ANSAN, Gyeonggi Province -- On April 16, 2014, 325 students and 14 teachers from Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province were aboard the Sewol ferry heading to Jeju Island for a field trip. Cho Mun-jeong was one of the students on the trip and was hoping to enjoy a brief reprieve from preparing for college entrance exams. After a loud "bang" echoed through the ferry, an announcement was made over the intercom, urging passengers not to move and to wait patiently for rescue. But C

Social Affairs April 15, 2024

ANSAN, Gyeonggi Province/JINDO, South Jeolla Province -- Time appears to stand still in a classroom in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The classroom is one of several replica classrooms built in memory of the students and teachers of Danwon High School who lost their lives on a school trip to Jeju Island on April 16, 2014, aboard the Sewol ferry. It is filled with the desks, chairs, blackboards, windows and doors used by the teachers and students before the ferry sank off Jindo in South Jeolla Provinc

Social Affairs April 15, 2024

North Korea has been intensifying high-level diplomatic exchanges with China and Russia, as evidenced by the visit of China's third-highest-ranking official to Pyongyang and the dispatch of ministers to Russia this week. China's No. 3 official, Zhao Leji, who arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday for a three-day visit to the neighboring country, met for a luncheon with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Sunday. Th

North Korea April 14, 2024

The medical standoff between the government and the medical community has impacted the nation's health care sector and been at the center of controversy since February. However, it was not generally included on campaign agendas, as rival parties feared triggering backlash due to the sensitivity surrounding the issue. Earlier in February, the government announced the state plan to boost the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 seats, claiming that it was to address a chronic shortage of

Politics April 10, 2024

The South Korean government announced on Tuesday that it would begin accepting applications from business owners that want to hire workers from 16 designated countries eligible for E-9 visas starting later this month. Owners of Korean restaurants, hotels and resorts, forestry and mining companies will now be able to apply for permission to employ workers from these countries, the government said. From April 22 to May 3, business owners can apply for permission to employ workers from the 16 count

Social Affairs April 2, 2024

Political rival parties escalated their campaigns for the April 10 general election on Sunday, particularly in the wider capital area, which constitutes about half of the 300 seats in the National Assembly and thus holds significant sway over the election outcome. Surrounded by cheering supporters, the leaders of the country's two major parties held rival events in Greater Seoul on Sunday. The move is aimed at winning voters in the capital area since the number of seats chosen by direct vot

Politics March 31, 2024

Unionized bus drivers in Seoul went on their first general strike in 12 years Thursday morning, but withdrew the protest later the same afternoon after reaching an agreement with the city over wages. At 3:20 p.m., the Seoul Metropolitan Government officially announced it had reached a new wage deal with the union and the Seoul Bus Transportation Business Association. According to the deal, the drivers will see a 4.48 percent wage increase and receive up to 650,000 won ($480) in holiday benefits.

Social Affairs March 28, 2024

Unionized Seoul bus drivers said Wednesday that they were planning to strike over pay starting Thursday, if no agreement was reached at last-minute negotiations with their employers. The Seoul Bus Labor Union, which has nearly 18,133 members across 61 companies, voted Tuesday on a plan to strike at 4 a.m. Thursday. According to the union, 16,317 members participated in the vote, and 16,046 of them voted in favor of the strike. The union, which is part of the Korean Automobile and Transport Worke

Social Affairs March 27, 2024

Unionized Seoul bus drivers could go on a general strike on Thursday, raising concerns over a major public transit disruption in the city. The Seoul Bus Labor Union, which has nearly 18,000 members at 65 companies, under the Korean Automobile and Transport Workers' Federation, said on Tuesday that it will begin the strike at 4 a.m. Thursday, pending a majority vote of the members on Tuesday. The union will sit with the city government for final negotiations on Wednesday afternoon and go o

Social Affairs March 26, 2024

A South Korean bank's refusal to open an account for a foreign national resident from a designated "high-risk country" is discriminatory, the country's human rights watchdog agency said Monday. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea's recommendation was made in response to a complaint lodged by the Korean spouse of a bank customer whose application to open an account was rejected on the grounds of their nationality. The bank said in August 2022 that because the re

Social Affairs March 25, 2024

South Korea's anti-corruption investigation agency on Friday announced its decision not to summon Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup for interrogation for a while. The decision comes amid escalating attention on the investigation into Lee, particularly regarding allegations of his unjust meddling in a military inquiry into the death of a young Marine on duty. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials said "the investigation team of the CIO is in the position that

Politics March 22, 2024

Cho Min, the daughter of disgraced former Justice Minister and current Korea Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk, was found guilty of university admission fraud Friday. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Cho to a fine of 10 million won ($7,500). She was indicted for document forgery and obstruction of business for allegedly collaborating with her mother to submit fabricated documents, including an admission form, a cover letter and a commendation letter, to Pusan National University's G

Social Affairs March 22, 2024

The International Labour Organization urged South Korea to resolve the ongoing dispute between the government and doctors through dialogue and refrain from violence or taking coercive measures, amid the continued standoff in the nation's health care sector. In a written response to The Korea Herald Wednesday night, the United Nations agency, whose goal is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labor standards, stressed that legislation allowing workers to be called

Social Affairs March 21, 2024

한국 정부가 전공의들에게 업무개시 명령을 내린 데 이어 형사처벌 가능성을 거론하는 가운데, 국제노동기구(ILO)는 "강제노동금지 예외 상황은 매우 제한적으로 적용돼야한다"며 원칙을 재강조했다. 20일 저녁 ILO는 코리아헤럴드에 '서면 답변'을 보내 현재 한국에서 벌어지고 있는 정부와 전공의 간 갈등 상황을 유의 깊게 바라보고 있다며 이 같이 밝혔다. ILO는 "우리는 개인이 ILO 측에 제기한 진술이나 불만 사항을 받아들이지 않는다"고 했다. 이는 앞서 대한전공의협의회가 한국 정부의 업무개시명령에 대해 ILO의 강제노동 금지 협약(제29호) 위반이라며 긴급개입을 요청한 데 대한 답변이다. 즉 전공의협의회는 요청 자격이 없어 긴급개입이 불가하며, 그 어떤 공식적 반응도 낼 수 없다는 것이다. ILO에 따르면 개입 요청 자격은 ILO의 노사정 구성원인 정부 또는 국내외 대표적인 노사단체에만 존재한다. ILO는 이를 강조하며 한국에서

한국어판 March 21, 2024

Raj, an Indian resident of South Korea for nine years, was shocked during a visit to Busan when a club bouncer bluntly informed him and his friends, "You cannot enter because you are Indian." Despite their objections, they were directed to a neighboring club, only to encounter a notice explicitly barring entry to Indian and Pakistani men. The incident gained widespread attention after Raj's video of the discriminatory notice went viral, courtesy of Indian YouTuber Nikita Thakur, w

Social Affairs March 20, 2024