The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday urged South Korean retailers operating early-morning deliveries to care for workers’ health. Labor Minister Lee Jeong-sik had a meeting on Monday at a distribution center of Kurly in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, with the top retailers offering early-morning delivery services, including Kurly, Coupang, SSG.com, and Oasis Market. “To protect the health of workers on early-morning delivery services, the government plans to expand support for i

Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2023

South Korea is moving to permit telemedicine services for first-time patients residing in regions categorized as "medically vulnerable areas" during the nighttime and holidays, starting from mid-December, the Ministry of Welfare and Health announced Friday. The initiative aims to enhance patient accessibility to essential medical care, especially during emergencies. The temporary allowance of non-face-to-face medical services, commonly referred to as telemedicine, was first introduced

Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2023

South Korea’s two major umbrella labor organizations disclosed their revenues for the first time since their establishment, Thursday. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions announced an annual revenue of 39.25 billion won ($30.16 million) for 2022, according to the Labor Union Accounting Disclosure System administered by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. In detail, the FKTU revealed that 22.9 billion won was carried over from the previous year. They further said that 5.99 billion won ca

Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2023

South Korea's Labor Ministry will launch an investigation into workplaces suspected of screening out job applicants who graduated from women's universities, a ministry official said Thursday. The investigation plans have come after a post on anonymous online employee forum Blind went viral. “As a corporate recruiter, It's not like we exclude all women but if (the applicant) is from a women's college, we don't even read the resume," the author of the post, who

Social Affairs Nov. 30, 2023

A total of 16 South Korean climate tech companies, ranging from promising startups to well-established companies, have been chosen to represent the country at the United Nations’ 28th COP28 climate conference, slated for Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, according to the Ministry of Environment. Korea will set up a national pavilion, themed “Green Industry for a Sustainable Future,” at the venue and will present various technologies. The 16 companies, represent

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2023

Starting in the first half of 2024, people who have an addiction to illegal drugs in South Korea will be able to have their rehabilitation expenses covered by the National Health Insurance plan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday. Previously, only those with a court order were given such health insurance coverage. However, from next year, every person “subject to treatment protection” will have health insurance coverage. People “subject to treatment protection&

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2023

After 20 years of service, Dr. Kim, a pediatrician in Gwangju, closed her pediatric clinic in July due to financial challenges and Korea's dwindling population of children. Instead, she opened a new clinic that primarily treats skin problems, chronic pain and mental health issues. Kim is not alone. One in 10 pediatric clinics in Seoul has closed in the past five years, according to a recent report released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Doctors in essential fields su

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2023

Athletes topped the list of most desired jobs for elementary school students, while teaching was picked as the most coveted job among middle and high school students, a survey showed Sunday. Teaching and becoming a doctor were picked by elementary school children as the most desirable job following athletes. The survey results showing a preference toward athletes may stem from the high number of sporting events held this year, including the Asian Games and the World Cup soccer qualifiers, acco

Social Affairs Nov. 26, 2023

South Korea's food and drug safety authorities said Wednesday that they have ordered Echire butter imported from France to be discarded after they found a high level of coliforms in several samples, some strains of which could cause diarrhea and food poisoning. “Echire butter 'Doux' 250g produced in France and imported by Maeil Dairies has been found to contain coliforms beyond the permissible level and ordered to be discarded,” the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety sai

Social Affairs Nov. 22, 2023

A man was arrested after stabbing a restaurant owner in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, police said Tuesday. The suspect was arrested by police at around 3:30 p.m. near Gupabal station in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, about 30 kilometers south of the restaurant. The suspect, believed to be in his late 30s and a former employee of the restaurant, stabbed the restaurant owner in his 60s at around 2:30 p.m. in Paju. The victim remains unconscious as of 4 p.m. Tuesday. The suspect's motive for the crime ha

Social Affairs Nov. 21, 2023

The World Bio Summit 2023 will gather experts to address a wide range of topics on the future of the bio industry, from pandemic preparedness to applications of artificial intelligence, organizers said Sunday. “In the presence of global leaders from governments, the scientific community, the private sector, and international organizations related to vaccine and biologics, the two-day Summit will explore what we have achieved for enabling a pandemic preparedness and response ecosystem and s

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2023

The 2023 World Bio Summit will operate a “Global Business Lounge,” in addition to its main sessions, to promote exchanges between international organizations and vaccine, pharmaceutical and bio companies so that they can improve their competitive edge by establishing networks. According to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, it will operate the “Global Business Lounge” from Nov. 20-21 as part of the 2023 World Bio Summit. In the lounge, all summit attendees,

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2023

The 2023 World Bio Summit, jointly hosted by the South Korean government and the World Health Organization, kicks off Monday for a two-day run in Seoul to explore ways to strengthen capacity to handle another potential pandemic. Taking place at the Conrad Seoul Hotel, over 200 health policymakers, bio and medical experts as well as business representatives from around the world are to participate in the summit in its second year, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Under the theme o

Social Affairs Nov. 20, 2023

The South Korean government and the ruling People Power Party on Friday agreed to introduce, before the end of this year, a special act to end dog meat consumption in Korea by 2027. In a special consultative meeting at the National Assembly, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and ruling party officials agreed to push for the passage of an anti-dog meat bill banning breeding and slaughter of dogs, as well as dog meat delivery and sales. Under the legislation, farms, butcheries, distribution compani

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2023

A majority of Suneung test takers viewed this year’s College Scholastic Ability Test or Suneung as being difficult overall, rekindling doubts that the government was able to tackle "killer questions." A poll on 2,764 students conducted by the Educational Broadcasting System showed Friday that a combined 85.9 percent found this year's Suneung either "extremely difficult" or "moderately difficult." This came after test takers who took the state-administered

Social Affairs Nov. 17, 2023