More artificial intelligence-backed surveillance cameras will be installed in Seoul to prevent and deter crime, Seoul city officials said Thursday. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will install extra closed-circuit television cameras equipped with artificial intelligence technology in public parks and along hiking trails throughout the capital to reduce crime blind spots. Those cameras use AI technology to detect movements such as wandering, falling or even assault, and automatically tr

Social Affairs Dec. 28, 2023

The Seoul city government announced Thursday that this year's bell-tolling ceremony on New Year's Eve will feature the installation of a 12-meter-radius artificial sun in downtown Seoul to mark the new year. Right after the bell rings 33 times at midnight on Dec. 31, the orb, which is described as a sun-shaped structure, will be lifted 15 meters into the air to signify the rise of a new dawn. Weighing about 2.5 metric tons, the orb will emit light for three minutes, illuminating the ni

Social Affairs Dec. 28, 2023

The gender gap at South Korean workplaces has shown signs of narrowing over the past decade, signaling that the country might be breaking away from the long-standing division of labor between the sexes and outdated stereotypes toward women who work. The gender gap in the employment rate has narrowed slightly from 22.5 percentage points in 2012 to 18.6 percentage points last year, according to the 2023 Women’s Participation in Economic Activities White Paper, jointly published by the Minist

Social Affairs Dec. 27, 2023

The state anti-corruption agency on Tuesday announced that it recorded the highest ever amount in rewards provided to those who reported corrupt officials or companies in 2023. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission said it disbursed some 4.243 billion won ($3.273 million) as rewards to whistleblowers whose reports led directly to recovery or increase in public institution revenue in 2023, marking a 40 percent increase from the previous year. This annual figure represents the highest am

Social Affairs Dec. 26, 2023

The welfare benefits offered to employees at small to medium companies were around one-third of those provided by major corporations last year, amid widening gaps between the two groups, government data showed Monday. Smaller companies with less than 300 employees provided nonstatutory welfare benefits, also called fringe benefits, averaging 136,900 won ($105) per month as of the end of last year, according to data compiled in a report called "Corporate Labor Cost Survey for the 2022 Fiscal

Social Affairs Dec. 25, 2023

RABAT, Morocco — The Kingdom of Morocco is expanding its presence in South Korea's travel market as tourists seek new destinations for travel from Korea. Morocco presents itself as a richly diverse "melting pot" in terms of beliefs, ethnic groups and ways of life. The country is located on the African continent, but only one hour away from southern Spain by ferry, spanning from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, bordered by Mauritania and Algeria. Due to its strategic positio

Travel Dec. 23, 2023

The Seoul city government said Thursday it will host 2023 Seoul Con together with Seoul Business Agency from Dec. 30 to Jan. 1, 2024. Seoul Con is billed as the world’s first-ever convention for social media influencers. Taking place at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, a whopping 3,000 groups representing 50 countries, are to participate in the Seoul Con in its first year, according to city officials. The Seoul Metropolitan Government hopes to promote Seoul through YouTube and TikTok to boost the

Social Affairs Dec. 21, 2023

The Seoul city government on Wednesday announced a list of 18 people who will join the city‘s bell-tolling ceremony on New Year’s Eve. The 12 civic bell ringers, selected by the city as “People of the Year,” include 18-year-old Yoon Do-il, who risked his life to help others when a knife attack occurred at Seohyeon station in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, in August; Park Sang-woo, a radiology technologist who performed CPR on a person who had collapsed in an Itaewon alley fo

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2023

The South Korean government has decided to expand financial support for working parents so that both can take parental leave starting next year, as part of efforts to boost the country's dwindling birth rate, according to the Labor Ministry. The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that the government approved a revised Employment Insurance Act reflecting expanded parental benefits at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. Under the revised law, set to go into effect on Jan. 1, working parents wi

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2023

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea announced Monday that it has initiated an investigation into Hanshin University in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, after claims that the university's staff forced 23 students from Uzbekistan to leave Korea. The NHRCK received a petition, lodged by the husband of one of the students, about the incident and referred it to the relevant department on Dec. 11. "The investigation has just begun," an official from the NHRCK said Monday. The commis

Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2023

The number of suspected influenza cases in South Korea has surged to a five-year high in the second week of December, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Friday. The rate of patients exhibiting symptoms suggestive of influenza per 1,000 outpatients for the week of Dec. 3-9, stood at 61.3, up 26.1 percent from the previous week. This is the highest figure since 2019. The younger age groups have been more likely to have suspected flu with 120.1 per 1,000 outpatients aged 7-12 and

Social Affairs Dec. 15, 2023

Telehealth services at night and on public holidays have become available for first-time patients nationwide as the government expanded the scope of such services on Friday. The changes also allow access to telehealth services for first-time patients residing in regions categorized as "medically vulnerable areas" at any time. Previously, first-time patients under 18 could receive only a contactless consultation at night and during public holidays and weekends, but were not able to rece

Social Affairs Dec. 15, 2023

Rain is expected to continue drenching the nation until Friday night, before a cold snap hits the country over the weekend, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration Friday. From Thursday, the nation had up to 50 millimeters of rain as of Friday 8 a.m., with up to 60 millimeters more predicted until Friday night. The central region and northern areas of North Gyeongsang Province were forecast to see more than 100 millimeters of rainfall on Thursday and Friday. “Low pressure deve

Social Affairs Dec. 15, 2023

The Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that it would revise criteria exempting men with weight issues, allowing the enlistment of severely obese men for mandatory military service. The proposed change will lower the bottom threshold from the current BMI of 16 to 15 while raising the upper limit from the current 35 to 40. Therefore, the number of those who are underweight and overweight who can join the Army as active duty soldiers will increase. In general, a BMI of 18.4 or less is consid

Social Affairs Dec. 14, 2023

A ban on the operation of exotic animal cafes, where people can see, touch and interact with the animals, begins Thursday, according to the Ministry of Environment. Under the amendment to the Wildlife Protection and Management Act approved at a Cabinet meeting on Dec. 5, beginning Thursday it is illegal to exhibit "wild animals" in facilities not registered as zoos or aquariums, in a bid to protect the animals better. Owners of such animal cafes should either reregister their establi

Social Affairs Dec. 14, 2023