Chungcheong Megacity gears up in bid to host 2027 World University Games

Four local governments in the central region of South Korea -- Daejeon, Sejong and the North and South Chungcheong provinces -- are gearing up in their shared bid to host the 2027 FISU World University Games. The Chungcheong Megacity Bid Committee, a joint organization launched by the local governments for the bid, has completed the needed procedures, and is now working on promotions with local residents. According to the CMBC, local residents in the Chungcheong Megacity region are supporti

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

Korean Air union sues YouTuber over video featuring flight attendant uniforms

The labor union of South Korea's biggest carrier Korean Air Lines Co. on Tuesday lodged a complaint against a female YouTuber who appears in underwear in a lookbook video before putting on flight attendant uniforms, alleging that she defamed the reputation of flight attendants. The complaint was filed with Seoul's Gangnam Police Station against the YouTuber who recently triggered a sexual commodification controversy by uploading an 8-minute video in which she appears only in underwear and chang

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

[What’s your say] Abandoned on highway

A husband may face a criminal charge after he abandoned his wife along the expressway at midnight after an argument. The wife was found dead the next morning, about 700 meters from where she was left behind. The severity of her injuries suggested she had been hit by a car. Police are now reviewing the case to see if the husband could be charged with “death by abandonment,” which is punished by imprisonment of at least three years in South Korea. Should he be criminally charged?&

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

Doctors protest 20-day cap on ICU stay of COVID-19 patients

Front-line doctors in Korea are calling on the government to retract new guidelines limiting the amount of time COVID-19 patients can be admitted to intensive care to 20 days. In an effort to ease the bed crisis, the government told hospitals last week that it would be imposing a cap of 20 days for how long a COVID-19 patient can stay in an intensive care unit. Beyond the 20-day period, the national health insurance waiver for COVID-19-related treatment costs will end for patients and hospit

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

Small merchants to hold street protest against toughened virus curbs

Owners of restaurants, cafes and other small businesses plan to hold a rally in Seoul this week to protest the government's implementation of toughened gathering restrictions and business curfews, according an association of small merchants Tuesday. The so-called national emergency association of small business against COVID-19 said it plans to hold the rally Wednesday afternoon near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. The number of participants was set at 299 in line with the latest gathering

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

Over 24,000 video messages await delivery to separated families in N. Korea

Families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War in South Korea have produced more than 24,000 video messages for their long-lost relatives in the North, but almost all of them have yet to be delivered, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday. Of the 24,077 video letters produced since 2005, including 1,004 created this year, only 20 of them were sent to North Korea in 2008 following inter-Korean Red Cross talks the previous year, according to the ministry. South Korea has been pushing to hold r

North KoreaDec. 21, 2021

Senior presidential aide resigns over son’s job search blunder

Kim Jin-kook, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, on Tuesday tendered his resignation after it was found that his son had attempted to use Kim’s position to find employment, officials said. “President Moon accepted Kim Jin-kook’s resignation,” said Park Soo-hyun, senior Cheong Wa Dae secretary for public communication. “There is no discussion on the successor yet.”　 Kim issued an apology, saying, “Above all, I deeply apologize for ca

PoliticsDec. 21, 2021

Over half of middle-aged people indebted in 2020

More than half of South Koreans aged between 40 and 64 held debt last year as more people took out loans to buy homes amid skyrocketing housing prices, data showed Tuesday. The data by Statistics Korea showed that 56.5 percent of people in the age group borrowed money from banks or other financial institutes last year, up 0.2 percentage point from the previous year. The amount of their median debt reached 52 million won ($43,600) last year, up 7.1 percent from a year earlier. Median debt is a

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

Number of workers taking parental leave up 3.7% in 2020

The number of South Korean workers who took time off to take care of their children rose 3.7 percent in 2020 from a year earlier amid more government support for parental leave, government data showed Tuesday. A total of 169,345 workers took parental leave to take care of their children last year, up 6,089 from the previous year, according to the preliminary data from Statistics Korea. Last year's figure was approximately 2.3 times the number 10 years earlier. Women accounted for 77.3 percent

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

61 lawmakers awarded by youth for making positive remarks

The Sunfull Foundation has held a ceremony to present an award in collaboration with the National Assembly to 61 lawmakers who make positive remarks, the organization said Thursday. The Sunfull Foundation is a non-governmental organization founded by English educator Min Byung-chul in 2007 to counter cyberbullying, hate speech, and human rights violations on the internet. The recipients were chosen by 300 high school and college students, the organization said. The students selected 30

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

Bangladesh marks 50th Victory Day

GREAT VICTORY DAY – Bangladesh Ambassador Md. Delwar Hossain hoists Bangladeshi flag and delivers welcome remarks at the Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul on Thursday, paying a rich tribute to Bangladesh’s first president, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is known as the “father of the nation and the valiant freedom fighters and violated women, whose supreme sacrifices ushered in the independence through a nine-month historic war of independence.“ (Embassy of Bangladesh i

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 21, 2021

Mafalda Cultural Space opens in Seoul

The Embassy of Argentina in Seoul opened the Mafalda Cultural Space to showcase Latin culture in Korea on Thursday. Mafalda is a cultural icon for Argentinians that originates from title of a comic strip character started in 1964 created by Joaquin Salvador Lavado Tejon also known as Quino. The cartoon was eventually published in 27 languages. Mafalda is the name of curious, lively and dedicated 6-year-old main character girl intending social equality and highlighting rationalism that became

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 21, 2021

Ruling party seeks to establish secondary presidential office in Sejong

The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Tuesday said it is seeking to establish a secondary presidential office in the central administrative city of Sejong following a pledge from its presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. The DP said its plan to set up a secondary presidential office in Sejong, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, will be introduced as a party policy at its general meeting Wednesday. Lee promised in a Facebook post in September that he will establish a secondary presidential offic

PoliticsDec. 21, 2021

N. Korea's military staging wintertime drills, S. Korea says

North Korea's military is conducting a wintertime exercise, as South Korea and the United States are closely monitoring related moves, Seoul's defense authorities said Tuesday. "We believe that wintertime drills by North Korea's military are under way," Col. Kim Jun-rak, the spokesperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), told reporters. The North usually kicks off a regular military training in December, which continues through early spring often involving artillery firing drills.

North KoreaDec. 21, 2021

Bangladesh observes International Migrants Day in Korea

The Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul observed International Migrants Day 2021 with the theme “Harnessing the Potential of Human Mobility” on Sunday in Seoul. At the event, 17 Bangladeshi Employment Permit System workers received awards from the Korean government in recognition of their achievements of having worked with the same employer for the longest period, attained Korean language proficiency and engaged in voluntary services. Ten Korean employers were also honored for employing th

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 21, 2021

Israel to donate 1m doses of COVID-19 vaccine to African countries

Israel is to donate 1 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine against COVID-19 to African countries through the international COVAX vaccine distribution program, the Embassy of Israel in Seoul said in a press statement Thursday. Israel made the pledge after discussing the donation with Israel’s prime minister’s office, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Health. According to the embassy, Israel has strengthened relations with African countries, which saw

Diplomatic CircuitDec. 21, 2021

Military reports 17 more COVID-19 cases

South Korea's military on Tuesday reported 17 additional COVID-19 cases, with all of them being breakthrough infections, raising the total caseload among its personnel to 2,980. Of the new cases, 10 are from the Army, four from the Marine Corps, two from the Air Force, and one from a unit under the direct control of the defense ministry, the ministry said. Currently, 307 military personnel are under treatment. Of the total military caseload, 1,201 are breakthrough cases. (Yonhap)

DefenseDec. 21, 2021

2,109 Seoul students test positive for COVID-19 in past week

A total of 2,109 students in Seoul have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week, before the partial reintroduction of remote school classes against the fast spread of infections, officials said Monday. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, elementary school virus cases in the capital from Dec. 13 to Sunday stood at 1,248, followed by those in middle schools and kindergartens at 406 and 169, respectively. The rate of in-class infections was recorded at 24.6 percent, up

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021

Umbrella union disapproves of ex-Foreign Minister Kang's bid for top ILO job

A major South Korean umbrella labor organization has notified the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation that it does not support former South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's candidacy for the position of ILO chief, sources said Tuesday. The statement from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which was sent Monday, is expected to deal a blow to Kang's bid to become ILO director-general about three months before the election se

PoliticsDec. 21, 2021

IFRC allocates $1.2m to help NK fight against COVID-19

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has allocated 1.1 million Swiss francs ($1.2 million) to help North Korea combat the COVID-19 pandemic from January last year to June next year, its interim financial report showed. According to the COVID-19 Outbreak 20-Month Update, the organization had spent around 699,000 Swiss francs as of September, with the largest portion of 296,000 Swiss francs spent on health-related operations. Another 157,000 Swiss francs wa

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2021