Doctors set to launch full-scale strike in protest against med school reform

South Korea's largest lobbying group for doctors on Sunday announced its plan to launch a full-scale strike in protest over the country's medical reform policies, which center on increasing the number of slots at medical schools starting next year, once again bringing widespread disruptions to medical services. The announced walkout, to be held on June 18, comes after the government finalized its expansion plan by allocating 1,509 additional seats at medical schools late last month, ma

June 9, 2024

Government may disclose info related to work-life balance at local firms

The South Korean government said Sunday it has hired experts to conduct research on adopting a new system in which local companies submit detailed information about their benefits related to workers' well-being. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the system would have firms disclose the state of the various systems they have to allow their workers a better life, such as maternity leave, parental leave, shortened working hours for parents, telecommunicating and flexible worki

June 9, 2024

Singer's fans 'donating' records to charity sparks controversy

Scandal-ridden trot star Kim Ho-jung has found himself at the center of yet another controversy, after it was reported that his fans have donated mass amounts of his records to charity. Fans of the 32-year-old singer, currently under investigation for drunk driving, recently petitioned the state-run broadcaster to withdraw its ban of Kim, saying his "good influence" has led to fans donating close to 10 billion won ($7.25 million) to charity over the past four years. KBS denied the requ

June 9, 2024

'Equality of both genders', not gender equality? Planned ordinance change accused of discrimination

Seoul Metropolitan Government recently notified the legislative process for a revision an ordinance on gender equality to change the mentions of "gender equality" to "equality of both genders" touching off a dispute that the revision amounts to discrimination toward the LGBTQ+ people. The revision of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Framework Ordinance on Gender Equality was proposed by councilwoman Hwang You-jung of the ruling People Power Party, and will replace all the

June 9, 2024

S. Korea court allows family of slain official to continue damage suit against N. Korea

A South Korean court has allowed the family of a South Korean fisheries official, killed by North Korea in 2020, to continue their damage suit against North Korea through service by public notice, which enables the plaintiffs to serve legal documents through public circulation. The Seoul Central District Court’s Appellate Division recently issued a retrial order to the Seoul Central District Court. This retrial concerns a 200 million won ($150,000) damages suit initiated in April 2022 by t

June 9, 2024

Doctors mull all-out strike amid lingering deadlock over medical reform

South Korea's largest organization of doctors was set to announce its future course of action against the government's medical reform on Sunday, potentially including an all-out strike, amid the lingering walkout by junior doctors that has lasted nearly four months. The Korea Medical Association plans to hold a press briefing later in the day to release the result of a vote carried out last week on whether to launch a strike, including community doctors, according to medical sources. A

June 9, 2024

Nearly 190,000 foreigners visit Gangnam for medical service, half for skin care

A record-high number of foreigners received medical services at hospitals and clinics in Gangnam last year, the district office said Thursday. The Gangnam-gu Office said 185,559 foreign nationals visited the district for medical services in 2023, which accounted for 30.6 percent of all 605,768 foreign patients in South Korea. The number of foreign patients in Gangnam tripled from the year before, marking an all-time high. Gangnam-gu is one of the three districts in the affluent Gangnam region

June 8, 2024

Largest association of doctors may stage walkout on June 20: sources

Medical doctors and professors may stage a walkout later this month in protest against the government's recent decision to hike medical school admissions, informed sources said Saturday. The Korean Medical Association (KMA), the largest doctors' organization with over 129,000 members, may stage a walkout on June 20, pending on the outcome of a recent vote, they added. More than 70,000, or 54.8 percent, of KMA members took part in the vote held for four days since Tuesday, according to

June 8, 2024

Prosecutors indict 1 suspect behind Pattaya murder

Prosecutors on Friday indicted one of three suspects behind the murder last month of a South Korean tourist in Pattaya, Thailand. The suspect in his 20s was apprehended last month in the southern city of Jeongeup, 217 kilometers south of Seoul, in connection with the murder of a South Korean traveler in his 30s and the abandonment of his body in Pattaya in early May. Thai police earlier found the victim's body inside a black plastic container filled with cement from a reservoir in the Thai

June 7, 2024

Japanese researcher reveals 'massacre' of Koreans in Mili Atoll

Calls for the truth behind the massacre of Koreans by the Japanese military on the Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands in 1945 resurfaced Friday, coming from a Japanese modern history researcher and an organization dedicated to uncovering the history behind forced labor victims during the Japanese occupation. Referring to the "Mili Atoll massacre," historical researcher Yasuto Takeuchi stressed the need for truth and accountability, describing the case as an act that "forcibly mobi

June 7, 2024

S. Korean firms to allow up to 6 days leave for infertility treatment

South Korea has announced plans to double the upper threshold for the number of vacation days eligible for infertility treatment from three to six, in a move to create an equal working environment for men and women. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Friday it reviewed basic plans for gender equality policies for 2023 and sought new measures to implement for 2024 at the 17th Gender Equality Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. As part of these initiatives, the min

June 7, 2024

Korea's gender equality shows slight improvement in 2022: govt. data

South Korea's level of gender equality improved slightly in 2022, although women's presence in leadership roles and political representation remains low, according to government data released on Friday. The National Gender Equality Index reached 65.7 out of 100 in 2022, marking a 0.2-point increase from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The index, which gauges the degree of equality between women and men in various areas, has been announced ann

June 7, 2024

[Innovate Korea] Star-studded lineup electrifies Innovate Korea Forum

While the vast campus of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology otherwise remained calm, the two-story Lyu Keun-chul Sports Complex buzzed with energy as people gathered for the event in Daejeon Wednesday. "I've been a huge fan of G-Dragon since I was in elementary school," said 28-year-old Kim Min-hyuk, who works in the arts industry and had been waiting in line since dawn. Another attendee, Park, said he took an overnight train from Daegu with friends, all eager to s

June 7, 2024

Man sent to prosecution for murdering ex-girlfriend and her daughter

A man arrested for allegedly murdering his ex-girlfriend and her daughter last week was referred to the prosecution for possible indictment, police said Friday. The 65-year-old man, identified as Park Hak-sun, was apprehended on charges of stabbing a woman in her 60s and her daughter in her 30s to death at an office in Seoul's southern district of Gangnam on May 30. He had initially fled the scene but was arrested 13 hours later. Emerging out of Seoul's Suseo Police Station on Friday m

June 7, 2024

Doctors at SNU hospitals set to stage walkout from June 17

Doctors at four major hospitals affiliated with Seoul National University are set to stage a walkout from June 17, according to hospital officials on Friday, in a move that would complicate efforts by the government to resolve a protracted walkout by trainee doctors. Medical professors at the four SNU hospitals voted to launch the walkout, calling for the government to fully withdraw administrative steps to punish trainee doctors who have left their worksites since late February in protest of th

June 7, 2024

[Graphic News] Han River, Gwanghwamun Square picked as Seoul’s top landmarks

The 2023 Seoul Survey revealed that the city’s Korean residents consider the Han River to be the capital’s most iconic landmark, while its foreign residents consider Gwanghwamun Square to be Seoul's most representative site. The survey polled 35,881 Korean national residents aged 15 and up about Seoul’s top landmarks. Results showed 48.3 percent selected the Han River, followed by Gwanghwamun Square, the palaces and N Seoul Tower. The survey asked 2,500 foreign residents

June 7, 2024

SNU hospital doctors vow to go on strike amid impasse over striking trainee doctors

Professors at four hospitals affiliated with Seoul National University have voted to go on strike later this month if the current impasse over striking trainee doctors is not resolved, their representative said Thursday. The hospitals conducted surveys on whether to go on strike after the health ministry announced Tuesday it will allow hospitals to accept the resignations of trainee doctors, who have remained off the job since late February in protest of the government's plan to raise the n

June 6, 2024

Marriage race: Koreans get cautious, calculative in search for 'the one'

“Why is it so hard to find someone to marry?” This pressing question torments 28-year-old Kim Jeong-sik (not his real name), who invests significant time and money into his search for a suitable partner. For Kim, it is not all about love or destiny but about finding someone with whom he can build a “decent family,“ ideally someone from a similar or higher economic and social status. “While I used to fall for romance and attraction based on instinct in the past, now

June 6, 2024

Medical professors go on all-out strike after quota hike confirmed

Despite efforts to wrap up the prolonged feud between doctors and the government over the implementation of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to increase the admissions quota for medical schools from next year, medical professors decided on Thursday to take collective action with an en masse walkout. Professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital announced that they would push through an all-out strike for an indefinite period of tim

June 6, 2024

3rd grader slaps and curses vice principal, parent accused of child abuse

Education authorities at North Jeolla Province said it has filed charges against the parent of a third-grader, who recently made headlines by physically assaulting and shouting profanity at the vice principal of his school. According to the Jeonbuk State Office of Education, officials have filed a report on the boy's mother as a possible case of child abuse by neglect. The mother had been told by the school multiple times that the boy urgently needed behavioral treatment, but she chose to i

June 6, 2024