The government and ruling party decided Tuesday to loosen a new regulation that requires companies to register chemical substances, in the face of strong backlash from businesses. During a policy consultation, the Ministry of Environment and the ruling Saenuri Party agreed to exempt chemicals used in small amounts or used for research and development purposes from the requirement, which will com...

A progressive teachers’ group pledged Tuesday to fight the government’s order to expel fired teachers or risk losing its status as a full-fledged trade union. The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday sent a one-month ultimatum to the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union to change a contentious bylaw which allows dismissed teachers to be members. Unless the group complies with th...

The Japanese government is moving to protest South Korea’s ban on all fisheries products from Fukushima and adjacent regions for fear of radioactive exposure, posing another strain on the bilateral relations already frayed by historical rows. A high-ranking official at Japan’s Fisheries Agency is set to visit South Korea on Monday in an apparent move to pressure Seoul into lifting the import ban...

One of Korea’s two major umbrella union groups decided to boycott talks with the government and management over the so-called ordinary wage system, dampening the Park Geun-hye administration’s hopes of settling the controversy through social compromise within the year. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions said on Wednesday that it will not attend the dialogue panel being hosted by the Labor Min...

The average annual income of new college graduates at big firms reached 37.12 million won ($34,000) this year, according to data by online recruiting agency JobKorea. The starting pay for entry-level workers at 167 large Korean firms grew by 7.3 percent from 34.59 million won last year, the biggest increase since the 2007-2010 global financial crisis, the statistics showed. By industry, workers...

The Korea National Park Service is planning to introduce a gene analysis system as part of its wildlife management support for Asiatic black bears on Mount Jirisan, the Ministry of Environment said Sunday. The authorities will set up security cameras and fur traps that could pluck hair bulbs for identifying the population and tracking down their routes. The officials explained the new system wa...

Central government and municipal organizations will introduce flexible part-time jobs from next year as part of efforts to achieve a 70 percent employment rate by 2017, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced Sunday. The ministry released an interim report on key plans and policy directions of its major employment task envisioned by President Park Geun-hye, which focuses on the “flexible ...

Major retailers are joining a campaign to reduce gift wrapping and adornments to save costs and protect the environment ahead of the the Sept. 18-20 Chuseok holidays, according to the Ministry of Environment. Major department stores, large supermarkets and online shopping malls promised to replace expensive ribbons and packaging with environmentally friendly materials for food gift packages. Th...

More than 600 children aged between 10 and 13 were found to have been investigated for rape, arson or robbery in 2011 to 2012, according to the National Police Agency. The number of early teens booked for the three kinds of violent crimes was 322 in 2011 and 304 in 2012. Rape was the most common serious crime, accounting for 58 percent of cases, followed by arson and robbery at 32 percent and 10...

Prime Minister Chung Hong-won has called on the government to take measures to address Koreans’ growing anxiety over a series of leaks of highly radioactive water from the crippled nuclear reactor in Japan. Concerns are growing here after the operator of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant confirmed fresh leaks in addition to its announcement of a leak of 300 tons of contaminated water earlier this ...

The Seoul government said Thursday it is lifting a 35-year development ban on Insa-dong, a popular tourist destination and a focal point of traditional culture in the northern part of Seoul. The metropolitan government held a city planning commission meeting on Wednesday to pass a bill on redeveloping the area in increments, according to its report. Cafes, karaoke rooms and cosmetic shops are pr...

Local conglomerates, manufacturers, a hospital and a bank are adopting the so-called “flexible part-time job system,” as part of measures to realize President Park Geun-hye’s goal of 70 percent job employment by 2017. Up to 269 firms will hire 2,118 part-time workers within the next nine months with subsidies from the Labor Korea Foundation for the labor cost, the foundation’s officials said. T...

Debate is brewing over the authorities’ monitoring of seafood imported from Japan due to radiation fears as a far stricter watch is being applied on agricultural products. Seafood contaminated by radiation leaks from the Fukushima nuclear plant has been found in the local market recently, adding to public fears about the after effects of the 2011 disaster. About 3,010 tons of fish requested for...