The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday announced a plan to give some 24,000 long-term contract workers at municipal organizations full-time, permanent employment status by the year-end.President Moon Jae-in speaks to non-regular workers at Incheon International Airport on May 12. (Yonhap)Eleven companies, including Seoul Metro, Seoul Facilities Corp. and Seoul Medical Center, are currently preparing for the transition, which would require budget expansions and organizational changes, the

Social Affairs July 5, 2017

The first video footage showing seven Koreans presumed to be sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II was unveiled Wednesday, which researchers claim supports existing evidence and testimonies of Japan’s brutal trafficking of Asian women into front-line brothels. The 18-second-long video clip, released by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul National University Human Rights Center, features seven female captives of the US-China allied forces in China. One of them is talking

Social Affairs July 5, 2017

지난 4월 서울시는 11명의 예술업계 종사자들과 100여명의 서울시민을 대상으로 서울시 공공미술 시민 발굴단을 선발, 공공미술의 가장 큰 주체이자 향유자인 시민들의 참여를 유도하는 2달 간의 프로젝트를 시작했다.국립현대미술관에서 교육 기획자로 일했던 김현지 씨는 전문가로 그 프로젝트에 참여, 10명의 조원을 이끌고 도시 재생이라는 주제를 바탕으로 서울의 재생 공간들을 찾아 답사를 진행했다.  시민들이 서울시 공공미술 시민 발굴단 활동에 참여하고 있다. (서울시 제공)10번의 답사를 통해 그는 도새 재생을 공공미술이라고 볼 수 있는지, 또 재생공간에서 공공미술은 어떤 기능을 하는가 라는 질문을 자신에게 또한 시민 참여자들에게 꾸준히 제기했다. 김 씨와 조원들은 서울로 7017, 선유도 공원, 아라리오 스페이스 등 서울 내 다양한 재생 공간들을 직접 돌아본 뒤, 그 중 중구에 위치한 세운 상가에서 공공미술의 역할을 뚜렷이 발견했다고 말했다.“세운 상가에서는 지역상인과 작가 간 소통과 참

한국어판 July 4, 2017

Rain eased off in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday as the monsoon tapered off southward. But the Korea Meteorological Administration said more rain is in the forecast for southern coastal areas and Jeju Island until later this week. (Yonhap)The weather agency lifted a typhoon advisory in Jeju on Tuesday morning, with typhoon Nanmadol, the third typhoon of the year, turning northward toward Japan. The KMA issued a heavy rain advisory in Ulsan and parts of South Gyeongsang Province as of Tue

Social Affairs July 4, 2017

Kim Hyun-ji, an education program planner at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, has combed the alleys of Seoul to find the hidden gems of the city for the past two months, leading a group of citizens. She was supposed to provide an expert’s view, but the excursions were also an opportunity for her to rediscover the beautiful and vibrant city that is Seoul, constantly changing and evolving. Participants of “Arts on Seoul’s street found by citizens” pose for a photo during their f

Social Affairs July 4, 2017

Intermittent monsoon rain pounded the country Monday, destroying bridges and roads and leaving at least one person missing in a flooded stream. While more rain – falling at 30 to 80 millimeters per hour -- is expected in Seoul, Gyeonggi and most other parts of the country until Wednesday, a typhoon is fast approaching waters off Jeju Island, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. A bridge is destroyed in Hongcheon Country in Gangwon Province where 343 millimeters of rain fell over

Social Affairs July 3, 2017

Former US President Barack Obama will visit South Korea on Monday and meet with former President Lee Myung-bak at a hotel in Seoul.  Former US President Barack Obama and former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak are seen in the photo taken in November 2009. (Yonhap)Obama is to visit Seoul to give a keynote speech at an international forum hosted by the local newspaper Chosun Ilbo. It will be his first visit to South Korea since he finished his term as a president in January. He and Lee last me

Social Affairs July 2, 2017

South Korea will resume the underwater search of the 2014 ferry sinking site in the hope of finding the still-missing five victims, the Ministry of Oceans of Fisheries said Sunday.　The ministry said the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology conducted the topography investigation and completed the measurement on the seabed to install 200-by-160 nets underwater where Sewol was lying before the recovery. Divers will walk on the seabed and use sonar radar to detect the bodies. A worn-out c

Social Affairs July 2, 2017

With a monsoon front approaching, heavy rainfall is expected throughout this week, the weather agency said. 　On Sunday, many cities nationwide saw much needed rain, which was delayed about 10 days compared to last year, along with cooler daytime temperatures. 　Around 80 to 150 millimeters of rain poured down in Seoul, while other regions saw about 10 to 100 millimeters of rain. 　Pedestrians walk in the heavy rain at a street in the southern city of Daejeon on Sunday. (Yonhap)Due to continued rai

Social Affairs July 2, 2017

The remains of 16 humans found at a construction site in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, last week have raised questions over who they were as well as when and why they were buried there.According to Sokcho Police Station, the bones and skeletons were discovered under a Gingko tree Thursday by a worker who was digging there with an excavator for the setting up of a parking lot. The bones found have no visible signs of injuries. Investigators look at human remains found at a construction site in Sokcho

Social Affairs July 2, 2017

A couple in the southeastern city of Changwan are wanted by police in connection with the kidnap and murder of a 47-year-old woman at a golf club in the city. Police are seeking to apprehend Shim Cheon-woo, 31, and his girlfriend Kang Jung-im, 37, both former golf caddies, after arresting Shim’s cousin, a suspected accomplice, on Tuesday night. The cousin reportedly told police that he was asked to drive a vehicle used in the crime and received 1 million won ($877) in return. Police found ropes,

Social Affairs June 29, 2017

Seoul’s subway stations have “bad” levels of fine dust in the air, an environmental activist group revealed, citing data from subway operator Seoul Metro. Gongdeok Station and Beotigogae Station on Subway Line No. 6 showed the highest level of fine dust concentration, reporting 116.2 micrograms per cubic meter each, according to data released by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement.(Yonhap)The average for Seoul’s 278 subway stations was 81.2 micrograms per cubic meter, a slightly bad

Social Affairs June 28, 2017

A subway maintenance worker died after being hit by an incoming train, police said Wednesday. The accident occurred at around midnight Monday at Noryangjin Station in central Seoul. The 57-year-old employee of Korea Railroad, surnamed Kim, was walking on the railroad to put up a signboard notifying that maintenance work was scheduled to take place from midnight to 4 a.m.  (Yonhap)Six others were working at the site, but they were not hurt. Kim was rushed to a nearby hospital, but died shortly af

Social Affairs June 28, 2017

Closet reorganization has long been a seasonal chore for South Koreans, but climate change is prompting some people to do away with the cumbersome task. South Korea’s once distinctive four seasons, spread out almost evenly over 12 months, seem to be giving way to two long and seasons of extreme heat and cold, with short transition periods in between. “I no longer put short-sleeved shirts into boxes. It feels like summer comes right after winter now,” said a 32-year-old office worker Kim Jin-hee.

Social Affairs June 23, 2017

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it has selected 5,000 recipients for its cash subsidy program for unemployed youth, which will run from July. The subsidy amount is 500,000 won ($439) per month for up to six months. Providing cash is the most practical and effective way to help underprivileged youth to escape long-term unemployment, Seoul officials said. The recipients consist of 2,629 women and 2,371 men who were unemployed for about 20 months on average. About 60 percent of

Social Affairs June 22, 2017