A total of nine people in Daegu have been diagnosed with measles as of Thursday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. To prevent the disease from spreading nationwide, the government plans carry out an epidemiological investigation while urging people to get vaccinated against measles. (Yonhap)According to the KCDC, the first patient was diagnosed with measles on Dec. 17 in Daegu. The disease soon spread among infants, young children and health care workers. Five of

Social Affairs Jan. 11, 2019

The Ahyeon redevelopment union, which is overseeing a controversial project in a neighborhood within the Mapo area of Seoul, has decided to compensate the mother of Park Jun-kyung, who took his own life after he and his mother were evicted from their home during the redevelopment process.According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday, the union and a committee consisting of evicted Ahyeon residents reached an agreement Wednesday. The agreement includes the union helping with Park’s f

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2019

Additional allegations of sexual abuse in Korea’s skating community were revealed as two more skaters came forward following Olympic short track gold medalist Shim Suk-hee’s claim against her former coach on Tuesday.The Young Skaters Association released a statement Wednesday claiming that there were more sexual abuse cases in Korea’s skating community yet to be disclosed.  The Young Skaters Association leader Yeo Jun-hyeong speaks at a press conference on Thursday. (Yonhap)“The association has

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2019

Olympic short track gold medalist Shim Suk-hee has sued her former coach Cho Jae-beom over alleged sexual assault, police said Tuesday. Cho, who has been serving jailed for committing violence toward short track speedskaters including Shim, denied the allegation. Short track skater Shim Suk-hee (Yonhap)According to Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Shim filed the complaint against Cho on Dec. 17, which includes the allegation that Cho had raped and sexually molested her since the summer o

Social Affairs Jan. 9, 2019

When Korea’s two major holidays approach every year, people get ready to take part in fierce competition for train tickets to their hometowns. On Tuesday, Korail opened ticket sales for the 2019 Lunar New Year holiday period, drawing mixed reactions from people who succeeded or failed to secure seats.People wait in a line to get train tickets for the Lunar New Year holiday on Tuesday morning at Seoul Station (Yonhap)For Lee Hyun-song, 26, originally from Busan, Tuesday morning was a nightmare.“M

Social Affairs Jan. 8, 2019

Postnatal care center workers who have or are suspected to have a disease that could infect others will be separated from the centers, the government said Monday.According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a revised Mother and Child Health Act passed the National Assembly at the end of 2018. If the revised act is proclaimed this month, it will enter into force starting from next year. (Yonhap)Under the revised act, postnatal care center workers must inform the owner of the center if they ar

Social Affairs Jan. 7, 2019

Koreans rate government officials negatively in their overall work, while officials evaluated themselves favorably, a recent survey showed Sunday.According to a survey of 700 citizens, 18,747 government officials, 112 retired government officials and 89 experts conducted by Korea Institute of Public Administration, only 38.4 percent of the citizens said the work ethic of officials had improved compared to the past. Among the officials polled, 80.3 percent responded positively to the question whi

Social Affairs Jan. 6, 2019

The government will expand financial support for couples who struggle with fertility problems, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Sunday.As part of efforts to lessen the financial burden on low-income couples seeking fertility treatment, the government has been offering financial aid since October 2017 under the National Health Insurance. Under the newly revised plan, couples who earn less than 5.12 million won ($4,584) a month, or the beneficiaries of medical aid, can receive up to 500,000

Social Affairs Jan. 6, 2019

A person who incites or encourages online another person to take their own life will soon face up to two years in prison.Under the revised Act on the Prevention of Suicide and the Creation of Culture of Respect for Life, due to take effect early July, a person who seeks out other people to die with, suggesting details on how to commit suicide or uploading content which encourages others to take their own lives, such as pictures, videos or texts, can be sentenced to a maximum of two years in pris

Social Affairs Jan. 6, 2019

Seoul Central District Court is reviewing a warrant for the continued detention of a man who stabbed his doctor to death Monday. A decision is expected Wednesday night. The 30-year-old patient, surnamed Park, allegedly wielded a knife at the psychiatrist at 5:44 p.m. Monday. The doctor, surnamed Lim, ran from the consultation room but was caught by the patient in the hallway and stabbed several times in the chest. Lim was rushed to the emergency room but was pronounced dead at around 7:30 p.m. o

Social Affairs Jan. 2, 2019

A forest fire that broke out in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, on Tuesday burned about 20 hectares of forest in two days, forcing the evacuation of 297 residents from the area. (Yonhap)The fire department and forestry authority dispatched 24 helicopters and 1,600 personnel to extinguish the fire. The major fire was put out at around 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, about 20 hours after it began. The authorities were working on extinguishing small flames and preventing additional fires on the same day. No casu

Social Affairs Jan. 2, 2019

Actress Lee Young-ae will join a consortium to take over South Korea’s first obstetrics-focused hospital, which is suffering financial difficulties as a result of the declining birth rate, local media outlets reported Tuesday.According to the report, Lee is planning to participate in a consortium that would take over the Cheil General Hospital & Women’s Healthcare Center. Lee reportedly delivered her twins at the hospital and continues to go there. After the birth of the twins, Lee donated 1.5 m

Social Affairs Jan. 1, 2019

Samsung tried to interfere with the activities of its labor union by creating a company union and by following union members and their families, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Tuesday.A total of 13 Samsung employees, including Kang Kyung-hoon, a vice president of Samsung Electronics Co., and executives of its subsidiary Samsung Everland, were indicted without detention on allegations of violating the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. (Yonhap)According to the pr

Social Affairs Jan. 1, 2019

YouTube is full of videos of cover songs, but not all amateur artists win over viewers. Coed duo Darlim&Hamabal however, was special from the start. When the two debuted on YouTube in December 2017, many saw their potential and predicted the duo would succeed.Darlim&Hamabal soon grew to become one of the most distinguished artists in Korea’s YouTube scene, garnering more than 184,000 viewers in a year. The team also made a name for itself among global music fans by singing J-pop and popular movi

Performance Dec. 31, 2018

Despite Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan’s apology for an inappropriate remark about people with disabilities, critics continue to call for his resignation.Incorporated Korea Family Association for the Mentally Disabled held a press conference Monday and urged Lee to step down from his position. “Lee’s remarks suggested that mentally disabled people are abnormal, and they are more pitiful than physically disabled people,” said Cho Sun-deuk, the chairman of the organization.“The remark shows

Social Affairs Dec. 31, 2018