Nursing bill raises tensions between doctors, nurses

Tensions have been rising between doctors and nurses due to proposed legislation that aims to clarify the roles and responsibilities of nurses separately from other health care professionals. Health Minister Cho Kyu-hong was scheduled to accompany President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the United States on Monday, but the trip was cancelled due to the ongoing conflict. Minister Cho plans to hold emergency meetings to mediate between the two groups this week. The proposed Nursing Act is set to b

April 23, 2023

Han suggests expanding development aid to Africa to Eswatini PM

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo expressed South Korea's bid to expand development aid in Africa as he received his Eswatini counterpart Cleopas Dlamini, the prime minister's office said in a statement Friday. Han stressed Seoul's willingness to take the relationship between Korea and African countries to the next level, in line with President Yoon Suk Yeol's announcement in November to host a special summit of South Korea and African countries, according to the prime minister

April 21, 2023

House rental scam fallout to persist into next year: minister

The fallout from a housing rental scam affecting thousands of South Koreans is likely to persist at least until next year, signaling a need for prompt action to prevent a spillover, Land Minister Won Hee-ryong said Friday. "The government forecasts more problematic (multiyear) housing rental contracts made during the previous administration to be uncovered throughout this year and also into the first half of next year, so the ministries are working to jointly set out countermeasures,"

April 21, 2023

61 men arrested for drugs all infected with AIDS: reports

A group of men who were arrested for illegal drug possession and use on Thursday reportedly all had tested positive for AIDS, according to local media and police. The drug investigation bureau under the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said Friday they had arrested 61 male drug users, manufacturers and dealers who were infected with the disease for breaching the country’s Narcotics Control Act. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, which is freq

April 21, 2023

Officials probe ‘near-collision’ of planes at Gimpo Airport

South Korean authorities have launched an investigation into an incident Wednesday in which two commercial flights appeared to nearly collide at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korean Air flight 1118 overran its allocated spot on the runway while landing, causing it to approach Busan Air flight 8027, which was preparing to take off from a different runway. The air traffic control immediately ordered KE1118 to halt upon seeing

April 21, 2023

3rd teen falls to death in five days in Seoul's Gangnam Ward

A 14-year-old girl has fallen off an apartment building to her death in Seoul's southern Gangnam Ward, fire authorities said Friday, marking the third such death involving teenagers reported in the district in a span of five days. Firefighters found her dead near the apartment building in Gangnam's Apgujeong-dong on Thursday when they went to the scene shortly after receiving a report at 5:08 p.m. Police were looking into the exact cause of the death, including whether there was any fo

April 21, 2023

Court orders Kepco to pay W8.7b to Goseong wildfire victims

A South Korean court ordered the Korea Electric Power Corp. to compensate 8.7 billion won ($6.6 million) to 60 people who were affected by a 2019 wildfire that killed two people in Goseong County, Gangwon Province. The payout is a third of the 26 billion won the victims were seeking in compensation for damages, as the court held the state-run utility firm only partly responsible for the wildfire. The victims, calling for Kepco's full compensation, had earlier rejected an arbitration offer in Nov

April 20, 2023

North Jeolla Province aims at becoming nation’s agriculture hub

North Jeolla Province Gov. Kim Kwan-young on Wednesday presented his vision to boost the province as an agriculture and biotechnology hub of South Korea. Kim, a two-time lawmaker in his early 50s who took office in July, delivered a speech at the Global Business Forum hosted by The Korea Herald, touting the province's strengths in the agriculture industry and its potential. There are a total of 47 organizations and institutes related to agriculture in North Jeolla Province, including the Ru

April 20, 2023

Students awarded W7m each for Suneung mishap

The court ruled the government should compensate 7 million won ($5,250) to students who claimed they were unfairly disadvantaged by an early finishing bell during Korea's national university entrance exam, known as "Suneung." Eight students who took the exam in 2021 had filed a lawsuit against the state and a test monitor at the time for "unexpected disruption" as the finishing bell rang around 2 minutes ahead of schedule. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor

April 20, 2023

Shingles infections on the rise in Korea

The number of shingles infections has been climbing in South Korea, data showed on Thursday. According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, a total of 722,257 people were infected with the disease in 2021, a 2.4 percent increase from 705,661 in 2017. The total amount of medical expenses related to the disease borne by individuals, families and the Korean government amounted to 166.1 billion won ($125 million) in 2021, an 11.9 percent increase from 2017. Chances of getting infected with

April 20, 2023

Vine Group to hold forum on learning methods in AI era

South Korean education service provider Vine Group said Thursday it is jointly hosting an online forum with the Korea Coaching Psychology Association to help support the growth of Korean youths and parents and contribute to the spread of coaching culture. The online meeting is slated for Monday and will be available for those willing to participate for free. This year’s forum will be held under the theme “Effective learning methods in the era of ChatGPT.” Participants will lear

April 20, 2023

8 firms, 14 suspects indicted in W2.3tr home furniture bid rigging

South Korea's prosecution service on Thursday indicted eight home furniture manufacturing companies and 14 individuals for undermining fair competition in related bids. Such anti-competitive activities allegedly took place in some 780 apartment construction projects spanning nine years until 2022, bringing the total volume of the furniture projects to 2.3 trillion won ($1.73 billion), according to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. The eight companies, including Hanssem, H

April 20, 2023

S. Korea to halve empty houses in rural areas by 2027

South Korea aims to halve the number of vacant houses in rural areas to 33,000 by 2027 by extending policy financing for their renovation and by making a special law and an integrated database to promote refurbishment and transactions, the agriculture ministry said Thursday. Currently, the number of unoccupied, derelict houses in the countryside are tallied at around 66,000, with the figure on a constant rise in recent years amid a shrinking population and a growing number of people moving to ci

April 20, 2023

New right turn rules to be enforced starting Saturday

A new road traffic law obligating drivers to stop when turning right at intersections to better protect pedestrians will be formally enforced, beginning this weekend, after a three-month grace period, the National Police Agency said Thursday. The NPA said it will begin to crack down on drivers caught violating the new right turn rules starting Saturday. Under the new rules, drivers must make a full stop prior to a right turn not only when pedestrians are on the crosswalk but also when they are t

April 20, 2023

Govt. seeks legislation giving rental scam victims priority to recoup deposits

The interior ministry is pushing for a law revision that would give victims of home rental scams priority to recoup their security deposits before taxes are collected when their rented homes go up for auction, officials said Thursday. The measure comes as three cash-strapped tenants have taken their own lives in recent months in the city of Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, in the wake of a massive home rental scam, sending the government scrambling to find remedies. About 2,500 tenants were

April 20, 2023

S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases above 10,000 for 3rd day amid eased virus curbs

South Korea's new coronavirus cases stayed above 10,000 for the third straight day Thursday amid eased virus curbs aimed at regaining pre-pandemic normalcy. The country reported 14,094 cases, including 22 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,039,863 the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Daily infections fell to 4,946 cases Monday after staying above 10,000 for the previous six days through Sunday. The daily caseload bounced back to over 10,000 on Tuesday. The co

April 20, 2023

Disabled account for 5.2% of Korean population: data

The number of registered people with disabilities accounts for 5.2 percent of the South Korean population, with more than half aged 65 or older, data showed Wednesday. According to statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the proportion of registered people with disabilities has steadily increased since 2003, due to the expansion of services for registered individuals and better understanding of the registration policy. The proportion has remained at about 5 percent of the tota

April 19, 2023

Korea seeks legislation against phishing attacks

The Yoon administration has invited lawmakers to cooperate on legislation to minimize the impact of phishing attacks. Phishing attacks attempt to dupe victims into providing information or money. At a meeting at the Government Complex Sejong, a pangovernmental entity on Wednesday discussed how to swiftly pass revision bills designed to prevent them. Phishing attacks have become increasingly sophisticated. For example, an increasing number of phishing attacks first identify the bank account numbe

April 19, 2023

[Photo News] Dolphin with severed beak raises alarm over dolphin tourism

A dolphin with a severely damaged beak and fin was spotted on Monday off the southwestern shore of Jeju Island, raising concerns over dolphin tourism. Photos of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin and its herd taken by local media show that large parts of its beak and fin have been severed. The injuries appear quite recent, with what appears to be blood still visible around the affected areas. Jeju-based dolphin advocacy groups have argued that fishing boats and ferries severely harm dolphins by

April 19, 2023

S. Korea unlikely to have massive mpox surge

The number of locally transmitted cases of mpox infection is on the rise, but the country is unlikely to face a massive surge of the virus, which is most commonly transmitted through close personal contact, not via air, Korea's health authorities said Wednesday. Kim Sung-ho, the vice interior minister in charge of disaster and safety management, said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters that “Given the characteristics of the virus, which spr

April 19, 2023