President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday thanked the workers for making a “tough” decision to compromise on reform measures that opponents claimed were biased in favor of businesses for easier employment conditions.　“The government will make sure that workers will not be easily dismissed and forced to make sacrifices,” Park said in a Cabinet meeting, pledging to ensure that reform plans would not be implemented against workers’ interests. 　“It is meaningful that the grand compromise would give a boost

Politics Sept. 15, 2015

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Kim Min-jin, 24, visited a cafe in Samcheong-dong, a quaint neighborhood in Seoul tucked among tourist hot spots, to seek refuge from the bustle of the metropolitan city.　As Kim and her friends started to chat over a cup of coffee, a mother turned up with three children at the posh premises and sat next to them, as the kids continued screaming, playing games and running around.  　“It could have been fine if the kids were under control, but they were creating such a

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2015

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, former cochairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, on Sunday urged the incumbent party leader to withdraw his plan to conduct a vote of confidence, saying that he was only turning the ongoing dispute over the party’s reform initiative into another in a series of power struggles.　 (Yonhap)In a statement titled “A Letter to NPAD chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in,” Ahn also called on the party’s executive council to delay a meeting scheduled for Wednesday to v

Politics Sept. 13, 2015

The prospects for labor market reforms remained grim over the weekend as a trilateral panel continued to lock horns over contentious issues, despite the government’s de facto ultimatum last week that it would push ahead with its own bill even without the committee’s compromise.　As the trilateral committee of labor, business and the government failed to meet a deadline, the authorities and the ruling Saenuri Party pledged to initiate the legislative procedures to press ahead with the market refor

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2015

South Korea’s Supreme court on Thursday ordered a lower court to reconsider its ruling that convicted Lee Jay-hyun, the chairman of food and media giant CJ Group, of corporate crimes.　The owner of Korea’s 7th-biggest conglomerate was sentenced to three years in jail and fined 25.2 billion won ($21 million) by the lower court in September 2014 for embezzlement, breach of conduct and tax evasion in a slush fund case. Lee Jay-hyun, chairman of CJ Group (Yonhap)The 55-year-old tycoon was indicted in

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2015

South Korea has the biggest wage gap between native and foreign-born workers among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a recent report showed. 　According to the Employment Outlook 2015 published by the Paris-based club of advanced countries, native-born workers received 55 percent higher wages than their foreign counterparts, the biggest gap among the surveyed 22 OECD nations. 　Italy and Spain followed Korea on the list, with locals being paid 32 percen

Social Affairs Sept. 9, 2015

More than 60 foreign students sponsored by the Korean government quit their studies and return to their home countries every year, mostly due to cultural differences, a report showed Tuesday.　According to a report by the National Institute for International Education submitted to Rep. Ahn Min-suk of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, an average of 63 foreign students benefiting from the government’s sponsorship program each year discontinued their studies and went back to t

Social Affairs Sept. 8, 2015

Despite the price hike aimed at curbing cigarette consumption, tobacco sales in South Korea recovered to the level of a year earlier in July, raising questions over the effectiveness of the government policy. 　According to a report by the Korean Smokers’ Association submitted to Rep. Yoon Ho-joong of the main opposition New Politics Alliance of Democracy, the number of cigarette packs sold in July stood at just over 350 million, close to the average monthly sales over the past three years, 362 m

Social Affairs Sept. 8, 2015

PAKSE, Laos -- Nearly 100 experts on tourism gathered in a southern town of Laos on Friday to discuss ways to promote the country’s eco-friendly tourism, a key to boosting its local economy.　Under the theme of “Reinforcing sustainable Tourism in Lao PDR,” the one-day workshop held in Pakse, offered a platform for Lao government officials, travel agencies and professionals to draw ideas to lure more Korean tourists to the landlocked nation in Southeast Asia.　Guests participate in the ecotourism c

International Sept. 4, 2015

South Korea has seen a threefold increase in the number of teenagers caught taking drugs over the past three years, according to the police. 　 (Yonhap)In the report submitted to Rep. Kim Jang-sil of the ruling Saenuri Party by the National Police Agency, the number of teenagers captured for taking drugs nearly tripled from 27 in 2012 to 75 last year. 　The number for this year will likely hit a record high, with 65 having been nabbed by the police as of July. 　A total of 210 juvenile offenders we

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2015

The prosecution will summon former POSCO chairman Chung Joon-yang for questioning this week as part of the ongoing probe into alleged corruption involving the nation’s No. 1 steelmaker and its affiliates. 　Prosecutors said Monday they are looking at the schedule to call in the 67-year-old chairman for questioning.　 (Yonhap)The summon comes six months after the prosecution launched its probe into POSCO’s alleged corruption cases including suspicious mergers and acquisitions, tax evasion and setti

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2015

The gap in life expectancy between South Korean men and women is higher than other member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a recent report by the Paris-based club of advanced countries showed. 　According to OECD Health Data 2015, the average life expectancy for men was 78.5 years, 6.6 years lower than that of women at 85.1 years. 　Korean women’s life expectancy came in fifth among the OECD nations, while that of men ranked at 20th in the group. 　South Korea

Social Affairs Aug. 24, 2015

As South Korea is set to enter the third stage of its opening of the local legal industry, the legal circle here remains split over the impact, with some viewing it as a chance to hone local players’ competence, while others cite rigid regulations that would hem in any drastic change.　In early August, the Ministry of Justice submitted a revised draft of the Foreign Legal Consultant Act to implement what would be the final stage of the legal market liberalization under the free trade agreements.U

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2015

In the chaotic decades that followed the 1945 liberation from Japan’s colonial rule, South Koreans had limited rights to pick their own leaders, express political beliefs, and participate in any form of policymaking. 　They lived under the constant threat of oppressive, militant rulers who were desperate to remain in power in the name of economic development and fighting communism. 　It was perhaps the state’s strong power that transformed South Korea into a powerful economy for the years to come,

Politics Aug. 16, 2015

When millions of South Koreans flocked to central Seoul to hold a candlelight vigil against a beef import agreement with the United States in 2008, social activist Ha Seung-chang was “inspired” to see how Korean civil society had developed over the years. 　Ha, the head of nonprofit group Think Cafe, began to engage in civic movement in the early 1980s. He said that he witnessed a new breed of social activism that was open, participatory and peer-driven during the 2008 candlelight vigils. 　“In 20

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2015