The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the two major labor umbrella groups here, announced on Wednesday it will suspend its participation in a trilateral consultative body which has served as a dialogue between labor, management and the government. The decision, which could also affect talks over next year's minimum wage, came in protest of the government's use of force against one of its members, it said. The FKTU -- the more moderate umbrella labor union relative to the more m

Politics June 7, 2023

The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea has appointed Lee Rae-kyung, the honorary chair of progressive non-profit media platform The Tomorrow, as the head of the new committee launched to renew and innovate the party. Party leader Rep. Lee Jae-myung announced at a Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly Monday that Lee Rae-kyung will be in charge of leading the party's new innovation committee. "We will leave all decisions, such as the names and roles of new innovat

Politics June 5, 2023

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions is considering whether to pull out of negotiations with the government following what it calls excessive use of force by police on one of its members. At around 5:31 a.m. last Wednesday, Kim Joon-young, an executive of the Federation of Korean Metalworkers' Trade Unions, sustained injuries from a police baton wielded by an officer while resisting a crackdown. Kim has been staging a sit-in rally since May 29 on a 7-meter-high steel structure installed on

Politics June 4, 2023

A teenage hacker and an operator of a Telegram chatroom in his 20s were arrested on the charge of leaking scores of 270,000 high school sophomores of a mock scholastic ability test held nationwide in November last year, the police said Thursday. The 19-year-old has allegedly broke into the Gyeonggi Office of Education‘s server on Feb. 18 and stole the mock test results of high school sophomores, according to Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency. The teenager gave the data to the Telegra

Social Affairs June 1, 2023

Police on Wednesday exercised the first order to disperse a massive downtown rally led by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the biggest umbrella labor unions in South Korea, taking a hard-line stance as instructed by President Yoon Suk Yeol. The order was issued concerning unionized workers marching from the presidential office in Yongsan in central Seoul to the Korean National Police Agency's headquarters in Seodaemun-gu, demanding Yoon resign for "oppressing labor righ

Social Affairs May 31, 2023

Confusion, frustration and fear were what Lee Hyun-jung felt early Wednesday morning after she received a mobile emergency alert and heard sirens outside calling for Seoulites to evacuate following the news that North Korea had attempted to launch a space satellite. The sirens started at 6:32 a.m, with the city issuing a “Presidential Alert” to all Seoul residents to prepare for a potential evacuation. However, 20 minutes later the Interior Ministry sent a correction. “Notice t

Social Affairs May 31, 2023

The Constitutional Court has ruled that a current law, which revokes a daycare center teacher's license if the principal or teacher is punished for emotionally abusing children, does not violate the Constitution. Earlier in June 2017, two daycare center teachers were accused on charges of showing homophobic videos to 18 elementary school students who visited the daycare center for volunteer activities. They claimed that the video was to warn the children of the dangers of homosexuality and

Social Affairs May 30, 2023

After Typhoon Mawar battered Guam on Wednesday night into early Thursday morning, about 3,200 Korean tourists have been left stranded on the island suffering a series of power outages and water shortages. Local authorities began restoring facilities after the typhoon left Friday, but airport facilities are expected to take several days to resume operations, which will prolong the damage to stranded tourists. Most of the tourists are reported to be staying at their hotels. Guam authorities said o

Social Affairs May 26, 2023

The Ministry of Environment issued guidelines for the safety of hikers, as moon bears inhabiting the mountainous area of Jirisan are about to end their hibernation, Friday. Asiatic black bears, also known as moon bears due to the moon-like pattern on their chest, are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s endangered animal list as "vulnerable." As of this year, 86 Asiatic black bears are known to be living at Jirisan, which includes seven cubs born this ye

Social Affairs May 26, 2023

The ocean holds greater importance for the survival of humanity than people realize, environmental experts said, calling for people's active participation in building sustainable oceans with thriving ecosystems, at the H.eco Forum held in Seoul, Wednesday. Transformations in the seas cause significant climate change, warned speakers for the annual forum, stressing that the world needs to pay more attention to marine life and realize that drastic change in the seas would have irreversible co

Social Affairs May 24, 2023

South Korea is expected to see higher temperatures and more precipitation than usual this summer, the weather forecaster said Tuesday. Temperatures from June to August are 40 percent likely to be higher than usual or similar to the average year, a Korea Meteorological Administration briefing showed Tuesday, citing climate forecast models provided by 10 weather agencies. During the summer, a possible El Nino could bring more rain to the peninsula than usual. Precipitation tends to increase mainly

Social Affairs May 23, 2023

A family is under police investigation assaulting their middle school-age daughter in the middle of downtown Seoul. Gangnam Police Station said Sunday it had opened an investigation into the girl's parents, in their 40s, and her older brother on respective charges of child abuse and assault against the girl, whose exact age remains undisclosed. The three allegedly assaulted the victim for about 20 minutes, punching and kicking her on a road near an apartment complex in Gangnam, Seoul, aroun

Social Affairs May 22, 2023

INCHEON – After months of heated competition, Incheon was named the city to house South Korea's new office responsible for handling administrative affairs of overseas Koreans returning or visiting their home country in May. The Overseas Korean Office, which starts its physical operations in the city in June, holds significance more than just being a single state bureau, according to Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok. The establishment of this office will lay the grounds for the city's transiti

Politics May 22, 2023

High concentrations of micro dust appeared in most parts of the country on Monday and will remain through Tuesday, due to an influx of yellow dust from across the West Sea. As of 12 p.m. Monday, Korea Meteorological Administration said that yellow dust has been observed covering the country nationwide including the Seoul metropolitan area. The KMA added that the southern part of the country would also see showers mixed with the yellow dust, urging people to avoid exposure to the polluted rain. O

Social Affairs May 22, 2023

A teacher who was accused on charges of child abuse after scolding students has been ruled not guilty, according to news reports on Sunday, quoting the court's ruling. A homeroom teacher in his 40s, who works at an elementary school in Ulsan, was accused of child abuse for scolding some students. The teacher scolded a student who talked during class by making him stand in front of the class and asked other students what the student had done wrong. Additionally, when the student asked if he

Social Affairs May 21, 2023