[From the Scene] Search for truth about Sewol ferry disaster continues

ANSAN, Gyeonggi Province/JINDO, South Jeolla Province -- Time appears to stand still in a classroom in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The classroom is one of several replica classrooms built in memory of the students and teachers of Danwon High School who lost their lives on a school trip to Jeju Island on April 16, 2014, aboard the Sewol ferry. It is filled with the desks, chairs, blackboards, windows and doors used by the teachers and students before the ferry sank off Jindo in South Jeolla Provinc

Social AffairsApril 15, 2024

Yoon flounders after election defeat

The main opposition party's attack on President Yoon Suk Yeol intensified on Monday, while his approval rating took the biggest weekly plunge since July 2022 in the wake of a crushing election defeat. With the 21st session of the National Assembly set to end its four-year lifetime in about 1 1/2 months, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea doubled down on the besieged Yoon administration's political vulnerability. The party demanded that the National Assembly pass a bill calli

PoliticsApril 15, 2024

S. Korea to allocate $276m for classroom digitization

The Ministry of Education announced plans Monday to digitally transform traditional public education. Dubbed the "classroom revolution," the initiative focuses on strengthening the capabilities of teachers who would take on pivotal roles in turning classrooms digital. The ministry has allocated some 381.8 billion won ($276 million) to support teachers. As traditional teaching and learning methods were top-down or one-way, the new plan aims to cultivate creative and active learners, enc

Social AffairsApril 15, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Network usage fees, consumer protection from foreign online platforms

Pending Bill: Partial Amendment to the Telecommunications Act Proposed by Rep. Jun Hye-sook (Independent) ●Recently, concerns have been raised over the low network usage fees paid in Korea by global IT firms, such as Google and Facebook, compared to what these operators pay in other countries, such as those in the EU. Critics argue that this discrepancy constitutes discrimination against domestic value-added telecommunication business operators. The networking provision relationship between netw

PoliticsApril 15, 2024

Education an increasing driver for people moving to Seoul

Despite soaring home prices and uncertainties in the real estate market driving Seoulites out of town, the number of South Koreans who moved to Seoul last year for education reached a record high, government data showed Monday. According to the latest Korean Statistical Information Service data on the number of people who moved to Seoul from other cities and provinces, more than 1.2 million people relocated to Seoul last year. Of the total, some 92,000 people said their main reason for relocatio

Social AffairsApril 15, 2024

Seoul police officer accused of stealing from lost wallet

A Seoul police officer in his 20s is accused of stealing money from a lost wallet, according to the Seoul Seodaemun Station on Monday. The officer is alleged to have pocketed 200,000 won ($145) from a lost wallet that had contained 203,000 won, in December last year. The officer documented the wallet as only having 3,000 won in a lost property report. He has been referred to prosecutors on charges of embezzlement in the line of duty. The police officer’s alleged crime came to light when th

Social AffairsApril 15, 2024

Woman curses at prosecutor for requesting jail term for her son

A South Korean woman was recently sentenced to six months in prison for causing a disturbance during a court hearing, in which she cursed at a prosecutor who requested a jail term for her son. Seoul Northern District Court found the defendant in her 50s guilty of contempt of court and special obstruction of public duty for her actions in August last year. The August hearing was for the defendant's son, who was being tried for special intimidation, which refers to intimidation with a weapon

Social AffairsApril 15, 2024

Average pension benefits for men nearly double that of women: report

Female beneficiaries of the national pension in South Korea were on average receiving 390,845 won ($282) a month as of November 2023, compared to 756,898 won for their male counterparts, according to the National Pension Service on Monday. The steep gender disparity is attributed to female workers being subscribed for less time overall than men, which is mainly due to career interruptions from factors like childbirth and child care. The benefits of the state-run pension program are proportionate

Social AffairsApril 15, 2024

Parents lose lawsuit against hospital for son's brain damage

A South Korean court said Monday it has ruled against parents who sued a hospital for their son's brain damage stemming from emergency medical treatment for a viral infection. In a civil suit against an Incheon-based hospital, Incheon District Court ruled that there was no evidence to prove negligence on the medical staff's part or their responsibility in what turned out to be a delay in proper treatment. "The records show that the medical staff consistently observed the boy'

Social AffairsApril 15, 2024

Govt. repeats appeal for dialogue with doctors amid prolonged walkout

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong once again called on doctors Monday to come forward for dialogue to end the prolonged walkout by junior doctors and present a unified proposal regarding the quota for medical school admissions, stressing its firm will to push for medical reform plans. More than 90 percent of South Korea's 13,000 trainee doctors have walked off the job in protest since Feb. 20 in protest of the government's push to increase the number of medical school seats by 2,000 starti

Social AffairsApril 15, 2024

'Day of Sun' reference over N. Korean late founder's birthday reemerges in state media

North Korean state media referred to the birthday of North Korean late founder Kim Il-sung as the Day of the Sun on Monday after stopping using the term in recent weeks while calling it "the April holiday." Kim's birthday, April 15, has been revered as the Day of the Sun in North Korea and celebrated as one of the secretive country's most important national holidays, along with the birthday of his late son and successor Kim Jong-il in February. The North's founder died

North KoreaApril 15, 2024

US envoy to UN to meet S. Korea's defense chief in Seoul

The top US envoy to the United Nations will meet with South Korea's defense chief Monday as part of her trip to Seoul this week for talks to boost bilateral cooperation amid North Korean threats. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield arrived in the country Sunday for a four-day visit, with plans to meet senior South Korean officials, including Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, to discuss cooperation in the UN Security Council. The visit comes after Russia last month vetoed the UN's annual re

Foreign AffairsApril 15, 2024

US aircraft carrier joins 3-way naval drill with Korea, Japan

ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT -- The South Korean and US navies and the Japanese self-defense maritime force held a trilateral exercise in the high seas south of Jeju Island Thursday and Friday, in a combined effort to counter underwater as well as nuclear and missile threats by North Korea. According to South Korea’s Navy, six warships from the three countries participated in the exercise -- including the Aegis destroyer Seoae Ryu Sung-ryong of South Korea; the nuclear-powered aircraf

DefenseApril 14, 2024

S. Korea 'strongly condemns' Iran's attack on Israel

The South Korean government issued a statement Sunday denouncing Iran's direct drone and missile attack on Israeli territory late Saturday, urging all involved parties to exercise restraint. "The government strongly condemns Iran's massive attack on Israel that took place on April 13 local time," read the statement issued under the name of a spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry in Seoul. "The government is closely monitoring the situation with grave concerns and urges al

Foreign AffairsApril 14, 2024

Opposition victory upends ruling party's plans

The South Korean opposition's landslide victory in the latest parliamentary elections is likely to upend the conservative ruling party's push for key proposals and initiatives, observers said Sunday. One of the ideas that the ruling People Power Party had vowed to pursue, administratively merging Gyeonggi Province's Gimpo city into Seoul, otherwise known as the so-called “Megacity Seoul" project, could be scrapped, an expert said. “Discussion on the Megacity proje

PoliticsApril 14, 2024

N. Korea elevates high-level exchanges with China, Russia

North Korea has been intensifying high-level diplomatic exchanges with China and Russia, as evidenced by the visit of China's third-highest-ranking official to Pyongyang and the dispatch of ministers to Russia this week. China's No. 3 official, Zhao Leji, who arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday for a three-day visit to the neighboring country, met for a luncheon with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Sunday. Th

North KoreaApril 14, 2024

Why don’t trainee doctors, medical professors see eye to eye?

An obstacle lies between the medical circle moving towards talks with the government with a unified proposal, after the head of the junior doctors’ group shed light on the hierarchical dynamics between medical professors and trainee doctors in hospitals. The disclosure shed light on the friction among doctors, the Korean Medical Association’s emergency committee and the KMA's newly-elected president, as they each hold different opinions on how to respond to the government’

Social AffairsApril 14, 2024

Prosecutors increase rewards for reporting drug crimes to W100m

Prosecutors will raise rewards up to 100 million won ($72,200) for reporting drug crimes and assisting in apprehending offenders, according to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on Sunday. The significant increase, rising from the previous range of 1 million to 50 million, was announced in response to the recent surge in drug crimes with the aim to block and prevent further criminal activities. According to the Prosecutors' Office, the compensation given may be higher than 100 million wo

Social AffairsApril 14, 2024

Seoul public schools to honor victims of 2014 Sewol ferry disaster

Public elementary, middle and high schools in Seoul will voluntarily observe "Educational Community Safety Week" in memory of the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, marking a decade since the tragic event, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Sunday. The Seoul Education Office will distribute educational materials related to the Sewol ferry tragedy to all public schools in the city during this year’s “National Safety Day” week from April 1

Social AffairsApril 14, 2024

US ambassador to UN set to arrive in S. Korea

The top US envoy to the United Nations will visit South Korea on Sunday for engagements to advance bilateral and trilateral cooperation on North Korean threats and other issues. During her four-day stay in South Korea, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield plans to meet senior Seoul officials to discuss ways to step up cooperation in the UN Security Council. The ambassador's visit comes after Russia last month vetoed the UN's annual renewal of an expert panel monitoring the North's c

Foreign AffairsApril 14, 2024