South Korean men in the top income bracket are likelier to be tying the knot, data showed Sunday, suggesting that income inequality could be a major factor in exacerbating marriage and childbearing rates. According to data released by the Korea Labor Institute analyzing labor and fertility trends, men with higher economic status were less likely to be unmarried and childless than low-income men. The finding came to light in research conducted from 2017 to 2019, which excluded variables related t

Social Affairs May 14, 2023

Excitement at going back to normal life and a sense of relief was what Lee Ji-eun felt when she heard the news on Thursday morning that South Korea will lift nearly all COVID-19 restrictions, three years and four months after the country recorded its first case. “It gives me a complicated feeling that the pandemic that struck us so hard is fading. Many hospitals have already eliminated beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients, so it is unlikely that there will be any major changes in our work a

Social Affairs May 11, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that it would develop an AI-based congestion monitoring system to provide better information to passengers about crowd density at each subway station. According to Seoul Metro, the operator of the subway service in Seoul, the new service will help analyze the real-time flow of passengers and crowd levels in subway compartments, improving operational efficiency. Currently, the subway operator monitors crowding and measures the number of passengers

Social Affairs May 10, 2023

The port city of Incheon will house the headquarters for a new state-run agency to provide consolidated administrative support to some 7.5 million people of the South Korean diaspora across the globe. Another office for handling citizen complaints will be set up in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun, the Foreign Ministry said Monday. Incheon, which has been vying for the host title since last year, in its bid, touted its convenient and easy access to Incheon Airport, the main point of entry or departure

Foreign Affairs May 8, 2023

Scores of flights were grounded at Jeju International Airport for two straight days due to strong winds and heavy rain, turning Children's Day into one of gloom and frustration. According to the Jeju Island branch of the Korean Airports Corp., 183 domestic flights to and from Jeju airport -- 92 departures and 91 arrivals -- had been canceled as of 8 a.m. A total of 488 domestic flights -- 238 arrivals and 235 departures -- and 15 international flights -- seven arrivals and eight departures

Social Affairs May 5, 2023

With less than two days until a summit between the leaders of South Korea and Japan on Sunday, civic activists across the country took to the streets to stage protests, demanding a formal apology from Tokyo on Thursday. In the late morning, a group of students from 12 colleges in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province was the first to hold rallies over Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Seoul. Jang Ji-won, a 19-year-old student majoring in law at Sookmyung Women’s University, was

Social Affairs May 4, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government kicked off its annual tourist event, “Seoul Festa 2023,” on Sunday, with a star-studded K-pop concert making its way back to pre-pandemic normalcy. The city embarked on the eight-day festival with an opening concert at the Olympic Main Stadium in Jamsil Sports Complex, southern Seoul, attended by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and some 40,000 attendees. In his opening remarks, Oh expressed hopes that visitors will be able to enjoy Seoul’s “style&

Social Affairs April 30, 2023

Six soldiers stationed in a division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, were caught smuggling illegal narcotics into the army, according to local media and the South Korean military. The military said late Wednesday that the soldiers are currently under internal investigation for allegedly sneaking cannabis into the garrison through a parcel and smoking the banned substance inside the military base. One is facing a police investigation following his discharge from the military after the incident.

Social Affairs April 27, 2023

진행자: 박준희, Beth Eunhee Hong 1. BTS' Suga dominates Japan's Oricon charts with solo album 'D-Day 기사 요약: BTS 슈가, 첫 공식 솔로 음반 "D-DAY"로 전 세계 음악 차트 석권하다 [1] BTS' Suga has taken over the Japanese music charts with his latest solo album "D-Day." *Take over: 장악하다 [2] Dropped under his alias Agust D, "D-Day" and its tracks landed in the top tiers of Japan's Oricon charts. *Drop: 떨어트리다, 발매하다 *Land: 안착하다 *Top tier: 일류 [3] The album soared to No. 1 of Or

Podcast April 27, 2023

The Korean Council for University Education said Wednesday that 21 universities in South Korea will consider school violence records in their regular admission processes for the 2025 school year. The colleges include Seoul National University, the country’s top-ranked university, Korea University, Hanyang University, Konkuk University, Korea University Sejong Campus, Kookmin University and the University of Seoul. The decision comes after the government announced strengthened policies agai

Social Affairs April 26, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Hangang Project Headquarters said Wednesday that it would welcome visitors looking for a new way to read books along the banks of the Han River. Starting on May 5, the city government will operate “Reading at the Han River” at the parks in Yeouido, the plaza near Ttukseom Han River Park and near Banpo Bridge, where people can enjoy a “booknic,” a term combining the words “book” and “picnic,” where visitors

Social Affairs April 26, 2023

A three-year prison sentence has been handed to a mother in her 20s for killing her newborn baby soon after giving birth and for concealing the body. The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday also sentenced the father, also in his 20s, to two years in prison, saying that he was an accomplice to the crime. The couple was indicted on charges of killing their newborn shortly after birth at their residence in Seoul’s Gwanak-gu in January 2021. They hid the dead body inside a bag and placed i

Social Affairs April 25, 2023

Located in the narrow alleyways of Seoul’s industrial district Euljiro -- dubbed “Hipjiro” for its renaissance as a hotspot for younger locals -- Joil Food is one of the city’s growing number of popular “imokase” joints. Stemming from the Japanese term “omakase,” which translates into “leaving it up to you,” an imokase establishment is a small eatery where the chef, who locals call “imo,” serves an affordable meal for custom

Travel April 22, 2023

Four crew members from a Russian fishing boat were found dead after a vessel caught fire off the southeastern coast near Ulsan on Friday morning, while the other 21 were rescued, the Russian Embassy in Seoul and South Korea’s Coast Guard said Friday. All 25 crew members were Russian nationals, and two crew members who were rescued have reportedly sustained minor burns. Russia’s Ambassador to South Korea, Andrey Kulik, was quoted saying that he would like to “express his deepest

Foreign Affairs April 21, 2023

A group of men who were arrested for illegal drug possession and use on Thursday reportedly all had tested positive for AIDS, according to local media and police. The drug investigation bureau under the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said Friday they had arrested 61 male drug users, manufacturers and dealers who were infected with the disease for breaching the country’s Narcotics Control Act. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, which is freq

Social Affairs April 21, 2023