More than 100 illegal activities by marriage agencies have been uncovered by the Gender Ministry, its officials announced on Wednesday.During an investigation from May 20 to June 30, the ministry discovered 110 violations, including providing insufficient information about the clients’ potential spouses and not offering written contracts. Among them, 78 were committed by international matchmaking agencies, while 32 were made by local marriage agencies. The largest number of cases ― 34 ― involved

Social Affairs July 30, 2014

About 10 percent of South Korea’s elderly population are suffering from dementia, according to a study conducted by the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.According to professor and psychiatrist Kim Ki-woong, 9.2 percent of people in Korea aged 65 or older suffer from the brain disease, which severely hinders daily function.The occurrence rate in South Korea is much higher than in China and Southeast Asian countries, where it ranges from 4.19 to 7.63 percent. Meanwhile, some 15 percent o

Social Affairs July 25, 2014

South Korean seniors will finally receive their first payout under the new basic pension program on Friday after a series of disputes over eligibility and destitute recipients. The revised program is to benefit the poorest 70 percent of Koreans aged 65 and older by giving them a monthly allowance ranging from 100,000 won ($98) to 200,000 won, depending on their income level.Among the 4.1 million eligible recipients, 93.1 percent will be given the full benefit of 200,000 won for a single person a

Social Affairs July 24, 2014

Recent statistics and studies say today’s Korean senior citizens are anxious, bored and not too healthy.More than 70 percent of the elderly do not engage in leisurely activities, and a growing number are suffering from anxiety disorders. In 2011, a Korean aged 65 or older had an average of 3.34 chronic diseases, with diabetes and osteoporosis being especially common.With the lowest birthrate among the OECD nations and a rising elderly population, South Korea faces a series of challenges, includi

Social Affairs July 24, 2014

The Health Ministry is facing fierce resistance from the public and unions in the medical sector over its revised bill that allows hospitals to set up for-profit subsidiaries.Some 1.2 million citizens signed a petition against the government’s plan as of Wednesday, demanding the Health Ministry not implement the bill, which is scheduled to take effect in August. The ministry’s website was temporarily out of service on Tuesday, the last day of the pre-announcement period of the legislation, as to

Social Affairs July 23, 2014

High-income earners with post-secondary education degrees in South Korea feel less obligated to support their parents, a study conducted by Yonsei University found.According to the study, which surveyed some 1,000 Koreans aged 20 or older nationwide, except on Jejudo Island, those who made more than 3 million won ($2,929) a month felt less responsible to provide for their parents than those with smaller monthly incomes.Each participant was asked a total of six questions. The questions included:

Social Affairs July 22, 2014

Unionized workers at one of the oldest and biggest hospitals in South Korea launched a two-day strike Monday morning, demanding the government cancel its recent push to “privatize medical services” in the country. Some 400 to 500 members of the Seoul National University Hospital’s union are participating in the strike, which is taking place following a one-day strike back in June. The union has some 1,500 workers.The strike is the union’s response to the Health Ministry’s recent decision to allo

Social Affairs July 21, 2014

The majority of older Koreans do not engage in leisure activities during their free time, a study conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs found.According to the study, which involved some 8,600 individuals aged 50 or older in some 5,000 households nationwide, more than 70 percent of the participating senior citizens did not have any leisure activities. The research findings suggest that more support is needed for the nation’s elderly population, which accounted for 12.2 pe

Social Affairs July 20, 2014

Korea plans to apply for UNESCO designation for documents related to Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese imperial army during World War II, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on Thursday.“The records should be used as an important reminder that such tragedies should never be repeated in the future,” said Gender Equality Minister Kim Hee-jung in a statement. “The issue of wartime sex slavery is directly linked to the issue of women’s rights, which i

Politics July 17, 2014