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

Wealthy and impoverished neighborhoods in Seoul suffer significant disparities in medical treatment, education and other facilities, a report has shown. According to research on different living environments conducted by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, the number of hospitals and doctors per capita was significantly higher in areas where house prices were higher. The number of hospitals was higher in expensive neighborhoods. High-priced neighborhoods had 25.5 hospitals per 10

Social Affairs Jan. 8, 2024

"Chimaek," a beloved combination of fried "chicken" and "maekju" (beer), could no longer be allowed in public parks across South Korea. Local governments in South Korea have started banning the consumption of alcohol in public spaces, and fines of up to 100,000 won ($76) could now be imposed. The measures were announced in 2023, with municipalities providing a grace period for a ban on public drinking. However, starting from the New Year, drinking alcohol in most

Social Affairs Jan. 5, 2024

A South Korean national was killed in a gun attack in the US territory of Guam on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday. According to the ministry, a South Korean tourist visiting Guam was taken to a hospital, where he died, after being shot in a robbery. Local media outlets reported the shooting happened at Gun Beach in Tumon at around 8 p.m. Thursday. The victim, assumed to be in his 50s, was promptly taken to a hospital in the area. The beach is located at the northern end of

Social Affairs Jan. 5, 2024

South Korea is expecting to see record-low numbers of first graders entering elementary school this year due to knock-on effects from the country's falling birth rate. The number of children eligible for enrolling in elementary school nationwide in March was 413,056 as of December, according to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Administration and Security on Wednesday. However, only around 90 percent of eligible children are actually expected to enroll in elementary sch

Social Affairs Jan. 3, 2024

진행자: 최정윤, Beth Eunhee Hong Farewell to credit cards: Cash-only trend surges as young Koreans tackle overspending 기사 요약: 고물가 시대 속 MZ들의 새로운 돈관리 법 "현금 챌린지" 유행 [1] Despite digital progress and surging online transactions, a notable consumption trend is emerging among South Koreans in their 20s and 30s, as an increasing number of them are opting to use physical cash over credit card transactions in their daily lives. *emerge: 생겨나다, 부상하다/ 어둠 속에서 모습을 드러내다 *opt to: ~를 선택하다 [2] Referred to a

Podcast Jan. 1, 2024

"Mungwa," which broadly refers to studies in the liberal arts in Korea, is crumbling due to a sharp decline in the number of students choosing to pursue a career in the humanities, the arts and social sciences. According to recent data released by Jongro Academy, one of the biggest education firms in Korea, among 166 classes on offer at some 16 private high schools in Seoul, only 53 classes (31 percent) were categorized as mungwa. The remaining 113 classes were classified as "igwa

Social Affairs Jan. 1, 2024

South Korea on Thursday revealed plans to boost support for single-parent households and troubled teenagers by increasing funding for related welfare programs. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has extended the period during which single-parent families can spend living in residential welfare facilities assisting low-income single-parent households to prepare for independence in a stable environment. The single-parent residential welfare facilities, with 122 locations nationwide, prov

Social Affairs Dec. 28, 2023

진행자: 최정윤, Beth Eunhee Hong More strollers sold for furry companions than infants 기사 요약: 초저출산 효과일까? 반려동물용 유모차가 유아용 유모차 판매 비율 6: 4로 앞질러 [1] In perhaps yet another sign of the country's declining number of births, South Korea’s largest online marketplace reported Monday that sales of pet strollers exceeded those of baby strollers for the first time this year. * declining: 감소하는 * stroller: 유모차 [2] According to Gmarket, of the total strollers sold on the platform during the first three

Podcast Dec. 28, 2023