The Labor Ministry briefed President Moon Jae-in on its 2019 policy plans Tuesday, mainly focusing on increasing support for unemployed people and the working poor.The briefing took place at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong.Among the goals for 2019 are strengthening of the employment safety net, eradicating workplace abuses and settling the minimum wage and shorter workweek. (Yonhap)By 2020, the ministry said it plans to provide 500,000 won ($442) in aid for up to six

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2018

Korea Railroad Corp. CEO Oh Young-sik resigned Tuesday, taking responsibility for the recent series of train accidents. “I’ve emphasized the importance of train safety since I took the post in February, but I failed to keep my word as train accidents continued to occur,” Oh said.Oh added that the recent KTX derailment accident was caused partly by the problems that Korail currently faces, including the massive reduction of its labor force, privatization and separation of infrastructure and opera

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2018

The investigations and trial records of the Federation of Democratic Young Students affair in 1974 are set to be revealed more than 40 years after the incident took place.National Archives of Korea on Monday announced that it received the records from the Ministry of National Defense in November. A total of 105 volumes, about 77,000 pages, of records include investigation reports, evidence, arrest warrants, written arraignments and trial reports of 180 people involved in the affair. Records of f

Social Affairs Dec. 10, 2018

The Korea Railroad Corp. resumed normal operations of the KTX Gangneung Line on Monday morning, as work to restore the line was completed three days after a derailment. According to Korail, a KTX train bound for Seoul from Gangneung Station departed at 5:30 a.m. with 102 passengers. The train safely arrived at Cheongnyangni station. A KTX train bound for Seoul from Gangneung Station (Yonhap)Ahead of the departure, Korail operated test rides from Gangneung Station and Jinbu Station simultaneously

Social Affairs Dec. 10, 2018

A railroad switch system error likely caused the recent derailment of a KTX train, a joint team of the Transport Ministry and Korail officials said Sunday.The tentative conclusion came after the team inspected the derailment site Saturday. According to the authorities, the Korail control center detected an error in the railroad switch system around the South Gangneung intersection at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, soon before the derailment took place.A Seoul-bound KTX bullet train derails shortly after de

Social Affairs Dec. 9, 2018

Former Gwangju Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun, who allegedly had engaged in a fake ex-first lady scam, arrived in Korea early Sunday morning for a prosecution investigation. Prosecutors seized Yoon’s mobile phone at the airport and ordered him to appear for questioning Monday morning.Yoon had been in Nepal for a medical volunteer program since Nov. 16. The program ended on Nov. 21, but Yoon had not returned to Korea and did not respond to the prosecution’s summons. According to the Gwangju District Prosec

Social Affairs Dec. 9, 2018

Incheon District Court on Thursday sentenced a Syrian to three years in jail for violating the anti-terrorism law. The defendant was found guilty of inciting people to join the Islamic State group. The 33-year-old Syrian, who worked at a junkyard in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, entered Korea 10 years ago and applied for asylum. Although the asylum bid was rejected, the Syrian was granted a humanitarian stay permit and traveled between Korea and Syria. (Yonhap)According to the court, the Syrian

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2018

A child care center in Jongno, Seoul, has rehired a chief who was accused of child abuse two years ago, triggering concerns among teachers and parents.The welfare foundation that runs the center selected the chief, surnamed Hong, as its new director on Thursday, according to local media reports. Hong, it has been revealed, resigned from the position in 2016 after she was suspected of child abuse. (Yonhap)Allegations of abuse against Hong were disclosed by a whistle-blower at the center in Septem

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2018

A monthlong inspection of companies run by well-known IT entrepreneur Yang Jin-ho revealed numerous violations of the law, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday. The probe also found bizarre examples of workplace abuse by Yang, including throwing a glass at an employee and forcing others to eat raw garlic.Yang, the chief of several local online storage service companies and robot developer K-Technology, has been accused of brutally abusing employees at his companies after a video d

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2018

Opposition parties have criticized the ruling party chief’s recent remarks on Vietnamese women, demanding an official apology.The ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s chief Lee Hae-chan was quoted as saying, “Many Korean men marry Vietnamese women as they prefer them over women from other countries,” during a meeting at the National Assembly with a high-level Vietnamese delegation headed by Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on Monday.Democratic Party of Korea’s chief Lee Hae-chan (Yo

Politics Dec. 5, 2018

People with 100 diseases newly designated as “rare” will face a lower financial burden as of next year, as the government has decided to offer financial assistance to support expenses associated with treatment.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that patients battling any of the illnesses on the list will pay only 10 percent of their total medical expenses, beginning in January 2019. (Yonhap)A rare disease is defined as one affecting fewer than 20,000 people, or an illness for which

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2018

Civic groups on Monday called attention to fake news concerning the 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising circulating in cyberspace.The May 18 Memorial Foundation and Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media revealed the results of their monitoring of fake news about the Gwangju Uprising during a joint press conference in Gwangju on Monday. (Yonhap)According to the organizations, fake news has been actively circulating on websites and social media platforms, including blogs and YouTube, since the

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2018

A worker who became unconscious Wednesday after inhaling toxic gas at a wastewater treatment plant in Busan was pronounced dead Sunday afternoon, police said Monday.The 52-year-old worker, surnamed Lee, is believed to have died from hydrogen sulfide poisoning, according to the hospital where he was being treated. Police have asked the National Forensic Service to carry out an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.  This photo, taken on Wednesday, shows fire fighters dealing with a toxic

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2018

About half of international students attending Seoul National University do not adequately understand lectures conducted in Korean, according to a survey of 432 international students conducted by SNU’s diversity council showed.Asked about understanding lectures conducted in Korean, 47.2 percent of the respondents said they couldn’t follow the class at all, or they often can’t fully understand the lecturer. Only 17.8 percent answered that they were able to understand most of the lectures.Seoul N

Social Affairs Dec. 3, 2018

Business owners who were affected by an abrupt network blackout urged KT to pay more attention to restoring lines and compensating them for their losses. Members of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise held a press conference in front of a KT corporation building in Ahyeon-dong on Friday and raised their voice against what they call hardhearted feedback. The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprises held a press conference in front of a KT corporation building in Ahyeon-dong on Friday to complai

Social Affairs Nov. 30, 2018