It has been three weeks since the government passed a bill requiring every veterinary clinic to post the estimated fees for major medical procedures prior to treatment. However, the new change seems yet to have settled in, with medical professionals claiming the policy lacks an understanding of reality and many hospitals still not implementing the change. Starting earlier this month, veterinary clinics are obligated to post the cost of treatment for 11 major categories, including examination, ho

Social Affairs Jan. 29, 2024

The decline in the number of newborns has continued accelerating, putting a greater burden on the demographic cliff the country faces. The number of children born between January and November last year stood at 213,572, an 8.1 percent drop from the previous year for the same period, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service on Sunday. This is the lowest number of children the stats agency has ever recorded being born within 11 months. On average, the monthly number of newborns last

Social Affairs Jan. 28, 2024

Yoo Seong-min, a former four-term lawmaker, said Sunday he would not run in the April general election but rather protect his party, deflecting speculation that he would leave the party. Yoo, a former lawmaker who is considered a key critic of President Yoon Suk Yeol in the People Power Party, announced in a Facebook post that he will not apply for the election nomination and would continue to wait as he has done. "Twenty-four years ago, I joined the Grand National Party (the predecessor

Politics Jan. 28, 2024

South Korea announced plans to dramatically extend after-school care and reform education programs for elementary school students in an effort to combat the country's low birth rate. Under the extension plan announced by the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, before and after-school child care programs provided by elementary schools will be extended, opening from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and closing at 8 p.m., officials said. Previously, after-school programs were provided to some 50.3 percent of

Social Affairs Jan. 24, 2024

  With a heavy snow advisory in effect centered on the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, frozen water meters, canceled flights and restricted ship operations have been reported across the country. No human lives have been lost due to the cold wave and snowfall, but there were damages to facilities across the country as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. There were 58 cases of damage related to water facilities, including water me

Social Affairs Jan. 23, 2024

“I would rather give up another year of my youth studying and trying again if I don’t make it ‘in-Seoul.'” Kim Tae-yoo, is set to graduate high school in just a month, but he says he would rather endure another year of studying if he is not accepted to a Seoul university. Koreans divide the country's 335 colleges in two: those "in-Seoul," and the rest. “Going to university outside of Seoul has never been an option. Even if the schools in other pr

Social Affairs Jan. 22, 2024

With the South Korean government's drive to combat the low birth rate, financial incentives for childbearing and rearing have expanded this year. For a baby born in 2024, a single child can benefit from a total of 29.6 million won ($22,100) in cash support over the course of eight years from the moment of birth, according to the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy. The cash aid, dubbed "First Encounter Vouchers," provides a lump sum of 2 million won to th

Social Affairs Jan. 22, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was spotted getting out of an apparent luxury Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle in footage aired by the North's Korean Central Television on Monday, despite ongoing international sanctions on imports of luxury goods to Pyongyang, raising questions as to the effect of international deterrents against North Korea. In the documentary video, Kim is seen exiting a black SUV of which the passenger-side rear door is emblazoned with "Chairman of the State Affa

North Korea Jan. 19, 2024

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered epidemic prevention and control measures on Thursday following reports of confirmed cases of African swine fever in Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang Province and Paju City, Gyeonggi Province. Han issued urgent instructions to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Environment to expedite preventative measures in accordance with emergency action guidelines, including controlling access to farms, the culling of infected animals

Social Affairs Jan. 19, 2024

A man in his 50s was found dead in the garden of an apartment in Daegu on Wednesday, in an apparent suicide, according to the police. While searching his home in an investigation soon after, police also found the man's father had apparently been murdered, leading police to believe the son had killed his father and then ended his own life. The police investigation revealed that the son and father had been living together, and the son had taken care of his father, who suffered from dementia

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2024

A doctor in his 20s was found to have performed sutures for a facial wound while under the influence of alcohol at a general hospital in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, last week, reigniting controversy over a lack of sanctions for practicing medicine in such a state. In the recent case, a patient in his 60s reported to police that he suspected the doctor was drunk on Dec. 12, last year, shortly after an operation to stitch up a facial wound. Police visited the hospital and tested the doctor's blood al

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2024

The number of people employed in blue-collar jobs saw the biggest decline since the 1998 financial crisis in 2023 due to a slump in manufacturing, data showed. According to Statistics Korea's National Statistics Portal on Monday, 3.92 million people worked in low-skilled, manual-labor jobs last year, 118,000 fewer than the previous year, representing a 2.9 percent drop. This is the largest decline since 2013, when Statistics Korea began collecting relevant data on the seventh occupational c

Social Affairs Jan. 15, 2024

The Supreme Court on Thursday said recordings of a teacher obtained by parents through a device hidden in their child's backpack cannot be used as evidence in a criminal child abuse case. The Supreme Court has overturned a original ruling that handed down a fine of 5 million won ($3,800) to an elementary school teacher for violating the Child Abuse Punishment Act, sending the case back to Seoul Eastern District Court. The teacher, whose identity has not been disclosed, was accused of emo

Social Affairs Jan. 11, 2024

The number of patients with depression in Korea surpassed the 1-million mark in 2022, data showed Wednesday. According to data released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of patients treated for depression has increased every year in the past five years. In 2018, 753,011 patients were treated for depression, 799,038 patients in 2019, 832,329 patients in 2020 and 915,294 patients in 2021. In 2022, the number surpassed the 1 million mark for the first time, recordi

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2024

Han Hee-sup, a professor in the department of hospitality and tourism management at Sejong University, has been selected as one of the world's most influential researchers in 2023. Organized by Clarivate, a global information analytics company, the "Highly Cited Researchers" list recognizes the top 1 percent of researchers in 21 fields based on the number of times their papers have been cited over the past decade. Han was selected as a highly cited researcher for a fifth consecuti

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2024