Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks

South Korea entered another round of medical standoff as doctors refused to accept a government proposal to allow medical schools to reduce their enrollment quotas for next year, or join a presidential committee on medical reform. In response, the Health Ministry has stated that its stance remains unchanged regarding the scrapping of the plan to expand the annual medical student admissions quota by 2,000. The government made a bold step last week with a new proposal that gives temporary flexibil

April 22, 2024

Manager kidnaps internet celebrity, says victim 'disrespected' him

A South Korean man in his 40s was recently arrested for the kidnap and robbery of an internet celebrity, for whom he had provided management services related to the victim's online broadcasts, local police said Monday. The Seoul Gangnam Police Station is investigating the suspect on a charge of special robbery, defined by Article 334 of the Criminal Act as robbery with a weapon, or via collective force, or via the intrusion of private property. The suspect is accused of forcibly putting the

April 22, 2024

70% of new hires at smaller firms age 40 or older: report

About 70 percent of those newly hired by small and medium-sized enterprises here are aged at least 40, government data showed Monday, highlighting the younger population’s tendency to avoid smaller companies and the country's overall rapid aging. Of the 25.3 million people newly hired by the small and medium-sized companies in South Korea in 2023, 7.8 million were in their 20s or 30s. Those in their 20s accounted for 13.5 percent of new hires, while those in their 30s took up 17.4 per

April 22, 2024

Restaurant boycotts doctors on medical strike

A Seoul-based restaurant recently posted a notice on its Instagram page that it will not serve anyone taking part in the nationwide medical strike, which has been continuing since the mass walkout by the country's trainee doctors in February. The owners of the Italian restaurant based in Mapo-gu, one recommended in the Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan 2024, said they will refuse service for the doctors on strike from "firm personal beliefs." "For the time being, we will not s

April 22, 2024

2.6 magnitude earthquake strikes southeastern county of Chilgok

A 2.6 magnitude earthquake struck the southeastern county of Chilgok on Monday, but there have been no reports of damage, officials said. The quake occurred about 5 kilometers west of Chilgok, about 215 km southeast of Seoul, at 7:47 a.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. The epicenter was at a latitude of 36 degrees north and a longitude of 128.35 degrees east at a depth of 6 km. It was the sixth-strongest quake to occur on the Korean Peninsula so far this year, and its dep

April 22, 2024

Med school deans urge for freeze of 2025 quota

The heads of medical schools nationwide on Sunday urged the government to freeze the medical school enrollment quota for next year and start a new set of negotiations for the class of 2026 by forging a joint consultative body with the medical community. The Korean Association of Medical Colleges, consisting of 40 medical schools nationwide, released a proposal calling for the government to draw up a "more scientifically based number" for the enrollment quota hike plan. The proposal com

April 21, 2024

Paraguay introduces Korean as 2nd foreign language subject

Starting this year, middle and high school students in Paraguay can learn Korean at schools as a second foreign language subject, according to the Ministry of Education on Saturday. The Education Ministry disclosed the signing of a memorandum of understanding with its Paraguayan counterpart, which officially added the Korean language to its second foreign language list for schools in Paraguay. Amid growing demand for Korean studies in Paraguay due to the popularity of Korean cultural content, th

April 21, 2024

Court orders business suspension for pharmacy opened by former employee in same building

A court ruled in favor of a pharmacy that took legal action against a former employee who opened a competing business in the same building, on the grounds that such action goes against good morals and social order. A court in Ulsan said Sunday that the plaintiff applied for an injunction to prohibit the business operations of a new pharmacy, which was opened in the same building in January by its former part-time pharmacist. The plaintiff claimed that its former employee, after working there f

April 21, 2024

Over 700 civilians visit military hospitals amid doctors' walkout

Military hospitals nationwide have treated more than 700 civilians since opening their doors to the public at a full scale in mid-February, the defense ministry said Sunday, amid the protracted walkout by trainee doctors. Military hospital emergency rooms became fully accessible to civilians to help address concerns of health care disruptions after thousands of trainee doctors began the walkout on Feb. 19 in protest of a government plan to sharply increase medical school seats next year. As of F

April 21, 2024

Doctors' association rejects govt. proposal on flexible expansion of med school quota

The Korean Medical Association, the country's biggest lobby group for doctors, on Saturday rejected the government's proposal to grant universities autonomy in deciding their medical school quota by a range of 50 to 100 percent for the 2025 academic year. "We recognize that the government's announcement is a deliberate attempt to address the current situation," the KMA said in a statement after its emergency committee meeting. "But it is not a fundamental solution." The gover

April 21, 2024

S. Korean adults read books less than ever before: report

Nearly 6 out of 10 South Koreans read less than one book in a year, a recent report by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism showed Thursday. According to the report, 43 percent of the population read at least one book between September of 2022 and August of 2023. This was down 4.5 percentage points compared to the previous results of the biennial study released in 2021, and was the lowest figure since the government commenced the study in 1994. The survey was conducted on 5,000 adults a

April 20, 2024

Chinese man behind drug scam targeting teens nabbed in Cambodia

A Chinese national suspected of supplying drugs that were used for a high-profile scam case, where young students were deceived into consuming drug-laced drinks, has been arrested in Cambodia, South Korea's spy agency said Friday. The National Intelligence Service, which has been probing the case in cooperation with the Cambodian police, said the 38-year-old charged with supplying methamphetamine to the drug ring that produced and distributed the beverages was apprehended in Phnom Penh on

April 19, 2024

Local govts. seek to attract foreign residents amid population decline

A number of South Korea's local governments are actively seeking to attract long-term foreign national residents by offering region-specific work visas, amidst the country's population decline. The city of Busan announced on Friday that it will accept applications from international students who graduated from universities in the Busan area for its F-2-R region-specific visas until May 10. Under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, the F-2-R visa allows foreign nationals to liv

April 19, 2024

Only 1 in 4 assembly election winners made climate policy pledges: report

Only 25 percent of 254 directly elected National Assembly representatives during the April 10 general election made climate-related policy pledges, according to a report issued by a coalition of 16 non-profit environmental organizations, including Local Energy Lab, on Thursday. Out of the 63 elected representatives who have presented climate policies, 53 belong to the liberal main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and 10 belong to the conservative ruling People Power Party. Additionally, one

April 19, 2024

Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque already in trouble

South Korean Muslim YouTuber Daud Kim, who announced his plan to build a mosque on land he purchased in Incheon, faces myriad challenges, including a request to terminate the land contract, difficulties in obtaining permission due to road conditions, and resistance from the local neighborhood. Kim, a content creator in his 30s with more than 5.52 million YouTube subscribers, uploaded a post on his Instagram on April 11 announcing his plans to build a mosque, a Muslim place of worship, on land th

April 19, 2024

Medical schools granted enrollment quota flexibility for next year

Taking a step back from pushing its medical reform plan, the Korean government said on Friday that it would allow medical schools with additional spots to adjust the number of new medical students freely in an attempt to break the standoff with the medical circle. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during Friday’s press briefing that 32 colleges subject to the increase will be allowed to freely adjust the number of new medical students within a 50 to 100 percent range of the enrollment quota

April 19, 2024

First Filipino domestic helpers to arrive this summer: ministry

The South Korean government on Friday announced its plans to bring in 100 Filipino household helpers in July and deploy them as early as August. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said that discussions with the Philippine side on the plan for a pilot program for Filipino domestic workers have been completed. The Philippine government plans to post a job opening for 100 Filipino domestic workers willing to work in Seoul within this month. As Filipino workers are mandated to undergo initial and

April 19, 2024

Police find more evidence of murder-suicide in Paju hotel death case

Police investigating the recent deaths of four people at a hotel in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, have found more evidence to suggest the men had murdered the two women before killing themselves. The two men were found to have sent messages saying, "Shall we kill (them)?" "Yeah," right before overpowering the two women in the hotel room, according to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency. The case was first reported on April 11. The two killers had jumped to their deaths the

April 19, 2024

‘Mom, I want to live’: Mentally disabled man reaches out to police for help

The South Korean police said it recently found and protected a severely malnourished mentally disabled man, after he made 360 calls to the 112 emergency services and hung up without saying a word. Jeju Dongbu Police Station tracked down the 40-something man dumpster diving at the Jeju International Airport on March 5, who was in extremely poor health due to not having eaten for days. Authorities have provided emergency medical care for the man, who has since been discharged and is staying at a s

April 19, 2024

Govt. likely to accept university chiefs' request to lower med school enrollment quota

The government is likely to accept a request made by the chiefs of six national universities to lower their medical school enrollment quotas for next year, officials said Friday. The six universities, all located outside the capital region, made the request Thursday amid an ongoing standoff between the government and the medical community over the government's decision to increase total medical school admissions by 2,000 starting next year. The six -- Gangwon National University, Kyungpook

April 19, 2024