The bereaved family of a 23-year-old elementary school teacher who reportedly died by suicide in July filed a claim to the Seoul Gangnam Seocho District Office of Education on Thursday to have her death recognized as work-related, claiming that she died due to an excessive workload and complaints from parents. The late teacher, who was a first grade teacher at an elementary school in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, struggled with a large workload and a student who had allegedly misbehaved in class, a

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2023

Taejae University, South Korea’s first future innovation university, is set to open with 32 students on Monday. The college is a benchmark of US-based Minerva University, an online institution with no home campus that requires every student to travel to seven countries to complete their degree. It is also Korea’s second four-year accredited cyber college, following only Konyang Cyber University, which launched its program in 2012. Students at Taejae University will start their first

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2023

The National Human Rights Commission said Wednesday that banning a child below 10 years old from a department store’s VIP resting area discriminates against children. The state human rights watchdog ruled that restricting children under 10 in such spaces based on age is not legitimate, citing Article 11 of the Constitution, which guarantees “equality for all citizens.” In March last year, a mother of a 100-day-old child filed a petition to the NHRC after she was denied entry in

Social Affairs Aug. 30, 2023

Defense South Korea's Defense Ministry has proposed to raise expenditures by around 17 percent to advance the development of an indigenous three-axis defense system, aimed at countering North Korean missile and nuclear threats and retaliating in the event of an attack. Total defense spending is estimated at approximately 59.6 trillion won ($45.1 billion), a 4.5 percent increase from last year, according to the ministry. An estimated 41.8 trillion won is earmarked for expenditures related to

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2023

The Seoul Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, southern Seoul, built for the 1988 Summer Olympics and a go-to concert venue for big-name singers, will turn into a multifunctional site that could house various sports and cultural events. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said that the sports complex will undergo three years of renovation starting Tuesday, and that the new space will welcome visitors in December 2026. The estimated budget for the renovation project is 360 billion won ($270 million). Under t

Social Affairs Aug. 29, 2023

Teachers and the government are locking horns over a massive rally on Sept. 4 where some 70,000 teachers plan to participate by taking a day off from school despite the government’s threat of disciplinary action. Under the slogan “a day to pause public education,” the teachers will rally on Sept. 4 to demand that parliament pass a bill to grant teachers immunity from child abuse claims. While the second semester has kicked off for many schools, the teachers plan to walk out of

Social Affairs Aug. 28, 2023

Relaxing by the poolside or a the beach in a bikini may not be banned by pool rules, nor is it deemed inappropriate, but walking around town in the skimpily stretched fabric could land one with a fine in Korea. Recently, several women have taken social media by storm for riding scooters and motorcycles while wearing bikinis in central Seoul. They were immediately reported to police for “causing discomfort,” and the issue has since sparked debate as to what is appropriate to wear in p

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2023

South Korea’s Education Ministry rolled out a set of new class policies last week to bolster waning teachers’ rights, but some experts have raised concerns that the measures would make teachers more vulnerable to child abuse accusations. When verbal discipline fails or students pose a physical threat to teachers or other students, the ministry’s guideline states that teachers will be allowed to use force to physically restrain disruptive students. They can also confiscate phone

Social Affairs Aug. 20, 2023

Teachers will be allowed to remove disruptive students and confiscate their mobile phones if they continue to interrupt classroom operations and disturb other students starting next month, the Education Ministry said during a policy briefing Thursday. The new policy will apply to teachers working in elementary schools, middle schools and high schools. If a student fails to comply with a teacher’s instructions, teachers can ask the head of their schools for permission to hand out punishment

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2023

South Korea’s Ministry of Education on Wednesday unveiled a five-year plan aimed at attracting 300,000 international students to tackle the nation’s rapidly declining school-age population and to strengthen the competitiveness of local universities already reeling from enrollment shortages. To attract more foreign students to enroll in Korean universities, the Education Ministry plans to revise the International Education Quality Assurance System, which stipulates that more than 30 p

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2023

Fears of malaria are growing in South Korea as the country is seeing an increase in the mosquito-borne disease. According to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Infectious Disease portal, a total of 509 cases of malaria have been reported so far this year. The figure amounts to a nearly fourfold increase compared to last year, when 193 malaria cases were reported during the first seven months of the year. The number of total malaria cases here has not gone beyond 70

Social Affairs Aug. 15, 2023

Yoon Ki-jung, the father of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and an emeritus professor in the applied statistics department at Yonsei University, has died, the presidential office announced Tuesday. He was 92. Yoon had recently been admitted to Seoul National University Hospital. The cause of death was not disclosed. President Yoon went to be by his father‘s side during his final moments, after delivering a speech marking the nation’s 78th Liberation Day in the morning, according

Politics Aug. 15, 2023

As the 25th World Scout Jamboree concluded amid controversy over mismanagement and alleged misuse of funds, the governor of North Jeolla Province publicly bowed his head in apology, but he also said legal action would be taken against the spread of false information. “Many people expected and supported a large-scale international event in North Jeolla Province, but we are very sorry that we could not reap the beauty of the end,” Gov. Kim Kwan-young said in a press briefing Monday. &l

Politics Aug. 14, 2023

Moving forward from South Korea's dynamic seven decades, The Korea Herald identifies the seven most crucial challenges the nation must overcome for a sustainable and prosperous future. – Ed. Climate crisis becomes irreversible reality Climate change has long been considered a future disaster rather than a present threat by many Koreans. However, it has now become a largely irreversible reality, manifesting as a series of extreme weather events that significantly affect people'

Social Affairs Aug. 13, 2023

The Ministry of Education said late Thursday that it had launched an investigation into a case where a deputy director-level official at the ministry reported their child’s elementary school for child abuse. Following the complaint, the teacher was immediately removed from their post. According to reports citing the Elementary School Teachers’ Union, the ministry official used their position to file a complaint in November against the then-third-grade teacher, accusing them of child

Social Affairs Aug. 11, 2023