The ruling People Power Party has been left mired in confusion by its leader’s refusal to step down from his post despite the suspension of his party membership in connection to allegations of sexual bribery. On Friday, the party’s internal ethics panel decided to suspend Chairman Lee Jun-seok’s membership for the next six months in connection to allegations that Lee received sexual favors as well as bribes from a business owner in 2013. “Chairman Lee Jun-seok violated

Politics July 10, 2022

Some 3.6 trillion won ($2.8 billion) earmarked in the Education Ministry budget for early childhood, elementary and secondary education will be reallocated for higher and lifelong education, such as nurturing semiconductor talent, the ministry said Thursday. The revamped education subsidy plans were put forward “in consideration of the changing education environment,” the ministry said in a statement. The extra budget will be used to strengthen research and training at universiti

Social Affairs July 7, 2022

An endangered red fox released by conservation authorities traveled some 200 kilometers south from North Gyeongsang Province to Busan, the Korea National Park Service said. According to the park service under the Ministry of Environment, a male red fox, labeled SKM-2121, is currently living on a hill within the boundaries of Busan, having traveled some 200 kilometers south after being released in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in December. The fox was born at a research institute under

Social Affairs July 6, 2022

The parents in the family found dead in a submerged car suffered from depression, police have said. According to police, both of Cho Yu-na’s parents were being treated for depression at a medical center in Gwangju, where the family had resided, from 2020 until recently. “We have received information that Cho’s parents were being treated for depression by the National Health Insurance Corp.,” police said. “It is difficult to reveal details as the investigation i

Social Affairs July 6, 2022

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Park Soon-ae on Tuesday apologized for driving under the influence of alcohol and vowed to reform the country’s education system, as she took office about a month after her nomination. Park, a former professor at Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Administration, met with the press at Government Complex Sejong on Tuesday following her inauguration ceremony. Her nomination for the post raised doubts as she was caught

Social Affairs July 5, 2022

Over the weekend, northwestern Seoul saw an outbreak of lovebug, a type of march fly. The packs of flies, mostly flying in pairs, were seen across the northwestern Seoul area, in places like Eunpyeong-gu, Seodaemun-gu and the neighboring Gyeonggi area. Lovebugs are a species of march fly. While their scientific name is plecia nearctica, they are nicknamed lovebugs because matured pairs remain together for several days after mating. Though they are not toxic or harmful, they have invaded re

Social Affairs July 4, 2022

Park Ji-hyun, former co-chair of the emergency steering committee for the Democratic Party of Korea, blamed the main opposition party for the incident of a missing family found dead in a submerged car. On Wednesday, police confirmed the deaths of 10-year-old Cho Yu-na and both of her parents, after they were found in an upturned car in waters off of Wando, South Jeolla Province. Park called out the Democratic Party on Thursday for not providing a social safety net for families experiencing

Politics July 1, 2022

Sejong University was recognized for its research ability, taking the top place among local general universities in the Leiden Ranking for five consecutive years. The Leiden Ranking, provided by Leiden University in the Netherlands, ranks universities worldwide by number of academic publications, evaluating the volume and citation impact of the publications. While Sejong University was the No. 1 among local general universities on the list, it came in second among all local universities in

Social Affairs June 30, 2022

The bodies found in a submerged car found on an island off the southern coast were those of a family reported missing, police said Wednesday. The police suspect suicide, as the family had been going through financial difficulties. The Gwangju Nambu police station confirmed the three bodies found inside an upturned Audi sedan the day before in the waters of Wando, South Jeolla Province as those of 10-year-old Cho Yu-na and her parents, who were reported missing. They confirmed the identities t

Social Affairs June 30, 2022

A family gone missing on an island off the southern coast has sparked discussion on the blind spot of students missing class for extracurricular activities with the consent of their parents.　 On Wednesday, police pulled up a submerged car with three bodies inside it in Wando, South Jeolla Province. Though police had not yet confirmed as of press time whether it was the family in question found in the car, the bodies of two adults, a man and a woman, as well as a child were found inside the veh

Social Affairs June 29, 2022

Korea‘s greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 were tentatively tracked to be at about 679 million tons, marking a 3.5 percent increase from the year before. The Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center under the Ministry of Environment released the tentative numbers of greenhouse gas emissions from last year. Korea saw 679 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, marking a 3.5 percent rebound from the year before. The energy sector took up 86.9 percent of the total greenhouse

Social Affairs June 28, 2022

With the opening of the new Jeonju Energy Center, Climate Clock has settled in the city of Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, sending warnings on the Earth’s carbon budget. Climate Clock was installed at the Jeonju Energy Center, which opened on June 21. The digital clock, 8.5 meters wide and 1.8 meters long, displays how much time is left before global warming reaches irreversible levels due to our carbon emission. “Through the installation of the clock and opening spaces for the p

Social Affairs June 28, 2022

A survey conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family showed less than half of children from multicultural families in Korea enroll in higher education institutions, far below the national average. The ministry conducts a survey of multicultural households in Korea every three years, through face-to-face interviews with multicultural families. In the survey, conducted over 2021, 15,578 multicultural families were interviewed. Of those surveyed, 82.4 percent were families wit

Social Affairs June 27, 2022

  A research team under Seoul National University admitted to submitting a plagiarized paper at an international conference after accusations spread online. The team, led by professor Yoon Sung-roh from the prestigious Seoul National University, submitted a paper at the Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition held earlier this week in New Orleans. Yoon was the head of the Presidential Committee on the Fourth Industrial Revolution during the Moon Jae-in administration. The

Social Affairs June 26, 2022

While most people would rather not have a metaphorical frog in their throat, the prospect was quite literal for students at two Seoul schools, who found uninvited amphibians in their lunch trays. Now, the suppliers of the “frog kimchi” served in the school lunches face the possibility of having their food safety certifications revoked. Both frogs were found in radish kimchi, a common side dish, but at different schools dealing with different suppliers. A dead frog was found in a

Social Affairs June 22, 2022