Man allowed S. Korean citizenship, after waiting 3 years to serve in military

A Seoul court recently ruled that a US-born man whose circumstances thwarted him from serving in the mandatary military service should be allowed to have South Korean citizenship. Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of a 31-year-old man who challenged the Seoul Immigration Office's 2022 rejection of his application for citizenship. Previously a dual citizen of South Korea and the US, he in 2022 submitted a written pledge not to exercise his US nationality while in the country and subm

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

Too much social media hurts children's self-esteem, report suggests

School-age children who frequently use social media to interact with others are more likely to develop negative perceptions of their bodies, a recent study found. Researchers at Ewha Womans University analyzed the data of 1,412 elementary school students 2019 and 1,397 elementary school students in 2020 to determine the effects of social media on one's perception of body before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Researchers categorized the children into three groups: "information seekers

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

Kim Jong-un’s rhetorical aggression to intensify throughout year: experts

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will likely continue his verbal aggression, on top of weapons tests and military exercises through the remainder of the year, experts in Seoul believe. In the latest threats made on the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army on Thursday, Kim said he was willing to obliterate the country’s enemies -- namely South Korea and the US -- stressing the North’s “combat readiness.” “If hostile forces attempt to touch the dignit

North KoreaFeb. 12, 2024

Health care crisis looms as doctors prepare for strike over med school quota expansion

Fears of a health care crisis were brewing in South Korea on Monday, as doctors and medical residents discussed taking collective action in protest of the government's planned hike in the medical school student quota. The Korean Medical Association, the country's largest coalition of doctors groups with 130,000 members, threatened to go on strike on Thursday and hold a national meeting of doctors in Seoul on Saturday. Another group of interns, residents and trainee doctors, the Korean

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

Politician's likeness to criminal in Netflix's 'A Killer Paradox' sparks controversy

Popular Netflix original drama "A Killer Paradox" has been embroiled in controversy over one of its characters, who many here have alleged "bears a striking resemblance" to main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung. Netflix denied such rumors, saying such accusations are "completely baseless." The character, Hyeong Jeong-guk, portrayed by actor Seung Eui-yeol, is depicted as a corrupt older politician who is incarcerated for his crimes, with nea

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

No. of schoolchildren to drop below 5m by 2026

As South Korea continues to struggle with a remarkably low birth rate, the number of school-age children is estimated to fall below the 5 million mark in just two years. According to the latest data released by the Korea Educational Development Institute on Monday, the number of elementary, middle and high school students nationwide is expected to fall from some 5.13 million this year to about 4.83 million in 2026. In 2029, the number of students is expected to further decline to 4.275 million,

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

1 extra doctor means 0.11% lower chance of death: report

With South Korea pushing to increase the number of doctors in the country by expanding the medical school enrollment quota, a study has showed that the addition of one extra doctor per 100,000 people to the day-to-day health care sector can reduce the death rate by 0.11 percent. Researchers from Seoul National University Hospital analyzed Ministry of Health and Welfare data from 2016 to 2020 to find the correlation between the number of primary care doctors and the death rate in the South Korean

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

Doctors, govt. on collision course over medical school quota increase

Doctors and the government are on a collision course over the decision to significantly increase medical school seats, with doctors vowing to go on a strike and the government pledging a stern response, including even revoking doctors' licenses. Last week, the government announced its plan to add 2,000 seats to the country's medical school enrollment quota next year, a sharp rise from the current 3,058 medical school seats that have been capped since 2006. The move came as the country

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

S. Korea mulls allowing pregnant women to postpone bar exam

The Ministry of Justice said Monday it is considering the inclusion of severe illnesses and pregnancy among cases that can be granted an extension for the state-mandated period to pass the bar exam. South Korean law stipulates that those who wish to become a lawyer can only take the state-issued bar exam five times within five years after getting a degree from law school, disqualifying those who failed to pass during that period from taking the test again. For those who served their mandatory mi

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

[Bills in Focus] Prospective tenant protection, Busan global hub

Proposed Bills: Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Public Housing Proposed by Rep. Kim Byung-wook (Democratic Party of Korea) ● This amendment revises the pre-sale housing subscription system to decrease risks for prospective tenants. It ensures that pre-subscription for housing begins only after the approval of the housing construction project plan and mandates the notification of fixed housing sale prices during the pre-sale housing subscription period. It also limits the increase of ho

PoliticsFeb. 12, 2024

Yoon's approval rating inches up to 39.2 pct

President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval rating rose slightly to 39.2 percent from a week earlier, a survey showed Monday. According to the Realmeter survey, the positive assessment of Yoon's performance rose 1.9 percentage points from the week earlier, while the negative assessment fell 1.7 percentage points. The survey was conducted on 2,011 adults from Monday to Thursday last week and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, with a confidence rate of 95 percent. The r

PoliticsFeb. 12, 2024

Doctors, government lock horns over medical school expansion

Medical circles continue to lock horns with the government following the announcement of an increase in medical school enrollment quotas by 2,000 from the current 3,058, as they mull joint action in protest of the decision. In response, the Health Ministry said Thursday afternoon it had issued orders to prohibit doctors from engaging in collective action and specialists from resigning en masse. The ministry raised the national health crisis level to alert -- the third highest in the four-tier

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

N. Korea says it newly developed shells for multiple rocket launcher

North Korea said Monday it has newly developed controllable shells for a multiple rocket launcher and its ballistic control system as part of its push to expand its weapons arsenal. The Academy of Defence Science conducted a test firing of 240 mm-caliber controllable multiple rocket launcher shells on Sunday in a bid to evaluate their accuracy and prove their advantages, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "The development of 240 mm-caliber controllable multiple rocket launcher she

North KoreaFeb. 12, 2024

Doctors vow massive rallies this week against med school quota hikes

Doctors will hold massive rallies across the nation this week in protest of the government's planned hike in the enrollment quota for medical schools amid a looming strike feared to affect the health service, officials said Sunday. The Korean Medical Association (KMA), a major lobby group for doctors, said it will hold protests nationwide Thursday as a first collective action after the entity went into emergency mode in response to the government's decision to boost the number of medic

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

Social media use leaps, reading volume declines among 20-year-olds in past decade: report

Twenty-year-olds spend much more time on social media now than the same age group a decade ago, whereas their monthly reading time declined, a report showed Monday. The Korean Educational Development Institute surveyed 5,705 people who turned 20 in 2021, and about 23 percent of them said they use social media for an average of three to five hours a week, while about 17 percent said they use social media for about six to 10 hours. In a similar survey, only 6.7 percent of the 4,850 people who turn

Social AffairsFeb. 12, 2024

Over half of young singles have been in asymmetrical relationships: survey

Some 54 percent of unmarried people in their 20s and 30s say they have been in a romantic relationship where the power dynamics were skewed toward one of the parties, a recent survey by a local matchmaking company found. In the January survey by Duo, conducted on 150 men and 150 women in their 20s who have had romantic partners, 60.3 percent of the respondents said a so-called "gab-eul" power dynamic exists in romantic relationships. Gab-eul refers to a relationship between two people

Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2024

Less than 1% of S. Korean drivers know how to turn right properly: report

Hardly any of the South Korean drivers are fully aware of the details involving the recent legislative change on the proper way to turn right, a study by a government-funded organization showed Tuesday. The Gyeonggi Research Institute said they recently published a study on how well the residents of the greater Seoul area are aware of the 2022 revision of the Road Traffic Act. This revision specified that a vehicle must come to a full stop when making a right turn at the intersection at a red li

Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2024

[AtoZ into Korean mind] ‘Chemyeon’: the role of 'face' in shaping Korea's cultural dynamics

Lee Jung-ah, 36, recently ended her yearlong relationship with her boyfriend, mainly due to her parents’ opposition. They told her they disapproved of him because he did not match up to her professional and educational background. They worried that they would lose face in front of their relatives and acquaintances if she married him. Now, Lee is hoping to find someone who can uphold the "chemyeon" of her father, who is a university professor, although she believes the chances of

Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2024

S. Korean Army to relax policy on retrieving bullet casings

South Korean military said Wednesday that it is planning to revise the Army regulation on retrieving casings of bullets used in marksmanship training, by deleting the part mandating soldiers to collect every single casing. The military is planning to revise Article 46 of the current Army regulation that states "soldiers must retrieve 100 percent of the used casings at the firing ranges and submit them" to "soldiers must retrieve the used casings at the firing ranges and submit the

DefenseFeb. 11, 2024

Top 0.1 pct of wage earners in Seoul made average 1.4 bln won in 2022

The top 0.1 percent of wage earners in Seoul made an average of 1.4 billion won ($1.05 million) in 2022, triple the amount earned by the same cohort in Gangwon Province, data showed Sunday. According to the data compiled by the National Tax Service and released by Rep. Yang Kyung-sook of the main opposition Democratic Party, there were 6,213 people in the top 0.1 percent wage bracket in Seoul. The southern island of Jeju came second with 1 billion won, followed by Gyeonggi Province with 950 mill

Social AffairsFeb. 11, 2024