The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Thursday a plan to survey people at risk of dying alone and target assistance toward the vulnerable group, as it seeks to halt the increase in "lonely deaths." An annual survey will be conducted to document the number of people at risk of dying alone, and services regarding health, employment and medical care will be provided according to their needs by age groups. The number of people at risk of lonely deaths in Korea is estimated to be

Social Affairs May 18, 2023

Many people would have heard eating red meat is bad for the planet, but they are less aware of the environmental impacts of the seafood on our plates, said Ali Tabrizi, a documentary film director who shed light on the dark side of the fishing industry with his film "Seaspiracy" (2021). Tabrizi, who is visiting Korea for the first time this month, will be the keynote speaker at the H.eco Forum hosted by Herald Corp. at Shilla Hotel, Seoul, on Wednesday. His speech, titled "Solutio

Social Affairs May 18, 2023

For local Belgian TV personality Julian Quintart, South Korea, the country where he has lived for the last 19 years, is a society where consumption is highly prioritized and maximized. The 35-year-old, who has become a vegan and an environmental activist in recent years, said he believes that this aspect of Korea's culture will fade away because it is not sustainable. “Koreans are used to early morning deliveries and 24-hour services, but these cultures will ultimately change, as they are

Social Affairs May 18, 2023

The military revised the enforcement regulations of the Military Disciplinary Decree and removed the part that stipulated sexual relationships between members of the same sex as "harassment." In November last year, the military announced a legislative amendment to the Enforcement Rule of the Military Disciplinary Enforcement Decree, adding a new sentence that said "sexual harassment includes anal sex, oral sex or similar acts between the same sex against soldiers." The part t

Social Affairs May 17, 2023

The city of Seoul is looking for just a pair of people wishing to spend a night at the landmark Dongdaemun Design Plaza in September. One of the venues in the building, JandiSarangbang, will be turned into a hotel room under a collaborative project with Airbnb as part of a tourism campaign, according to the Seoul Design Foundation, which runs DDP. The guests, whose stay will be from Sept. 4-5, will get the front-row treatment at Seoul Fashion Week, sitting alongside celebrities. They will also g

Social Affairs May 17, 2023

Microsoft's MSN Weather app forecast for South Korea in July has gone viral here for predicting nearly a full month of rain. However, the country's weather agency has said that the probability of actually having such weather is slim, saying the method the US company uses is not reliable. Screenshots of monthly weather forecasts provided by the Microsoft website and app have spread on Twitter and in online forums. MSN Weather forecast that Seoul will be rainy for the entire month except

Social Affairs May 16, 2023

Former Defense Minister Song Young-moo and other high-ranking officials underwent a search and seizure Friday over allegations that Song had committed an abuse of power. He is alleged to have coerced subordinates to lie about his remark on the legitimacy of a hypothetical military crackdown on peaceful protesters demonstrating against former President Park Geun-hye. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials raided the homes and offices of former Minister Song, former reserve

Social Affairs May 12, 2023

Excitement at going back to normal life and a sense of relief was what Lee Ji-eun felt when she heard the news on Thursday morning that South Korea will lift nearly all COVID-19 restrictions, three years and four months after the country recorded its first case. “It gives me a complicated feeling that the pandemic that struck us so hard is fading. Many hospitals have already eliminated beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients, so it is unlikely that there will be any major changes in our work a

Social Affairs May 11, 2023

A cluster of minor earthquakes and tremors have hit Donghae, Gangwon Province, this year in a rare phenomenon known as an "earthquake swarm." The latest was a magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck at 4:32 p.m. on Wednesday, 4 kilometers south of Donghae, marking a total of 44 earthquakes around the area this year, according to the Korea Methodological Agency. An earthquake swarm is defined as relatively small earthquakes clustered within a small area and short period. Of the 44 earthquakes t

Social Affairs May 10, 2023

A coffee shop's decision to ban elderly customers has sparked renewed criticism amid ongoing controversy over "no kids zones," where some restaurants or commercial venues prohibit the entry of children based on the owners' preferences. A photo posted on an online community on Monday showed a cafe with text on the door that reads: "No senior zone (no entry for elderly over 60).” Beside the text is a sticker that welcomes guide dogs. The netizen who posted the photo

Social Affairs May 9, 2023

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- As a region traditionally known for its vast agricultural land, North Jeolla Province has been one of the pillars of the farming economy in South Korea. The province's governor, Kim Kwan-young, who took office in July last year, has set his sights on even bigger ambitions. Despite the province's declining population as well as its high financial dependence on the central government, North Jeolla Province has the capacity to become the center of the bio

Social Affairs May 8, 2023

The Supreme Court judged that a construction company was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of parrots in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, Yonhap News reported Friday, citing legal sources. The plaintiff, who runs a parrot farm, filed a lawsuit against the construction company, claiming that noise and vibrations from a construction site nearby caused the deaths of parrots. From January 2017 to December of the same year, total 427 parrots died on the plaintiff’s farm. The plaintiff filed 16 c

Social Affairs May 5, 2023

Amid growing concerns over drug crimes, lawmakers suggested a bill amendment to allow the police to conduct undercover investigations in drug-related cases. Rep. Lee Jang-seop of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea proposed a bill revision Wednesday, noting that foreign countries including the United States and Germany have introduced undercover investigation systems to effectively manage drug crimes. Nine other lawmakers of the party signed up for the bill proposal. Under the current

Social Affairs May 5, 2023

The number of daycare centers in Seoul, which accommodate infants and toddlers under age seven, has decreased by 24 percent in the last five years as the country has continued to record the world's lowest fertility rate, data showed Friday According to statistics from the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Friday, the number of daycare centers in Seoul was 4,712 as of the end of 2022, which decreased by 24.3 percent from 6,226 in 2017. The number of daycare centers by year has been steadily

Social Affairs May 5, 2023

Three out of 10 elementary and middle school students suffered from anxiety, depression, and stress during COVID-19, but more than half of them did not ask for help, according to survey results released on Wednesday. The Korean Educational Development Institute conducted a survey on a total of 26,332 people consisting of 9,607 elementary students, 13,856 middle school students and 2,869 elementary and middle school faculty members. The survey was on psychological changes in students during the C

Social Affairs May 3, 2023