South Korea is bracing for a cold snap this week, with weather forecasts predicting a sharp plunge in temperatures. A cold wave advisory will take effect in central and northern areas including Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, and parts of Gangwon Province at 9 p.m. Sunday, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. A cold wave advisory is issued when the lowest morning temperature is expected to fall below minus 12 degrees Celsius for more than two consecutive days, or when the temperatur

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2024

Prosecutors indicted a total of 32 individuals in connection with online murder threats between August and December 2023, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said Sunday. Out of the 189 individuals referred to the public prosecutor's office on charges including attempted murder, intimidation and obstruction of justice, 32 have been formally indicted and are being held in custody. Most of those indicted had allegedly written online posts vowing to commit copycat crimes in the wake of a fata

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2024

From the launch of a new service that enables unlimited subway and bus access in Seoul to a water bus that transports passengers from Yeouido to Gangseo-gu in 30 minutes, 2024 is to be marked by a series of major transformations in the capital's public transportation services, Seoul's mayor said Wednesday. At a New Year's press conference, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the "climate card," set to launch on Jan. 27, was the result of a new policy adopted to both mitigate pol

Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2024

A Korean man in his 30s suspected of attacking a female Singaporean student in broad daylight last week was arrested by the police Tuesday. The suspect, whose name and age were being withheld as of Monday afternoon, is being accused of punching the student several times in the face at around 4 p.m. on Friday, according to the Dongdaemun Police Station. The victim was walking at a crosswalk in Hwigyeong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul when she was attacked. Police said the suspect has been diagnos

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2024

The Korea Employment Information Service said Monday that it released the first issue of the KEIS e-Letter, an English newsletter on Korea's latest employment trends and labor market information, on Jan. 4. The KEIS is affiliated with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and is in charge of collecting, analyzing and providing information related to employment, careers and jobs, supporting the advancement of employment services and running the employment information system. “This ne

Social Affairs Jan. 15, 2024

The Seoul Western District Court on Friday ordered public broadcaster MBC to rectify its report on President Yoon Suk Yeol's alleged use of foul language during an informal exchange with then-Foreign Minister Park Jin in New York in September 2022. In response, MBC on Friday said "we will appeal immediately to correct the erroneous ruling of the first trial." The court issued the order in response to a lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which claimed that the video

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2024

Women who work long hours and have conflicting demands from family and work are more likely to have symptoms of depression, a study showed Thursday. A study in the Journal of the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health suggested that such women were 35 percent more likely to have depressive symptoms compared to those with standard hours. In contrast, there was no significant difference in depression rates among male workers with or without long hours, even when the demand

Social Affairs Jan. 11, 2024

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Charlie Hill, Major League Baseball's vice president of international strategy, in Las Vegas on Tuesday, pledging the city’s full support to help the MLB globalize baseball and vowing plans to build a domed baseball stadium and convention center, as previously announced. The meeting took place on the sidelines of CES 2024, the world's largest technology show. Oh arrived in Las Vegas early Tuesday to host the Seoul Pavilion and promote Seoul’s

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday announced a set of plans to deal with soaring cremation demand, including adding furnaces and providing extra manpower. These measures are a response to address a deepening shortage of crematorium services, according to the Seoul city government. Currently, the city of Seoul runs two municipal cremation facilities, including Seoul Memorial Park in Yangjae-dong and Seoul Municipal Funeral Home (Byeokje Crematorium) in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. At thos

Social Affairs Jan. 9, 2024

Over 600,000 salaried workers in South Korea reported an annual additional income surpassing 20 million won ($15,200), aside from their regular salaries, according to data released by the National Health Insurance Service on Monday. According to NHIS data released by Rep. Choi Hye-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the extra income of salaried workers came from bank interest, stock dividends and rental revenue. The number of salaried workers getting extra income consisted of

Social Affairs Jan. 8, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Sunday announced its plan to complete seismic reinforcement of all public facilities by 2030. The "Comprehensive Plan on Earthquake Disaster Prevention" is a response to public concerns about the nation's earthquake preparedness, particularly in the aftermath of the recent powerful and fatal earthquakes in western Japan, according to the Seoul city government. Under the plan, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to raise the percentage of 2,

Social Affairs Jan. 7, 2024

Winter in South Korea means withstanding severe cold. At the same time, it also means stuffing yourself with the delicious Korean winter foods that are in season. Korea is renowned for its four distinct seasons. And each of those seasons features a different set of foods taking the spotlight. In winter, three of Korea's most popular kinds of seafood take center stage -- gwamegi, yellowtail and oysters. Other seasonal delicacies include red bean porridge and even citrus fruit. Many Koreans

weekender Jan. 6, 2024

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a guilty sentence for the operator of a website that discloses the names of uncooperative parents refusing to pay child support. The Supreme Court found Koo Bon-chang, 61, who runs the name-and-shame website Bad Fathers, guilty of naming and publicly sharing personal information, such as the name, facial picture, age, residence and workplace, of men and women accused by their former partners or spouses of refusing to pay child support. The court upheld the se

Social Affairs Jan. 4, 2024

Korea's new minimum wage took effect Monday, increasing to 9,860 won ($7.60) per hour, which is equivalent to about 2.1 million won a month, based on a 40-hour workweek. The new minimum wage level increased by 240 won compared to 2023's level of 9,620 won per hour, corresponding to a daily wage of 78,880 won and a monthly wage of nearly 2.07 million won, based on the same measure. The 2023 figure monthly wage was equivalent to about two-thirds of South Korea's average salary of 3.

Social Affairs Jan. 2, 2024

Foreign workers with E-9 visas will be able to legally work at hotels and rented overnight accommodations across South Korea starting in 2024, officials said Friday, as the government seeks to tackle labor shortages in major industries. Previously, E-9 visa holders could only work in the agriculture, fishing, manufacturing and construction sectors. The visa is issued for migrant workers wanting to engage in jobs that require manual or nonprofessional labor. The announcement came after a foreign

Social Affairs Dec. 29, 2023