Foreign and local experts, as well as government officials addressed Thursday human rights abuses faced by migrant workers in South Korea’s fishing industry and exchanged suggestions to improve the situation. Hosted by the National Assembly Human Rights Forum, Advocates for Public Interest Law and International Organization for Migration’s Korea office, scores of human rights lawyers, activists and government officials came together for a regional conference in Seoul on ethical recruitment and p

Social Affairs Aug. 25, 2016

A government’s investigation found Tuesday that poor management of school food ingredients and corrupt practices have marred the quality of school meals in South Korea. 　Led by Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, the government taskforce aimed at combating corruption, released a report on the condition of school meals and a set of measures to improve the situation at a ministerial meeting. 　During the inspection from April to July, the taskforce uncovered a total of 677 cases in which the School Meals

Social Affairs Aug. 23, 2016

The number of drug offenders in South Korea hit a record high last year on the back of the rising use of social networking sites and the internet, the prosecution said in a report Monday. According to the report released by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office on drug use, the number of people arrested for drug-related crimes stood at 11,916 in 2015, up 19.4 percent from the previous year. The figure has been rising gradually. It was 9,174 in 2011, 9,255 in 2012, 9,764 in 2013 and 9,984 in 2014. From

Social Affairs Aug. 22, 2016

Police said Sunday that the National Police Agency chief nominee Lee Chul-sung was pardoned in a presidential amnesty in 1995 for a drunk driving offense, responding to growing allegations about his ethical standards. The agency’s deputy chief Lee has been grilled over his drunk driving history and attempt to hide his identity as a police officer at the time of the accident. He is to succeed retiring NPA chief Kang Sin-myeong, who steps down Monday. Lee Chul-sung, nominee for the National Police

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2016

The proportion of those who sat for South Korea’s college entrance exam for the second time has increased among the total number of test takers over the past three years, a report said Sunday. According to a report submitted by the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation at the request of Rep. Ahn Min-suk of The Minjoo Party of Korea, 136,900 high school graduates last year sat the College Scholastic Ability Test, also known as Suneung. The figure accounted for 21.56 percent of the total te

Social Affairs Aug. 21, 2016

Family members of the victims of the Sewol ferry sinking started Thursday a hunger strike to last for an indefinite period in protest against the government’s decision to dissolve the Sewol Special Committee tasked with investigating the 2014 maritime disaster. Yoo Kyeong-geun, the father of the deceased student Ye-eun and the spokesperson for the families of Sewol victims, began the strike at 4 p.m. at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, calling for the extension of the Sewol Special Committee

Social Affairs Aug. 18, 2016

South Korea’s migrant workers called for the abolishment of the Employment Permit System and an end to human rights abuse at workplaces Wednesday, the 12th anniversary of the foreign worker policy. Depicting the EPS as a “modern-day slavery” system, an association of more than 100 lawyers, foreigners and labor rights groups urged the government to amend the labor policy to protect migrant workers’ labor rights and human dignity. “The government promotes the Employment Permit System as an advance

Social Affairs Aug. 17, 2016

Nearly seven in 10 students in Korea benefit from a free school meal program led by municipal education offices, the Education Ministry said Monday, adding that the scheme may be leading to the “worsening quality” of student lunches. According to a report by the ministry, 67.6 percent of elementary, middle and high schools in the nation provide free meals to all students regardless of their families’ income, as of 2016. The proportion was 46.8 percent in 2011. The free lunches cost the schools a

Social Affairs Aug. 16, 2016

South Korea's electricity use set a new record two days in a row on Friday as the country is being hit hard by a sweltering heat wave, the government said.The maximum electricity load soared to 85.18 million kilowatts as of 5 p.m., passing the previous record of 84.97 million kilowatts set on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The electric power reserve ratio went down to 8.5 percent, or 7.22 million kilowatts, marking the fifth single-digit ratio throughout the ye

Industry Aug. 12, 2016

The government said Friday that it will offer financial subsidies for young people looking for jobs, in partnership with the state-run Youth Hope Fund, overturning its initial stance that handing out “cash” could create “moral hazards.”The Ministry of Employment and Labor will offer funds of up to 600,000 won ($544) over three months to help job seekers cover expenses when attending job interviews under the program called “Successful Job-landing Package,” minister Lee Ki-kwon said at a news brie

Social Affairs Aug. 12, 2016