The Korean National Police Agency said Tuesday it had developed deepfake detection software to probe crimes using the technology. Deepfakes, videos altered with AI to produce lifelike videos of things that did not happen, often depicting well-known public figures, have become a concern for authorities ahead of the upcoming general elections in April. A revision to the Public Official Election Act in December banned the use of fake content such as videos and images in election campaigns. Accordin

Social Affairs March 5, 2024

Tensions between the Yoon Suk Yeol government and the medical community have escalated to a boiling point, with doctors flooding the streets in a massive protest on Sunday, defying the government's ultimatum to return to work by Thursday or face legal consequences. At the Yeouido Hangang Park in western Seoul, doctors, interns, residents and medical students staged a large-scale protest to denounce the government's decision to increase the annual medical school student enrollment quo

Social Affairs March 3, 2024

After the COVID-19 virus hit, camping caught on among Koreans as an outdoor leisure activity that didn't break social distancing rules. The pandemic may have officially ended, but the camping craze has stuck around. In the past few years, the popularity of car camping has stood out. As of end-2022, 41.6 percent of Koreans said they went car camping at least once compared with the corresponding figure of 4 percent in the previous year, a survey released by the Korea Tourism Organization in J

weekender March 2, 2024

Only 294 of 9,000 striking junior doctors on strike returned to work on Thursday morning, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Thursday. Thursday is the final day of the back-to-work deadline set by the government, with officials warning that the doctors could have their licenses suspended if they fail to heed the ultimatum. The Health Ministry has said the government is prepared to take legal steps beginning March. On Wednesday, the Health Ministry said that its officials had visited the hom

Social Affairs Feb. 29, 2024

A flood forecasting system equipped with artificial intelligence technology will be implemented nationwide from May, in preparation for the rainy season during the summer, the Ministry of Environment said Wednesday. The new AI-based flood forecasting system will be installed in a total of 223 locations nationwide, including 75 locations categorized as special flood warning points such as those next to large rivers. The system will analyze the possibility of a flood occurring every 10 minutes and

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2024

From Wednesday, emergency text alerts will include keywords in English to help people who don't speak Korean understand better what kind of emergencies are occurring, said the Ministry of Interior and Safety on Wednesday. Emergency text alerts are alert messages that are sent to everyone who is within a certain radius of emergency situations, such as evacuation alerts and extreme weather events like earthquakes and heavy rain. These alert messages are categorized into three different types:

Social Affairs Feb. 28, 2024

Ultrafine dust levels in March could be higher than previous years due to high pressure, higher-than-normal temperatures and a stagnant atmosphere, according to the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday. As a measure to reduce exposure to higher ultrafine dust levels, the Environment Ministry stated that it recommends workers, especially those who have respiratory symptoms or those who are pregnant, to work flexibly if high fine dust levels persist for more than two days. Flexible work includes spa

Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled plans to redevelop southwest Seoul into an innovative urban district that combines functions such as work, leisure and housing on Tuesday. During Tuesday’s press briefing, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said that the city government will begin construction in southwest Seoul in 2025 to transform industrial and old residential areas into futuristic, high-tech industrial clusters and residential, leisure and work areas with green spaces. Southwest Seoul con

Social Affairs Feb. 27, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will recruit 40 foreign national volunteers as the “Seoul Life Monitoring Team,” to help the city government identify any concerns or inconveniences foreign nationals living in Seoul have. The city government has been recruiting Seoul Life Monitoring Team volunteers since introducing the program in 2012. In 2023, 37 volunteers of 20 different nationalities participated in the program. This year, foreign nationals and naturalized citizens may apply if

Social Affairs Feb. 26, 2024

A fake compilation video featuring President Yoon Suk Yeol delivering a speech has spread rapidly on social media, prompting South Korea's independent media regulation agency to decide on Friday to remove the deceptive video from all social media channels. The 46-second fabricated video shows Yoon saying “I, Yoon Suk Yeol, have been enforcing laws that harass our nation,” as well as “I ruined our country and made its people suffer by clinging onto an ideology that deviates

Social Affairs Feb. 23, 2024

The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed on the need for a firm response to North Korea's provision of arms to Russia for its war against Ukraine, as well as on enhancing cooperation to address North Korean threats, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Friday. South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa held a trilateral meeting Thursday on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers&rsq

Foreign Affairs Feb. 23, 2024

After more than 8 centimeters of snow was dumped on Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province on Thursday, snowfall continued in Gangwon Province and other regions, with up to 70 cm expected in the worst affected areas. Cold temperatures and strong winds are forecast to persist in other regions. As of Thursday morning, Greater Seoul and the Chungcheong provinces saw 3-8 cm of snow, following a mix of snow and rain Wednesday evening. In Seoul, 12.3 cm of snow had fallen as of Thursday morning. From

Social Affairs Feb. 22, 2024

South Korea will upgrade its disaster warning system to better alert people in affected areas, while removing parts of the system that may inconvenience the public, the nation's weather agency said Tuesday. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent due to climate change, the Korea Meteorological Administration announced a set of plans in a press conference Tuesday to strengthen the effectiveness of the KMA’s information and improve the reliability of its response measures. Th

Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will offer a discount for adults aged between 19 to 34 on the monthly transit pass starting from Feb. 26, it said Wednesday. Those aged between 19 and 34 will be able to have unlimited access to public transportation for 58,000 won or 55,000 won, which is 7,000 won cheaper than the regular transit passes. Seoul’s monthly transit pass -- the “Climate Card” -- is a new pass that gives commuters unlimited access to public transportation systems wi

Social Affairs Feb. 21, 2024

A group of nurses in Korea urged doctors to come back to their duties, stressing that its their duty to protect patients. “We also believe that the government’s sudden announcement to increase medical school enrollment quota is excessive. We also doubt that the quality of education from medical schools following the quota increase will be as good as the government claims it will be,” wrote the Korean Young Nurses Association on Instagram. “Nevertheless, we request for you

Social Affairs Feb. 20, 2024