Leaders of South Korea and Japan hailed a new era of bilateral ties strained for years over historic disputes on Thursday, with a list of agreements aimed at bolstering cooperation in the fields of security, economy and culture between the two countries. The agreements forged during a summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida held in Tokyo, the first in 12 years, came just 10 days after South Korea unveiled a deal with Japan. On March 6, the Korean governm

Social Affairs March 17, 2023

The mostly sunny and dry weather is forecast to continue next week, with a chance of showers in the southern part of the country, the Korea Meteorological Administration said Thursday. The KMA warned of the possibility of disasters caused by the dry weather as forest fires have been breaking out in several places. The sunny weather is expected to continue until next week thanks to the high pressure above Korea, according to a regular briefing by the KMA on Thursday. However, between Friday aft

Social Affairs March 16, 2023

"Room cafes" have been stipulated as a business that teenagers must stay away from, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday. The designation was made in an amended administrative notice posted on Wednesday, which listed room cafes as a business that minors, those aged 19 and under, are banned from entering or being employed at. Under the notice, which was established in 2011, businesses deemed inappropriate for minors are defined as those that provide toilets, bedding

Social Affairs March 15, 2023

The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Wednesday said it would improve provisions for foreign workers arriving on E-9 visas to help them settle in the country, including not only vocational training but also safety, language and cultural education. The E-9 visa category is for foreigners workers in "non-professional" jobs such as manufacturing, construction, agriculture and livestock industries. In addition to the current short-term vocational training, which takes about three days, t

Social Affairs March 15, 2023

A civilian helicopter crashed on a hillside in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, at 7:46 a.m. on Wednesday. A pilot in his 60s and a power tower construction official in his 50s were on board, and both of them were found in a state of cardiac arrest. They were immediately sent to hospital, but did not survive. The helicopter reportedly took off from Gimpo International Airport Wednesday morning and was carrying materials for the construction of a transmission tower. Police presume that the helicopter

Social Affairs March 15, 2023

Amid mounting controversy over the alleged connection between one of Korea's major national labor union umbrella organizations -- the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions -- and North Korea, police investigating illegal activities at construction sites raided three chapter offices that are under the umbrella organization, Tuesday. At around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police sent investigators to three local chapter offices of the KCTU's construction union, the Korean Con

Social Affairs March 14, 2023

US President Joe Biden has invited Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to lead one of the plenary sessions at the upcoming second Summit for Democracy, the presidential office said Sunday. The invitation was sent to Yoon on Feb. 23, asking him to lead one of the five plenary sessions scheduled for March 29. The sessions will serve as the launch of the summit and provide a platform for "candid conversations about democracy's power and potential around the world.” Biden expressed gratit

Foreign Affairs March 12, 2023

A court ruled that police officers were accountable for a second assault that happened when a victim was left alone with perpetrators. It was revealed that the officers left the scene after the perpetrators requested a private conversation. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the three perpetrators to pay a cumulative fine of about 23 million won ($17,000) to the victim, of which 9.48 million won must be paid by the state, legal sources said Sunday. The victim was assaulted by three perpe

Social Affairs March 12, 2023

The National Office of Investigation said Sunday it will conduct a special crackdown on organized crime for four months, starting from Monday. A total of 320 dedicated investigation teams of 1,539 police officers will be set up at city and provincial police agencies and police stations across the country to respond with all-out efforts. Crackdown targets include gangsters involved in gambling websites, fraudulent phone calls and text messages and violations of public welfare by extorting money f

Social Affairs March 12, 2023

Existing countermeasures against school violence in Korea were found to have been mostly ineffective, with preventative programs implemented by schools seven years ago not leading to an actual decrease in cases of bullying, a study showed Thursday. According to the study, various types of school violence prevention programs were deployed across a number of schools from 2016 to 2017. But even though students spent more time in school violence prevention classes and more parents participated in si

Social Affairs March 9, 2023

ASAN, South Chungcheong Province – A serene countryside village in Asan, located in central South Chungcheong Province, was filled with hysterical barking and sometimes whining as rescuers entered a dog meat farm on Wednesday. With fear and anxiety in their eyes, the dogs on the farm -- most of whom had never experienced meaningful interactions with humans -- seemed confused. Rescuers carefully went into narrow, dirty cages and moved the dogs into mobile kennels one by one. "It's

Social Affairs March 8, 2023

Kim Hyun-sook, South Korea's minister of gender equality, vowed policy efforts to narrow the gender wage gap by expanding vocational courses, her office said Monday. South Korea still experiences a wide gender wage gap, a low ratio of female lawmakers and significant rate of sexual violence that an average woman suffers through a lifetime, she added. In the statement issued on International Women's Day, she also said that the government will protect the people from violence, such as st

Social Affairs March 7, 2023

Jeong Myeong-geun, the Mayor of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, is pushing for new regulations against sex offenders, to provide a safer environment for citizens. On October 31, 2022, Park Byung-hwa, a sex offender who committed multiple crimes in Suwon decades ago, was released after completing a 15-year prison term. Park moved into a studio apartment in Hwaseong, which his family had prepared in advance. Nearby residents, who belatedly learned of this, strongly protested. After learning the issue

Social Affairs March 7, 2023

The Ministry of Environment said Monday that it has "conditionally agreed" to a strategic environmental impact assessment submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the construction of a second airport in Jeju, bringing a decade-old project back on track. The project, first proposed in 2005, centers on building a new airport with a 3,200-meter-long airstrip in Seogwipo, southeast of Jeju. Previously, the Environment Ministry has repeatedly opposed the Transport

Social Affairs March 6, 2023

The government on Monday unveiled a set of plans to revise the current 52-hour workweek to give workers greater flexibility in their working hours. The current system, introduced in 2018, limits workers to working up to 52 hours a week. The new plan will allow them to manage the time they work not only on a weekly basis but also on a monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, giving them the option to work up to 69 hours in a week, provided they work fewer hours in other weeks. This means that during

Politics March 6, 2023