Illegally parked cars and other vehicles hindering the flow of traffic are not an uncommon sight in Seoul. Since around 2019, even pedestrian walkways are no longer immune from obstruction, having been invaded by a new type of vehicle: e-scooters. While e-scooter riders are often the first to blame, challenges also exist as users find it increasingly difficult to locate approved drop-off zones, which are only shown virtually on the mobile app's map, without any physical markers posted in th

Social Affairs July 12, 2023

Street vendors in Myeong-dong, one of Seoul's main tourist districts, could be forced to label their prices following complaints of overcharging, Jung-gu District Office said Sunday. According to the district office, a considerable number of vendors in Myeong-dong do not display their prices, making it difficult for consumers to compare costs without making direct inquiries. The proposed system aims to enhance transparency by obligating all vendors to display their prices prominently. The d

Social Affairs July 9, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is making another attempt to transform Jamsu Bridge, a submersible bridge connecting Yongsan and Seocho, into the first pedestrian-only Han River bridge and a new leisure and cultural space. The city government announced on Thursday that it will hold an international design contest to reimagine the bridge, with the hope of completing the project by 2026. The contest is a part of the Great Han River Project of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to enhance the convenience and

Social Affairs July 6, 2023

As summer's first heatwave warnings struck this week, medical professionals on Wednesday urged individuals with diabetes to exercise greater caution against the increased risk of a severe complication of the condition called diabetic foot disease. Diabetic foot disease encompasses a range of foot problems afflicting diabetics, with foot ulcers being the most debilitating, as explained by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Summertime coincides with a heightened risk of the dise

Social Affairs July 5, 2023

The prosecution said Monday it has suspended indictment of South Korean actor and former Environment Minister Son Sook, who is under suspicion of accepting golf club gifts between 2018 and 2021 while she was in public service. Citing her age of 79 and the relatively small value of the gift she received, worth over 1 million won ($760), the prosecution said it would not indict her. Indictment of Lee Hee-beom, the current chairman of Booyoung Group and former trade, industry and energy minister, w

Social Affairs July 3, 2023

Nearly one-third of South Korea's internet cafes, known locally as “PC bang,” could be illicit gambling operations, warned a police administration academic at a regulation forum on Thursday. Disguised as "PC Bang" only in name and exterior, these establishments run offline gambling operations for the general public, most commonly by installing unclassified games and converting gains obtained through these games into cash. At a forum attended by lawmakers and gaming ind

Social Affairs June 30, 2023

Two-wheeled vehicles, particularly high-noise automobiles like motorcycles, will be clamped to stricter controls on their permissible noise increase with an updated policy effective from July, imposing fines of up to 2 million won ($1520) for excessive noise emissions, the Ministry of Environment announced Thursday. Under the new standard, all two-wheeled vehicles will not be allowed to exceed their noise certification value by 5 decibels. The change aims to put the brakes on vehicle modificatio

Social Affairs June 29, 2023

AI-generated profile pictures are not eligible for use on Korean national ID cards, the government stated Tuesday, saying that such photos violate current guidelines prohibiting the use of “transformed” images. The announcement follows the increasing popularity of AI profile photo services offered by prominent smartphone camera apps -- that of SNOW being the most notable. SNOW's AI profile feature, introduced in May, allows users to upload 10 to 20 selfies from different angles

Social Affairs June 28, 2023

Two robbers in their 20s were apprehended in South Gyeongsang Province last Thursday for their intensely quick-handed series of break-ins in Yangsan and Jinhae in the region, the Yangsan Police Station reported Monday. The pair stormed into a jewelry shop in Yangsan at dawn on June 22, snatched gold bracelets and other valuables worth 20 million won, and made their escape -- all in under 17 seconds. Security footage shows a man, wearing a helmet, shattering the storefront window with a hammer an

Social Affairs June 27, 2023

South Korean law firm LAWWIN participated in the recent LAWASIA Employment Law Conference to discuss legal trends and issues concerning work and workers across Asia. The LAWASIA Employment Law Conference, which took place in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia from June 8 to 10 this year, is a regional forum for lawyers to learn and discuss various aspects of employment law in the Asia-Pacific region. Leading the firm's foreign affairs team, attorney Dasom Park highlighted the challenges that foreign w

Social Affairs June 27, 2023

Seoul police have initiated a two-month safety crackdown beginning Monday to curb the steep rise in two-wheeled vehicle accidents. Two-wheeled vehicles, comprising motorized personal mobility vehicles (PMVs) such as electric scooters as well as motorcycles, will face stricter and more frequent inspection across the city according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. Between March and May 2023, traffic accidents involving two-wheeled vehicles surged by 30 percent, with corresponding injuries

Social Affairs June 26, 2023

A new river bus service along the Han River is poised to set sail as the city's latest public transportation and tourism offering, potentially starting in late 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday. The city’s administrative body has slated a preliminary evaluation for the second half of this year. Among the focal points of this assessment are dock accessibility and economic viability, which the city is actively seeking to navigate. With an objective of launching the riv

Social Affairs June 23, 2023

The Korean age system is set to change at the end of June, but some aspects of the old system will remain, the Ministry of Government Legislation said in a press release Wednesday. While age standards across Korea will soon be calculated in the same way as most places around the world -- from the time of birth -- there are still some exceptions to the new rule. Notably, age restrictions on the buying of alcohol and tobacco will continue to use the old formula. In this system, age is calculated b

Social Affairs June 22, 2023

Students from Sungkonghoe University in Guro-gu in western Seoul organized Korea's first college campus Pride parade on Tuesday. The celebration included the students advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, while also voicing disapproval of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's perceived discriminatory actions. The daylong Mini Queer Parade event commenced Tuesday with a press briefing in the morning and was due to culminate in an evening procession across the campus. Over 100 attendees were parti

Social Affairs June 20, 2023

A bold but cryptic full-page advertisement about the power of women in the US edition of the Korea Times has set Twitter abuzz as concerns about alarmingly low birth rates have persisted in Korea. The Korean-language daily -- the largest in the US, headquartered in Los Angeles with bureaus in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Hawaii, Toronto and Vancouver -- featured the print ad on June 14. The ad simply shows two sentences that read, “The

Social Affairs June 19, 2023