Tens of thousands hold Labor Day rallies nationwide

Tens of thousands of workers took to the streets nationwide on Monday in South Korea to mark Labor Day with protests against labor reforms being pushed by the Yoon Suk Yeol government. Workers belonging to the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korea Trade Unions -- the country’s two major umbrella labor organizations -- participated in large-scale rallies across the country, including in the metropolitan cities of Seoul, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju and the southern island

May 1, 2023

[From the Scene] Fervor for World Scout Jamboree grows in Korea

BUAN, North Jeolla Province -- With less than 100 days to go, South Korea’s Boy and Girl Scouts are eagerly anticipating the 25th World Scout Jamboree, which will bring together around 43,000 teenagers from 170 countries around the world. Ahn Ye-sung, a 17-year-old student at Buan High School in Buan-gun, North Jeolla Province, is one of three thousand Korean students fortunate enough to seize a one-time-only opportunity to participate in the Jamboree, which will be held under the theme of

May 1, 2023

Gender equality? Jeju mandates night shift work for female civil servants

Jeju Special Self-governing Province has mandated its female employees to work night shifts starting Monday, responding to complaints that it is unfair to have only the men work the night shift. Before, female workers at the provincial office were exempt from late night shifts -- from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day. The women were required instead to do their shifts during holidays and weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Of the province’s two cities, Jeju city has already implemented night shift

May 1, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases fall below 10,000

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 10,000 on Monday due mainly to fewer tests over the weekend as the country is considering further easing antivirus curbs to regain normalcy. The country reported 5,774 cases, including 23 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,176,660, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Monday's tally was down from 13,614 cases a day earlier but is higher than the previous Monday's 5,022 cases. The country added eight COV

May 1, 2023

3.1 magnitude earthquake hits central S. Korea

A 3.1 magnitude natural earthquake hit Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, Sunday, the state weather agency said. The quake struck 16 kilometers east of the town, 149 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 7:03 p.m. with no damage reported so far, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The quake, which occurred at a depth of 14 kilometers, was recorded up to Level 4 on the seismic intensity scale, the strength at which most people can feel tremors and can wake up if the quake occurs a

April 30, 2023

Hana opens 64th childcare center in Chilgok to boost birth rate

Hana Financial Group opened a new childcare center in the southern county of Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. The new opening is part of the financial giant’s ongoing 100 Childcare Centers Initiative, which aims to help tackle the nation’s declining birth rate while enhancing social responsibility activities in collaboration with the local economy. The latest Waegwan Hana Childcare Center marks the 64th of such facilities established since 2018, with 150 billion won ($112

April 30, 2023

[Herald Interview] Winds of change in Korea's labor movement

Yoo Jun-hwan, 31, never thought that he would be leading a labor union until just two years ago. The research engineer who had studied in the US was awarded a smaller-than-expected annual bonus from his company, LG Electronics, in early 2021. However, the company had marked a record high operating profit in the previous year at nearly 3.2 trillion won ($2.3 billion). In quite an unusual move at a Korean company, Yoo asked management why he was getting a bonus far lower than those given out by th

April 30, 2023

K-pop concert opens 8-day ‘Seoul Festa 2023’

The Seoul Metropolitan Government kicked off its annual tourist event, “Seoul Festa 2023,” on Sunday, with a star-studded K-pop concert making its way back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The city embarked on the eight-day festival with an opening concert at the Olympic Main Stadium in Jamsil Sports Complex, southern Seoul, attended by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and some 40,000 attendees. In his opening remarks, Oh expressed hopes that visitors will be able to enjoy Seoul’s “style&

April 30, 2023

Falling births a concern for North Korea, too

Similar to South Korea, North Korea is grappling with tumbling childbirths. The cause, however, is starkly different: famine and persistent economic hardships. The communist state’s total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, stood at 1.9 in 2022, according to a report titled “State of World Population 2022,” published by the United Nations Population Fund. The figure was higher than the South’s 0.78 estimated in the same year, but

April 30, 2023

Prosecution, financial regulators to jointly probe alleged massive stock manipulation

The prosecution and financial regulators will jointly investigate a suspected case of large-scale stock manipulation following the recent collapse of stock prices of eight companies, officials said Friday. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office said it will form a joint inquiry team with the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service to investigate the suspicious trading allegedly led by an investment consulting firm. The stocks of the eight domestic companies ha

April 28, 2023

Korea to ease visa rules to woo Chinese tour groups

South Korea's Justice Ministry announced Friday plans to ease visa requirements in an apparent move to attract more Chinese tour groups. Starting Sunday, a group of three or more composed of Chinese primary or secondary students and at least one adult leading the group will be permitted to travel to Korea without visas for up to 30 days, as long as they get approval from Korea's consular offices in China. Also, stopover passengers from China will be able to go on a short trip outside the airport

April 28, 2023

Would Korea’s legal ‘loophole’ lead to setting loose a mass murderer?

South Korea has not executed a single person since 23 people were hanged on Dec. 30, 1997, earning itself global recognition as an “abolitionist in practice.” Currently, a total of 59 death row inmates are incarcerated indefinitely, waiting for an execution that will likely never come. But the nation’s law clearly recognizes the existence of the death penalty. This poses a dilemma for the government, as it may have to release a death row inmate in November. Nov. 23 will mark ex

April 28, 2023

Jamsu Bridge closed Saturday-Sunday for Louis Vuitton fashion show

Seoul's Jamsu Bridge connecting Yongsan and Seocho districts will be closed from 12:00 a.m. on Saturday to 12:00 a.m. on Sunday due to a fashion show hosted by French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton, the city government said Friday. During this time, the bridge will be inaccessible to cars, bicycles, motorcycles and pedestrians. Buses will also be taking temporary detours, it added. To inform people in the vicinity of the bridge about the traffic control measures and encourage them to fi

April 28, 2023

Doctors mull sit-in protests as nursing bill gets parliamentary nod

A group of doctors and other medical workers are reportedly considering launching a nationwide strike following the passage of a bill that stipulates a clear definition of nursing and nurses’ roles in medical services at the National Assembly's plenary session on Thursday. They have been opposing to the bill, saying that it would provide legal ground for nurses to open their own medical institutions. Despite strong opposition from the ruling People Power Party, the main opposition Dem

April 28, 2023

Viral respiratory infections surge after lifting of mask mandate

With South Korea having lifted its mask mandate in stages, the number of patients with respiratory infections -- especially infants -- has been rapidly increasing, data showed Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the country saw a total of 13,268 patients hospitalized at 220 government-monitored medical institutions for seven weeks from March to April 2023. The figure is more than 13 times the 1,002 people hospitalized during the same period last year. In particu

April 28, 2023

Grandson of late ex-President Chun referred to prosecution on drug charges

A grandson of late former President Chun Doo-hwan was referred to the prosecution Friday for investigation and potential indictment on drug charges. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency referred the 27-year-old Chun Woo-won, the son of the former President Chun's second son, Jae-yong, to the prosecution without physical detention on charges of taking several different drugs during his stay in the United States, officials said. The grandson has attracted widespread media attention after maki

April 28, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases at 10,000 level for 4th day

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed at the 10,000 level for the fourth consecutive day Friday, as the country is nearing to pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 13,791 cases, including 22 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,142,861, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's tally is lower than the 14,284 a day earlier but a tad higher than the 13,596 a week ago. Daily infections fell to 5,027 on Monday after staying above 10,000 for the

April 28, 2023

Opposition-controlled parliament unilaterally passes nursing act

The opposition-controlled National Assembly on Thursday passed a nursing act aimed at defining the roles and responsibilities of nurses in a clearer manner amid fierce opposition from the ruling party and doctors. The bill was approved in a plenary session with 179 votes in favor and two abstentions out of 181 lawmakers present. All but two members of the ruling People Power Party, which has opposed the bill, boycotted the vote and walked out of the chamber en masse before voting began. The

April 27, 2023

Young Koreans don't want children to receive same education they had: survey

Nearly half of Korea's young people don't want their children to receive the same kind of education they had, a survey showed Thursday. According to a survey conducted by the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) last August, 49.6 percent of Korean respondents reacted negatively to the question of whether their children should receive the same kind of education they had. Among the respondents of other countries who also answered the question negatively, Japanese ranked second at 39.5

April 27, 2023

Fewer multicultural students advancing to university

The percentage of children from multicultural families entering university has sharply fallen behind the total figure for all kids in South Korea, data showed Thursday. As of 2021, 4 in 10 multicultural kids were admitted to higher education institutions, according to data suggested by the Prime Minister's Office. This showed a contrast from the nationwide general figure, as over 70 percent of Koreans advanced to higher education. The gap between the figure for Koreans overall and that of multic

April 27, 2023