Average pension benefits for men nearly double that of women: report

Female beneficiaries of the national pension in South Korea were on average receiving 390,845 won ($282) a month as of November 2023, compared to 756,898 won for their male counterparts, according to the National Pension Service on Monday. The steep gender disparity is attributed to female workers being subscribed for less time overall than men, which is mainly due to career interruptions from factors like childbirth and child care. The benefits of the state-run pension program are proportionate

April 15, 2024

Parents lose lawsuit against hospital for son's brain damage

A South Korean court said Monday it has ruled against parents who sued a hospital for their son's brain damage stemming from emergency medical treatment for a viral infection. In a civil suit against an Incheon-based hospital, Incheon District Court ruled that there was no evidence to prove negligence on the medical staff's part or their responsibility in what turned out to be a delay in proper treatment. "The records show that the medical staff consistently observed the boy'

April 15, 2024

Govt. repeats appeal for dialogue with doctors amid prolonged walkout

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong once again called on doctors Monday to come forward for dialogue to end the prolonged walkout by junior doctors and present a unified proposal regarding the quota for medical school admissions, stressing its firm will to push for medical reform plans. More than 90 percent of South Korea's 13,000 trainee doctors have walked off the job in protest since Feb. 20 in protest of the government's push to increase the number of medical school seats by 2,000 starti

April 15, 2024

Why don’t trainee doctors, medical professors see eye to eye?

An obstacle lies between the medical circle moving towards talks with the government with a unified proposal, after the head of the junior doctors’ group shed light on the hierarchical dynamics between medical professors and trainee doctors in hospitals. The disclosure shed light on the friction among doctors, the Korean Medical Association’s emergency committee and the KMA's newly-elected president, as they each hold different opinions on how to respond to the government’

April 14, 2024

Prosecutors increase rewards for reporting drug crimes to W100m

Prosecutors will raise rewards up to 100 million won ($72,200) for reporting drug crimes and assisting in apprehending offenders, according to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on Sunday. The significant increase, rising from the previous range of 1 million to 50 million, was announced in response to the recent surge in drug crimes with the aim to block and prevent further criminal activities. According to the Prosecutors' Office, the compensation given may be higher than 100 million wo

April 14, 2024

Seoul public schools to honor victims of 2014 Sewol ferry disaster

Public elementary, middle and high schools in Seoul will voluntarily observe "Educational Community Safety Week" in memory of the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster, marking a decade since the tragic event, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on Sunday. The Seoul Education Office will distribute educational materials related to the Sewol ferry tragedy to all public schools in the city during this year’s “National Safety Day” week from April 1

April 14, 2024

[Photo News] Already summer?

April 13, 2024

Ignorance is bliss when it comes to romantic partners' ex: survey

About 52.3 percent of South Koreans do not want to know about the past romantic relationships of their current partner, a recent survey indicated. Local matchmaking company Duo surveyed 300 unmarried men and women across the country from March 15-18 to see what they thought of the past relationships of their current romantic partner. On why they chose not to know about their boyfriend or girlfriend's past relationship, 56.1 percent said "they were not interested," 17.2 percent sai

April 13, 2024

2 women found dead in hotel room appear to be victims of premeditated murder: police

South Korean police have found evidence suggesting that two men, who died after jumping from a hotel room, had planned and carried out the murder of two women whose bodies were found inside the same hotel. Local media recently reported details of the case which happened in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Police looking for a missing woman traced her to a hotel room, which had been occupied by the two men. The men jumped to their deaths shortly after the visit from police. The missing woman and anothe

April 12, 2024

3% of adults, 2% of teens have used drugs: survey

A government survey showed Friday that 3.1 percent of adults and 2.6 percent of teenagers in South Korea have used illegal drugs at least once. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety conducted the survey on 3,000 adults and 2,000 teenagers across the country to study drug awareness among local residents. In the survey, illegal drugs refer to substances defined as such by the Narcotics Control Act, which includes marijuana, LSD, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and prescribed opioids. The survey a

April 12, 2024

Korea to cut no. of teachers amid diminishing student numbers

Amid administrative efforts to increase the annual enrollment quota for medical schools that sparked the mass walk-out of doctors across the country, the government said it would reduce the number of school teachers going forward, citing a decline in student numbers. The enrollment quota for teachers' colleges, which has remained unchanged for 13 years, will be reduced by 12 percent, the Education Ministry said. Currently, 13 universities that train aspiring elementary school teachers take

April 12, 2024

Over 2,000 alcohol-related complaints filed in Q1 for Seoul subways

A total of 2,545 complaints related to drunk people in Seoul subway stations were submitted between January and March of this year, the subway system's operators said Friday. Seoul Metro said it is conducting a campaign in anticipation of an increase in alcohol-related incidents on Seoul subways, noting that the number of complaints for such incidents increased by 76 compared to the same period the year before. The two-month campaign will take place in April and May at 34 stations across th

April 12, 2024

Foreigners in Korea aging alongside locals: data

Foreigners are aging alongside locals in South Korea, a country with more senior citizens than young adults. According to Statistics Korea on Friday, the senior foreign resident population is expected to constitute more than 10 percent of the overall foreign demographic in 11 years. The number of seniors, aged 65 and older, among foreign residents is projected to rise from 95,000 in 2022 to 204,000 by 2030. This figure is expected to further increase to 301,000 in 2038 and 344,000 in 2042, mor

April 12, 2024

S. Korea adds fewest number of jobs in 3 years in March; youth employment falls

South Korea added the fewest number of jobs in three years in March due mainly to a high base effect and weak employment in the agricultural sector amid unfavorable weather conditions, the statistics agency said Friday. The number of employed people came to 28.39 million last month, up 173,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the fewest number of new jobs since February 2021, when the country lost 473,000 job posts on-year amid the COVID-19 pande

April 12, 2024

Court rejects doctor group leaders' request to halt license suspension

A Seoul court on Thursday dismissed requests by leaders of the biggest doctors' association to halt the government's suspension of their medical licenses in connection with a mass walkout by trainee doctors. The health ministry earlier imposed a three-month license suspension on two leaders of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), including the emergency committee head, Kim Taek-woo, accusing them of instigating a collective labor action by trainee doctors. The suspension becomes effective on Apr

April 11, 2024

Man in his 40s nabbed for spray-painting slurs toward ex-President Moon

Police said Thursday they have nabbed a man in his 40s for scribbling slurs to former President Moon Jae-in on the outer walls of the prosecutors' office in southern Seoul. The man is accused of spray-painting swear words along with the names of the former president and former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Suh Hoon on the back gate of the Seoul High Prosecutors Office at 1:30 p.m. He also threw a rock at a glass window and fractured it, officials said. The man allegedly claim

April 11, 2024

Police catch 1,681 over alleged election law violations

Police said Thursday they have caught 1,681 people and referred 46 of them to the prosecution for alleged irregularities related to the April 10 general elections. Of them, 1,468 people are undergoing investigations on charges of violating the election law, and 167 others were acquitted, according to the National Police Agency. It marks an increase of 24.5 percent, or 331 people, compared with the last general election, when 1,350 people were caught. By type of crime, those accused of spreading

April 11, 2024

2024 general election winners by constituency

The Korea Herald has compiled the English names of the winners of the 2024 general election's results by constituency provided by the National Election Commission on Thursday. -- Ed.  

April 11, 2024

Mysterious hotel deaths of 2 women, 2 men under probe

South Korean police said Thursday they are investigating the deaths of two women and two men at a hotel in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with preliminary findings indicating the women were murdered by the men, who later jumped to their deaths from the building. Officers at Paju Police Station were investigating the case of a missing woman, which led them to a hotel in Yadang-dong, Paju on Wednesday. They tracked the victim to the hotel and knocked on the door of the room where the two men were stayin

April 11, 2024

Robbery, assault suspect arrested after leaving victim naked, unconscious in a parking lot

A man has been arrested on suspicion of robbing and assaulting a woman and leaving her unconscious in a parking lot in North Jeolla Province, police said Thursday. Jeonju Deokjin Police Station is investigating a suspect in his 20s on possible charges of bodily injury resulting from robbery and other yet-unspecified sex crimes against the victim. The victim was found at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in a parking lot in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju. The victim had been bleeding from injuries on her face and

April 11, 2024