Same-sex couple denied insurance clearance despite landmark ruling

A July ruling by the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are eligible to apply for spousal coverage under the state insurance program, but recent reports have shown that state insurance authorities are still refusing to accept such couples as eligible for spousal coverage. Multiple media outlets reported this week that the National Health Insurance Service has turned down requests from same-sex couples to receive spousal coverage. A notification on such rejection was revealed recently, dat

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

'Forced shopping' present in tourist packages: Seoul

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday it has conducted secret inspections into recent allegations of forced shopping, with findings confirming that such practices exist on some level among tourism packages here. The city hired several foreign nationals to pose as tourists in seven low-priced package tours -- three that were sold in China and four sold in Vietnam -- to check the programs' quality. Most of the packages focused more on shopping than tourism, which the city government&#

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

Seoul court denies Elliott’s W26.7b claims over Samsung merger

A Seoul court on Friday rejected American hedge fund Elliott’s payment claims for its alleged losses in the 2015 merger between Samsung C&T Corp. and Cheil Industries. Elliott, then a minority stakeholder in Samsung C&T, opposed the merger deal and received 72.4 billion won ($54.9 million) in 2022 from the de facto holding unit of Samsung Group for not exercising its appraisal rights. In October last year, however, the activist fund filed a lawsuit claiming an additional 26.7 b

IndustrySept. 27, 2024

[Photo News] Kia's first EV-only plant

Hyundai Motor Company’s smaller affiliate Kia on Friday unveiled the carmaker's first electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province. Ramping up production of the compact EV3 sport utility vehicle, Kia plans to produce a mid-sized sedan model, the EV4, next year. The 401.6 billion won ($304.2 million) facility has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units. (Kia)

MobilitySept. 27, 2024

3.3 tr won to be invested annually in reforming tertiary care hospitals to focus on critical patients

The government plans to invest 3.3 trillion won ($2.5 billion) of its health insurance funding annually over the next five years to reform tertiary care hospitals to better prioritize the treatment of critically ill patients, the interior minister said Friday. Minister Lee Sang-min made the remarks during a government meeting in response to ongoing walkouts by medical doctors protesting the government's medical reform, which includes a significant increase in the nationwide medical school a

PoliticsSept. 27, 2024

Only 143 juvenile sex offenders sent to youth correction centers in 2023: data

Only 143 out of about 3,000 juvenile offenders found guilty of sexual crimes last year were sent to youth correction facilities, with a majority of them getting lighter punishment, Supreme Court data showed Friday. According to the Supreme Court's 2024 judicial almanac, a total of 3,701 teenagers were tried for sexual offenses last year and 2,963 of them were found liable for their crimes and given "protective dispositions" designed for reformation. Of those found guilty, only 4.8

Social AffairsSept. 27, 2024

대원외고 출신 토익, 토플 고득점자 장인서양 제공 실용 영단어 정리(1)

공부를 열심히 잘하는 학생을 가르치는 것은 참 행복한 일이다. 장인서양이 필자의 많은 자료를 소화하면서 정리한 자료에 필자가 예문을 추가하여 정리해 드린다. 이 단어 시리즈만 잘 봐도 실용 고급단어가 대부분 정리될 것이다. 토익 Part 5기출 고급단어 100 정리(1) confide: 속을 털어놓다 (ex) She confided her worries to her friend. (그녀는 친구에게 자신의 걱정을 털어놓았다.) confidential: 기밀의, 비밀의 (ex) The documents are highly confidential. (그 문서들은 매우 기밀이다.) personnel: (1) 직원 (2) HR의 직원들 (ex) The company hired new personnel for the project. (회사는 프로젝트를 위해 새 직원을 채용했다.) half-dozen: 여섯 개의 (ex) He bought a half-dozen eggs. (그

English EyeSept. 27, 2024

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Grand Hyatt Seoul entertains guests with moon photo zone Grand Hyatt Seoul, located in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, presents a full moon-themed photo zone for guests to capture an autumn moment with family and friends. The light installation, available since Sept. 13, continues to be a great photo spot for the guests at the hotel’s Waterfall Garden until Oct. 20. While the Waterfall Garden is open exclusively for hotel members and guests from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. until Sept. 23, it will be av

TravelSept. 27, 2024

Seoul shares open tad higher on Wall Street gains

Seoul shares opened slightly higher Friday, as chip shares gained traction bolstered by overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.04 percent, or 1.03 points, to 2,672.6 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes gained ground thanks to the surprise earnings result of Micron Technology lifting artificial intelligence-related shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.62 percent, the S&P 500 increased 0.4 percent, and the t

MarketSept. 27, 2024

Biz outlook down for 3rd month in September amid recession woes

South Korea's business sentiment dipped for the third consecutive month in August amid dim prospects for the US economy and other major economies, a central bank poll showed Friday. Local companies' business sentiment index (BSI) stood at 91.2 this month, down from 95.1 the previous month following the 92.5 in July, according to the survey by the Bank of Korea. The index measures corporate prospects for business conditions. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists. The

EconomySept. 27, 2024

Ex-Trump official calls for S. Korea to raise defense spending to 3 or 3.5% of GDP

A former US national security advisor stressed the need Thursday for South Korea to increase its defense spending to 3 percent or 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), as Seoul and Washington are in negotiations over a defense cost-sharing deal. Robert O'Brien, who served as national security advisor for former President Donald Trump from 2019-2021, made the remarks, as South Korea and the United States are holding their eighth round of negotiations in Seoul this week to determin

Foreign AffairsSept. 27, 2024

[Well-curated] Movies and art in hanok, superior sound at Listening Room

Listening Room by Ode at The Hyundai Seoul Visitors can easily spend hours exploring major international brands and local shops at The Hyundai Seoul, Seoul's largest department store and pop-up store mecca. Among all the shops, entertainment facilities and restaurants vying for attention, be sure not to miss Listening Room by Ode when visiting the mall. Located on the second basement floor near the main escalator, the shop welcomes music lovers with colorful LPs and record players. Visitors

CultureSept. 27, 2024

'City View' shines light on urban shadows

Gazing at the gleaming glass facades of the skyscrapers in Songdo, Incheon, author Woo Sin-young wondered how they could remain so sleek and beautiful. Then, she recalled reading news about workers who were injured or lost their lives while cleaning those windows. “As I delved deeper into these articles, I felt that someone should speak out on their behalf and give a voice to their stories and narratives,” said Woo, a debut novelist whose "City View" recently won the 14th H

BooksSept. 27, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Festival of fall flowers in Wonju At Yonsugol Village in Wonju, Gangwon Province, a festival kicked off last week for flower lovers, especially of those coming to full bloom in the fall. The Gangwon Fall Flower Festival shows everything from zinnias to cockscombs, fireweeds and petunias -- in addition to cosmos. The village is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 6. Admission costs 3,000 won, and grade school students and younger enter for free. For more information, visit poppystore.modo

TravelSept. 27, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Transformers One” (US) Opened Sept. 25 Animation/Science fiction Directed by Josh Cooley Set on Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers, future sworn enemies Optimus Prime and Megatron are friends who have bonded like brothers. “I, the Executioner” (South Korea) Opened Sept. 24 Crime/Action Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) teams up with rookie cop Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in) to track down a serial killer taunting police b

FilmSept. 27, 2024

[Lee Byung-jong] Big tech vs. nation-states

Elon Musk might be one of the richest and most influential people in the world, but he is not untouchable. In Brazil, he recently had to give in to a court order to remove far-right extremists’ accounts from X, the powerful social media platform he owns and runs. Having defied the court order for months in the name of free speech, Musk had to surrender finally as the court blocked the site for 20 million Brazilian users. This case shows how nation-states could rein in the seemingly inv

ViewpointsSept. 27, 2024

LG Twins breaks KBO single-season attendance record

The defending South Korean baseball champions LG Twins broke the single-season attendance record Thursday. The Twins drew 21,593 fans for their home game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Thursday. With that, the Twins reached 1,397,499 fans for the season, surpassing the previous record of 1,380,018 fans drawn by the Lotte Giants in 2009. The Twins lead the 10-team Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in attendance this season. They are one of six teams to have attra

BaseballSept. 26, 2024

“Wellness: A Strategic Overview of Well Aging”

While we often think of wellness as a singular concept, it is inherently multifactorial, encompassing dimensions such as the physical, mental, emotional and social. These dimensions are interconnected and collectively contribute to our overall quality of life. Life thrives when our bodies maintain homeostasis -- a delicate balance necessary for survival. Homeostasis ensures that bodily systems regulate functions like salt levels, brain pressure and optimal heart rate. Any disruption to this bala

ViewpointsSept. 26, 2024

Biden announces $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden announced more than $8 billion in military assistance for Ukraine on Thursday to help Kyiv "win this war" against Russian invaders, using a visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to make a major commitment. The aid includes the first shipment of a precision-guided glide bomb called the Joint Standoff Weapon, with a range of up to 81 miles. The medium-range missile gives Ukraine a major upgrade to the weapons it is using to strike Russian forces, allowing the Ukra

World NewsSept. 26, 2024