Travel, driving bans slapped on 157 who failed to pay child care costs

South Korean government recently enforced administrative punishments for 157 people accused of not paying child support, imposing travel bans, suspending driver's licenses and revealing the names and personal information of individuals online. In the latest decision made by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Friday, 157 individuals were subject to 195 penalties. This includes 132 travel bans, 59 suspended driver's licenses and four postings of the violators' names, addresses and owed

Feb. 23, 2025

8 in 10 Koreans support legalizing euthanasia: survey

More than 8 out of 10 South Koreans say the country should legalize physician-aided death of terminal patients, with over 90 percent saying that they are willing to discontinue life-sustaining treatment if they became terminally ill, a survey by a state-run health research institute revealed Sunday. The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs conducted a survey on 1,021 adults in April-May of last year on their perception of death, in which 82 percent of the respondents said the country sh

Feb. 23, 2025

Yoon, parliament prepare for final phase of impeachment trial

National Assembly to stress illegal nature of martial law, president maintains he acted within his rights With the 11th hearing of President Yoon Suk Yeok's impeachment trial set for Tuesday, both sides are gearing up for the statements justifying their respective claims on the South Korean leader's insurrection and power abuse charges. The legal representatives of the National Assembly — who passed the resolution for Yoon's impeachment in December — held a meeting Saturday to discuss their stra

Feb. 23, 2025

'Responsibility, communication among top qualities sought in new hires'

With new generation of workers, Korean employers prioritize personal qualities over credentials, survey finds A recent survey has revealed that over half of South Korean companies are shifting their focus when evaluating job candidates, placing greater emphasis on personal qualities like responsibility and communication skills, than traditional credentials. According to the survey conducted by job-search platform Saramin, 58 percent of responding companies said the qualities they prioritize when

Feb. 22, 2025

Long-term care spending for seniors doubles in last 5 years

South Korea in 2024 spent 14.76 trillion won ($10.27 billion) in state-provided long-term care benefits for those aged 65 and up, again marking an all-time high as the proportion of older residents in the country keeps climbing. The latest figure marked a substantial increase from the year before and was nearly double the 7.73 trillion won spent five years ago, according to the National Health Insurance Service data submitted to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the ruling People Power Party. The annual figure

Feb. 20, 2025

Teacher who killed 7-year-old 'laughed in ER': report

The elementary school teacher accused of stabbing a first grader to death had laughed while receiving emergency medical treatment after the incident, a local media outlet reported Wednesday. The suspect surnamed Myeong, 48, was brought to the emergency room of a university hospital in Daejeon at around 6:43 p.m. on Feb. 10, after Kim Ha-neul, 7, was found with fatal wounds at their elementary school. Myeong had also inflicted wounds on her own neck with the knife she apparently had used to stab

Feb. 20, 2025

'President will of course accept' results of impeachment trial: Yoon's lawyer

Yoon Suk Yeol's lawyer said Wednesday that the impeached president will accept the decision of the Constitutional Court of Korea, which is deliberating whether to confirm his impeachment over his botched declaration of martial law on Dec. 3. "The president will of course accept the results from the Constitutional Court. (...) We cannot consider the possibility of him refusing or being unable to accept (the trial's results)," Seok Dong-hyeon, who represents Yoon, told reporters in a press confere

Feb. 20, 2025

Teacher's attack on 7-year-old was premeditated: police

The elementary school teacher suspected of stabbing her student to death was found to have looked up murder articles in the past along with information about weaponry, police said Wednesday. Investigators of the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency said they have found what appears to be evidence of the suspect surnamed Myeong, 48, planning the attack. They have searched the suspect's phone, her personal computer and three computers that she used at school. "We've confirmed it was a premeditated c

Feb. 19, 2025

'Korean Stephen Hawkings' honored

A South Korean hospital said Wednesday it held the annual "Congratulations, Korean Hawkings," commemoration ceremony, dedicated to celebrating the academic accomplishments of patients with rare neuromuscular disorders. The event is named after the world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for most of his life. According to the Gangnam Severance Hospital, seven patients were honored at this year's event on Tuesday -- three who were accepted at univer

Feb. 19, 2025

College admissions offer cancelled in prank by classmate gone wrong

A 19-year-old who had gotten into Soongsil University had their admissions offer cancelled in a prank by a classmate from the same private education institute, or hagwon, a local news outlet reported Tuesday. According to the Yonhap News Agency, the student had received a text message from the university that the process of refunding their tuition had been completed, although the student had not asked for the refund. The student explained the situation to the school and reported to the police th

Feb. 19, 2025