The Korean government said Monday that it will help drug users willing to receive treatment and provide them with customized drug rehabilitation programs. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it has launched a pilot project named the "Judicial-Treatment-Rehabilitation Linkage Model," which is aimed at providing appropriate treatment programs to those who want to be rehabilitated and at preventing recidivism. The pilot project will be carried out by the Ministry of Health and Welfare

Social Affairs June 19, 2023

Chinese public security authorities have placed South Korean midfielder Son Jun-ho under formal arrest on suspicion of having taken a bribe, following the expiration of his detention period, local media outlets reported on Sunday, citing a source familiar with the case. The midfielder, who played at last year’s FIFA World Cup, and plays for Shandong Taishan in the Chinese Super League, has been detained in the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning since mid-May on bribery charges. &q

Social Affairs June 18, 2023

In South Korea, which is renowned for its fervent pursuit of education, the number of parents opting for private education for their infants and preschool children is rapidly increasing, data showed Sunday. According to the Korea Institute of Child Care & Education, a survey conducted last year among parents of 2,393 infants and preschool children aged 0 to 6, revealed that 21.9 percent of respondents provided private education to their children within the past three months. This figure re

Social Affairs June 18, 2023

As the number of travelers to Saudi Arabia is expected to increase during hajj, the public health authority is urging pilgrims heading to the Middle Eastern country to take extra precautions against Middle East respiratory syndrome. “Large gatherings such as hajj are associated with unique health risks, especially MERS, so travelers should follow sanitation recommendations,” the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Wednesday. Hajj is the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mec

Social Affairs June 14, 2023

The number of patients recently treated for being obese doubled in five years, data showed. According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of patients visiting hospitals due to obesity doubled from 14,966 in 2017 to 30,170 in 2021. Experts speculated that reasons for the increase in the number of obese patients were poor eating habits, such as ordering unhealthy food and not exercising sufficiently. It is known that people who suffer from obesity are at increased ris

Social Affairs June 13, 2023

The state human rights watchdog said Tuesday it has decided to submit its opinion to the Constitutional Court to oppose the Carbon Neutrality Act, saying the law is unconstitutional because the government's target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is too low. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea said it opposed the country's Carbon Neutrality Act, which was passed in September 2021, as Article 8 Clause 1 and its implementing ordinance Article 3 Clause 1 are "unconstit

Social Affairs June 13, 2023

SUWON -- The 2023 K-wellness fair opened in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday, showcasing 140 exhibition booths by more than 30 government agencies and companies under the theme of "Promoting the health of the people and discovering related content." The 2023 K-wellness fair spans three exhibition halls at the Suwon Convention Center, located 41 kilometers southeast of Seoul, showcasing government policies related to family and pregnancy, wellness and tourism content organized by loc

Social Affairs June 9, 2023

The South Korean government announced Thursday that it has reached an agreement with a coalition of doctors' groups to increase the number of medical students. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Medical Association, the country's largest coalition of doctors' groups, with 130,000 members, met on Thursday to discuss expanding the number of students admitted to medical schools and addressing the shortage of doctors. According to the agreement, the number of medical

Social Affairs June 9, 2023

The population in Jeju has been shrinking, as young people leave the southern resort island in search of jobs. According to the nation's population registry released by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security Wednesday, 677,057 Korean citizens were registered as residents in Jeju as of May, down 1,102 from 678,159 in December last year. The population is declining as the number of births decreases, the number of incoming people from other regions to Jeju decreases, and the youth

Social Affairs June 7, 2023

College students rush to deactivate their accounts on tutor-matching apps after Jung Yoo-jung, a 23-year-old suspect in the murder of a woman in her 20s in Busan, was identified as having found the victim through one of these apps. A female student residing in Busan has expressed concern on Everytime, a community popular among university students, saying, “I feel dizzy and disgusted at the thought of Jung having seen my information on the app. I could have been a victim.” She added

Social Affairs June 6, 2023

GWANGJU -- Gwangju has been a symbolic city for its contribution to South Korea's democratization, most notably the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising where hundreds of civilians protested against the then military government. Keeping its historic legacy and the spirits for freedom and democracy in its heart, the city is now setting sights on the future, said Kang Ki-jeong, the city's mayor, pointing at the city's high tech industries. “Gwangju has a developed lighting industr

Social Affairs June 5, 2023

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it seeks to promote the expansion of medical institutions overseas and facilitate the export of advanced medical systems through deregulation measures and advisory services. Under the plan to promote health and medical exports, the Welfare Ministry on Monday said it sees the global medical market as a promising industry and aims to boost it as a key driver of future growth. The market is expected to grow 6.3 percent annually from $10.4 trillion in 2021 to

Social Affairs June 5, 2023

Jung Yoo-jung, a 23-year-old suspect in the murdering, dismembering and disposing of the body of a woman in her 20s in Busan, might have killed her with the intention to steal her identity, a profiler suggested Friday. Lee Soo-jung, a criminal psychology professor at Kyonggi University, told MBC that the purpose of the crime may have been "stealing the victim's identity." Lee said, “The victim was a popular tutor on the app. The suspect seems to have tried to steal the victi

Social Affairs June 2, 2023

South Korea will build more industrial clusters to nurture innovative firms in high-end industries such as chips and biotechnology by lifting regulations and forging more partnerships with foreign businesses, the government said Thursday. The plan also aims to attract participation from municipalities in cluster projects, as well as in ventures and startups, to enhance South Korea's industrial competitiveness. Legal and accounting consulting services will also be provided to such businesses

Social Affairs June 1, 2023

South Korea lifted nearly all its COVID-19 restrictions Thursday, including the isolation mandate for COVID-19 patients, as the country lowered the COVID-19 crisis level from the top level on Thursday. On May 11, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared that the government would downgrade the status of the COVID-19 crisis from "serious," the highest level, to "alert," starting from Thursday, June 1. With the alert level lowered, the COVID-19 isolation period of seven days has been sh

Social Affairs June 1, 2023