The republication of an autobiography of the late North Korean founder Kim Il-sung has ignited controversy in South Korea, where possession of the book could violate national security laws. Starting this week, a number of major South Korean bookstores have accepted purchase orders for “Reminiscences: With the Century,” which emphasizes the North Korean leader’s childhood and what he did to resist the Japanese colonial regime. But South Korean historians and experts have sai

North Korea April 22, 2021

Classrooms centered on remote learning are interfering with learning and compounding existing achievement gaps among students in South Korea, a report has found. The report released Tuesday showed that the achievement gap among middle school students grew faster in 2020 than in previous years. The authors asked the educational authorities to improve online learning systems and interaction among students and teachers. According to a study by the Seoul Education Research and Information Institut

Social Affairs April 21, 2021

Negotiations for next year’s minimum wage are expected to be anything but easy, with labor and business representatives again proposing radically different figures from the very start. The Minimum Wage Commission on Tuesday afternoon convened its first plenary meeting with its 27 members -- nine representatives each from labor, business and government. The commission has until mid-July to determine the new rate, which is to be formally announced Aug. 5. The first plenary meeting merely w

Social Affairs April 20, 2021

Kim Hae-yong, a former South Korean ambassador to Myanmar and New Zealand, officially started his term Friday as the fifth secretary-general of the ASEAN-Korea Center, the organization announced Sunday. The 64-year-old career diplomat replaces Lee Hyuk for a single three-year term to 2024. His appointment was confirmed during the 13th meeting of the center’s council, held online on Feb. 9. The secretary-general is a retired career diplomat who served with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs April 18, 2021

Choi Keun-ho, a 34-year-old elementary school teacher in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, used to ride an electric scooter to and from work every day. He was one of a growing number of consumers in South Korea opting to use this rather novel personal mobility option. But in January, after crashing into a woman and seriously bruising her, he stopped riding his scooter and instead opted to walk and take the bus. Choi said he paid the woman’s hospital bills and apologized multiple times, which the

Social Affairs April 15, 2021

South Korea on Tuesday strongly condemned Japan's decision to release more than 1 million tons of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant, saying the radioactive water threatens the safety of neighboring countries and their marine environments. The government expressed strong regret over the Japanese government's "unilateral" choice to release the radioactive water, saying the decision was made without discussions or negotiations with Korea. "This dec

Foreign Affairs April 13, 2021

Seoul plans to introduce its own social distancing system as an alternative to South Korea’s nationwide rules out of concern for small-business owners. In a press briefing Monday, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the Seoul Metropolitan Government is preparing to announce new social distancing rules exclusively for the city, as the current nationwide system harms small-business owners and merchants. The city government is looking to have its municipal social distancing rules ready by the end o

Social Affairs April 12, 2021

Calls are growing for South Korea to institute a nationwide sickness benefit program as the criticism remains high over the effectiveness of the recently introduced vaccination leave policy. Labor activists argue for legislative support to help many workers who would be still obliged to continue to work even when reporting adverse symptoms after taking their shots, which could be helped with the introduction of the sickness benefit program. At the moment, the Korea Institute for Health and Soc

Social Affairs April 9, 2021

South Korea’s top science and technology institution is seeking to strengthen its globalization efforts and provide unique research opportunities in hopes of becoming one of the top 10 universities in the world within the next 20 years. Lee Kwang-hyung, president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, said in a press briefing Thursday that the school will focus on nurturing creative scholars, have them engage in novel research fields and thereby improve the competitive

Social Affairs April 8, 2021

Some 6.45 million voters rushed to polling stations Wednesday to cast their ballots for the mayor of Seoul and Busan, the two largest municipalities in South Korea. According to preliminary data from the National Election Commission, 56.8 percent of 12.16 million eligible voters cast their votes during the two-day-long early voting period and from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day of the election. Some 58.2 percent of 8.43 million eligible voters cast their ballots to choose the next mayor of Seoul.

Politics April 7, 2021

Concerns over the environmental impact of elections are once again rising in the wake of Wednesday’s by-elections in Seoul and Busan, with rival election campaigns producing tons of trash. Only a fraction is likely to be recycled. Environmentalists are seeking legislative changes to prevent the use of nonrecyclable banners and placards as voters flock to online channels when making their political choices. The move could help the country become more eco-friendly and could make campaigns

Social Affairs April 7, 2021

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Tuesday that it would provide educational materials for schools in the city on the violence of the military government in Myanmar and how it is oppressing the country’s people. The package, consisting of PowerPoint slides, a workbook and a guidebook for teachers, comes in two versions depending on grade level. To make it accessible to multicultural students who aren’t fluent in Korean, the office said, the package will also be availabl

Social Affairs April 6, 2021

Finding a place to live in Seoul was no problem for Seo Jee-sun when she had a full-time job at a massage parlor in Seoul, but the real problem was finding a house where she can sleep at night without having to worry about noise from upstairs. Living on the 12th floor of an apartment building in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, Seo was happy to find a rather affordable housing option with reasonable monthly rent, except the unit came without an option to sleep comfortably at night. For the past six mo

Social Affairs April 6, 2021

A legislative revision targeting workplace bullying has missed the mark, one civic group said Monday, as it would not protect subcontractors or address harassment by customers. Pro-labor civic group Gabjil 119 said Monday that the latest legislative revision, which passed in the National Assembly last month, was designed only to further protect directly employed workers from harassment by their employers. It would leave laborers and contract workers vulnerable, the group argues. Lawmakers la

Social Affairs April 5, 2021

High early voting turnout for next week’s by-elections has prompted both the ruling and opposition camps to claim it as an indication that the polls will swing in their favor. According to the National Election Commission, 2.49 million eligible voters, or 20.54 percent of the total 12.16 million, cast their votes during the two-day early voting period that ended 6 p.m. Saturday. The figure is the highest advance voting turnout in South Korea’s by-election history, exceedi

Politics April 4, 2021