Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry

More than 590 resident doctors who left their hospitals in protest of the government’s medical school quota expansion have returned, the Health Ministry said Friday, without providing the names of the hospitals, citing the possibility of future disadvantages from the medical circle. Currently, a little more than 590 out of 9,900 resident doctors, or six percent of the total, have returned to their training hospitals as of Thursday, the ministry explained. Second Vice Health Minister Park M

Social AffairsMay 3, 2024

Seoul-Gimpo merger bill faces termination

A bill proposed by the ruling People Power Party last year to incorporate the city of Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, into Seoul currently faces termination due to not being introduced even to a parliamentary subcommittee, according to the National Assembly on Friday. According to the National Assembly’s Bill Information website, no further discussions regarding the Special Act on the Change of Jurisdiction Between Gyeonggi Province and Seoul have been made since the bill was presented by Rep. C

Social AffairsMay 3, 2024

Korean govt. looks to hire 5th professional calligrapher since 1962

The Korean government is seeking to employ a professional calligrapher as a civil servant to be responsible for crafting letters of appointment for high-ranking civil servants in the name of the South Korean president, according to the Ministry of Personnel Management. The ministry on Thursday announced its plan to hire a professional calligrapher by May 13. The position of calligrapher is the rarest among Korean public officials, with only four calligraphers hired by the government in the 62 ye

Social AffairsMay 3, 2024

S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study

Children and teenagers in South Korea have not only gotten taller compared to 10 years ago but also tend to mature at an earlier age, a recent report from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy showed. The ministry-affiliated Korean Agency for Technology and Standards conducted research on the body measurements of 1,118 South Koreans aged between 7 and 19, the results of which were presented at Lotte World Tower in southern Seoul on Thursday. The report showed growth among all age groups and

Social AffairsMay 3, 2024

Loyalist to DP leader Lee elected as party's new floor leader

The main opposition Democratic Party on Friday elected a lawmaker closely aligned with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung as its new floor leader. Rep. Park Chan-dae, a member of the DP's Supreme Council who was reelected for a third term in the general elections, was named floor leader at a general meeting of party lawmakers, becoming the party's first floor leader under the current 22nd National Assembly. Park was the sole candidate for the post. Announcing his run for the floor l

PoliticsMay 3, 2024

N. Korean economic delegation returns from Iran amid suspected military ties

A North Korean economic delegation has returned home from Iran, Pyongyang's state media said Friday, ending a rare trip that raised suspicions of possible weapons cooperation between the two nations. The delegation, headed by External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho, arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday after visiting Iran, the Korean Central News Agency said in a one-sentence dispatch. The latest dispatch marked the first state media report on the visit since an April 24 dispatch annou

North KoreaMay 3, 2024

Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House

Russia delivered more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea in March alone, a White House official said Thursday, noting its shipments thus far have already exceeded Pyongyang's annual import cap mandated by the UN Security Council. National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby made the remarks as Washington is working in tandem with South Korea, Japan and other partners to roll out new sanctions this month against those aiding in transfers of weapons and refined petrole

North KoreaMay 3, 2024

[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%

The number of franchised coffee branches in South Korea rose by more than 3,000 on-year in 2022 on growing demand for food and beverages with the ebbing of the COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of budget brands, the antitrust regulator said. The country had 26,217 franchise coffee shops as of the end of 2022, up 13 percent from the previous year's 23,204, according to data from the Fair Trade Commission. It marked the highest growth among all kinds of food and beverage franchises in 202

Social AffairsMay 3, 2024

Govt. to spend W95b to support reforms at 41 public hospitals in H1

The health ministry said Thursday it will spend 94.8 billion won (US$68.8 million) in the first half of the year to help normalize operations and support management reforms at 41 public hospitals across the nation. Under the support program, the government seeks to facilitate sustainable development of public hospitals by assessing their innovation plans, which focus on improving medical services and organizational efficiency, according to the ministry. Hospitals that demonstrate promising outco

Social AffairsMay 2, 2024

Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats

The South Korean government has raised its terror alert level from the lowest to the third-highest in its four-tier system, specifically targeting five overseas diplomatic missions, in light of intelligence indicating potential terror threats from North Korea. The announcement was made Thursday by the Foreign Ministry and the Office for Government Policy Coordination following a meeting convened under the National Counter Terrorism Center. The purpose of the meeting was to "assess the count

Foreign AffairsMay 2, 2024

Medical schools to increase up to 1,509 seats for 2025

South Korea will see an increase of additional seats in medical school admission next year ranging from 1,489 to 1,509, said the Ministry of Education Thursday, less than the 2,000 slots the government had initially allocated. The Education Ministry and the Korean Council for University Education unveiled the finalized enrollment quota submitted by 31 out of 32 medical schools that have been allocated additional seats. Thirty-one medical schools handed in a total of 1,469 slots to increase by 20

Social AffairsMay 2, 2024

Yoon's office to set up task force to keep growth momentum

The presidential office will establish a pangovernmental task force dedicated to protecting the country's strategic industries and encourage concerted efforts among government bodies, following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's projection of South Korea's economic growth this year, Thursday. "(South Korea) won't be able to sustain victory in the battlefield of countries pouring efforts on key industries, without removing barriers between ministr

PoliticsMay 2, 2024

Public backlash against division of Gyeonggi Province under 'corny' name

Gyeonggi Province’s plan to split off a northern section of the province under a new name as the special self-governing province of "Pyeonghwa Nuri” is facing public backlash, with an online petition against the proposed name drawing over 27,000 participants as of Thursday afternoon. The petition was filed shortly after Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon unveiled the winning name following a monthlong competition held in January, in a press conference Wednesday. Abbreviated, a

Social AffairsMay 2, 2024

Opposition-led Assembly unilaterally passes bill to probe Marine's death

  The opposition-led National Assembly unilaterally passed a special bill on Thursday to open an investigation into suspicions that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration abused its power to disrupt a probe into the death of a young Marine last year. Of the current total 296 members of the single-chamber National Assembly, all 168 who participated in the vote moved in favor of passing the bill, which seeks to launch an investigation into suspicions that the Yoon administration coerced an investig

PoliticsMay 2, 2024

Seoul to loosen building height restrictions after 50 years

Seoul's "high-altitude" regulations that control building heights near mountains and major facilities are poised to be relaxed for the first time since their adoption over 50 years ago. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that the city’s Urban Planning Commission signed and approved an amendment to reorganize high-altitude regulations on Wednesday. High-altitude regulations are a part of Seoul’s city management plan, which sets a maximum height limit f

Social AffairsMay 2, 2024

Seoul to more than double military drones by 2026 to counter NK threats

The Yoon Suk Yeol government on Thursday unveiled its plans to more than double its military drone fleet by 2026 to enhance the military's readiness against threats from North Korea's unmanned aerial vehicles. The meeting of the presidential Defense Innovation Committee, chaired by National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin, focused on strategies to bolster drone capabilities directly tied to the military's readiness posture, according to President Yoon Suk Yeol's office. "O

DefenseMay 2, 2024

Over 60% of S. Koreans support W100m childbirth incentive: survey

Over 60 percent of South Koreans supported an initiative of providing a 100 million won ($72,500) cash incentive for each newborn, aiming to tackle the country's low and declining birth rates, a government survey showed Thursday. The survey, conducted from April 17 to 26 by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission involving 13,640 individuals, aimed to assess the effectiveness of providing direct support to beneficiaries of birth boost policies. The survey queried whether significant

Social AffairsMay 2, 2024

Another suspect grilled in probe of alleged interference in Marine's death inquiry

The anti-corruption investigation office questioned a former defense ministry official as a power abuse suspect Thursday over allegations of external pressure placed on the military investigation into last year's death of a young Marine. Park Gyeong-hun, the former acting chief of the ministry's National Investigation Headquarters, appeared at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, Thursday morning, while remaining tight-lipped when

Social AffairsMay 2, 2024

Yoon vows to protect 'value of labor' on Labor Day

President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to protect the "value of labor" as he marked Labor Day on Wednesday. Yoon also said in a Facebook post that South Korea's remarkable growth was thanks to the "sweat and efforts" of its 28.4 million workers. "The government and I will protect the precious value of labor without fail," he wrote. "We will make your workplaces safer and fairer, and thoroughly see to it that you can find the meaning of life through labor." Mea

PoliticsMay 1, 2024

[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea

In this series, The Korea Herald sits down with newcomers who were chosen by South Koreans to serve on the National Assembly for the next four years, to talk about their visions and takes on issues in Seoul and beyond. -- Ed. The complete denuclearization of North Korea is not only the ultimate goal but also a viable aim of the security efforts of South Korea and the US, according to Kim Gunn, who was until recently Seoul’s top nuclear envoy. Kim, who was elected by proportional representa

PoliticsMay 1, 2024