Over 3,700 high-income employees subscribed to the state-run health insurance scheme are earning more than 110 million won ($82,300) per month, paying a medical premium of 4 million won monthly, data showed Monday. The figure translates into an income of at least 1.32 billion won annually. As of October last year, 3,791 people were categorized as employed subscribers paying the maximum amount for health insurance premiums in the data on the status of health insurance subscribers and monthly prem

Social Affairs Jan. 29, 2024

진행자: 박준희, Ali Abbot [Weekender] Behind the rise of unstaffed stores in Korea 기사 요약: 늘어나는 무인점포들, 왜일까? [1] Choi Seung-hoon, 32, a regular patron of self-service venues in Korea, recently broadened his experiences in unstaffed shops by purchasing a takeaway sashimi dinner set for one. * Patron: 고객, 후원자, 홍보 대사 / Customer, Client, Buyer * Self-service: 자급식 판매 방법 / Do-it-yourself * Broaden one’s experience: 시야를 넓히다, 알거나 경험한 것들의 범위를 넓히다 / Expand; Widen * Unstaffed: 무인의 / Unmanned [2] Unstaffed

Podcast Jan. 29, 2024

The Seoul Central District Court on Friday acquitted former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae of all 47 charges related to his alleged abuse of judiciary power, including allegations that he deliberately delayed a ruling on Japan’s forced labor victims for then-President Park Geun-hye, who had sought to stabilize ties with the country. Yang, who headed the top court from 2011 to 2017, faced multiple allegations of abusing his judiciary power. After 1,810 days since the prosecution&

Social Affairs Jan. 26, 2024

Surgeons at Korea University Anam Hospital have offered pro bono surgery to a 30-year-old neurofibroma patient named Rasoanandrasana Vaosolo from the Republic of Madagascar, the hospital said Thursday. KUAH, one of the leading health institutions here, said that it decided to conduct the operation as well as cover the patient’s medical expenses as the developing country lacks healthcare infrastructure. A neurofibroma is a type of peripheral nerve tumor that forms soft bumps on or under the

Social Affairs Jan. 25, 2024

A woman in her 40s was handed a four-month prison term with two years of probation and 40 hours of community service for throwing her dogs from an apartment balcony, according to the Yeongwol Branch of Chuncheon District Court on Thursday. The 49-year-old, whose identity has been withheld, was charged with breaching the Animal Protection Act, which stipulates that killing an animal without justification shall be punished. It was reported that the woman threw two of her one to two-month-old puppi

Social Affairs Jan. 25, 2024

진행자: 박준희, Ali Abbot Escape winter’s chill, dive into paradise in Vietnam 기사 요약: 한국인들한테 인기 많은 다낭부터 요즘 뜨고 있는 푸꾸옥 섬까지, 가지각색의 매력을 지닌 베트남 여행지 [1] If the abounding lush green paddies and the Trump-Kim Hanoi summit click in your mind about Vietnam, you’re missing out on a big part, because the country has much more to offer. *Abounding: 풍부한, 많은 / Flourish, Be plentiful, Abundant *Click in your mind: 떠오르다 / Come to mind; Stick in your mind; pop up; cross your mind *Miss out on: ~를 놓치다 / Ov

Podcast Jan. 25, 2024

Following an amendment to the Health Insurance Act that goes into effect on April 3, foreign nationals and overseas South Koreans must reside in the country for at least six months to receive health insurance coverage as dependents of the actual subscribers. The new measures, however, will allow children under the age of 19 or spouses of foreign workers to be covered by the national health insurance before residing in Korea for six months so that families of diplomats and expatriate employees ca

Social Affairs Jan. 24, 2024

The Gangwon 2024 Organizing Committee’s decision to make 3,000 condoms freely available to some 1,800 athletes aged between 13 and 18 participating in this year’s Youth Olympics has sparked debate, with some arguing that it encourages teenagers to have sex, while others say it is an effective part of safe sex education. The committee said Tuesday that it had distributed 2,500 condoms to the Gangneung-Wonju National University athletes village, while the remaining 500 were sent to the

Social Affairs Jan. 23, 2024

South Korean middle and high school students regard politicians and presidents as the least trusted professions, while they view teachers as the most, a survey showed Sunday. Although poor working conditions have taken a toll on waning teachers’ rights, some 86.8 percent of middle and high school students said they have trust for teachers when asked how much they trusted the profession, according to a poll conducted by the Korean Education Development Institute on students’ education

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2024

Public medical facilities that took on a greater share of COVID-19 patients also bore the brunt of the financial fallout due to poor financial support from the government, a filing showed Thursday. On the other hand, the best-resourced private hospitals appeared to have benefited from government relief provided to secure more beds for seriously ill COVID-19 patients while keeping existing patients suffering from other diseases at the same time. The financial aid varied by hospitals depending on

Social Affairs Jan. 18, 2024

INCHEON -- Blue lights flashed on a walk-through screening machine after a man with drugs strapped to his left abdomen and his right thigh stepped into the checkpoint at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1. A group of airport security personnel immediately rushed in to check the substances hidden on the man’s body. The scripted demonstration arranged by the Korea Customs Service officials painted how the latest scanning technology has become a quintessential part of the airport's drug

Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2024

Calls are growing from South Korean police for clear guidance on how to deal with drunk people after two policemen were fined for the death of an intoxicated man they escorted home. The Seoul Northern District Court recently fined two Seoul police officers 5 million won ($3,755) and 4 million won for occupational negligence, according to reports on Tuesday citing legal professionals. The two officers working at the Mia District Unit of the Seoul Gangbuk Police Station reportedly took an intoxica

Social Affairs Jan. 16, 2024

Middle-aged men accounted for more than 85 percent of so-called “lonely deaths” in South Korea, while it took an average of more than three weeks for the bodies to be discovered, a study showed Monday. The Act on the Prevention and Management of Lonely Deaths defines the term as one in which a person dies alone after falling out of contact with friends or family, with his or her body remaining undiscovered for at least three days. The phenomenon is also referred to as a “solita

Social Affairs Jan. 15, 2024

A bikini-clad woman who roamed the streets of central Seoul in a cardboard box was referred to the prosecution on charges of obscene exposure, according to the Seoul Mapo Police Station on Friday. The woman, reportedly a model by the name of Ain, reportedly walked the streets of Hongdae, one of the country’s famous nightlife districts, sporting a scanty outfit which was hidden from view by a cardboard box in September 2023. She is alleged to have repeated a similar act in Apgujeong, a posh

Social Affairs Jan. 12, 2024

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said Wednesday that the political ideology of the suspect in the stabbing of the main opposition leader led to the knife attack. “The attacker had vented resentment toward the Democratic Party leader and wanted to stop Lee from becoming president and prevent him from securing a majority of seats in the upcoming general election by giving nominations to specific persons,” said Woo Cheol-moon, head of the Busan Police Agency, as he briefed the press

Politics Jan. 10, 2024