Too many in Korea can’t afford to get sick

South Korean workplaces have little sympathy for workers when they get sick. But “toughing it out” constitutes a public health hazard during a pandemic, experts say. Workplaces have emerged as one of the most common settings for coronavirus outbreaks in Korea. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s January data, 18 percent of all locally transmitted cases diagnosed that month were workplace-related, up 7 percent from the month prior. ‘Empty m

Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2021

[Animals in Korea (1)] Animals still things, not beings, in Korea

There is a saying that goes, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” At a glance, South Korea -- with 15 million pet owners -- is a decent place for animals. With a growing trend toward considering pets part of the family, some guardians spare no expense and shop around carefully for the best foods, toys, vets and groomers. Looking closely, however, there is a dark side. Many animals are abandoned when they are sick, old or no longer considere

Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2021

Defense minister rekindles debate over volunteer military

Mandatory military service is a rite of passage for every able-bodied man in South Korea, which technically remains at war with North Korea since the 1953 Korean War armistice. A military made up of volunteers seeking lifetime jobs as career soldiers was once unimaginable, but that has changed. “Everything -- including plans to shift to an all-volunteer military -- is on the table to restructure our armed forces by 2040,” Defense Minister Suh Wook told a New Year’s press brief

DefenseFeb. 11, 2021

S. Korea reports another case of bird flu

South Korea on Thursday reported one more case of avian influenza (AI). The case of the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of avian influenza was confirmed at an egg farm in Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south of Seoul. The farm was home to some 240,000 hens, according to the government's AI response headquarters. Quarantine authorities imposed a travel ban on movement into and out of the poultry farms in the affected area, having culled chickens at nearby farms as part of precautionary measur

Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2021

One of sailors aboard S. Korean oil tanker seized in Iran returns home

One of the 20 crew members who were aboard a South Korean oil tanker seized by Iran last month has been released and returned home, the foreign ministry said Thursday. The Korean sailor, one of those detained along with the MT Hankuk Chemi by Teheran, entered his home country Wednesday afternoon for health reasons, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. He is the first among the detained sailors to be repatriated after the chemical carrier was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Cor

Foreign AffairsFeb. 11, 2021

North Korea's Kim orders legal supervision over economic plan

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered tougher legal supervision to support his development plans and eradicate various economy-related unlawful acts, state media said Thursday, as he works to salvage an economy battered by the pandemic and other challenges. Kim spoke Wednesday during a ruling Workers' Party meeting this week convened to follow up on decisions made at the ruling party's congress in January, where he admitted previous economic plans had failed and announced a new five-year

North KoreaFeb. 11, 2021

Road traffic slows over Lunar New Year migration despite COVID-19

Major highways across South Korea began to clog with heavy traffic Thursday as many people headed to hometowns despite the COVID-19 pandemic to celebrate Lunar New Year's Day. Many southbound sections of the Gyeongbu Expressway connecting Seoul to the southeastern port city of Busan, including those near Osan and Cheonan, both south of Seoul, were congested due to heavy traffic as of early Thursday morning, according to Korea Expressway Corp. Cars were also crawling on several southbound se

Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2021

New virus cases at 15-day high as extended Lunar New Year holiday kicks off

South Korea's daily virus cases bounced back above 500 Thursday, putting authorities on heightened alert over a potential surge in infections during the extended Lunar New Year holiday. The country added 504 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, including 467 local infections, raising the total caseload to 82,434, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It marks the biggest daily tally since Jan. 27 when the figure was 559. The Thursday tally also marks a jump from 4

Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2021

Moon appoints new culture minister despite backlash from opposition party

President Moon Jae-in appointed Hwang Hee, a ruling Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker, as new culture minister Wednesday, a day after the National Assembly's confirmation hearing on him. Hwang's tenure starts on Thursday, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a note to reporters. Earlier in the day, a related parliamentary committee, controlled by the DP, adopted a report on the results of its confirmation hearing on Hwang, held Tuesday, amid a boycott by the main opposition People Power

PoliticsFeb. 10, 2021

S. Korea to keep striving to improve ties with Japan: NSC

South Korea's top national security officials agreed Wednesday, during a weekly meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, to continue efforts to improve Seoul-Tokyo relations long strained by disputes over shared history. In the standing committee session of the National Security Council (NSC), they decided to continue efforts to address the problem, while strengthening "communication and cooperation with other nations to keep the security situation under stable control," according to the presidentia

Foreign AffairsFeb. 10, 2021

15% of passengers not buckled up: survey

About 15 percent of vehicle passengers do not wear seat belts, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority said Wednesday. Despite amendments to the Road Traffic Act in September 2018, mandating that all occupants of a vehicle wear seat belts, the country’s seat belt use rate recorded just 84.8 percent last year, a slight decrease from the previous year, according to the 2020 Traffic Culture Index. The Korea Transportation Safety Authority said 86.1 percent of passengers in the front seat

Social AffairsFeb. 10, 2021

Moon administration has no personnel blacklist: Cheong Wa Dae

Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday that the current administration under President Moon Jae-in has not produced nor operated a discriminatory personnel blacklist, in reaction to the conviction of a former minister for alleged unlawful intervention in personnel decisions at state-run companies. On Tuesday, former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung was sentenced to two years and six months in prison in the so-called Environment Ministry blacklist case, after a court found her guilty of power abuse and

PoliticsFeb. 10, 2021

Foreign ministry vows stern measures after embassy officials implicated in assault of staff

The foreign ministry said Wednesday it will thoroughly look into an assault case involving officials at the South Korean Embassy in China and will take stern measures. The ministry confirmed that an internal probe has been launched after it received a complaint accusing two embassy officials of beating an administrative staff member working at the same diplomatic mission while drinking at a bar in Beijing last week. "We will take stern measures in accordance with principles and regulation

Foreign AffairsFeb. 10, 2021

Paternity leave increases 23% in 2020: govt. data

The number of men going on paternity leave jumped 23 percent last year from the previous year, reflecting cultural and policy changes, the labor ministry said Wednesday. The total number of private sector workers requesting paternity leave stood at 27,423 last year, more than double the number in 2017 (12,042), the ministry said. The increase can be attributed to more couples raising their children together and policies encouraging men to take leave, it said. The coronavirus pandemic likely c

Social AffairsFeb. 10, 2021

SoCar under fire over lack of cooperation in sexual assault case

South Korean car-sharing app operator SoCar is facing a public outcry over a sexual assault case involving one of its users. A local news report suggests that the company slowed down the police investigation when it failed to promptly turn over the suspect’s information. The accused man, who is in his 30s, reportedly rented a car from SoCar on Saturday and allegedly used it to pick up the teenage girl who later accused him of sexual assault. The two had met in an online chat room, the r

Social AffairsFeb. 10, 2021

Police to crack down on traffic violations during Lunar New Year holiday

The police will crack down on traffic violations during the Lunar New Year holiday – when the country’s traffic volume usually surges as people visit their hometowns for family gatherings. The National Police Agency (NPA) said Tuesday that the most frequent violations of traffic laws on highways during the Lunar New Year holiday over the past three years were driving on shoulders, the paved space on the side of the road for emergency use. It took up 41.8 percent of all reports, fol

Social AffairsFeb. 10, 2021

Discrimination, hatred against trans people 'serious' in S. Korea: watchdog

Many transgender people in South Korea have experienced discrimination and hatred in everyday life, a survey by the state human rights watchdog showed Wednesday. A total of 591 transgender aged 19 or above took part in the survey on the discrimination they have experienced under nine criteria, including daily life, education and employment, conducted by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea over six months from May of last year. The survey is the largest of its kind conducted here. Am

Social AffairsFeb. 10, 2021

USFK to ease antivirus restrictions except in greater Seoul area next week

The US Forces Korea (USFK) said Wednesday it will ease antivirus restrictions for most areas except for Seoul and some surrounding regions, starting Monday, allowing its members to dine at restaurants and conduct off-base activities. The Health Protection Condition (HPCON) level will be adjusted by one notch to the second-lowest level of "Bravo" from "Charlie" for USFK areas I and III and the Seongnam district, effective Monday at 7 a.m., according to the US military. Those

Social AffairsFeb. 10, 2021

S. Korean top nuke envoy holds phone talks with senior US diplomat on NK policy

South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, and a senior US diplomat agreed to have close consultations on Washington's review of North Korea policy during their phone talks Wednesday, the foreign ministry said. The talks between Noh and Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, came as Seoul seeks to ensure policy coordination with the administration of US President Joe Biden to reengage with Pyongyang. "In the phone call, the two sides exchanged

North KoreaFeb. 10, 2021

N. Korea launches rare committee to tackle economic challenges

North Korea has recently launched a temporary committee to rev up its economic development drive, state media said Wednesday, as the communist country pushes ahead to achieve goals set forth at last month's rare party congress amid crippling sanctions and antivirus efforts. On the second day of the plenary meeting of the party's eighth Central Committee on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reported on domestic economic issues and other external matters, the Korean Central News Agency (KC

North KoreaFeb. 10, 2021