The police will investigate doctors who undertake joint action in protest of the government’s plan to increase the annual student enrollment quota at medical schools from 2025, Yoon Hee-keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency told reporters Monday. Yoon said that the police would investigate any joint action taken by doctors that were reported to law enforcement agencies, adding that arrest warrants would be issued for individual doctors who are “clearly in vi

Social Affairs Feb. 19, 2024

More than 100 earthquakes with a magnitude above 2.0 were recorded on the Korean Peninsula in 2023, marking a slight increase compared to previous years, according to a report by the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday. Through its annual report on earthquake occurrences, the KMA noted that a total of 106 earthquakes above magnitude 2.0 were recorded on the peninsula last year, more than the annual average of 70.8. This figure is calculated based on the number of earthquake occurrences

Social Affairs Feb. 19, 2024

South Korea's National Institute of Environmental Research and NASA will conduct joint research in Korean territory to identify sources behind winter air pollution across Asia, the Ministry of Environment in South Korea announced Sunday. The joint research is scheduled to commence in South Korea on Monday and will extend to Malaysia and Thailand until Mar. 25. This year's air quality study, scheduled for February to March, coincides with a period of heightened air pollution levels comp

Social Affairs Feb. 18, 2024

Nearly 190 school violence investigators consisting mainly of retired police officers and teachers have been selected to investigate fights and bullying cases that arise between students starting from the upcoming March semester, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Sunday. School violence investigators were first introduced in December 2023 to lessen the burden of teachers who were previously responsible for handling and investigating fights between students while being exposed to co

Social Affairs Feb. 18, 2024

More than half of South Korea’s total population was found to reside in the capital city of Seoul and surrounding metropolitan cities, according to official data released by the government on Wednesday. As of December 2023, the registered populations in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province recorded up to 26.1 million residents, which made up 50.7 percent of the country's total population. Out of the 26.1 million, 9.39 million were registered in Seoul, 3 million were registered in Inch

Social Affairs Feb. 14, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will double the number of subsidies it provides women to cryopreserve their eggs, said the city government on Wednesday, as part of the city government’s measure to tackle falling birth rates in the capital city. In September 2023, the city government proposed to provide up to 2 million won ($1,496) to 300 women between the ages of 20 and 49 who have resided in Seoul for more than six months. Starting in 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide

Social Affairs Feb. 14, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide mothers who give birth in Seoul with a subsidy of 1 million won ($753) per child in 2024, said the city government through a press release on Tuesday. From September 2023, the city government subsidized newborn mothers' postpartum care in the form of voucher points, which were distributed to their credit or debit cards. Within just four months since the subsidy was introduced, up to 15,907 mothers signed up to receive the subsidy. However, at

Social Affairs Feb. 13, 2024

North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament approved the annulment of laws and agreements related to promoting economic cooperation with South Korea during its plenary meeting Wednesday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday. The Supreme People’s Assembly voted to abolish the law on inter-Korean economic cooperation, the "law on the special zone for international tours of Mount Kumgang" and regulations for its enforcement and agreements on inter-Korean econom

North Korea Feb. 8, 2024

South Korea saw up to 182,000 new international students in 2023, an increase compared the 167,000 in 2022, said the Ministry of Education on Wednesday. To enhance Korean universities’ management of the increasing numbers of international students and to respond to the problem of illegal immigration among international students, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice annually examine the universities' internationalization competencies. In 2023, among the universities th

Social Affairs Feb. 7, 2024

Subsidies given to those who purchase electric vehicles will be lower regardless of vehicle size compared to the subsidies given last year, said the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday. During the Ministry of Environment’s press briefing on its new EV subsidy plan, the environment ministry confirmed that the performance subsidies for EVs of all sizes have been reduced by 1 million won ($752). According to this new plan, the maximum subsidy for medium and large-sized EVs will reduced from 5

Social Affairs Feb. 6, 2024

Experts and activists have repeated their calls for a more long-term, attentive care system for those with disabilities to prevent further tragedies in the wake of another murder-suicide by the parent of a disabled child. On Sept. 16, 2023, a family of five was found dead in their home in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, after the father killed his wife, his three sons with developmental and physical disabilities and himself. On Friday, a man in his 40s was found dead alongside the body of his 10

Social Affairs Feb. 5, 2024

Four out of 10 fire officials were found to have suffered from mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep disorder, according to survey results released by the National Fire Agency on Sunday. The survey underscores the urgent necessity to address the mental health concerns of fire officials, particularly in light of the recent tragic loss of two firefighters, shedding light on the challenging working environments they face. The two were trapped while responding to a fire a

Social Affairs Feb. 4, 2024

A water-bus service that runs along the Han River will commence in October, announced the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday. During its press briefing, the city government said that the “Hangang River Bus” will operate a water route through seven docks in Magok, Mangwon, Yeouido, Jamwon, Oksu, Ttukseom and Jamsil. The Seoul Metropolitan Government also added that it plans to add a route that connects Gimpo and Seoul next year after consulting with officials from Gimpo to impr

Social Affairs Feb. 1, 2024

Cho Sun, a 34-year-old who carried out a stabbing rampage near Seoul's Sillim Station, killing one person and injuring three others, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the first trial on Wednesday. “To make sure Cho reflects on his misdeeds and to maintain social safety and order, the court decided to sentence Cho with the heaviest punishment following the death penalty,” said Seoul Central District Court in its ruling. The court also ordered Cho to wear a GPS-equipped electr

Social Affairs Jan. 31, 2024

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday vowed to improve services in digital government administration, online gaming and telemedicine by removing organizational hassle, enhancing protections for gamers and improving the welfare of the people. The plan involves digitizing necessary documents for approximately 1,500 administrative services within the next three years and creating digital stamps in lieu of traditional personal seals, which have been in use in South Korea for 110 years. In cases where p

Social Affairs Jan. 30, 2024