The South Korean Air Force announced on Dec. 3 that it had enlisted two dogs -- Dindin and Tank -- to detect the smuggling of drugs into the military. It was the first case of the military deploying and nurturing its own dogs not to detect enemy soliders, but illegal drug activities at the barracks. Bringing the detection dogs in is just a part of measures devised to prevent the use of illegal substances at all levels of command, as the military has been dealing with the rise of illegal drug act

Social Affairs Dec. 12, 2023

진행자: 박준희, Beth Eunhee Hong [Weekender] Can't get a date? Try a temple ... or city hall 기사 요약: 솔로 남녀들 위해 만남 주선하는 절, 지자체들 [1] On a chilly Saturday afternoon, a group of people dressed in Buddhist vests and pants strolled slowly around a pagoda at Jogyesa,making wishes and touring different corners of the Buddhist temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul. *Chilly: 쌀쌀한, 추운 / Cold; Crisp; Frosty *Dressed in: 옷을 입고 / Clad in; Sported in *Strolled: (한가로이) 산책하다 / Wander; Take a walk [2] The 20 men and women w

Podcast Dec. 11, 2023

At around noon on a Friday, hundreds of students filed through the cafeteria at Changdeok Girls’ Middle School in Jung-gu, central Seoul, as they took a school canteen food tray, spoon and chopsticks, quickly scanning the day’s lunch menu offerings. One at a time, the students loaded their trays with fish cake soup, bibimbap, chocolate breadsticks and a mango popsicle for dessert. These school lunches resembled delicious-looking home-cooked meals. “It’s not mass-produced,

Social Affairs Dec. 9, 2023

진행자: 박준희, Beth Eunhee Hong Day laborers, low-income earners fear lonely death 기사 요약: 고독사에 걱정하는 일용직 근로자, 소득 낮은 층 [1] Day laborers and low-income earners in South Korea feel that they have a high chance of dying alone and remaining unnoticed for days, compared to peers with regular jobs earning higher incomes, a survey showed Sunday. *Day laborer: 일용직 근로자 *Low-income: 소득이 낮은 *Regular job: 정규직 [2] Those employed and paid daily without a regular job feared they would have an average 41.8 perc

Podcast Dec. 7, 2023

South Korea’s special investigation unit on drug crimes on Wednesday said it had caught a record-high of 22,393 people suspected of drug offenses from January to October this year. The figure is nearly a 50 percent increase, or up 7,211, from last year’s tally of 15,182, reflecting the troubling trend of rapidly growing drug use here. People in their teens and 20s made up the largest number, accounting for 34.6 percent of the total -- 1,174 were in their teens and 6,580 were in their

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2023

South Korean drugmakers are in a rush to mass-produce antipyretics and antibiotics to keep pace with demand for medicines amid the rise in cases of mycoplasma pneumonia -- a bacterium that causes respiratory infections -- and flu viruses during the winter. To avoid a medicine shortage, Daewon Pharmaceutical has started boosting the production of fever medicines and antibiotics, according to reports on Wednesday citing pharmaceutical industry insiders. Hanmi Pharmaceutical, another leading drugma

Social Affairs Dec. 6, 2023

South Korea on Tuesday rolled out a comprehensive plan to offer mental health checkups every two years for young Koreans aged 20 to 34 and other counseling services tailored to all age groups, in the first-ever detailed state policy aimed at tackling the country’s consistently high suicide rates. Korea has recorded the highest suicide rate among member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for almost 20 years, with 25.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, more

Social Affairs Dec. 5, 2023

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of recovering drug users from South Korea and Japan gathered in Seoul on Saturday to support each others’ path to sobriety. The 19th edition of the workshop took place as a one-day event with the members of Narcotics Anonymous from the two countries. NA is a community organization made up of peers to support those in recovery from drug addiction using a non-professional approach. It aims to remove the stigma surrounding drug addict

Social Affairs Dec. 4, 2023

To tackle the hike in bedbug infestations in single-room residences, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that it would increase inspections of such homes as nearly half of all bedbug reports came from there. The plan comes after 39 reports out of 89 came from “goshiwon,” a type of budget accommodation consisting of one small studio room with no separate kitchen or bathroom. The city government will assign personnel dedicated to overseeing goshiwon in each autonomous distric

Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2023

Following back-to-back incidents of public servants illegally going on livestreaming platforms to create sexual content, the government has rolled out a set of guidelines for public officials’ duties to prevent such incidents from happening, according to reports on Friday. On Monday, the Ministry of Personnel Management reportedly distributed a document to all ministries on the ethical conduct of national public service officials and specified guidelines for public officials’ persona

Social Affairs Dec. 1, 2023

Korean American singer Steve Yoo, known here as Yoo Seung-jun, won the final trial that overturned the initial denial of his visa and passport issuance, according to legal professionals on Thursday. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the disgraced K-pop singer in his case against the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles, which turned down his request for an F-4 visa issuance, upholding an appellate court’s ruling. The Seoul High Court ruled in favor of Yoo in July. The court judg

Social Affairs Nov. 30, 2023

City Oil Field, a Korean company that develops and commercializes technologies for converting waste plastic into quality oil, has set forth to recycle plastic and vinyl in the most environmentally friendly way. The company, officially certified by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, aims to provide both plastic manufacturers and users with safety nets and eco-friendly solutions. Its technology, dubbed “Regenerated Green Oil,” is a groundbreaking innovation capable of signific

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2023

To tackle problems with conventional plastic, Eco Creation converts waste into renewable energy with its pyrolysis system capable of extracting oil without pre-treatment. Through its plastic waste pyrolysis system installed in its factory in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, Korea’s leading pyrolysis plant operator has succesfully commercialized renewable energy. The system fuels diesel engine generators with pyrolysis oil to produce electricity. Eco Creation is the first among its industry pe

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2023

SangJinARP is an industry leader in producing environmentally friendly prefabricated products. The Korean company boasts some 250 types of such products, including boxes, shelves, bogies (a wheeled framework) and racks for various industries and at home. Responding to the surging demands for eco-friendly products and growing concerns over packaging waste, the company has come up with sustainable solutions. The company has developed its own prefabricated method that does not generate waste throug

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2023

Robots powered by artificial intelligence will aid English education in five elementary and middle schools in Seoul starting in March 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Wednesday. The English tutoring robots will aid students in brushing up their English language knowledge, conversation skills and pronunciation. For students struggling academically, the robots will provide a customized education service, enabling them to learn the language at their own pace. The education offi

Social Affairs Nov. 29, 2023