The final voter turnout for the parliamentary election hit 58 percent, slightly lower than the originally anticipated 60 percent mark, but the highest since 1996, with a noticeable jump among 20- and 30-somethings.The National Election Commission said 24.4 million out of 42.1 million eligible Korean voters cast their ballots, the highest in 20 years when 63.9 percent of voters turned out. It was also 3.8 percentage points higher than 54.2 percent in the 2012 general election.Voters have their id

Social Affairs April 14, 2016

More than 24 million of 42.1 million eligible voters headed out to pick the country’s 20th National Assembly at some 14,000 voting stations across the nation Wednesday.Worried that bad weather in the morning may influence voter turnout, public officials drove cars attached with speakers around communities to air announcements from the National Election Commissions to encourage voting. “To remind them to vote, which takes less than a minute, we are airing announcements to people on the streets,”

Social Affairs April 13, 2016

Well-known faces such as hallyu star Lee Young-ae and veteran singer Tae Jin-ah joined last-minute campaign efforts this week for Wednesday’s general election, drawing mixed reactions from voters.On Monday, actress Lee Young-ae, known for her role in the famous TV drama “Dae Jang Geum,” took part in ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Chung Jin-seok’s canvassing in South Chungcheong Province. Rep. Chung is an uncle of Lee’s husband, Chung Ho-young.Actress Lee Young-ae joins a campaign in support of ruli

Social Affairs April 12, 2016

Officer worker Kim Dong-min, 34, who tied the knot in January, had long dreamed of mornings with his wife. He imagined that she would wake him up with a cup of coffee, prepare breakfast and pack him a box of fruits for a snack. In reality, his wife wakes up, grabs juice from the refrigerator and rushes to the office while touching up her makeup on the subway.“I think it would be too boring to stay at home as a housewife,” his wife had said to him.Kim’s ideal morning is becoming less conventional

Social Affairs April 11, 2016

The Central Government Complex in downtown Seoul, which recently came under fire for allowing a civilian break-in due to lax security, is facing further backlash as the government allegedly destroyed related evidence and covered up the disgraceful incident.According to police authorities, passwords written on a wall -- which a 26-year-old civil servant aspirant used to sneak into the office -- were apparently erased by an official from the Ministry of Personnel Management after the police launch

Social Affairs April 10, 2016

The government vowed Thursday to overhaul the entire security system at government complexes in the wake of multiple break-ins by a civilian last month.The Interior Ministry announced it will fortify security levels by forming four separate task forces -- for security management, security personnel, computer security and service measures -- joined by private security experts. It also immediately blocked entrances at the basement floor of the Seoul Government Complex in central Seoul that are con

Social Affairs April 7, 2016

YonhapInternational schools in South Korea will face suspensions in enrollment if they are caught illegally admitting Korean students four times, the Education Ministry said Thursday.The Education Ministry released revised regulations aimed to strengthen the control of illegal admissions at international schools here. There are currently 43 schools and three international kindergartens nationwide.This is the first time the government has specified punishments against schools in cases of illegal

Social Affairs April 7, 2016

A sulfuric acid attack against Seoul police earlier this week exposed the lax supervision of harmful acids by the Environment Ministry. A police officer at Gwanak Police Station was attacked Monday with highly corrosive sulfuric acid by a women surnamed Jeon, who was at the station to file a complaint with the Cyber Investigation Team.A corridor of Gwanak Police Station where the attacker poured sulfuric acid on police officers. (Yonhap)Jeon reportedly told the police that she had purchased the

Social Affairs April 6, 2016

“I managed to get the last batch of tickets,” said 29-year-old Tina Hsing, a Chinese student here, standing in front of the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in downtown Seoul after sunset. She said she really did not want to miss the chance to experience Korea’s royal palaces under the moonlight.“I heard tickets (to enter Gyeongbokgung Palace during night hours) are sold out in minutes for domestic visitors, which makes me glad that I am a foreigner here,” said Hsing.Visitors take a stroll arou

Social Affairs April 6, 2016

Employees head to their offices in a building in Seoul. (Yonhap)One thing that surprised Tyler Kim when he joined a South Korean company last year after nine years of working in the U.S. was that his coworkers called him “chaekimnim,” a direct translation of his job title, manager.“It was a bit awkward at first,” he said, since it was the first time he was not called by his name at work.Hierarchy has been a key aspect of corporate governance worldwide. But it means more when it comes to the Kore

Social Affairs April 5, 2016

Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office will investigate the safety data sheet of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, one of the toxic humidifier disinfectant makers blamed for the loss of 140 lives, on suspicions that it has fabricated the document. According to the special probe team, the prosecution summoned last week analysts from Seoul National University and Hoseo University -- who created Oxy humidifier disinfectant’s safety data sheet -- to investigate whether they manipulated the test results. Fa

Social Affairs April 4, 2016

(Yonhap)The prosecution said Sunday it will summon four humidifier disinfectant makers later this month, on suspicion that their products triggered lung damages which resulted in the loss of 143 lives.The four humidifier disinfectant makers include a leading household manufacturer Oxy Ssak Ssak, Cefu, local supermarket chain Homeplus, and Lotte Mart’s in-house brand Wiselect.Their products contained polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate, a chemical known to have powerful sterilizing power compar

Social Affairs April 3, 2016