Tens of thousands of workers took to the streets nationwide on Monday in South Korea to mark Labor Day with protests against labor reforms being pushed by the Yoon Suk Yeol government. Workers belonging to the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korea Trade Unions -- the country’s two major umbrella labor organizations -- participated in large-scale rallies across the country, including in the metropolitan cities of Seoul, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju and the southern island

Social Affairs May 1, 2023

Yoo Jun-hwan, 31, never thought that he would be leading a labor union until just two years ago. The research engineer who had studied in the US was awarded a smaller-than-expected annual bonus from his company, LG Electronics, in early 2021. However, the company had marked a record high operating profit in the previous year at nearly 3.2 trillion won ($2.3 billion). In quite an unusual move at a Korean company, Yoo asked management why he was getting a bonus far lower than those given out by th

Social Affairs April 30, 2023

A group of doctors and other medical workers are reportedly considering launching a nationwide strike following the passage of a bill that stipulates a clear definition of nursing and nurses’ roles in medical services at the National Assembly's plenary session on Thursday. They have been opposing to the bill, saying that it would provide legal ground for nurses to open their own medical institutions. Despite strong opposition from the ruling People Power Party, the main opposition Dem

Social Affairs April 28, 2023

Foreigners are returning to South Korea to undergo medical treatment or get cosmetic surgery as the COVID-19 pandemic has eased in most parts of the world, government data showed Monday. The number of medical tourists visiting Korea shot up 70.1 percent year-on-year in 2022 to 248,000, up from 146,000 in 2021, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The industry has seen a rebound, with the number of medical tourists reaching a cumulative 3.27 million since 2009 when the ministry began

Social Affairs April 24, 2023

Women who go on extreme diets are more likely to suffer menstrual pain, a study showed Monday. Women engaging in extreme dieting practices had a higher risk of developing dysmenorrhea, according to research conducted by the Korea National Institute of Health. Dysmenorrhea refers to severe and frequent cramps during menstruation. The study looked at 5,829 women aged 14 to 44 from March through June 2016, during which 22 percent of those went on an extreme diet. An extreme diet involves practices

Social Affairs April 24, 2023

More than 90 percent of Koreans consider domestic abuse as something perpetrated by men against women. Domestic violence, defined in the Domestic Violence Punishment Act, is any abusive act between family members, including violence against a wife, husband, children, parents and between siblings. A survey conducted by the Korean Women's Development Institute in November of last year which included 754 respondents found that only 11.5 percent of individuals correctly understood the definitio

Social Affairs April 23, 2023

Tensions have been rising between doctors and nurses due to proposed legislation that aims to clarify the roles and responsibilities of nurses separately from other health care professionals. Health Minister Cho Kyu-hong was scheduled to accompany President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the United States on Monday, but the trip was cancelled due to the ongoing conflict. Minister Cho plans to hold emergency meetings to mediate between the two groups this week. The proposed Nursing Act is set to b

Social Affairs April 23, 2023

The number of shingles infections has been climbing in South Korea, data showed on Thursday. According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, a total of 722,257 people were infected with the disease in 2021, a 2.4 percent increase from 705,661 in 2017. The total amount of medical expenses related to the disease borne by individuals, families and the Korean government amounted to 166.1 billion won ($125 million) in 2021, an 11.9 percent increase from 2017. Chances of getting infected with

Social Affairs April 20, 2023

The number of locally transmitted cases of mpox infection is on the rise, but the country is unlikely to face a massive surge of the virus, which is most commonly transmitted through close personal contact, not via air, Korea's health authorities said Wednesday. Kim Sung-ho, the vice interior minister in charge of disaster and safety management, said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters that “Given the characteristics of the virus, which spr

Social Affairs April 19, 2023

Metabolic syndrome, a term for a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, has been linked to an increased risk of developing gastric cancer, a common cancer among Koreans, a study showed Tuesday. People with metabolic syndrome had a 26 percent higher risk of developing gastric cancer, according to research led by professor Kang Dae-hee of the Preventive Medicine Department at Seoul National University College of Medicine. This risk was further increased when accompanied by smoki

Social Affairs April 18, 2023

Health authorities in South Korea identified three new locally acquired mpox cases Monday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, three South Koreans tested positive for mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, bringing the total cases here to 13. Korea’s 11th case was confirmed on Friday, and the 12th and 13th were confirmed on Saturday. The KDCA said the three new cases were locally transmitted, as the infected patients had not traveled overseas in the past three weeks.

Social Affairs April 17, 2023

The Ministry of Health and Welfare unveiled a five-year plan aimed at decreasing the nation's high suicide rate on Friday. According to the suicide prevention plan, the government aims to see fewer than 20 suicide deaths out of 100,000 people in 2027. At 26.7 deaths per 100,000, suicide was the fifth leading cause of death here in 2021, far exceeding deaths from traffic accidents. Korea's suicide mortality rate should drop by 30 percent to 18.2 by 2027, over the course of six years beg

Social Affairs April 14, 2023

Health authorities in South Korea confirmed one more locally transmitted case of mpox infection Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, a South Korean national tested positive for the disease, formerly known as monkeypox, on Friday, bringing the total cases here to ten. The KDCA said the new patient had not traveled overseas in the past three months. The patient is reported to be in good health by the KDCA. Of the ten total infections so far, five were locally trans

Social Affairs April 14, 2023

South Korea said Thursday it has decided to raise its alert level against mpox -- formerly known as monkeypox -- from the current "Level 1 attention" to "Level 2 caution" as the number of confirmed cases due to community transmission has increased. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, a South Korean national tested positive for mpox on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections to nine. The KDCA has concluded that the case resulted from commun

Social Affairs April 13, 2023

The Seoul Central District Court has sentenced a reverend who purchased a house with church funds to two years in prison, officials said Wednesday. The reverend, in his 60s, used 590 million won ($445,000) of church funds to buy an apartment in his own name in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, in the fall of 2020. Church funds are received by a church for paying church programs, salaries and operating expenses. Embezzling public funds is a violation of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic

Social Affairs April 12, 2023