2024

University student council catches suspect in knife attack threat

After police caught a man who warned of a knife attack at the Kangwon National University festival on Tuesday, it was revealed that members of the school's student council had played a crucial role in apprehending the suspect. The suspect -- who was revealed to be a 21-year-old student of the school -- posted on his Instagram page at 6:50 p.m. Tuesday that he would attack those at the student-run bar at the festival on the university's main campus in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. He w

Sept. 26, 2024

[Contribution] Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence

This year Turkmenistan celebrates the 33rd anniversary of its Independence and marks the 32nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea. Thirty-three years ago, the Constitutional Act on the independence and state structure of Turkmenistan was adopted, according to which Turkmenistan was proclaimed as an independent democratic state. From the date of its independence, under the wise leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan has confiden

Sept. 26, 2024

OECD cuts S. Korea's 2024 growth outlook to 2.5 pct

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) slashed the growth outlook for the South Korean economy to 2.5 percent this year, Seoul's finance ministry said Wednesday. The latest figure marked a 0.1 percentage point fall from its projection presented in May and is on a par with the forecasts by the International Monetary Fund. The South Korean government expected a 2.6 percent expansion, and the Bank of Korea (BOK) forecast a 2.4 percent growth this year. "Growth is

Sept. 25, 2024

Wild boars killed as over 20 spotted around rural village

Around 20 wild boars unsettled a hillside village in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, prompting a hunt that resulted in the killing of three boars by Wednesday noon, authorities said. According to Chungcheongnam-do Fire Headquarters, the initial report was made to the 119 emergency operations center at 8:05 a.m., alerting them to the sighting of dozens of wild boars rushing down from the mountain in Unjeong-ri, Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province. The call prompted the immediate dispatch

Sept. 25, 2024

Herald to host 1st Hangeul Olympiad

To celebrate Hangeul Day, which commemorates the invention and proclamation of the Korean alphabet, the 1st Sejong Hangeul Olympiad and 2024 Hangeul Run will take place Oct. 8-9 in Sejong Special Self-governing City. The two-day event is co-organized by Sejong City, the Sejong Culture and Tourism Foundation and Herald Media Group, publisher of The Korea Herald. As a Korean-language proficiency competition for learners, the Hangeul Olympiad will take place at the Government Complex Sejong Conve

Sept. 25, 2024