The South Korean government is looking into alleged operations of China's undeclared "overseas police service center" here, following revelations by an international human rights group that Beijing has been operating more than 100 entities to suppress dissidents around the world. According to Yonhap News Agency, the military, police counterespionage organizations and related government ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have all been mobilized to check whether

Politics Dec. 20, 2022

An interministry consultative body to deal with microplastic problems will be launched Wednesday, the Ministry of Environment said Tuesday. Eight ministries, including the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, will participate in the consultative body. The intentional use of microplastics – plastic debris less than 5 millimeters in diameter – to improve products' quality, such as using microplastics in l

Social Affairs Dec. 20, 2022

As authorities attempt to block disabled protesters from disrupting subway operations, activists on wheelchairs said they have decided to stage a demonstration without informing the authorities of the location. Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, the country’s largest disability rights group, unveiled the location of its Monday protest on social media, just 8 minutes before it began. The protest began around 8 a.m. Monday at City Hall Station on Line No. 1, which delayed subway o

Social Affairs Dec. 19, 2022

The opportunity to receive higher education still depends largely on the income level of parents in South Korea, a country with one of the highest college entrance rates in the world, a study showed Sunday. The study published by the Korea Institute of Vocational Education and Training suggests that the lower the income of parents, the lower the proportion of their children attending four-year universities. Only 41 percent of children from the lowest income quarter went to four-year colleges, wh

Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2022

South Korea is likely to lift its indoor mandate in two stages, starting with schools and public offices in mid-January, according to multiple health authorities on Sunday. Under the plan, however, the mandatory indoor mask rule will continue to be applied at highly dense spaces such as public transportation and medical institutions including sanatoriums until the government fully lifts the mandate. The two-stage plan is set to be announced at a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Counter

Social Affairs Dec. 18, 2022

An official from the United Arab Emirates government who participated in an international conference in South Korea was handed over to the prosecution on charges of sexually harassing a Korean female staff member. According to police and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Wednesday, a local secretary accompanying the UAE's health minister is alleged to have sexually harassed a Korean female worker at the Global Health Security Agenda meeting event in Seoul on Nov. 30. The GH

Social Affairs Dec. 15, 2022

The nation was hit with cold wave Wednesday, with the mercury plunging as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius in inner regions during the morning hours. The Korea Meteorological Administration, South Korea's weather agency, said the cold wave will continue until early next week, while issuing cold wave advisories across the nation. In Seoul, the temperature fell to minus 11 C on Wednesday morning. With the wind chill, the temperature recorded minus 19.7 C at 7 a.m. At a briefing Wednesday morni

Social Affairs Dec. 14, 2022

An air quality advisory was issued across the country on Tuesday as Korea was hit with yellow dust blowing from inner China, along with heavy snow advisories, raising concerns over public health safety. The Ministry of Environment raised the yellow dust advisory level in Seoul, Gwangju, Gangwon and North Jeolla Province from "attention" to "caution" as of 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Incheon and Gyeonggi Province was issued a "caution" level advisory from 7 a.m. the same day.

Social Affairs Dec. 13, 2022

The Korea Meteorological Administration said Monday that snow and rain will fall in various regions this week as temperatures drop from Tuesday, urging caution against safety accidents caused by icy roads and cold weather. The temperature, which will be similar to average year until Tuesday afternoon, will drop sharply at night as cold air comes down from the northwest. Compared to the previous day, Wednesday morning temperatures will be about five to 11 degrees Celsius lower throughout the coun

Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2022

The Korean government is considering a policy drive to ease the burden of foreign workers and improve the work environment here through extending visas and adding flexibility to the existing quota system, Labor Minister Lee Jung-sik said in an interview with The Korea Herald. Stressing that the ministry’s focus is on the welfare of both foreign and local workers, Lee cited extending the E-9 visa -- widely used by foreign workers -- as an example of one of the policy changes under considera

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2022

An Egyptian facing persecution in his home country for participating in pro-democracy protests has been granted refugee status after winning a lawsuit against the South Korean Justice Ministry and its immigration office, the court said Sunday. According to the Seoul Administrative Court on Sunday, the Egyptian man took part in a pro-democracy protests in 2011 to oust then-President Hosni Mubarak and other protests from 2013 to 2014 against the coup of current Egyptian President Abdul Fatah al-Si

Social Affairs Dec. 11, 2022

Seoul International School, a major international school in Korea located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with a new head. An experienced educator who has lived in diverse cultures, SIS head James Gerhard presented a multifaceted vision to maintain SIS’ reputation. Gerhard has been in the education field for about 28 years, and has a doctorate in education. He taught high school economics and government in New York before moving on to teach Ame

Social Affairs Dec. 9, 2022

Medical staff dispatched to the Itaewon disaster site on Oct. 29 said they faced difficulties saving lives during critical hours due to no control unit giving orders, and instead conducting rescue operations and treatment on their own, reports showed Thursday. According to reports by doctors and nurses who provided medical assistance at the scene, the head of the Yongsan Public Health Center came nearly two hours after the disaster started. The medical team from Seoul National University Hospita

Social Affairs Dec. 8, 2022

Amid growing speculation that Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon may run for the ruling party leadership early next year, Han dismissed the possibility Wednesday, saying he will continue to do his job as the head of the ministry. Han met with reporters before attending a plenary session of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the day and said, "No one has suggested me (to run for the party leadership)." "I have done my best as a justice minister although

Politics Dec. 7, 2022

South Korea saw the largest wage gap between female and male workers last year among the 39 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, leaving the country with the largest gender wage gap for 26 straight years. According to the OECD on Sunday, Korea's gender wage gap in 2021 was 31.1 percent. In other words, women receive only 68.9 percent of what men receive in salary. Korea is the only country that has recorded a higher figure than a 30 percent gender wage gap

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2022