Yellow and fine dust blanketed South Korea on Friday with a thick haze of pollution categorized as "very bad" in the central region of the country, prompting the state weather agency to issue advisories. Yellow dust advisories for the greater Seoul area, Gangwon and South Chungcheong provinces were raised to "caution," the second-lowest level in the government's four-stage crisis alert as of 8 a.m. Friday, according to the Ministry of Environment. A yellow dust warning i

Social Affairs March 29, 2024

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on Thursday said it will put more responsibility on non-custodial mothers and fathers to bear child-rearing expenses by having them pay the government directly for the expenses covered by the state in advance. Under the advance payment of child-rearing expenses system, the state pays unpaid child support to the custodial parent first and then collects the outstanding amount from the non-custodial parent later. As early as next year, the new single-paren

Social Affairs March 28, 2024

Freedom Speakers International, a Seoul-based NGO that supports North Korean refugees in South Korea, will hold its 19th English speech contest at Harvard University on April 13. Held two times every year since 2015, under the theme "I am from North Korea," this year's event marks the first time the contest takes place outside of South Korea. By holding the event at Harvard University, the organization hopes to help North Korean defectors improve their English speaking skills and

Social Affairs March 26, 2024

A group of Russian nationals received suspended prison sentences for pickpocketing passengers in Seoul's subways late last year, according to a local court. The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 17 handed down one-year sentences, suspended for two years, to three Russian nationals -- two men in their 40s and a 39-year-old woman. Over a period of nine days in November, the three pickpockets spent an average of five hours a day in Subway Line No. 3 and Line No. 9, where

Politics March 25, 2024

The ongoing conflict between the government and medical communities over a medical student quota expansion plan shows no signs of tempering, with both parties refusing to back down despite confusion spreading at hospitals across the country. Watchers say this week could be the peak of the conflict, as the Health Ministry begins from Tuesday to suspend the medical licenses of trainee doctors who have defied a return-to-work order. The government has sent prior notices of license suspension to som

Social Affairs March 24, 2024

Most Koreans support the establishment of an independent government agency for immigration services, despite worries among some Korean youths and low-earners that it will lead to competition with foreign workers for job opportunities, recent data showed. According to a public perception survey of 1,000 adults conducted by a private research firm on behalf of the Migration Research and Training Center, 68.6 percent of the respondents approved of the agency, while 15.2 percent said the agency was

Social Affairs March 21, 2024

Koreans are more open to accepting foreigners as members of their society compared with other social minority groups including sexual minorities and North Korean defectors, data by a state-affiliated think tank showed Tuesday. The Korea Institute of Public Administration's annual survey, conducted last year, measuring the social exclusion level of the Korean society involving 8,221 Korean citizens aged 19 or older showed that only 7.2 percent of the respondents were "unwilling to accep

Social Affairs March 19, 2024

Four out of 10 students in South Korea believe that reunification between the divided Koreas is no longer necessary, a government survey showed. The survey conducted in October last year by the Ministry of Unification involving 73,991 students aged 6 to 18 across the country comes amid escalating inter-Korean tensions. Pyongyang has conducted five rounds of cruise missile tests so far this year. Some 38.9 percent of the respondents responded that reunification is "not necessary," marki

North Korea March 18, 2024

Of the 2,000 new seats for medical schools being floated by the South Korean government, universities in provincial areas are to get 80 percent, with the rest for schools in Seoul and the vicinity, officials said Thursday, reaffirming the policy decision that has been facing fierce opposition from doctors since last month. According to the government, the plan is to develop competitiveness in regional universities by increasing the number of medical students at those schools with relatively few

Social Affairs March 14, 2024

South Korea's universities are witnessing a transformative shift in their cultural landscape, brought by a surge in the number of international students. Though the trend was stagnant during the pandemic era, the number of international students in Korea has steadily increased over the decades, amounting to 181,842 as of 2023. That is more than double the number 10 years ago (85,923), and 10 times more than in 2004 (16,832), when the Education Ministry began compiling related statistics. Th

Social Affairs March 13, 2024

The doctors' protest against the South Korean government's planned medical enrollment quota hike is taking a toll on medical school campuses as students are boycotting classes en masse. All 40 medical schools in the country have either postponed the opening of classes or are unable to hold lectures, as students refuse to attend classes, according to the Education Ministry. "Ten medical schools have been confirmed to be boycotting classes," the Ministry of Education remarked.

Social Affairs March 11, 2024

Amidst the South Korean government's move to boost the medical enrollment quota, a growing number of Koreans in their 20s to 50s are flocking to private academies in a determined bid to prepare for medical school applications, or what they are calling their "second chance" in life. Due to rising demands, private academies that help students prepare for the Korean college entrance exam, or Suneung, have recently opened late-night classes targeting those who already have careers but

Social Affairs March 10, 2024

Prosecutors have sought a five-year sentence for a man in his 20s who was arrested for attacking a woman he perceived to be a feminist "because she had short hair." In November last year, the man kicked and punched a female convenience store worker, saying, "Since you have short hair, you must be a feminist. I'm a male chauvinist, and I think feminists should be punished," according to police. He also assaulted another customer, in his 50s, who tried to intervene. At t

Social Affairs March 6, 2024

By Choi Jeong-yoon, Hwang Sung-chul In order to tackle the existing challenges of regional areas, the Ministry of Education, South Jeolla Province, Jeollanamdo and Gyeongsangbukdo Office of Education will host the first Korea Glocal Education Fair, hoping to present a new paradigm for sustainable, region-centered future education in the era of digital transformation. The event, which kicks off on May 29 and runs for five days at the Yeosu EXPO Center, aims to present a blueprint of "glocal

Social Affairs March 6, 2024

Several hospitals in South Korea made their way into a list of "best hospitals" around the world, all but one of which were located in the Greater Seoul region, drawing a contrast to several prestigious hospitals in Japan which were located in non-central areas. According to the list compiled by Newsweek, a global media organization, in partnership with Statista, 17 Korean hospitals were ranked in the top 250 hospitals worldwide. Among them, only one hospital came from outside the capi

Social Affairs March 5, 2024