Tensions are rising over the potential for a strike by Seoul Metro workers, as labor and management negotiations remain at an impasse. Voting on a November strike began Thursday, with results to be announced Monday. Earlier, Seoul Metro, which operates Seoul Subway Line Nos. 1 to 8 and partially operates Line No. 9, conducted 10 rounds of negotiations with a collective negotiating team representing workers, since the first meeting on July 11, but all discussions eventually collapsed. On Oct. 4,

Social Affairs Oct. 15, 2023

Busan is hoping to use the momentum of the 2030 World Expo to become a key cultural hub in the region, touting many of its major cultural attractions. Busan has made steady efforts to develop the city's cultural appeal, moving away from the past when it focused more on the development of the logistics and shipbuilding industry. The city is one of Korea's most popular tourist destinations, attracting throngs of visitors with its beaches, skyscrapers and traditional markets. It also host

Social Affairs Oct. 12, 2023

Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city and largest port city, which is competing to host the 2030 World Expo, is seeking innovative eco-friendly solutions against climate change. With the theme of the potential 2030 Busan World Expo set to be "Sustainable living with nature," the central government and Busan Metropolitan Government have expressed the ambition for a plastic-free, eco-friendly event. The venue of the 2030 Busan World Expo will be composed of eco-friendly elements

Social Affairs Oct. 11, 2023

With only 48 days left before the vote to determine the venue for the 2030 World Expo, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo embarked on another last-minute trip to Europe last week to bolster South Korea's bid. According to his office, government and business leaders have traveled a total of 16,408,822 kilometers as of September -- equivalent to circling the globe 409 times -- in their efforts to promote the Busan Expo. The total number is the sum of the distance traveled by President

Politics Oct. 10, 2023

First lady Kim Keon Hee met with a small group of haenyeo -- female divers from Jeju Island who have traditionally harvested by hand mollusks and seaweed from the sea for a living – in Jongdal-li, Gujwa-eup, Jeju Island, Friday, and expressed respect and gratitude to them for maintaining the tradition despite difficult conditions. About 10 people attended the meeting, including some who have been diving in Jeju for decades and others who recently came to Jeju from Seoul to learn how to bec

Politics Oct. 6, 2023

Temperatures dropped sharply Friday, bringing frost for the first time this fall. Although temperatures have been colder than average for several days, the national weather agency predicted that warmer weather will continue over the weekend and next week. On Friday morning, colder air flowed from the northwest, lowering the morning temperature across the temperature to between 4 and 14 degrees Celsius, anywhere from 2 to 5 C lower than on the previous day. In particular, morning temperatures w

Social Affairs Oct. 6, 2023

With less than two months remaining before the final vote to decide the host city of the 2030 World Expo, the South Korean government, along with private and civic organizations, is making an last push to secure the global event for the city of Busan. During the United Nation's General Assembly last month, President Yoon Suk Yeol met over 30 leaders around the world to ask for their support in the upcoming final vote, at a summit room filled with brochures and hangers written "Busan Is

Politics Oct. 5, 2023

The number of patients with depression in Korea has increased by more than 30 percent over the past five years, exceeding the milestone of 1 million for 2022, data showed Tuesday. According to data that Rep. Nam In-soon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and the Health and Welfare Committee received from the National Health Insurance Service, the number of patients treated for depression has increased every year since 2018. From 752,976 in 2018, there were 799,011 in 2019, 832,378

Social Affairs Oct. 3, 2023

United Nations peacekeeping force officers who visited Seoul earlier this month emphasized the need to enhance gender inclusivity within peacekeeping forces and to recruit more talented women into the military. Colonel B. Maureen Wellwood, the first woman in the Canadian Infantry to attain the rank of colonel, said women’s strength plays a key role in situations where peacekeepers should build trust with suffering residents, referring to her missions in several countries including Afghanis

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2023

Korea's parental leave benefits average at 44.6 percent of actual wages, placing it near the bottom of the list among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations, data revealed Sunday. Although the country offers an extended parental leave period, the actual utilization rate remains low, with especially adverse impacts on low-income workers, the data showed. In Korea, workers insured for more than 180 days can take up to a year of parental leave to care for ch

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2023

As the season begins to turn, a large daily temperature range and rain are expected across the country, the weather agency said Thursday. The Korea Meteorological Administration predicted that the nationwide minimum morning temperature would drop to around 15 degrees Celsius on Friday, and to around 10 C in the mountainous areas in Gangwon Province. The weekend is likely to see the greatest daily temperature differences between day and night, with clear skies expected during the daytime -- a typ

Social Affairs Sept. 21, 2023

The Korean Railroad Workers' Union ended its four-day general strike Monday morning, but announced the possibility of a second general strike without specifying when. “The second general strike plan has been set internally, but we will decide whether or not to go on a second strike and the exact schedule based on the Land Ministry's response,” Baek Nam-hee, the media communication chief of the railway union, said to The Korea Herald. “There are many concerns regarding

Social Affairs Sept. 18, 2023

The number of cases of teachers getting treated for depression has risen by about 180 percent over the past four years, data showed, another worrying sign that teachers are being pushed to the brink in and outside the classrooms. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service obtained by Rep. Shin Hyeon-young, the number of cases of teachers getting treated for depression surged 179.4 percent to 158,066, up from 88,127 in 2018. Similarly, the number of cases involving anxiety disor

Social Affairs Sept. 15, 2023

Even as the government recently announced its plans to increase the number of E-9 visas for workers of foreign nationality to the largest number ever next year, the institutions that directly support foreign workers' lives in Korea are set to be abolished, as next year's budget for them has been completely cut for the first time in 20 years. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, there will be no government budget for the Korea Support Center for Foreign Workers for 2024. T

Social Affairs Sept. 14, 2023

A strike by the Korean Railroad Workers' Union is to begin Thursday morning, raising concerns over transportation and logistics turmoil. According to unionized workers at the state-run Korea Railroad Corp., also known as Korail, the union will go on a four-day strike from 9 a.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Monday. The strike is the union's first since November 2019. Members voted 64.4 percent in favor in a strike ballot at the end of August. The railway union's requests include the expansi

Social Affairs Sept. 13, 2023