Online classes continue to fall short of expectations, with two main learning management platforms experiencing malfunctions a week into South Korea’s second school year in the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Education said Monday that some users in Gyeonggi, North Jeolla and South Jeolla provinces had experienced delays accessing the e-Learning site, a remote learning system run by the Korea Education and Research Information Service, due to server issues. The users tried to access th

Social Affairs March 9, 2021

A Friday night in Gangnam means restaurants and bars crowded with people socializing and celebrating the weekend, but come the morning, every back alley and corner is strewn with cigarette butts. Gutters that start relatively empty and clean in the morning end up filled with cigarette butts by nighttime, and the view is unpleasant for smokers and nonsmokers alike. “It’s flat-out disgusting,” said Yoon Eun-hye, a 26-year-old nonsmoker who visits the Gangnam Station area almos

Social Affairs March 9, 2021

South Korea saw its daily addition of cases stay in the 400s on Sunday, as the country continues its fight against the third COVID-19 wave with its vaccination campaign. While the virus situation seems to be better controlled than weeks earlier, authorities remain cautious over a potential uptick in virus cases. The number of new cases could rise at any time due to an increased number of travelers during warmer weather, they warn. The country added 416 new cases Sunday -- 399 locally transmitt

Social Affairs March 7, 2021

The National Aviation Museum of Korea opened its doors in Gonghang-dong of Gangseo-gu, western Seoul, on July 5, 2020. The first state-run museum in Korea focused on aviation near Gimpo Airport contains innovation and developments in the field over the past 100 years. The local aviation industry effectively started in 1920 with the opening of the Korean Aviation Corps, the first-ever aviation school for Koreans that had three airplanes placed over 40 acres of land in the small town of Willows,

Social Affairs March 6, 2021

South Korea saw its carbon dioxide emissions fall 6 percent last year, while the global average declined 7 percent due to lockdowns in force because of the COVID-19 pandemic, research showed Wednesday. According to a study by the University of East Anglia, Stanford University and the Global Carbon Project, COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unprecedented fall in emissions of around 7 percent, or 2.6 billion metric tons of CO2, from a year earlier to 34 billion metric tons in 2020. While many stu

Social Affairs March 4, 2021

Seoul’s population fell below 10 million for the first time in 32 years, as the number of foreign residents in the city sharply dropped amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The city government said Wednesday that its population as of late last year reached 9.91 million, down 99,895 people from the same period a year earlier. It is the first time in 32 years that the capital’s population sat below 10 million, since it breached that mark at 10.29 million in 1988. By the end of 2020, Seoul had

Social Affairs March 3, 2021

South Korea this year will prepare a road map to achieving its carbon-neutrality goal of 2050 while increasing the share of renewable energy sources and promoting the use of eco-friendly vehicles. The Ministry of Environment said in a press briefing Tuesday it will prepare a detailed plan and set of initiatives to help Korea become carbon neutral by 2050. The idea of achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions has risen as a priority on the global agenda since the Paris Agreement took effect in

Social Affairs March 2, 2021

Seoul Metropolitan Government has removed nearly 700 trash cans since June, walking back from its earlier promise to install 657 new public trash bins by last year’s end. A source at the Seoul government confirmed last week the city had a total of 6,242 trash cans as of Wednesday, down 698 from 6,940 bins counted in June 2020. The fall was largely attributed to removals in Songpa District and Dongdaemun District. The city government official could not confirm why the trash cans were remo

Social Affairs March 2, 2021

Finding a trash can in Seoul is much harder than it would seem for many citizens and visitors, which has limited 27-year-old Yook Jimin from caring to buy and eat snacks during the day. He became accustomed to carrying trash inside his backpack, all of which had to be taken care of after arriving home. What was consumed on the streets ended up in his own trash bag back in his room, and he is one of many Seoul citizens unhappy with the lack of public trash cans. “I really do try to look f

Social Affairs March 2, 2021

The South Korean government has started a legal challenge to confiscate 11 land properties from descendants of four Japanese collaborators, the Ministry of Justice said Monday. The ministry said it filed complaints with the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul Western District Court on Friday to take back 85,094 square meters of land valued at 2.68 billion won ($2.4 million) from descendants of those on the list of pro-Japan collaborators announced in 2007. The four collaborators, named

Social Affairs March 1, 2021

South Korea’s National Assembly called for restoration of democracy in Myanmar, condemning its military government for using violence and failing to uphold human rights. The parliament on Friday passed the Resolution Condemning Myanmar’s Military Coup and Urging Restoration of Democracy and Release of All Persons Arbitrarily Detained, criticizing the military government’s crackdowns on protests and expressing support for the democratic movement. The resolution defined Myanmar

Politics Feb. 26, 2021

The first COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea has taken place, as the country kicked off its first-ever nationwide immunization campaign during a virus pandemic. At 9 a.m. Friday, COVID-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca started to be distributed at 1,915 public health center and nursing homes across the country. The vaccines were contract manufactured by SK Bioscience at its factory in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. Health officials had announced that more than 5,000 nursing home residents a

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2021

Doctors appear to be losing ground in their conflict with the government after facing negative public sentiment toward their call for collective action. The Korean Medical Association said Wednesday that it agrees with the intention of the bill on revoking licenses for doctors convicted of serious crimes, but argued that adjustments need to be made within the legislative proposal to prevent over-regulation. “We completely agree even within ourselves that doctors who committed severe crim

Social Affairs Feb. 25, 2021

The government will prepare guidelines and a protective network for industrial accidents to strengthen its role as an overseer and administrator over malpractice, as the country continues to report deaths from workers on duty, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday. In a press briefing, Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap said the ministry is preparing to work with industries and corporations to create detailed guidelines that fall well within the realities of those obliged to follow. &ldq

Social Affairs Feb. 24, 2021

The first taxi service in South Korea exclusively for those with COVID-19 symptoms kicked off in Busan with the same fare system but will only run to and from home and local public health centers. The Busan city government said Tuesday a local taxi company named Tomato Taxi has started a cab service exclusively for those in need of COVID-19 checks with 32 taxi vehicles. The service was introduced following requests from Busan’s civic task force on COVID-19, the city said. The taxis used

Social Affairs Feb. 23, 2021