Leader of doctors' group questioned again over trainee doctors' walkout

A leader of the Korean Medical Association, the country's biggest doctors' group, appeared before police Monday for another round of questioning over suspicions of instigating a mass walkout by trainee doctors. Joo Soo-ho, the chief KMA spokesperson, arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul to undergo questioning, his third police questioning connected to the walkout. He is one of five former and current KMA leaders against whom the government has filed a police complai

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2024

NK leader visits tank unit credited for being first to enter Seoul during Korean War

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a tank unit bearing "Seoul" in its name for being the first to enter the South Korean capital during the Korean War, praising the unit as a "model for the entire army," state media said Monday. Kim visited the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Tank Division and the affiliated First Tank Armored Infantry Regiment on Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency said. "The division ... was the first to charge into Seoul and fly the flag o

North KoreaMarch 25, 2024

Health minister vows to swiftly hold talks with medical community over doctors' walkout

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Monday relevant ministries have swiftly begun work to hold talks with the medical community, a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a "flexible" measure over the government's move to suspend licenses of defiant trainee doctors. Prospects of talks between the government and the medical community over a prolonged walkout by junior doctors were raised as Yoon instructed officials to seek dialogue with doctors, with the walkout disrupting medical

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2024

Supreme Court acquits man for listening to recording of wife's conversations

The Supreme Court on Sunday upheld a previous ruling that acquitted a man on charges of violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act, noting that the act did not apply in the case of this man, who secretly recorded his wife's conversation using a home camera and shared the contents of the recording with a third party. In February 2020, a man installed a home camera with a recording function in the living room of the apartment he shared with his wife in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk. The c

Social AffairsMarch 25, 2024

Yoon calls for flexible ways to process suspension of medical licenses

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday urged Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to consult with political parties to seek a flexible process in suspending the licenses of striking trainee doctors, the presidential office said. Yoon also asked Han to form a "constructive consultative body" to promote dialogue with medical workers, according to his office. Yoon's order was made at the request of ruling People Power Party (PPP) chief Han Dong-hoon after he held talks with a group of medical professor

Social AffairsMarch 24, 2024

‘If Trump wins, Yoon may be pushed aside in US talks with North Korea’

NAMYANGJU, Gyeonggi Province -- If former US President Donald Trump returns to the White House, Seoul may be excluded from Washington’s potential negotiations with Pyongyang due to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s hard-line stance on North Korea, according to former Army general-turned-lawmaker Rep. Kim Byung-joo. “There is a possibility that our government may not have a seat at the table where decisions concerning the Korean Peninsula are being made between the US and North

PoliticsMarch 24, 2024

2 out of 3 workers in small business took less than 6 days off last year

A recent survey showed that about 67.9 of South Koreans working at an enterprise employing less than five people had less than six days of paid leave last year, a civic group said Sunday. Gapjil 119, a civic group focusing on workplace abuse, conducted a survey of 1,000 employees across the country to find how much time off work they got last year, in which they also found that only 12.1 percent of those working in small businesses -- those with less than five workers -- took 15 days of paid l

Social AffairsMarch 24, 2024

Bullet found on Milan-bound KAL airplane

A bullet has been recovered from inside a Korean Air plane that was bound for Milan at Incheon Airport, according to airport police on Sunday. According to the Incheon Airport Police Corps, a staff member who was cleaning the inside of flight KE0927 at around 11:20 a.m. on Sunday found a 9-millimeter bullet for a hunting gun underneath a passenger seat. The aircraft had been scheduled to head for the Italian city at 12:10 p.m. Airport police conducted a thorough search inside the airplane but di

Social AffairsMarch 24, 2024

Man cleared of stalking charges pressed by ex-girlfriend

A 62-year-old man has been cleared of stalking charges following allegations brought by his former girlfriend after the court found the plaintiff's testimonies to be inconsistent and lacking in credibility, officials said Sunday. The defendant had been given a summary order to pay a 3-million-won ($2,200) fine for charges of stalking his girlfriend and trespassing at her home. He denied the charges and requested a formal trial. The prosecution accused the defendant of stalking based on alle

Social AffairsMarch 24, 2024

[News Analysis] S. Korea's medical crisis: no end in sight

The ongoing conflict between the government and medical communities over a medical student quota expansion plan shows no signs of tempering, with both parties refusing to back down despite confusion spreading at hospitals across the country. Watchers say this week could be the peak of the conflict, as the Health Ministry begins from Tuesday to suspend the medical licenses of trainee doctors who have defied a return-to-work order. The government has sent prior notices of license suspension to som

Social AffairsMarch 24, 2024

Doctors refusing walkout protest 'coercion' to join medical strike

Trainee doctors and medical school students not participating in a nationwide walkout released a statement Saturday, calling for other medical staff to respect their decision not to walk out on patients. Medical Students and Trainee Doctors With Different Opinion, known locally as Dasaengui, posted a statement on its social media page urging colleagues to cease what the group has labeled "authoritative ostracizing and violent coercion" against them to join the walkout. "Doctors wi

Social AffairsMarch 24, 2024

Han accuses opposition leader of being 'subservient to China'

The ruling party head on Sunday slammed main opposition leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung for his speech on the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's stance on the South Korea-China relationship, accusing the Democratic Party of Korea as being subservient to China. Han Dong-hoon, interim chair of the ruling People Power Party, said in a meeting of the party's election committee on Sunday that Lee's comment Friday "reaffirms the Democratic Party of Korea's perception of itself as a vassal to China." T

PoliticsMarch 24, 2024

What are the reasons for the gender wage gap? Women say discrimination, men say career breaks

South Korean men and women have differing opinions on the reason behind the country's gender wage gap, the largest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development states, with women attributing the gap to sexual discrimination while men say it is because frequent career breaks result in shorter careers for women. The state-run Korean Women's Development Institute surveyed 1,504 wage workers between the ages of 19 and 59 in August last year. The results showed that 54.7

Social AffairsMarch 24, 2024

Health care standoff to worsen amid looming resignations by med professors

The monthlong confrontation between the government and doctors was feared to worsen further as medical school professors were to tender mass resignations and cut back on patient care starting this week, while the government was to suspend the licenses of striking trainee doctors, officials said Sunday. More than 90 percent of the country's 13,000 trainee doctors have been on strike in the form of mass resignations for about a month to protest the government's decision to increase the m

Social AffairsMarch 24, 2024

US lawmakers to visit S. Korea this week: sources

WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan US congressional delegation will visit Seoul this week for talks with South Korean officials, multiple sources said Saturday. The delegation includes Korean American Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), chair of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, and Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA). They are expected to pay a courtesy call on President Yoon Suk Yeol and discuss the strengthening of the South Korea-US alliance in light of North Korean provocations. The group of US repre

Foreign AffairsMarch 24, 2024

Police praise landfill worker for returning W29m to owner

A worker at Sudokwon Landfill Site was heralded by Incheon Seobu Police Station on Wednesday for reporting bundles of banknotes found at the landfill in Incheon, aiding police in finding the owner of the money. Park Jae-geun found 29 million won ($21,700) at the landfill on Feb. 1 while burying waste, according to local media. Park is an employee of a subcontractor of Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corp., the landfill’s operator, and has worked in the field for more than 30 years. Some

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2024

Govt. told to reward, not penalize, parental leave takers

South Korea's anti-corruption watchdog on Thursday recommended the government to implement measures to provide incentives for public sector workers who took paternity leave, and to ensure they are not penalized for taking leave to take care of their children. The state-run Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission made the suggestion to the Ministry of Personnel Management and the Ministry of Interior and Safety, in a bid to address the low fertility rate that has been ailing the country.

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2024

253 candidates sign up for 46 proportional seats in parliamentary elections

A total of 253 candidates have registered to compete for the 46 proportional representation seats up for grabs in the April 10 parliamentary elections, according to the National Election Committee on Saturday. Major parties have established paper parties, commonly known as satellite parties, for the proportional representation seats in the 300-member National Assembly that are allocated to parties based on the total number of votes they receive. The committee reported that 38 satellite parties

PoliticsMarch 23, 2024

S. Korea offers condolences over Russian concert shooting

South Korea on Saturday expressed condolences to the victims and their families of a tragic shooting attack at a concert venue in Moscow, which resulted in the loss of more than 140 lives. Gunmen opened fire at the venue in the Russian capital Friday, reportedly leading to at least 143 fatalities and other injuries, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility. The death toll is expected to growth further. "We stand in solidarity with the people of Russia in their sorrow," the

Social AffairsMarch 23, 2024

686 candidates sign up for April 10 parliamentary elections

A total of 686 candidates have registered for the April 10 parliamentary elections, the National Election Committee said Friday, setting the stage for a political showdown that could determine how the current administration will fare in its remaining three years in office. Up for grabs in the elections are 300 National Assembly seats, 254 of them directly contested seats and 46 proportional representation seats. The data, tentatively tallied at 7 p.m., showed that 38 parties applied for proporti

PoliticsMarch 22, 2024