The revised enforcement decree of the Minimum Wage Act takes effect starting Tuesday, following its approval by the Cabinet on Monday. Amid a strong backlash from the business sector, the government decided to include hours of paid rest in working hours when calculating the minimum wage.The enforcement decree was revised in a bid to eliminate the confusion surrounding the definition of working hours, the Labor Ministry said. The government had planned to pass the decree Dec. 24, but its passage

Social Affairs Dec. 31, 2018

A person who illegally films or distributes sexually explicit content faces harsher punishment from this month, and online platforms must take measures to prevent the circulation of such content from next year, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday.According to the ministry, such changes will take effect following the National Assembly’s approval of revisions of four related laws aimed at cracking down on digital sex crimes.  (Ministry of Gender Equality and Family - Yonhap)I

Social Affairs Dec. 26, 2018

One summer night in 2016, David Kim and Danny Kim were drinking at a pub. Then college students, they were interning at an advertising company and music distribution company, respectively. Company life was draining. They didn’t feel like they were making something of themselves. After hours of complaining, there came the question: Why don’t we make something of our own?YouTube was booming, and so was K-pop. The two noticed a dearth of K-pop content produced by Koreans in English. A few days late

Performance Dec. 26, 2018

Legal hours of paid rest will be reflected in the calculation of minimum wage from 2019, the government said Monday. However, extra hours of paid rest designated by contracts between companies and labor unions will not be included in working hours when calculating the minimum wage.According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, a Cabinet meeting held Monday discussed the revised enforcement ordinance of the Minimum Wage Act. The enforcement ordinance centers on recognizing hours of paid rest

Social Affairs Dec. 24, 2018

Drug dealers who allegedly sold narcotics via a hidden online space using cryptocurrency have been apprehended, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Sunday. The prosecutors arrested nine dealers in their 20s and 30s, including the owner of the site. The suspect to whom the website is registered has been identified by the surname Shin. This is the first time in Korea an operator of a drug trafficking site on the darknet has been arrested and the website closed down by the prosecuti

Social Affairs Dec. 23, 2018

Korea and China will hold bilateral talks over environmental issues in January, the government said Sunday. The discussions are expected to center on reducing fine dust pollution, as Korea has been pushing policies to reduce hazardous particles coming from China.The Ministry of Environment said three meetings will take place in Seoul on Jan. 23 and 24, including the 23rd meeting of the Korea-China joint committee on environmental cooperation, senior-level talks and a meeting of the environmental

Social Affairs Dec. 23, 2018

The Gender Ministry will focus on boosting gender equality next year, along with supporting child care and protecting teenagers. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family briefed President Moon Jae-in on its 2019 policy plans at the Central Government Complex on Thursday. Gender Equality and Family Minister Jin Sun-mee, President Moon Jae-in and Rep. Hong Young-pyo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea attend a briefing at the Central Government Complex on Thursday (Yonhap)In 2019, the minist

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2018

About 100,000 taxi drivers will gather at Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday afternoon for a massive protest against Kakao’s carpool service, taxi unions said Wednesday. The drivers also warned that they might surround the National Assembly with their taxis. Amid the ongoing conflict between the taxi industry and Korea’s tech giant Kakao, taxi drivers have organized multiple protests urging the company to abandon its carpool business plans. The recent death of a 57-year-old taxi driver, who set himself on

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2018

South Korea will accept 56,000 foreign workers under the Employment Permit System in 2019, the same number as this year, in a bid to relieve a labor shortage in the country. The government decided on the job quotas Tuesday at a meeting chaired by Noh Hyeong-ouk of the Office for Government Policy Coordination. (Yonhap)Under the plan, Korea will accept 43,000 newcomers and 13,000 returnees -- 2,000 fewer newcomers than in 2018 and 2,000 more returnees. Under the EPS, a foreign worker can work in

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2018

A total of 131 sex offenders have been dismissed from facilities related to children, such as schools or hospitals, the government said Tuesday. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, inspecting over 300,000 facilities including schools, day care centers, kindergartens, study centers and hospitals, from July to September discovered 131 sex criminals working at 132 facilities. Among them, 45 were working at sports-related facilities, 26 in private education facilities and 21 in game-related

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2018

Sunchang County, North Jeolla Province, will grant 5 million won ($4,400) to newlyweds and 2 million won to college freshman residing in the region, the county office announced Tuesday. The welfare policy is part of the county’s efforts to promote marriage and childbirth in Sunchang. (Yonhap - Sunchang County)The marriage grant will be provided to a newlywed couple if the groom or bride has lived in Sunchang for more than one year before the marriage registration. The person must be under 39 yea

Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2018

Ten male students staying in rented lodgings in Gangeung, Gangwon Province, were found unconscious at around 1:14 p.m. on Tuesday. Three of the 10 were pronounced dead. Firefighters and police gather at a pension in the city of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Tuesday (Yonhap)According to fire authorities, the owner of the accommodations found the students lying in the living room and another room with foam coming from their mouths. The seven unconscious students were transferred to three area hospi

Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2018

The European Union requested formal consultations with the Korean government on labor issues Monday, urging Korea to ratify the International Labor Organization conventions.Under the EU-Korea free trade agreement implemented in 2011, both sides agreed to improve labor and environmental standards via a dispute settlement mechanism in the trade and sustainable development chapter. “As part of the agreement both sides made commitments on workers’ rights, but so far the actions taken by the Korean g

Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2018

The government on Monday announced measures to prevent accidents at coal power plants in the country, six days after an accident at Taean power plant claimed the life of a subcontracted worker. Past accidents at power plants will also be reviewed.The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a joint briefing on Monday and apologized for the death of Kim Yong-kyun, a 24-year-old subcontracted worker at the Taean thermal power plant.On Tuesday, Kim was fo

Social Affairs Dec. 17, 2018

The government on Friday announced four proposals on reforming the national pension scheme, mainly focused on maintaining a balance between reinforcing recipients’ benefits and securing the fund’s stability.The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s sudden announcement came amid concerns over fund shortfalls, as Korea’s declining birthrate and increasing life expectancy make for a society aging faster than ever. Under the current national pension system, the world’s third-largest fund could be deplete

Social Affairs Dec. 17, 2018