Working parents will be allowed to take up to 20 days off from work for family care leave, up from the current maximum 10 days under a bill that passed the National Assembly on Monday. Five more days are granted for single parents and underprivileged families on top of the 20 days of leave. Lawmakers voted to approve the revision aimed at allowing an extension to family care leave for parents raising young children in case of national emergencies such as the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and si

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2020

Authorities were on alert Sunday as another powerful typhoon approached South Korea, although the nation’s meteorological office forecast it would not make landfall here. The southern island of Jeju is forecast to fall under the influence of Typhoon Haishen from Sunday night through Monday morning. By 9 a.m. Monday, it will be just 80 kilometers east of Busan, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. Haishen, on course to pass through Japan later Sunday, is categorized as a &ldquo

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2020

The final year in high school has always been tough for Korean students. But it is harder than ever this year thanks to the coronavirus outbreak and the disruptions it has caused in almost every aspect of life. The virus has forced schools to close for months and already caused the national college entrance exam date to be postponed once. And last week, with just three weeks left before the application opens, over 100 colleges announced revisions to admission rules in a bid to reduce the risk

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2020

Typhoon Maysak swept across South Korea, leaving two people dead and three others injured, causing power outages, disrupting transportation and damaging homes and farmland, authorities said Thursday. The weather agency warns of another typhoon, possibly even more powerful than Mayak, to strike the country early next week. Casualties and damages from Maysak, the ninth typhoon of this season, were mainly in the southern part of the country, where it came ashore early Thursday morn

Social Affairs Sept. 3, 2020

Hundreds of flights were canceled, ferries suspended and fishing vessels recalled to harbor, as Typhoon Maysak approached the southern island of Jeju on Wednesday afternoon, on its course to make landfall near Busan. Local authorities were in emergency response mode ahead of the arrival of the typhoon, which meteorologists warned could be the most powerful to hit the country in years. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, as of 4 p.m. Wednesday Maysak was at sea 190 kilometer

Social Affairs Sept. 2, 2020

High school education will be free for all students in South Korea starting next year with expanded budget support. This would make education free for all primary, middle and high school students. The Ministry of Education said Tuesday that it was seeking a budget of 76.3 trillion won ($64.48 billion) for 2021, up 0.8 percent, or 601.5 billion won, from the 75.7 trillion won allotted this year. The proposed budget, set for a parliamentary review later this week, would increase spending on hig

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2020

Seoul Foreign School has been recognized for its architectural design that promotes unique learning experiences. The Seoul-based independet international school announced Tuesday that its high school building, designed by New York-based Ennead Architects, was awarded an International Distinguished Building, Landscape Architecture, and Urbanism Award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design. The SFS building will be featured in “Global Design + Urbanism XX: New Interna

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2020

South Korea is preparing for another strong typhoon expected to strike Jeju Island and southern coastal areas from Wednesday through Thursday, likely as one of the most powerful typhoons ever to hit the country. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety raised the alert level from “attention” to “caution” at 9 a.m. Tuesday and started running an emergency response team in preparation of Typhoon Maysak. By 3 p.m., the ninth typhoon of the year was around 220 kilometers no

Social Affairs Sept. 1, 2020

Typhoon Maysak, expected to hit southern parts of Korea on Wednesday and Thursday, is forecast to intensify into a “very strong” storm late Monday, the weather agency said. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, as of 9 a.m. Monday, the ninth typhoon of the year was 470 kilometers south of the island of Okinawa, Japan, advancing northeast at a speed of 31 kilometers per hour toward the peninsula, as of 9 a.m. on Monday. With a maximum wind speed of 43 meters per seco

Social Affairs Aug. 31, 2020

No casualties or major damages were reported from Typhoon Bavi, which cruised through Korea on Thursday. Typhoon warnings and advisories were lifted for all parts of the country Thursday, and the Korea Meteorological Agency forecast a return of sweltering summer heat, once the storm clouds clear. Typhoon Bavi, packing strong gusts of up to 45 meters per second, battered the southern island of Jeju on Wednesday and traveled northward through the Yellow Sea, affecting western parts of the coun

Social Affairs Aug. 27, 2020

South Korea fell under the influence of a “very strong” typhoon Wednesday, with typhoon advisories issued for some of its southern regions. Authorities are bracing for one of the most powerful typhoons of the year, which is expected to directly impact the capital region. The Korea Meteorological Administration said Wednesday that as of 4 p.m. Typhoon Bavi was 200 kilometers west of Jeju Island and was advancing north at 22 kilometers per hour. The tropical storm had a maximum wind s

Social Affairs Aug. 26, 2020

South Korea on Tuesday decided to close all schools and kindergartens in the capital area until mid-September, except for one particular grade -- high school seniors. Amid warnings over the coronavirus’s fast spread in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, keeping seniors in school is a “preemptive measure” both to protect students and to ensure that this year’s national college entrance exam goes ahead as planned, Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said in a press briefing

Social Affairs Aug. 25, 2020

Typhoon Bavi could grow to be one of the strongest to hit Korea in years, packing strong winds that could damage or destroy vehicles and outdoor structures, the weather agency said Monday. 　 According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the eighth typhoon of the year that formed off the east coast of Taiwan last week was around the northwestern coast of Okinawa, Japan, as of 4 p.m. Monday, advancing at a speed of 12 kilometers per hour toward South Korea. With a maximum wind speed of 1

Social Affairs Aug. 24, 2020

Police on Sunday vowed to sternly deal with misinformation and actions obstructing the country’s efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, as fears of a second, deadlier wave grow. In a public statement, the Korean National Police Agency announced it will “thoroughly investigate any attempt to undermine the social trust and threaten the health and safety of citizens.” Since the virus arrived here in January through Thursday, police have arrested a total 202 pe

Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2020

A typhoon is expected to pass through South Korea this week, likely battering the Seoul metropolitan area on its course. Typhoon Bavi, packing wind gusts of up to 97 kilometers per hour, with an atmospheric pressure of 985 hectopascals at its center, was 330 kilometers northeast of Taiwan as of 3 p.m. Sunday, traveling north at a speed of 11 kilometers per hour, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. It was forecast to reach Jeju Island at around 4 a.m. Wednesday, make landfall

Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2020