4 in 10 fire officials have mental health concerns: report

Four out of 10 fire officials were found to have suffered from mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep disorder, according to survey results released by the National Fire Agency on Sunday. The survey underscores the urgent necessity to address the mental health concerns of fire officials, particularly in light of the recent tragic loss of two firefighters, shedding light on the challenging working environments they face. The two were trapped while responding to a fire a

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2024

Bereaved families protest president's veto of Itaewon tragedy probe

Bereaved family members of those who lost their lives in the Itaewon Halloween tragedy marched in the streets of Seoul on Saturday in protest of President Yoon Suk Yeol's decision to shoot down a special bill authorizing a new probe into the deadly crowd crush in October 2022. The family group and civic groups from across the country held a joint press conference in front of a memorial for Itaewon victims in Jung-gu, central Seoul, decrying the president for his decision Tuesday to send the

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2024

3 serious accidents in SMEs reported a week after law expansion

Three serious accidents were reported by enterprises with fewer than 50 employees in the first week since the enforcement of workplace safety laws was expanded, South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor said Sunday. The ministry reported deaths at work at SMEs in Busan, Gangwon Province and Gyeonggi Province since the laws subjecting employers to penalties for fatal accidents were expanded to smaller businesses on Jan. 27. For instance, a male worker in his 50s died after being crushed

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2024

Seoul aims to revamp street vendors, boost aesthetic appeal

Seoul plans to overhaul its street stands, city officials said Sunday, saying the existing ones were aging and poorly managed. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the city will conduct monthly inspections on street sales facilities and shops for enhanced safety and design management. As of 2022, the city hosted 613 street newsstands and 830 shoe repair stands, most of which have been in operation for over a decade. There are a total of 5,443 other street vendor stalls, such as thos

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2024

3 in 10 staff at Seoul council have seen sexual harassment

Some 28.3 percent of employees at the Seoul Metropolitan Council said they have either witnessed or experienced sexual harassment in some way at the workplace, a report by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed Sunday. The council was recently notified the results of the assessment on its overall culture by the ministry, officials said, which showed that its members reported authoritative attitudes, nepotism and negative perceptions toward victims of sexual harassment within the org

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2024

Church elder embezzles funds for 16 years, gets jail term

A church elder accused of embezzling some 420 million won ($310,000) of the congregation's funds was sentenced to two years in prison, the Chuncheon District Court said Sunday. The appellate division of the court upheld an earlier ruling that found the 73-year-old defendant guilty of violating Article 356 of the Criminal Act, which states that occupational embezzlement shall be punished by up to 10 years in prison or a 30 million won fine. The defendant, an elder at a church in Hoengseong-g

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2024

Govt. expected to announce medical school quota hikes this week

The government is likely to announce an increase in the medical school enrollment quota this week to address the shortage of doctors in remote areas and essential medicine despite strong opposition from the medical circle, officials said Sunday. If decided, it will be the first hike of the medical school enrollment quota in 19 years. The current limit stood at 3,058. The government has reportedly been looking to raise the annual enrollment quota at medical schools by as much as 2,000 from the cu

PoliticsFeb. 4, 2024

2 firefighters laid to rest at national cemetery

A funeral was held Saturday for two firefighters who died during a mission earlier this week to search for victims at a burning meat processing factory in the central city of Mungyeong. The two firefighters -- Kim Soo-kwang, 27, and Park Soo-hoon, 35 -- were laid to rest at Daejeon National Cemetery as their families and around 100 colleagues observed the funeral procession in deep sorrow and tears. Kim and Park were searching for possible victims at the fire scene in Mungyeong, 140 kilometers s

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2024

Reality check: How diverse is Korea really? Disability in workplace (6)

Around the world, people with disabilities are less likely to be employed than people without disabilities. In South Korea, the employment rate stands at 36.1 percent for people with disabilities, while the figure for those without a disability is 63 percent. The Korean government and public organizations are required by law to retain 3.4 percent of jobs for individuals with disabilities. In the private sector, companies with more than 50 employees are mandated to fill 3.1 percent of the payro

Social AffairsFeb. 4, 2024

S. Korea summons Russian ambassador over commentary on Yoon's remark

South Korea's foreign ministry on Saturday summoned the top Russian envoy to Seoul to protest a recent statement by a Russian foreign ministry official on President Yoon Suk Yeol's view of the North Korean regime. On Wednesday, Yoon described North Korea as the only country in the world to legalize the preemptive use of nuclear weapons as tensions escalated over a series of weapons tests by the North since the start of the year. Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova cr

Foreign AffairsFeb. 3, 2024

US begins retaliatory strikes at Iran-backed militia targets in Iraq, Syria

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Friday mounted strikes at targets used by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, President Joe Biden said, delivering on his vow to retaliate for last weekend's drone strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan. In a statement, Biden said that under his direction, U.S. military forces began the strikes at the facilities that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militia use to attack U.S. forces. "Our response began t

Foreign AffairsFeb. 3, 2024

NK says it conducted 'cruise missile super-large warhead power test'

North Korea said Saturday it conducted what it calls a "cruise missile super-large warhead power test" and test-fired a new-type of anti-aircraft missile the previous day. The tests in the Yellow Sea were carried out for the "rapid development of the technologies in various aspects such as function, performance and operation of new-type weapon systems" and were part of "normal activities," the North's Missile Administration said in a statement carried by the

North KoreaFeb. 3, 2024

PPP lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin makes 1st public appearance since attack

Rep. Bae Hyun-jin of the ruling People Power Party on Friday made her first public appearance since being attacked by a teenager last week. Bae, who represents the eastern Seoul district of Songpa, attended a PPP meeting in her constituency Friday, eight days after a 15-year-old boy struck the lawmaker repeatedly in the head with a rock. Bae, who had her bleeding wound stapled, was discharged from a Seoul hospital last Saturday. She attended Friday's meeting wearing a green beanie over her

PoliticsFeb. 2, 2024

S. Korea, UAE agree to strengthen defense cooperation

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to bolster their bilateral cooperation in defense and the arms industry, Seoul's defense ministry said Friday. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik met with his UAE counterpart, Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Mazrouei, earlier in the day in the UAE, where they discussed ways to strengthen their cooperation as "special strategic partners," the ministry said. The two defense chiefs also reviewed the achievements of their defense co

DefenseFeb. 2, 2024

1-year prison term sought for 'Squid Game' actor O Yeong-su on sexual abuse charges

Prosecutors on Friday sought a one-year prison sentence for O Yeong-su, the winner of a 2022 Golden Globe award for his role in "Squid Game," on charges of sexually harassing a woman in 2017. The 79-year-old O was indicted in November 2022 over allegations that he hugged a woman and kissed her on the cheek against her will between August and September in 2017 during his two-month tour to a regional area for a performance. In a hearing at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2024

2 veteran judges nominated as Supreme Court justices

The Supreme Court on Friday nominated two veteran judges as new justices at the top court. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae recommended Eom Sang-phil, 55, and Shin Sook-hee, 54, for nomination by President Yoon Suk Yeol. Once Yoon approves their nomination, the National Assembly will hold a confirmation hearing. Eom began his judicial career in Seoul in 1997. He has been at the Seoul High Court since 2021. Shin started her career as a judge in 1996, also in Seoul. She has been working at

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2024

Victims fume at Lee Jae-myung for ‘flattering’ North Korean regime

South Korean opposition Democratic Party of Korea chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung is facing criticism from the families of victims of North Korean abuses and defectors over his remarks “flattering” the Kim Jong-un regime. Lee Rae-jin, whose brother was killed by North Korean soldiers at sea in September 2020, told The Korea Herald on Friday he was “utterly dismayed” at the leader of a South Korean major political party “fraternizing with the criminal regime.” In rema

PoliticsFeb. 2, 2024

Govt. to buy more surplus rice for international food aid program

The South Korean government and the ruling People Power Party on Friday reached an agreement over the Ministry of Agriculture's plan to buy 50,000 tons of surplus rice to use for the international food aid program and to keep the domestic grain price afloat. The newly purchased rice will be sent to African and Asian countries as food aid through the World Food Program, Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung told reporters at the National Assembly on Friday. She did not disclose further details. This

PoliticsFeb. 2, 2024

Indonesians investigated for suspected theft of South Korean fighter jet secrets

Some Indonesian employees at the Korea Aerospace Industries have been barred from leaving South Korea on suspicions they were trying to steal secrets about KF-21 fighter technology. KAI reported the employees to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration last month after becoming suspicious of an attempted leak. The administration, a public affiliate of the Ministry of National Defense, said that an investigation is underway to determine if the information the employees are suspected of stor

DefenseFeb. 2, 2024

Women, old men in military? Korea debates solutions for looming conscript shortfall

Reforming military obligations for men in South Korea has always been a flashpoint for heated debate. But recently, fuel has been added to the fire with the emergence of two rather radical ideas. One idea came from professor Choi Young-jin of Chung-Ang University in Seoul, who proposed in an op-ed for a local daily the formation of a "senior army" composed of men aged 55 to 75 to address an anticipated shortfall in military personnel. In South Korea, which faces the nuclear-armed, bell

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2024